Thursday, January 1, 1959: The Quarry Men (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Colin Hanton) perform at Wilson Hall, Garston, Liverpool. The occasion is the (late) Christmas party of the Speke Bus Depot Social Club. Harry Harrison (George's father) is chairman of the club and had arranged the booking for The Quarry Men. The performance turns into a drunken, messy affair, and afterwards drummer Colin Hanton gets into a furious argument with the others. On the way home by bus, Hanton gets off with his drums before his usual stop. "He neither saw nor heard from The Quarry Men again" (Mark Lewisohn).

Monday, January 1, 1962: On New Year's Day (not a holiday in England at that time), The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Pete Best) conduct their first audition for a major record company, Decca. In Decca's studios in London, and less than 2 miles from EMI's Abbey Road studios, The Beatles tape 15 songs that had been carefully selected by Brian Epstein to show off their versatility: "Like Dreamers Do", "Money", "Till There Was You", "The Sheik of Araby", "To Know Her Is to Love Her", "Take Good Care of My Baby", "Memphis", "Sure to Fall (In Love With You)", "Hello Little Girl", "Three Cool Cats", "Crying, Waiting, Hoping", "The Love of the Loved", "September In the Rain", "Besame Mucho", and "Searchin'". It took about an hour to record all the songs, and Decca's Mike Smith (who had arrived late, irritating Brian Epstein) promised to get back to Brian with Decca's decision; then Smith hurried The Beatles out of the studio because he was running late for a second audition - with Brian Poole and the Tremeloes.

Tuesday, January 1, 1963: The Beatles fly from Hamburg to London.

Wednesday, January 1, 1964: The Beatles perform at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London. Appearing in two performances of "The Beatles' Christmas Show".

Friday, January 1, 1965: The Beatles put on two performances of "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Wednesday, January 2, 1963: This was supposed to be the first night of a five-appearance Beatles tour of Scotland. But the show has to be cancelled due to terrible weather conditions during the worst winter weather in decades--icy cold and snowdrifts that makes the roads impassable. This after The Beatles' flight from London had been diverted to Aberdeen at the last minute; Neil Aspinall was waiting to pick them up in Edinburgh. The venue at which The Beatles were to have performed was Longmore Hall, Keith, Banffshire.

Thursday, January 2, 1964: The Beatles perform at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London. Appearing in two performances of "The Beatles' Christmas Show".

Saturday, January 2, 1965: "I Feel Fine" is the #1 single in the US for the second week in a row.

Saturday, January 2, 1965: The Beatles put on two performances of "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Thursday, January 2, 1969: Start of the "Get Back" project. With The Beatles on the edge of crisis through much of 1968, Paul McCartney began urging his fellow Beatles to consider a return to playing live. He reasoned that it was music that had brought them together, and that they should "get back" to performing live. The others weren't too keen on the idea, especially John and George, but they agreed to think about it. In fact, things progressed far enough for Paul to announce to the press that The Beatles would play 3 shows at the Roundhouse in London in mid-December 1968. But Paul just couldn't get the others on the same wavelength, and those plans had to be scrapped. As a compromise, Paul suggested that The Beatles could perform a televised concert, either live or pre-taped. John, George, and Ringo half-heartedly agreed, but even in the midst of agreeing John was suggesting that maybe it was time for The Beatles to call it a day and split up. A lot of ideas were kicked around for a televised performance, one of the most intriguing being a concert in a Roman amphitheater, but the logistics were just too complex for the rather unenthusiastic Beatles. (It would be left for Pink Floyd to realize this idea). Since there seemed to be a stalemate in choosing a suitable vehicle, Denis O'Dell suggested that The Beatles begin rehearsing and, perhaps, film those rehearsals for a TV documentary showing the "Beatles at Work". They all agreed to follow this advice, and to do the rehearsals/filming at Twickenham Film Studios. It really hadn't been very long since the completion of "The Beatles", and there weren't many new songs available for the group to work on. Still, uncertain as to what they were about, The Beatles met at Twickenham on a cold and cheerless sound stage at the beginning of a new year. No sooner had things gotten underway than the old resentments and tensions began to surface--Yoko was encroaching into The Beatles' domain, Paul was bossing everyone around and telling George how to play, and on and on just like before. The Beatles jammed aimlessly, with little or no enthusiasm. Little of what was recorded at Twickenham would be included in the "Let it Be" movie; it was simply too wretched.

Thursday, January 3, 1929: George Martin, Beatles musical producer, born in London

Wednesday, January 3, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club twice - at lunchtime and then again at night.

