1966, June

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 30, 1966 29 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

Live: Nippon Budokan Hall, Tokyo

Five show in the Nippon Budokan Hall, one on June 30, 1966 and two each on July 1st and 2nd - before 10,000 fans on each occasion.

The group and their entourage stayed at the Tokyo Hilton, where they occupied the Presidential Suite. Security at the hotel was so tight that they were unable to make unscheduled excursions around the city. They did, however, give a press conference from the hotel.

The evening's concert had support from Yuya Uchida and Isao Bitoh. The Beatles performed a set containing 11 songs: Rock And Roll Music, She's A Woman, If I Needed Someone, Day Tripper, Baby's In Black, I Feel Fine, Yesterday, I Wanna Be Your Man, Nowhere Man, Paperback Writer and I'm Down.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 29, 1966 28 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

The June 29, 1966 flight dodged a storm, JAL attendant recalls, but that was nothing compared to the tempest that awaited the Fab Four at the Budokan.

The Liverpool mop tops came to Tokyo for a historical and ill-fated visit that helped seal the fate of their live tours.

Feet planted on Japanese ground for the first time and bleary from lack of sleep, the Beatles faced the usual round of daft probes about their hair, which they handled with customary good humor. Asked about the “motives and incentives” for their hairstyle, Harrison said: “We couldn’t afford a barber at the time.” Ringo: “I think the next change will be when we go bald.”

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 28, 1966 27 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

Travel: Alaska to Tokyo

Following The Beatles' unscheduled nine-hour stop in Anchorage, Alaska, their long journey to Tokyo continued.

Ringo Starr said "Anchorage, Alaska, was like a cowboy town to us; it was really like a backwater. My only great memory of Alaska is that at the airport they have a huge, magnificent white bear in a glass case."

Ringo Starr was the owner of one of the first portable cassette recorders, and spent much of the journey recording the conversations of those around him on the aeroplane.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 27, 1966 26 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

A brief history of the Beatles' (brief) time in Alaska

Following the Hamburg date on their three-stop German tour of 1966, The Beatles began their long journey to Japan.

They began by returning first to London Airport, before catching the inaugural flight by Japanese Airlines. This took The Beatles across the North Pole, but an adverse weather warning caused their flight to be grounded at Anchorage in Alaska.

The Beatles -- together or separately -- are known to have passed through Alaska twice.

The first time they came was at 1:45 p.m. on June 27, 1966. Most sources say the DC-8 jet carrying the Fab Four to Japan was obliged to set down at Anchorage International Airport because a typhoon named Kit blocked their way.

Gerry Henningsen of Anchorage, a ground service agent with Pacific Northern Airlines at the time, remembers it differently. The layover was planned, he said, a routine refilling stop. But after it landed, a mechanical issue was discovered that kept the plane on the ground longer than expected. "I think it was hydraulics," he said. Had the plane taken off after repairs were made, it would have been unable to land in Japan because of a curfew at the airports there.

Henningsen was sent on board the DC-8 to get the famous passengers' paperwork for customs while Beatles manager Brian Epstein, flying with the band, tried to figure out what to do.

"I babysat those guys for two and a half, three hours," said Henningsen, who was not a Beatlemaniac. "They were not my cup of tea, just four young men who had made a big dent in the entertainment world. We talked about a lot of things. They were asking, 'What's there to do in Anchorage?' They saw Earthquake Park on a map and were curious about that."

But they never got to see it.

After several hours of waiting, the four came down the ramp, George Harrison leading the way, and headed for a waiting bus. They were spotted by local teenagers, whom they gifted with a few souvenirs.

Word spread among the city's youths in a flash: The Beatles' plane was in Anchorage and someone had ordered a secret chartered bus to go to the airport.

Anchorage teens quickly put two and two together. Ted Spencer was one of them. He joined a carload of other boys racing to the airport.

"We saw the bus going the other way and realized that was them, so we turned around and chased it," Spencer said. The driver was so excited that he slid into a stop sign, but kept going. As the bus rolled along Spenard Road to downtown, an ever-growing caravan formed behind it, with fans shouting and honking.

