Fab Four Blog

Peter Best, former drummer with the band, files an $8 million lawsuit against Playboy magazine, the Beatles en masse and Beatle drummer Ringo Starr in particular. Best charges that in an interview with the Beatles, published in Playboy last February, a statement attributed to Starr served to hinder Best from gaining employment and immeasurably damaged his career. In a separate action, Best’s New York attorney, Barry Goldberg, said a $50 million breach-of-contract suit against the Beatles and their manger Brian Epstein, has been instituted in England. Best is touring the U.S. in news conferences pertaining to the suits. He was heard explaining to one reporter, that he was fired from the Beatles because he “made out best with the girls.” He has a new band in England - “Mr. Maestro.”

The Beatles had a day of rest this first day of October.

The month of September ends in 1965 with the Beatles enjoying their break.

The Beatles - Enjoying their long break after the US Tour.

The Beatles - Still enjoying their six week break........

UK 1965 UK Beatles Get MBE's 26th Sept. 1965 : Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II appoints the four members of The Beatles Pop Group John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison " Members of the Order of the British Empire".

A cartoon series featuring The Beatles began on this day in the United States. Simply titled The Beatles, it ran until 1969 on the ABC network, with 39 episodes produced over three seasons.

The series was shown on Saturday mornings at 10.30am until 1968, when it was moved to Sunday mornings. Each episode was named after a Beatles song, with stories based on the lyrics.

The Beatles themselves were not directly involved in the production, which was created by Al Brodax and Sylban Buck, and produced by King Features Syndicate. American actor Paul Frees provided the voices for John Lennon and George Harrison, while British actor Lance Percival did the same for Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

Al Brodax, who produced the series, was later the producer and co-writer of the 1968 animated film Yellow Submarine. The film's director, George Dunning, also worked on the cartoon series.

The Beatles’ series was re-broadcast in 1980 and again in 1987 by MTV, and later by the Disney Channel. Apple Corps, Ltd. purchased the rights to the show in the ’90s, and McFarlane Toys released a line of Beatles figures based on the animated series.

Help! was Number One on Billboard today, September 24, 1965.

The Beatles "Help!" is still the number ONE song!

A show called `Brian Epstein's Evening of Popular Music' is presented at the Commonwealth Arts Festival, Royal Festival Hall, London. The Moody Blues are in the bill, being their first major engagement since Brian is their manager. The concert is presented as `Pop From Britain'. The compere is Brian Matthew.

Meanwhile, "Help!" is still Number 1.

The Beatles enjoying their six-week break.

September 18, 1965 ...... that special week of September people in US were listening to Help! by The Beatles.

Still........The #1 song in the US on September 15, 1965

Help! - The Beatles

Following the completion of the Beatles' 1965 tour of North America, the weary group took the month of September off to relax and enjoy home life. This gave John and Paul opportunity to finish songwriting for the group's upcoming album, Rubber Soul. It also allowed time for Ringo Starr and his wife Maureen to welcome their first son, Zak.

Zak Starkey was born at Queen Charlotte Hospital in London, seven months after Ringo and Maureen's February wedding. The proud new Dad held a press conference and granted interviews on September 14th with the ever-present press at the hospital.

Following this, the Beatles would return to EMI studios in October to begin the recording sessions for the Rubber Soul album. On October 26th the Beatles would receive M.B.E. medals in a Royal ceremony with the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

Although The Beatles chose not to release Yesterday as a single in the UK, their US record label Capitol Records decided otherwise and released it with the b-side Act Naturally.

The single hit the charts by September 29, 1965, and from October 9th spent four weeks at number one. Altogether it spent 11 weeks on the charts, and sold over one million copies in the first five weeks.

Yesterday also became the most-played song on American radio for eight consecutive years, sealing its status as one of The Beatles' most popular songs.

The Ed Sullivan Show 50 years ago today.

Ed and Soupy Sales reminisce about their European vacation with Soupy narrating a series of silent film clips illustrate their pratfalls. English singer Cilla Black performs two songs and Fantasio delivers a set of slight-of-hand magic tricks. The Beatles return for their fourth appearance on the Ed Sullivan show and perform six musical numbers spread over two sets.

I Feel Fine,’ ‘I’m Down,’ ‘Act Naturally,’ ‘Ticket to Ride,’ ‘Yesterday,’ and ‘Help!’ — The performance was actually taped on Aug. 14, the day before their historic concert at Shea Stadium.

Steve Rossi sings "Try to Remember" and interviews Marty Allen who explains his numerous sporting skills. Rossi and Allen then sing their version of a Beatles song calling it "We Love You". Soupy Sales returns to sing his novelty song, "The Mouse".

Just over a year after the Beatles first soundtrack, A Hard Day’s Night, hit Number One on the Top LP’s chart, the Fab Four was back on top with its second soundtrack, Help!

Although longtime Beatles producer George Martin had proven quite adept at scoring with A Hard Day’s Night, he wasn’t used on Help! “I had nothing to do with the score,” Martin says. “Although the music for the first film was an enormous success, Dick Lester and I didn’t get on too well. When it came to the second film, I recorded all the tracks with the Beatles, but that was the end of it. Lester engaged Ken Thorne to do the score and he put the album together in a way I didn’t like without my supervision.”

The Beatles’ tracks on the album were recorded between February and April of 1965. “Ticket to Ride,” one of the first tracks recorded for the soundtrack, was released as a single well in advance of the film. Eight Arms to Hold You, the original title of the Beatles’ second film, was listed in fine print under the Lennon-McCartney writing credit on the single. On May 22, 1965, “Ticket to Ride” became the Beatles’ eighth Number One single.

Martin suggests that the song that would later become the title track to the film was written well in advance of the film. “I think ["Help!"] came before the film and they took the title from that,” he says. “It didn’t matter what they called the film. It could have been anything.”

Yet “Help!,” with its urgency, was a fitting title track. John Lennon claimed years later that the song was more than just another gem of a song?e was, in act, crying out for help. “To me it was just a pop song,” Martin says. “I didn’t see any great significance in it.”

Whether “Help!” was really Lennon’ personal plea, just another great pop song, or both, it struck a chord with the public. On September 4, 1965, it became the Beatles’ ninth Number One single. A week later, with the single still holding fast at the top of the Hot 100, Help! hit the summit of the Top LP’s chart, rocketing all the way from number 61. It was the group’s sixth Number One album in a mere two years.

THE TOP FIVE
Week of September 11, 1965

1. Help!, The Beatles
2. Look at Us, Sonny & Cher
3. Out of Our Heads, The Rolling Stones
4. The Sound of Music, Soundtrack
5. Summer Days (And Summer Nights), The Beach Boys


 

The Beatles enjoying their 6 week break.

The Beatles taking a 6 week break.

The Beatles still enjoying their break.

Beatles still enjoying their 6 week break.

The Beatles has the number one hit this week with Help!. Finding a spot at number two this week is I Got You Babe by Sonny & Cher.  At number three this week is The Beach Boys with California Girls.

The Beatles - enjoying their break from the long US Tour.

September 4, 1965 "Beatles' ""Help!,"" single goes #1 & stays #1 for 3 weeks"

In this special week of September people in US were listening to Help! by The Beatles.