Thursday, January 3, 1963: On a short tour of Scotland, The Beatles perform at Two Red Shoes Ballroom, Elgin, Morayshire.

Friday, January 3, 1964: The Beatles perform at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London. Appearing in two performances of "The Beatles' Christmas Show".

Friday, January 3, 1964: A film clip of The Beatles, taken from the BBC film documentary "The Mersey Sound", is broadcast on US television--on "The Jack Paar Show" (NBC-TV). This is before their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. [Barry Miles reports the date of this broadcast as Jan. 1, 1964].

Friday, January 3, 1964: "I Want to Hold Your Hand" reaches #1 in the Australian singles charts.

Monday, January 3, 1966: Promotional videos of Beatles songs "We Can Work It Out" and "Day Tripper" are shown on the US television show "Hullabaloo".

Friday, January 3, 1969: The Beatles spend a second lousy day rehearsing and filming at Twickenham Film Studios.

Saturday, January 3, 1970: With John Lennon away in Denmark, the other Beatles meet in Studio Two of EMI Studios, London, to complete the "Get Back" tapes (now to be released as "Let It Be", the movie and the record). Since the movie shows George playing his song "I Me Mine", The Beatles needed to record it. They record 16 takes of the basic track, then add overdubs. The track is 1 min 34 secs long, but Phil Spector will re-edit it to be 2 mins 25 secs long. The original, pre-Spector short track was released on "The Beatles Anthology 3" (Disc two, Track 22).

Thursday, January 4, 1962: "Mersey Beat" magazine publishes its first group popularity poll, and The Beatles are solid winners over the nearest competitors Gerry & the Pacemakers, the Remo Four, Rory Storm & the Hurricanes, and Johnny Sandon & the Searchers. The Beatles' photos are on the front page, along with their names, but Paul's last name is misspelled 'McArtrey'.

Friday, January 4, 1963: On a short tour of Scotland, The Beatles perform at the Town Hall in Dingwall.

Saturday, January 4, 1964: The Beatles perform at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London. Appearing in two performances of "The Beatles' Christmas Show".

Monday, January 4, 1965: The Beatles put on two performances of "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Wednesday, January 4, 1967: The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). Adding overdubs to "Penny Lane". John adds a piano part, George a lead guitar bit, and Paul a vocal track.

Sunday, January 4, 1970: The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). Paul, George, and Ringo re-work "Let it Be". Harmony vocals are added by George, Paul, and Linda McCartney (I find this interesting--one of Paul's big complaints about the Phil Spector version of "The Long and Winding Road" is the inclusion of female voices in the choir; McCartney stated that he would NEVER have put female voices on a Beatles recording!). Then an overdub with two trumpets, two trombones, and a tenor saxophone is recorded. Finally, a new lead guitar solo is recorded, the previous one being wiped. The lead guitar solo is clearly different on the two versions of "Let It Be" released on single (solo from Apr. 30, 1969) and the album (solo from this day). The difference leads many listeners to conclude that the versions are two completely different takes, but that is not the case. This session will be the final studio appearance for The Beatles, as a group. [Note: the final date that all four of The Beatles were in the studio together is August 20, 1969].

Thursday, January 5, 1961: The Beatles perform at Litherland Town Hall, Liverpool. They receive a fee of 7.5 pounds. In the audience this night are two members of the group Rory Storm & the Hurricanes: Johnny Guitar and Ringo Starr, just returned from Hamburg. This is the first of 36 bookings for promoter Brian Kelly, who had rushed to sign up The Beatles after their hugely successful performance of Dec. 27, 1960. These appearances will help establish The Beatles as the top band in Merseyside. The demand for The Beatles becomes so great that they begin booking two and even three stage appearances in a single day, sometimes performing for more than seven hours a day. The hectic schedule and rushing from one venue to another make it essential that The Beatles find a road manager, and Pete Best's friend Neil Aspinall accepts the position. Aspinall will go on to become The Beatles' permanent assistant and close companion.

Friday, January 5, 1962: UK release of Tony Sheridan and the Beatles single "My Bonnie/The Saints" (Polydor).

Friday, January 5, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club - a lunchtime show.

Saturday, January 5, 1963: On a short tour of Scotland, The Beatles perform at Museum Hall, Bridge of Allan, Stirlingshire.

Sunday, January 5, 1964: According to Barry Miles (in "The Beatles: a Diary"), The Beatles perform at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London, in "The Beatles' Christmas Show". However, Mark Lewisohn (in "The Complete Beatles Chronicle") reports that no performances were put on this night.