Everyone knew there was only one place in Anchorage swanky enough for the Beatles to stay -- the Anchorage Westward Hotel, now the Hilton. And, sure enough, that's where the bus was heading.

The bus went into the alley behind the Westward and we were right behind them," Spencer said. "We just barely got a glimpse of the Beatles walking from the bus to the back door of the hotel."

The band and entourage went to room 1050. An Anchorage police detective and two uniformed officers stood guard in the hall to shoo off the curious and the fans, some of whom showed up with armloads of records. Food was delivered -- hamburgers and king crab.

Harrison called Seidenverg and Kay's, an upscale men's haberdashery on Fourth Avenue, and ordered a hat and a couple of shirts. The proprietor delivered the goods and said that Harrison, who met him, seemed alert and engaged, but the other three were sitting around looking bored and a little peeved.

That impression is backed up by photos taken of them in the room by British photographer Robert Whitaker. They show the band slumped over chairs and sofas like wet socks. Apparently the most interesting thing that happened was that George got hold of a Polaroid camera and took some candid shots of his mates.

For the most part, the party stayed hunkered in the suite. But Daily News photographer Robin Smith managed to snap Harrison taking a stroll through the Westward hallway in his stockings.

Meanwhile, more than 500 Anchorage teens had gathered in the alley behind the hotel, looking up at the 10th floor, sometimes exclaiming that they'd seen a famous face looking out at them, chanting, "We want the Beatles" and singing -- to the tune of "Bye-Bye Birdie" -- "We love you, Beatles."

There was a report of a broken window, but Anchorage police said that the kids behaved pretty politely. How politely? Well, when the 10 p.m. teen curfew arrived, the crowd obediently dispersed, leaving a few 18-and-overs.

At 1 a.m., the band reboarded the bus, returned to the airport and left for Japan.

They would never play a concert here, which didn't dampen the love felt by their Alaska fans. Judy Redmond, one of the lucky teens who spoke with them at the airport, assured a Daily News reporter, "Their popularity isn't going downhill. They're my favorite forever."

Some years later, Ringo recalled, "Anchorage, Alaska, was like a cowboy town to us; it was really like a backwater. My only great memory of Alaska is that at the airport they have a huge, magnificent white bear in a glass case."

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 26, 1966 25 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

Live: Ernst Merck Halle, Hamburg

The Beatle's train pulled into the central station in Hamburg a little after 6:00 am on June 26th. It was the first time any member of the group had set foot in the city since January 1963, when - as relative nobodies - they had completed their fortnight's Christmas stint at the Star Club.

On hand at the station, and backstage before their two shows at the Ernst Merck Halle, were many faces from the past, ranging from Astrid Kirchherr to Bert Kaempfert and even Bettina Derlien, the buxom, blond barmaid from the Star Club.

The Beatles played two shows at the city's Ernst Merck Halle on Jungtusstrasse, each of which was seen by 5,600 people. A press conference was held between the sets. Forty-four people were arrested for rioting during the shows, both inside and outside the venue.

The group played the same 11 songs that constituted their standard set throughout the tour: Rock And Roll Music, She's A Woman, If I Needed Someone, Day Tripper, Baby's In Black, I Feel Fine, Yesterday, I Wanna Be Your Man, Nowhere Man, Paperback Writer and I'm Down. The Ernst Merck Hall, on Hamburg's JungiusstraÃŸe, was later demolished, but not before a number of major bands including Queen and Pink Floyd performed there.

After the shows John Lennon and Paul McCartney paid a nostalgic visit to the Reeperbahn where they visited a number of people and places from their past.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 25, 1966 24 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

Live: Grugahalle, Essen, Germany

In the morning The Beatles were driven in a fleet of Mercedes cars, flanked by police on motorcycles, to Munich railway station. From there a special train took The Beatles from Munich to Essen for two shows at the Grugahalle.

The train had been used in the previous year by Queen Elizabeth II during her royal visit to West Germany. The Beatles were each given a suite of rooms on board, as were their five-man entourage.

