The Beatles!!
This is my story about how I came to be the huge fan that I am today
The Beatles have been huge ever since the early 60s when it all began for them. From the Cavern, to the Ed Sullivan Show, to Buckingham Palace, to Pepperland, the Beatles have hailed as musical innovators that revolutionalised the sound of popular music. They are heroes, and their legend will live forever.
Even in many of todays young generation, the Beatles have moved their souls and touched their hearts. Even without the influence of parents, some of us have managed to be captivated by the Fab Four by their charming personalities, appearance, achievements, and most of all music. Music which has become such a large part of their lives, music that has brought tears to their eyes and smiles to their faces. Music which will forever be played and forever be loved.
Being one of these young Beatles fans, I came to love their music so dearly on my own, without 'beatlemaniacs' for parents. Although later I realised my father was a fan from way back when they began, and had a set of Beatles albums on LP that i never knew he had.
Thanks to Safura Nazli for this wonderful pictureI had always heard of the Beatles, but never knew much about them, except maybe - John, Paul, George and Ringo. Their names, that was all. The first time I discovered this legendary rock group was when I finally managed to borrow a copy of the movie 'Backbeat' on video (in late 94/early 95). Admittedly, the only reason I hired this video was to watch the lead actor (as a 17 year old female, Stephen Dorff was really something). But as the movie progressed I became quite interested in the story of this young rock 'n' roll group, who would become the world phenomenon, THE BEATLES. After the movie I had to hide the tears that had formed in my eyes.
Straight after watching the video I went to my roon and sat down.....thinking. I could vaugely remember my older brother listening to 'Yesterday' which my dad had on CD in the from of the 62-65 compilation album (also known as the 'red'). After realising this I walked quietly to my brother's room in the hope of borrowing it without him knowing (if you know what I mean), but failed miserabley after finding him there. So I just walked to the shelf, picked it up, and said "I'm borrowing this" as i ran out of the room.
I put the CD into my player and pressed play. The first thing I heard was 'Love Me Do' and without realising I found myself moving around to the rythmns, clapping the tamborine beat, singing the words to the song. I LOVED IT!! My brain had been polluted with the sounds of R&B, hip hop, rap and dance music for far to long. The sounds were new and refreshing. I guess you could say I grew with excitement just waiting for the next track as the album progressed, and that I found the next track as good as the previous. Although now I realise that each song is as good as the other, and by looking at my favourites list, I have listed many, but could well have listed every Beatle song recorded.
After listening completely through 62-65 collection of masterpieces many times over, my brother came and demanded it back. So I bargained.....he could take it back so long as he replaced it with the second of the two collections, 67-70, or the 'blue'. Suprisingly he did this with little fuss. I then listened to this until I had heard each song as many times as each on the red collection. From listening to both I had an insight of what the Beatles achieved over their careers as The Beatles, and was truly moved.
I guess you could say lucky for me, but also a bit dissapointing, two of the songs I remembered of the Beatles, 'I Saw Her Standing There' and 'Twist And Shout', were neither in the red or the blue collections. So whenever I went into a music store I would check out the 'B' section in search of their many albums. However the only ones I could find were 'Live at BBC' and 'Please Please Me'. I knew when i saw it that I had to buy it then and there (both the songs i desperately wanted to hear could be found on the album). I chose not to get 'Live at BBC', due to lack of funds, which was good cause i later found out that my dad already had a copy, which meant that now I had a copy.
As my dad hates us to pay buy CDs (as he works in a book/CD shop where he can get a discount), I decided not to let him know of my latest addition to my small, but growing, CD collection. But since I loved it so much, and constantly played it (LOUD), he eventually found it. Suprisingly he didn't get to upset/angry, but did say not to buy anymore. I the up side, he said that he would get me the other albums through the shop he worked at. I knew that this would be a lengthy process, as my dad always seems to do things at a rather slow pace, but this was fate, and 'good old dad' gradually came through with the goods. About half-way to two-thirds of the way through 1995, I found myself in possession of a complete set of Beatles albums on CD. And it can was known, throughout my final year of high school, that my ambition (as in the year book) was 'to have a complete set of the Beatles albums before the end of the year'. (This quote was taken from me during the middle of the year, when I still had three or so albums to get.)
Since having accquired those three/four albums, my collection was complete, and with the up and coming Anthology collection to be released, I had to start saving some money (three double CD albums don't come cheap). NOW, with only the third to be released, I can soon say that I have a collection of all officially released Beatles albums on the Apple/EMI/Parlophone labels (plus a few others).
Well, that's my story about how I came to love the Beatles, and could honestly say, I would have no idea where I would be today had I not accquired this taste for GREAT music. It was fate. Thinking back on 'Yesterday', I can understand the meaning of the phrase...'Tomorrow Never Knows'.
"GET
BACK"