Off Topic Cynthia Lennon, R.I.P.

Why pick a couple of McArtney songs in a thread connected with John Lennon? Though admittedly Darling is one of the Beatles best.

 

Though Yoko Ono got a lot of blame George was the first one to say he didn't want to be a Beatle anymore.

Just think they split up 45 years ago and only recorded for 8 years and all these years later are still the subject of great interest. Oasis were together twice as long, as were many other groups, but didn't achieve a fraction of the Beatles output or attract a fraction of the interest.

 

No disrespect was meant to the woman OLM but an overall view of all the wives of The Beatles was my intention and I make no secret of the fact that I was besotted with The Beatles as I thought they changed the whole music landscape of the generation in a way that only the old rock n rollers had achieved. The main difference was of course they were British and the rock n roll era was the USA leading the way, The Beatles changed all that. But as you say Cynthia was a class act as well as being quite a beautiful woman.

 

For the generations brought up on the X-Factor and The Voice type of programmes I can well understand their bafflement about the fuss whenever The Beatles are in the news but like when Bill Haley and other rock n rollers came on the scene you had to be there at a time when music was being recorded for your particular age group instead of having to put up with the music your parents listened to. Bill Haley, Elvis and the others appealed to the youngsters of the day but they were American, the difference with The Beatles was they broke that dominance and lead the way to the 'British Invasion'. Of course we had our own rock n rollers, Cliff and The Shadows, Adam Faith, Tommy Steel were imitations of the American scene but that all changed when The Beatles appeared and started writing their own stuff although it has be said that Bruce Welch and Hank Marvin of The Shadows were also writing their hits at the time, and Cliff's.

So the kids of today have not experienced a total change in music just a steady progression of manufactured music where the artists have never had the slog of performing in pubs and clubs several times a week and definitely not playing in a seedy Hamburg club for up to 16hrs a day. I look back myself sometimes and wonder how they did it, practically a different city every night, TV shows, films, TV appearances, then writing and recording LP's, EP's and singles. On top of that touring World Wide in the later stages not being able to relax hardly for a moment of their lives, it took it's toll in the end of course but it was a hell of a ride along the way. This was the married life of Cynthia Lennon who was not allowed to be seen amongst it all for fear of alienting the millions of fans of John and the others, she did well to handle it all.

 

RIP Cynthia. A classy lady who had an interesting life. My wife thought she was lovely and is very sad.

 

Do you know if this is the first TV televised presentation Dr Stan ? I seem to recall the first one was on a BBC Newsnight or something equivalent around 6 p.m in the evening way back when. It may have already got to # 1, but it was amazing the BBC picked up on the trend.

This may be the answer...but I don't believe it myself..

http://www.beatle.net/50-years-ago-the-beatles-first-television-appearance/

Edit: I'm probably wrong with my assumption. I didn't think we had ITV at my parents place that year ('62), but maybe they (BBC) picked up the broadcast and played it the next night. Who knows ?

 

So hard to decide way back when.
RIP Cynthia.Tough to decide then who to prefer, still can't decide after 50 years.

 

I dunno, tc. I thought they were on (Granada's?) Scene At 6-30 around that time

 

Thanks Dr Stan.
Saw this recently - looks like Dave Clark grabbed the rights to "Ready Steady Go" way back when....shrewd move that otherwise all this footage would be lost in the mists of time...

 

This band from Hull made a great cover of the song - fully endorsed by Lennon-McCartney - I think they were students (or some of 'em) at Hull University at the time.

 

Brilliant post, tc! I was 21 when that went out - similar age to the Fabs. Brings it all back.

 

Good stuff Stan - I missed that one - I'd just emigrated to Leeds & couldn't afford the train back !
Seen 'em a few times in Toronto over the years. They used to rehearse in out of the way places here, like nondescript school halls) before their gigs, charged next to nowt to get in - hardly ever advertised where they were playing though - so mainly underground word of mouth,
Here's one for you - you might enjoy...a bit raw and unpolished, but what the hell

I was at the following concert though - if I recall it was one of the few they did in England that year - think they spent most of their time in tax exile in France