They played two concerts at the Grugahalle, during which they performed the same 11 songs: Rock And Roll Music, She's A Woman, If I Needed Someone, Day Tripper, Baby's In Black, I Feel Fine, Yesterday, I Wanna Be Your Man, Nowhere Man, Paperback Writer and I'm Down.

Between the two shows The Beatles held a press conference and enjoyed a meal in their dressing room. Following their second performance at the Grugahalle they boarded the train once more to travel to Hamburg, arriving at around 2am.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 24, 1966 23 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

Live: Circus-Krone-Bau, Munich, Germany

The Beatles' brief 1966 tour of West Germany, Japan and the Philippines began on this day, with two concerts at the Circus-Krone-Bau in Munich, Germany.

The shows took place at 5.15pm and 9pm. The second show was filmed by German television network Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF), and followed a brief afternoon rehearsal set for the cameras. The footage was shown as Die Beatles on channel two on Tuesday 5 July, from 8-8.45pm.

Also appearing on the bill were Cliff Bennett and The Rebel Rousers, The Rattles and Peter and Gordon. The German leg of the tour was known as the Bravo Blitztournee, and was sponsored by the entertainment magazine Bravo.

The Beatles' set throughout the tour consisted of 11 songs: Rock And Roll Music, She's A Woman, If I Needed Someone, Day Tripper, Baby's In Black, I Feel Fine, Yesterday, I Wanna Be Your Man, Nowhere Man, Paperback Write and I'm Down.

For these first dates, the group's recent absence from live performance was apparent. George Harrison introduced Yesterday as being from Beatles For Sale, and I'm Down was briefly delayed by an on-stage conference between John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Harrison about lyrics in the opening verse. In spite of this, McCartney managed to get each verse wrong.

Source: Beatles Bible

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 23, 1966 22 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

On June 23rd 1966, the Beatles flew from London Airport to Munich for a three-city tour of West Germany. For promotional purposes, the German leg of their 1966 tour would be called 'Bravo-Beatles-Blitztournee.' The opening acts on this tour of Munich, Essen and Hamburg included The Rattles, Peter and Gordon, and Cliff And The Rebel Rousers.

The Beatles and their entourage arrived in Munich at noon on the 23rd, holding a press conference upon their arrival at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof, and granting the following interview which was filmed for television.

As part of their arrival, each of the Beatles were given elaborately crafted lederhosen, the traditional leather German shorts which remain popular in the region and are culturally associated with masculinity.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 22, 1966 21 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio Three (control room), EMI Studios, Abbey Road

Recording for the Revolver album had been completed the day before. During this final session, mono and stereo mixes of six songs were made to complete the album.

The session began at 7pm and finished at 1.30am the next morning. Two mono mixes of Eleanor Rigby were the first to be made, followed by one of She Said She Said and one of Good Day Sunshine. With those the mono album was ready to be banded and mastered, ahead of its August 5th, 1966 release.

The second half of the session was devoted to stereo mixes. Eleanor RIgby, She Said She Said and Good Day Sunshine were each mixed in a single attempt, followed by two mixes of Yellow Submarine.

Tomorrow Never Knows proved more problematic, and took six attempts before a satisfactory stereo mix was achieved. The session ended with one mix of Got To Get You Into My Life.

With that, work on The Beatles' 1966 album Revolver, held by many to be their finest collection of songs, was complete.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 21, 1966 20 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road

Having spent much of the day working on mono and stereo mixes for six Revolver songs, The Beatles began a night-time session in which they completed a new song from scratch.

The session for She Said She Said began at 7pm and ended at 3.45am the following morning. It was the only Revolver song to be completed within a single session.

The Beatles spent much of the session rehearsing the song, with at least 25 attempts before the first proper recording attempt. They then taped the rhythm track in three takes. At one point Paul McCartney walked out of the studio following an argument, leading to speculation that George Harrison played bass guitar on the song.