Tuesday, January 5, 1965: The Beatles put on two performances of "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Wednesday, January 5, 1966: At CTS Studios in London, The Beatles "doctor" the soundtrack to the film of their August 15, 1965, concert at Shea Stadium, in preparation for the film's broadcast. They re-record instrumental parts on some tracks, and on some songs they re-record the entire song, doing their best to synchronize their playing with the film. For "Act Naturally", the disc version is substituted unchanged. On "Twist and Shout", the Shea Stadium version is combined with the 1965 Hollywood Bowl recording of that song. The fixes are done more to correct technical problems with the soundtrack than to correct performance weaknesses. Two songs, "She's a Woman" and "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby", are cut from the final film due to broadcast time limitations.

Thursday, January 5, 1967: The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). Paul adds another vocal overdub to "Penny Lane", then The Beatles record a 13 min 48 sec experimental sound effects track for the 'underground' theatrical production "Carnival of Lights Rave". The track includes "Ådistorted, hypnotic drum and organ sounds, a distorted lead guitar, the sound of a church organ, various effects (water-gargling was one) andÅJohn and Paul screaming dementedly and bawling aloud random phrases like 'Are you alright?' and 'Barcelona!'" (Lewisohn). John would later use some of the same techniques in creating his "Revolution 9".

Friday, January 5, 1968: The Beatles' movie "Magical Mystery Tour" is broadcast by BBC2 in the UK, in color (it had been broadcast in black and white on December 26, 1967, by BBC1). The critical response remains almost wholly negative.

Friday, January 6, 1961: The Beatles perform at St. John's Hall, Bootle, Lancashire. The Beatles' growing reputation is evidenced by the near-capacity crowd. The Beatles receive a fee of 6.5 pounds.

Saturday, January 6, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club - a night show.

Sunday, January 6, 1963: On the final appearance of their five-stop tour of Scotland (the first of which was cancelled due to inclement weather), The Beatles perform at Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire.

Monday, January 6, 1964: The Beatles perform at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London. Appearing in two performances of "The Beatles' Christmas Show".

Monday, January 6, 1964: After performing in "The Beatles Christmas Show" at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London, The Beatles go to the "Talk of the Town" to see Alma Cogan's performance, but they arrive too late to see her show.

Wednesday, January 6, 1965: The Beatles put on two performances of "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Friday, January 6, 1967: The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). More overdubs are recorded for "Penny Lane". Paul adds a bass line, Ringo adds drums, John adds rhythm guitar and conga drums. John and George Martin also add piano parts. Handclaps are also dubbed in.

Saturday, January 6, 1968: The Beatles' US album "Magical Mystery Tour" reaches #1 in the US charts.

Saturday, January 6, 1968: The Beatles' single "Hello Goodbye" is #1 in the US charts for the second straight week.

Monday, January 6, 1969: The Beatles struggle through a third day of filming (at Twickenham Film Studios) for the " Get Back" project. Without any clear direction, and on an uncomfortable sound stage, nothing much gels and resentments flare up again and again.

Saturday, January 7, 1961: The Beatles perform at Aintree Institute, Aintree, Liverpool, and at Lathom Hall, Seaforth, Liverpool. This is the first of 31 appearances at Aintree Institute, which is frequented by rough patrons who have a habit of tossing chairs at other people, including the group on stage.

Sunday, January 7, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.

Tuesday, January 7, 1964: The Beatles perform at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London. Appearing in two performances of "The Beatles' Christmas Show".

Tuesday, January 7, 1964: The Beatles tape a seven-song appearance for the BBC Radio program "Saturday Club". They record the songs "All My Loving", "Money", "The Hippy Hippy Shake", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "Roll Over Beethoven", "Johnny B. Goode", and "I Wanna Be Your Man". Broadcast on February 15, while the Beatles were in the US. This day's recording of "Johnny B. Goode" is included on the 1994 Beatles double-CD "Live at the BBC" (Disc one, Track 29).

Thursday, January 7, 1965: The Beatles put on two performances of "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Tuesday, January 7, 1969: The Beatles carry on trying to find something constructive to do at Twickenham Film Studios, where they are filming rehearsals for a planned television performance. The "Get Back" project isn't getting anywhere.

Thursday, January 7, 1982: US re-release of Beatles double LP "The Beatles" (Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs/Capitol). Half-speed master recording.

Tuesday, January 8, 1963: The Beatles are at Scottish Television, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, to appear on a live television broadcast of the children's magazine program "Roundup". The Beatles lip-sync to their about-to-be-released second single, "Please Please Me".

