Having been a Beatle fan for many years and read hundreds of books about them, I have to ask myself whether a new book can offer anything new. Thankfully, in this case, the answer is a resounding Yes! Or, should that be Yeah?! Martin Creasy has taken the Beatles UK Tours, between 1963-1965 as his inspiration and there really isn't too much information given to these in most books, most of which concentrate on the Liverpool/Hamburg years or which jump on to the US invasion. For many, these tours were not the Beatles at their best and, to be fair, they were in fact a 'tour package' with many artists, so the Fabs had only a short set to perform each night. After performing for hours on end in Hamburg, the time on stage must have seemed easy, but the travelling was gruelling.
Martin Creasy examines all six (yes, six!) UK tours during this time. What is so interesting is not only that the tours were so long and tiring, but even during the rare day off, the Beatles were doing radio shows, concerts and photo shoots and during this time period they also managed other, overseas, tours, Christmas specials and two films, amongst other things! Their work rate was truly phenomenal and it was an exhausting schedule. The first tour was with Helen Shapiro as the main act, in a freezing Britain, having some of the worst weather it has ever seen. By the second tour, with Chris Montez and Tommy Roe, the Beatles were a nationally successful band, causing resentment with the two Americans who threatened to walk off the tour if they were dropped from closing the show. John Lennon had little time for Chris Montez, who struggled with the girls screaming for the Beatles and was bemused at the attention given to them, when he was (supposed to be) the star.
Thankfully, the third tour was with the generous and gentlemanly Roy Orbison, a long time friend of the boys and later Wilbury, who happily allowed the billing to be changed so the Beatles could headline. He had no need to have any resentment, as the Beatles idolised him and he was happy to share success. Gerry and the Pacemakers were also along, so that was probably the happiest tour. By the fourth tour, headlining with backing acts such as the Kestrels and Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers, "She Loves You" was top of the charts and Beatlemania was huge, although the screaming had started long before. By this tour, poor Neil had recruited Mal to help, as his weight had dropped from 11 to 8 stone with the stress! The thought of a modern band having only 2 roadies would be unbelievable and the fact Neil managed for so long alone is amazing. I had to laugh when I read that the Beatles were allowed a 'leisurely lunch' (how kind!) after flying back from their Swedish tour, to begin the fourth UK tour the next day! Perhaps if Brian had been able to say 'no' to things, they would not have become so desperate to stop touring. Either way, this tour was when Beatlemania was nationally recognised, with the Palladium appearance and they were under siege constantly, reduced to a world of dressing rooms and escape plans and unable to hear anything on stage. A local reporter claimed to be totally deaf for a day after the concert, as the noise levels were so high!
With barely time to draw breath, the Beatles were off again, with Mary Wells amongst others. By now, they had conquered the States and by the end of the tour, "Help!" was in the cinemas. By the end of 1965, Brian Epstein went against their wishes with their last UK tour. This time, other acts included The Moody Blues and their old friend Beryl Marsden. However, the music the Beatles were writing was harder to arrange and play live and it felt like a treadmill. During this time, the Cavern was forced to close and Merseybeat's dominance was drawing to a close, with only the Beatles surviving to have continued success. After years of constant touring they had all (well, perhaps except Paul) had enough.
The author does a magnificent job of detailing not only every tour but every concert, with personal anecdotes and interviews with people involved with the tour, playing or attending the concerts. It was a very exciting time and it is obvious that, even after so long, people have no difficulty remembering quite intimate details of what happened when they saw/met or even played on the same bill as the Beatles. The stories are wonderful to read and there are lots of details about what happened that makes it worth reading for even the most ardent fan. A really interesting, well written and enjoyable book and a must read for any Beatles fan.