I like the title She Said She Said, which I think was made up on the session. John brought it in pretty much finished, I think. I'm not sure but I think it was one of the only Beatle records I never played on. I think we'd had a barney or something and I said, 'Oh, fuck you!' and they said, 'Well, we'll do it.' I think George played bass.
Paul McCartney
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
The rhythm track had drums, guitar and bass. Onto this John Lennon added his lead vocals, and Lennon and Harrison overdubbed backing vocals. With the four-track tape full, a reduction mix was made, two which Harrison added lead guitar and Lennon added an organ part.
Three mono mixes were then made, although these were discarded in favour of a final mix made on the following day.

Source: Beatles Bible

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 20, 1966 19 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio One, EMI Studios, London

A new mono mix of "Got To Get You Into My Life" doubling the brass sound of previous versions, prepared between 6:00 and 8:30 pm.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 19, 1966 18 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

The #1 song in the US on June 19, 1966

Paperback Writer - The Beatles

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 18, 1966 17 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

Paul McCartney's turns 24 today - 50 years ago. (An appearance on ‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’ was made.)

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 17, 1966 16 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

A 7:00 pm to 1:30 am session during which "Here, There And Everywhere" received an additional Paul McCartney vocal overdub, backing his own lead, and an extra guitar passage was added onto "Got To Get You Into My Life". The evening ended with five new mono mixes of the latter recording and one of the former.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 16, 1966 15 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio Two, Television Centre, London and Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

Although by June 1966 it had been running for over two years, The Beatles had never previously appeared live on the BBC music show Top Of The Pops. They had pre-recorded exclusive performances in BBC studios, or sent promotional clips to be played on the show.

That changed on this day, with a studio performance of new single Paperback Writer. The Beatles had agreed two days previously, when manager Brian Epstein passed on a request from Top Of The Pops producer Johnnie Stewart. Unusually, on this occasion The Beatles agreed.

The group arrived at BBC Television Centre at 2.30pm for a rehearsal for the camera, and to pose for publicity photographs and conduct press interviews. More rehearsals followed between 4.15pm and 5.30, and from 6.30pm to 7pm.

The live broadcast took place between 7.30pm and 8pm on BBC One. The Beatles were the final act to appear, and mimed to both Paperback Writer and its b-side, Rain. They were introduced by host Pete Murray.

The Beatles' only appearance on Top Of The Pops was, with the exception of the worldwide satellite transmission of All You Need Is Love on June 25, 1967, their final live television appearance as a group.

Immediately after the television broadcast the Beatles headed for St. John's Wood and a recording session at EMI. Arranged to begin at 7:00 pm, they couldn't have arrived much before 8:30, working through until 3:30 am perfecting "Here, There And Everywhere" with nine more takes and a fresh set of overdubs onto the "best" rhythm track, take 13. A 14th take was created by reduction, onto which Paul superimposed his lead vocal, slowed down on the tape to sound speeded up on playback.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 15, 1966 14 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

June 15, 1966. The Beatles' album "Yesterday & Today" is released with the controversial "butcher" sleeve, showing group members smiling amongst a group of decapitated baby dolls. The original photo was pulled after one day, and replaced by a more conventional cover.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 14, 1966 13 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

Paul had already shown himself adept at writing beautiful ballads, and they rarely come any better than this song, "Here, There And Everywhere", the recording of which was spread over three days.

Four rhythm track takes were recorded during this first session, 7:00 pm to 2:00 am, only the last of which was complete, and initial vocal overdubs were then applied.

Source: The Complete Beatles Chronicle - Mark Lewisohn

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 13, 1966 12 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

Getting read to record the next hit.......Guess which one?

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 12, 1966 11 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

The Beatles in-between recording at Studio Two in London.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 12, 1966 11 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

The Beatles, with the completion of "Good Day Sunshine" are in-between recording at EMI Studios in London.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 11, 1966 10 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

The Beatles are in-between sessions at EMI Studios in London.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 11, 1966 10 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 10, 1966 09 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

Paperback Writer released on this day 50 years ago.....

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 10, 1966 09 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 9, 1966 08 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

A 2:30 to 8:00 pm session that brought completion to "Good Day Sunshine" with such overdubs as George Martin's honky-tonk piano solo. Six mono mixes concluded the evening, two hours ahead of the scheduled 10:00 pm end-time.