Wednesday, January 8, 1964: The Beatles perform at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London. Appearing in two performances of "The Beatles' Christmas Show".

Friday, January 8, 1965: The Beatles put on two performances of "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Saturday, January 8, 1966: "We Can Work It Out" becomes the #1 single in the US (Billboard).

Saturday, January 8, 1966: The Beatles' album "Rubber Soul" is #1 in the US. It remains at #1 for six weeks and stays on the charts for 56 weeks. "Rubber Soul" is the seventh Beatles LP to reach #1 in the US (the other six are "Meet the Beatles", "The Beatles Second Album", "A Hard Day's Night", "Beatles '65", "Beatles VI", and "Help!").

Wednesday, January 8, 1969: The Beatles spend another day at Twickenham Film Studios trying to "Get Back", but once again their hearts aren't in it and they flounder about without any real purpose. To be sure, The Beatles are too good as musicians not to have a few good moments, but for the most part they're wasting their time.

Thursday, January 8, 1970: George Harrison attends a mixing session with Glyn Johns for the "Get Back" tapes. George adds a vocal overdub to "For You Blue", and Johns re-mixes that song and "Let It Be" (the single version).

Tuesday, January 8, 1974: The Beatles' US Capitol Records LP "The Early Beatles" turns gold 9 years after its release. This album is essentially the same (but with fewer songs) as The Beatles' first Parlophone LP "Please Please Me" (released in the UK) and the VeeJay album "Introducing the Beatles" (released in the US).

Tuesday, January 9, 1962: The Beatles perform a lunchtime show at the Cavern Club.

Thursday, January 9, 1964: The Beatles perform at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London. Appearing in two performances of "The Beatles' Christmas Show".

Saturday, January 9, 1965: "I Feel Fine" is the #1 single in the US for the 3rd week in a row.

Saturday, January 9, 1965: The Beatles put on two performances of "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Saturday, January 9, 1965: The Beatles US album, "Beatles '65", is #1 in the US album charts.

Monday, January 9, 1967: The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). Outside musicians join The Beatles in the studio to overdub flutes, trumpets, piccolo, and flugelhorn onto the "Penny Lane" track. During the session, unknown to the others, John records the musicians' conversation for his tape collection of sounds/effects. The flautists are Ray Swinfield, P. Goody, Manny Winters, and Dennis Walton. The trumpeters are Leon Calvert and Freddy Clayton.

Thursday, January 9, 1969: As the "Get Back" project limps along with rehearsals and filming at Twickenham Film Studios, things are reaching the boiling point with George Harrison. The following day he will walk out on The Beatles.

Thursday, January 9, 1975: The Beatles' partnership is legally dissolved.

Friday, January 10, 1958: The Quarry Men (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Eric Griffiths, Colin Hanton, and Len Garry) perform at New Clubmoor Hall, Norris Green, Liverpool.

Wednesday, January 10, 1962: The Beatles perform a night show at the Cavern Club.

Thursday, January 10, 1963: The Beatles perform at the Grafton Rooms, Liverpool. This is The Beatles' first appearance on home ground in nearly a month, and they head a five-act line-up. The evening is a great success, setting a new attendance record for the Grafton Rooms.

Friday, January 10, 1964: The Beatles perform at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London. Appearing in two performances of "The Beatles' Christmas Show".

Tuesday, January 10, 1967: The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Three, EMI Studios, London). The Beatles experiment with a variety of sound effects, some of them (such as scat harmonies and a hand-bell) being overdubbed onto "Penny Lane".

Friday, January 10, 1969: The Beatles get back to Twickenham Film Studios to work on the "Get Back" project, but with no more success than on previous days. After bickering with Paul and having a heated argument with John, George announces he's quitting The Beatles and walks out. Well, he doesn't exactly say, "I'm quitting!" Instead, at lunchtime he quietly walks up to John, Paul, and Ringo and says, "See you 'round the clubs." No one tries to stop him from leaving. After lunchtime John, Paul, and Ringo try to resume rehearsals. With the cameras rolling, and in what must have been an anguished moment for all, The Beatles start to play without speaking to one another. Yoko, sitting in George's place, begins to scream painfully while John, Paul, and Ringo play intensely, forcing feedback to overwhelm the studio. Then they stop, leave without speaking, and go home. [Note: In another account of the day's events, George makes a more direct statement that he's quitting The Beatles. Looking at John during the morning session, George reportedly says, "I'm leaving the band now". John replies, "When?" George says, "Now". This exchange makes sense in light of the subdued reaction of the other Beatles to George's "See you 'round the clubs" remark.]

