BYE BYE BEATLES

Summer is coming to an end sooner rather than later and August is the month that The Beatles completed their final tour in 1966.  They began that tour in Chicago on August 12^th and wrapped up their last tour at the Cow Palace in San Francisco on August 29.  They stopped touring because they couldn’t hear themselves playing with all the fan screaming.  They also thought they weren’t growing as musicians and wanted to spend more time in the studio on their songs.  Since we haven’t done a Beatles quiz for awhile, we’re doing one this time.  All of the questions involve either number one songs by The Beatles or well known Beatles quotes and events, so it shouldn’t be THAT difficult.  Plus, all the questions are multiple choice.  Let’s see how you do.

QUESTIONS:

1.  After their final concert in San Francisco on August 29, 1966, George Harrison uttered which of the following statements: 
a. “Thank goodness, we’re finally done with that touring nonsense.”
b. “Well, that’s it, I’m not a Beatles anymore.”                                    
 c. “Hey Ringo, did you have to eat all of my french fries?” 

2.  The early Beatles films were for United Artists – “A Hard Day’s Night” in 1964 and “Help” in 1965.  United Artists wanted “A Hard Day’s Night” shot and released by early summer because they thought the group would be finished by then.  After the massive world-wide success of “A Hard Day’s Night” (thanks in part to a great script by Alan Owen and creative direction from Richard Lester), The Beatles second film “Help” began shooting in the Bahamas on February 24, 1965.  “Help” had its premiere in London on July 29th, 1965.  “Help” was eventually chosen over the films’ working title.  What was “Help” originally known as? (HINT: THAT TITLE WAS PRINTED ON THE 45rpm SINGLE OF “TICKET TO RIDE”)                                                                     
a. “Life On The Run”                                                                 
b. “Here, There and Everywhere”                                                      
c. “Eight Arms To Hold You”
  
3.  After “Help”, The Beatles had plans to film a third live action movie for United Artists, but couldn’t come to an agreement.  Eventually, “Let It Be” served as the final film in the contract  with United Artists.  In the meantime, the animated feature, “Yellow Submarine” was created.  The Beatles were so disinterested in the project that they didn’t even bother to do their own voices for the film.  Although the animated feature “Yellow Submarine” was released in 1968, the title song had been a hit two years previously.  It only went as high as number 2 on the singles chart.  One song used in the film however, did make number one.  Which song was that?  (HINT: IT WAS ALSO A SONG THE BEATLES PERFORMED VIA SATELLITE BEFORE A WORLDWIDE AUDIENCE IN 1967)                                                                                                                                                    
a. “Nowhere Man”                                                                     
b. “All You Need Is Love”                                                            
c. “Eleanor Rigby”

4.  In the television special, “Magical Mystery Tour”, The Beatles travelled around Great Britain in a bus filled with strange and wonderful people and did strange and wonderful things.  There was no script and The Beatles as well as the actors made it up as they went along.  The one hour special aired on BBC television during the Christmas holidays in December 1967 and was not well received.  In fact, the British press savaged it.  Only one song featured in the special made it to number one in North America.  Can you name it?  Was it:                                                                              
a. “Hello, Goodbye”                                                                 
b. “Magical Mystery Tour”                                                            
c. “All You Need Is Love”
  
5.  The Beatles final film, “Let It Be” (which to this day, has still NOT been released on DVD), began in 1969 as they rehearsed for a new album at Twickenham studios, just outside London and ended with a concert on the roof of their Apple office building on Saville Row in London.  While the title song, “Let it Be” as well as “The Long And Winding Road” both went to number one, there was one additional chart topper that was featured in the film.  Name that song.  Was it:

a. “Don’t Let Me Down”                                                               
b. “Get Back”                                                                        
c. “Across The Universe”              

ANSWERS

1.  b. Is the correct answer.  On the plane ride home to England after The Beatles final performance at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, George famously stated, “Well, that’s it, I’m not a Beatle anymore.”  Of course, he would be one for several more years, just not a touring one.
    
2.  The premiere for “Help” was held at the London Pavilion Cinema in Piccadilly Circus on July 29, 1965, 7 days after the title song “Help” was released in Great Britain as a single.  Another song featured in the film, “Ticket To Ride”, had been released a few months earlier and went to number one on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart for the week of May 22, 1965.  It was The Beatles eighth North American number one single.  Printed below the title “Ticket To Ride”, in smaller type on the 45rpm record, was: “From the United Artists Release Eight Arms To Hold You”, so the correct answer was c.
  
3.  Yeah the hint kind of gave it away.  The answer indeed was b. “All You Need Is Love”.  The Beatles had performed the song ‘live’ (with a recorded rhythm track and background vocals) for the “Our World” satellite broadcast on June 25, 1967.  It was seen in 26 countries to an estimated audience of four hundred million people.  “All You Need Is Love” was featured in the “Magical Mystery Tour” TV special as well as the North American LP (in Great Britain, the LP was not released until much later.  A double EP (extended play 45) came out in the U.K. featuring 6 songs, “Magical Mystery Tour”, “Your Mother Should Know”, “I Am The Walrus”, “The Fool On The Hill”, “Flying” (an instrumental) and “Blue Jay Way” along with a booklet of pictures from the TV special.
   
4.  “Hello, Goodbye” was the number one song in question, so a. is the correct answer.  The song topped Billboards’ singles chart for the week of December 30, 1967 and remained there for 3 weeks.  John Fred and His Playboy Band’s hit “Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)”, a take off on The Beatles “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”, knocked it out of the number one spot.  The flip side of the “Hello, Goodbye” 45rpm single was John Lennon’s “I Am The Walrus”.  “Hello, Goodbye” has been used recently in several commercials for various companies around the world.  
                                                    
5.  b. “Get Back” is the right answer with Billy Preston on organ.  The Beatles had met Billy in 1962 when he was performing with Little Richard.  While the former Fab Four were filming and rehearsing their latest album at Twickenham studios, Paul went to a concert by Ray Charles at the Royal Festival Hall in London and noticed Billy Preston on stage playing with Ray.  Paul invited Billy to hang out for a couple of weeks at Twickenham and Billy added that unique electric piano solo to “Get Back”.  It was number one on Billboards’ Hot 100 chart for 5 weeks starting with the week of May 24, 1969.