The fairy tale version of George Martin taking to The Beatles right away and immediately signing them to EMI’s Parlophone Records has been pretty well dismissed at this point. In this episode of The Beatles60 podcast we talk about what really happened, how and why The Beatles were given to George Martin so that EMI’s Ardmore and Beechwood could obtain publishing rights to their original songs.

Stuart Sutcliffe was an important member of The Beatles. He helped come up with the name and was always the first to adopt a new clothes or hairstyle. He was also John’s closest friend. John and the others would be forced to endure an unexpected tragedy on April 10, 1962. In this episode, we’re talking about the circumstances and atmosphere surrounding the death of Stuart Sutcliffe.

The Beatles in Manchester. This page of links accompanied our podcast episode on the topic.

The Beatles’ rejection by Decca Records is one of the most famous and most talked about events in the early stages of The Beatles’ career. But how did it really happen and just how important was it, really? We’re talking about it in this episode of the Beatles60 podcast! We also catch up with Stuart Sutcliffe and Ringo Starr in early 1962.

5 M A R C H 1 9 6 2

Right around this time, sixty years ago, Ringo was kind of a free agent. And George, John and Paul first started telling Brian they needed to sack Pete.

On this very day, though, we mark another anniversary. This very day our friend Tim was born. Jump ahead six decades. It just so happens that a few months ago (in October 2021) Tim wrote a mighty, unique and provocative article on the sacking of Pete Best. It fails to convince me. Here’s why.

Yes, we study the Beatles' and others' lifeworlds in 1962, a day at a time. Yes, study. Sometimes it just feels as if we're celebrating a new 60th anniversary every day. Over time, having a serial deep dive into their contexts and their doings every day, it becomes like a longitudinal interpretation that gives all of us who follow a feeling for their development/evolution and of course a clear sense for the sequence and duration of events.

This episode’s all about the Fabs in the north’s media centre. We hear from Steve Bradley and Phil Salter of the always informative podcast Arrive Without Travelling about the importance of Manchester in the Beatles’ story.

Why did Brian Epstein think it was so important for 'My Bonnie' to be released as a single in the UK? And why did he purposely write so many loopholes into his management contract with The Beatles? In this episode we’ll be looking into The Mind of Brian.

1962. The New Year brought tons of activity in the lives and career of The Beatles, from auditions for record labels, new fashions, plenty of shows, and more. We’re talking about all of these things and may have a special message from a Beatle! We talk about it all in this week’s Beatles60 podcast, Mother Mersey.

An hour and a half of music from 60 years ago and earlier (1961, 1960, 1959 and so on).

In December of 1961, Sam Leach tried to get The Beatles a show in London. The results were disastrous. Meanwhile, Brian Epstein was setting up an official photo session for December 17 arranging an audition for The Beatles with Decca Records for January 1. We talk about it all in this week’s Beatles60 podcast, Calling London.

Around the end of November or beginning of December of 1961, Brian Epstein and The Beatles had their first “official” meetings. Brian wanted to discuss the idea of becoming The Beatles’ manager. We’re talking about how those meetings went!

The Beatles were becoming more and more popular in Liverpool, and Brian Epstein was about to become their manager. But what was George Martin doing as 1962 approached? We’re talking about it!

In this episode of the Beatles60 podcast, Larry and Andy talk about the events that led up to Brian Epstein’s first meeting with The Beatles on November 9, 1961. How did the most important manager/client relationship in rock music history get started sixty years ago? Check it out!