TBU QUOTE OF THE DAY 🍏
May 11th
By Robbie Thornton
"Every record was a shock. Compared to rabid R&B evangelists like the Rolling Stones, The Beatles arrived sounding like nothing else. They had already absorbed Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers and Chuck Berry, but they were also writing their own songs. They made writing your own material expected, rather than exceptional.

And John Lennon and Paul McCartney were exceptional song writers; McCartney was, and is, a virtuoso musician. George Harrison wasn't the kind of guitar player who tore off wild, unpredictable solos, but you can sing the melodies of nearly all his breaks.

Most of all, they always fit right into the arrangement. Ringo Starr played the drums with an incredibly unique feel that nobody can really copy, although many fine drummers have tried and failed. Most of all, John and Paul were fantastic singers."

Elvis Costello discussing the impact of The Beatles
Source: Rolling Stone Magazine

ROBBIE'S COMMENTARY
Elvis Costello was nine years old when he first heard The Beatles
He lived right in the heart of Beatle country, just around the corner from Penny Lane. His statement describes The Beatles better than I ever could.

John and Paul were indeed spectacular songwriters, so I've decided to to use one of their songs that they wrote 'nose to nose' and that was in fact, the tipping point that helped cause Beatlemania to explode world wide John and Paul started writing SHE LOVES YOU in the back of a tour van, then mostly completed it in the Turks Head Hotel in Newcastle, sitting on twin beds with acoustic guitars, and they finished the song off back at Paul's home in Forthlin Road.

The song fairly jumps out and grabs you when it starts with the chorus first, with those irresistible 'Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs instead of the verse. Cleverly, SHE LOVES YOU also finishes with a final distinctive chord, perhaps the first time The Beatles used an instantly recognisable musical statement to either start or finish a song. When John and Paul first played it for George Martin, he laughed and said 'Well, you can't do the end of course, that sixth, it's too like the Andrew Sisters!

So they went away and played it without it, and it just wasn't as good - George conceded that in fact, that they were right, it was great.