Source: The Complete Beatles Chronicle - M. Lewisohn

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 9, 1966 08 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

A 2:30 to 8:00 pm session that brought completion to "Good Day Sunshine" with such overdubs as George Martin's honky-tonk piano solo. Six mono mixes concluded the evening, two hours ahead of the scheduled 10:00 pm end-time.

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 8, 1966 07 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio Two, EMI Studios, Abbey Road

The backing track for Paul McCartney's song Good Day Sunshine was recorded during a 12-hour session which began at 2.30pm.

Before it took place, however, Geoff Emerick made an edit of two mono mixes of And Your Bird Can Sing, numbered 9 and 10, which had been made on June 6, 1966. Emerick worked alone in the control room of Studio Two from 1-2pm.

Upon their arrival in the studio, The Beatles rehearsed Good Day Sunshine for some time before recording began. At this stage the song had the working title A Good Day's Sunshine.

They recorded three takes of the rhythm track, the first of which was chosen as the best. McCartney played piano and Ringo Starr was on drums. Onto track two of the four-track tape McCartney added lead vocals for the verses; track three featured John Lennon and McCartney's vocals in the chorus; and McCartney's bass guitar was overdubbed onto track four.

Source: Beatles Bible

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 8, 1966 07 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

One of the quickest recordings on Revolver was Paul's "Good Day Sunshine" in that the released version was take one -although it had numerous overdubs and could in no way be compared with the truly-live one-take recordings of 1963 and 1964. Actually, the group recorded three takes of the rhythm track during this 2:30 pm to 2:30 am session but returned to the first to overdub Paul's lead and John and George's backing vocal. More overdubs would also be taped on June 9th. Work this day had begun when Geoff Emerick edited together wo of Monday's mono mixes of "And Your Bird Can Sing", done from 1:00 to 2:00 pm.

Source: The Complete Beatles Chronicle - Mark Lewisohn

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 7, 1966 06 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

WABC All American Survey for Week of 7 June 1966

  1. Strangers In the Night - Frank Sinatra (Reprise)
  2. Paint It, Black - The Rolling Stones (London)              
  3. Red Rubber Ball - The Cyrkle (Columbia)                     
  4. A Groovy Kind of Love - The Mindbenders (Fontana)           
  5. I Am a Rock - Simon & Garfunkel (Columbia)                  
  6. Cool Jerk - The Capitols (Karen)                            
  7. Paperback Writer - The Beatles (Capitol)                   
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  8. When a Man Loves a Woman - Percy Sledge (Atlantic)          
  9. Younger Girl - The Critters (Kapp)                          
 10. Monday, Monday - The Mamas & the Papas (Dunhill)            
 11. Opus 17 - The 4 Seasons (Philips)                         
 12. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me -                          
                                    Dusty Springfield (Philips)
 13. Sweet Talkin' Guy - The Chiffons (Laurie)                  
 14. Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind? -                    
                               The Lovin' Spoonful (Kama Sutra) 
 -----------------------------------------------------------------
 15. Green Grass - Gary Lewis & the Playboys (Liberty)

The Beatles - A Day in The Life: June 7, 1966 06 June, 1966 - 0 Comments

WABC All American Survey for Week of 7 June 1966

  1. Strangers In the Night - Frank Sinatra (Reprise)
  2. Paint It, Black - The Rolling Stones (London)              
  3. Red Rubber Ball - The Cyrkle (Columbia)                     
  4. A Groovy Kind of Love - The Mindbenders (Fontana)          
  5. I Am a Rock - Simon & Garfunkel (Columbia)                  
  6. Cool Jerk - The Capitols (Karen)                            
  7. Paperback Writer - The Beatles (Capitol)                  
 -----------------------------------------------------------------
  8. When a Man Loves a Woman - Percy Sledge (Atlantic)         
  9. Younger Girl - The Critters (Kapp)                          
 10. Monday, Monday - The Mamas & the Papas (Dunhill)          
 11. Opus 17 - The 4 Seasons (Philips)                          
 12. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me -                      
                                    Dusty Springfield (Philips)

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