Early hits capture the excitement of the era when the Beatles played live
The later albums may now get more respect, but it was the early Beatles who first conquered the world.
This was the era when the Fab Four played live, before escaping into the studio. Sadly, they often couldn’t be heard over the screaming, as many people who went and saw them at the Gaumont in Ipswich and the Grosvenor Rooms in Norwich have recalled.
But all that hysteria wasn’t just because of the moptop haircuts and collarless jackets. It was also about the music, with its fresh, innovative feel.
Born in 1960, I was just a few years too young to enjoy those early recordings as they were released, or to go and scream at John, Paul, George and Ringo when they visited East Anglia. But I discovered the music later, and still love it.
During a visit to Liverpool a couple of years back, I heard tribute acts performing some of those early songs in the reconstructed Cavern Club, and it really gave a feeling of why the Merseybeat sound caused so much excitement at the time.
Source: Judy Rimmer/edp24.co.uk