Monday, January 10, 1983: UK re-release of Beatles single "Please Please Me/Ask Me Why" (Parlophone). 20th anniversary reissue. Issued as a regular single and also as a picture disc.

Thursday, January 11, 1962: The Beatles perform a lunchtime show at the Cavern Club.

Friday, January 11, 1963: UK release of Beatles single "Please Please Me/Ask Me Why" (Parlophone). 11 weeks on the charts; highest position #1.

Friday, January 11, 1963: The Beatles perform a lunchtime show at the Cavern Club, Liverpool. That afternoon they travel through hazardous icy weather to reach the Plaza Ballroom, Old Hill, near Dudley, Staffordshire, for their first scheduled evening performance. But they are unable to make it the 11 miles to the Ritz Ballroom, King's Heath, Birmingham, Warwickshire, due to a blizzard and the coldest temperatures in seven years. The Ritz performance is rescheduled for February 15.

Saturday, January 11, 1964: The Beatles perform at the Astoria Cinema, Finsbury Park, London. Appearing in the final two performances of "The Beatles' Christmas Show".

Monday, January 11, 1965: The Beatles put on two performances of "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Thursday, January 11, 1968: The British television program "Top of the Pops" broadcasts "Hello Goodbye". The "Hello Goodbye" film clips that The Beatles recorded at the Saville Theatre on November 10 could not be used in the UK due to a Musician's Union ban on lip-sync performances, so footage from the "Magical Mystery Tour" movie is shown to accompany the song.

Friday, January 12, 1962: The Beatles perform two night shows, one at the Cavern Club and the other at the Tower Ballroom in New Brighton. The Beatles were made headliners at the Tower show when the advertised star, Screaming Lord Sutch, failed to appear.

Saturday, January 12, 1963: The Beatles perform at the Invicta Ballroom, Chatham, Kent.

Sunday, January 12, 1964: The Beatles appear live (for the second time) on the popular Associated TeleVision program "Val Parnell's Sunday Night at the London Palladium". When The Beatles had played for this show on October 13, 1963, their fee had been 250 pounds. Now, just three months later, their fee is 1,000 pounds. The Beatles perform in a comedy skit and perform five songs, "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "This Boy", "All My Loving", "Money", and "Twist and Shout".

Tuesday, January 12, 1965: The Beatles put on two performances of "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Thursday, January 12, 1967: The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Three, EMI Studios, London). More outside musicians are brought into the studio with The Beatles to record overdubs for "Penny Lane". Two trumpet parts, two oboes, two cors anglais, and a double bass are recorded. Trumpets are played by Bert Courtley and Duncan Campbell, oboes/cors anglais by Dick Morgan and Mike Winfield, and double bass by Frank Clarke.

Friday, January 12, 1968: Beatles Film Productions, Ltd. is renamed Apple Films, Ltd. Apple Music, Ltd. is renamed Apple Corps, Ltd.

Friday, January 13, 1961: The Beatles perform at Aintree Institute, Aintree, Liverpool.

Saturday, January 13, 1962: The Beatles perform at Hambleton Hall, Huyton, Liverpool. This is The Beatles' last appearance at this location -- it wasn't the type of venue that Brian Epstein wanted The Beatles to be seen in.

Sunday, January 13, 1963: The Beatles travel to Alpha Television Studios, Aston, Birmingham, Warwickshire, to tape a television appearance on the ABC Television program "Thank Your Lucky Stars". They tape a lip-sync performance of their new single, "Please Please Me", released two days earlier. This is an important appearance for The Beatles, for "Thank Your Lucky Stars" is broadcast over most of Britain and is very popular. The show is broadcast on January 19, and The Beatles' music, appearance, and wit are a big hit with the television audience, earning The Beatles lots of positive publicity in the London papers. Their big breakthrough, a #1 single, is only a few weeks away.

Wednesday, January 13, 1965: The Beatles put on two performances of "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Saturday, January 13, 1968: The Beatles' single "Hello Goodbye" is #1 in the US charts for the third straight week.

Monday, January 13, 1969: US release of Beatles soundtrack LP "Yellow Submarine" (Apple). Songs: "Yellow Submarine", "Only a Northern Song", "All Together Now", "Hey Bulldog", "It's All Too Much", and "All You Need Is Love". Side 2 consists of instrumental soundtrack music. 24 weeks on Billboard chart; highest position #2.

Monday, January 13, 1969: Incredibly, The Beatles (minus George, who quit the group 3 days earlier) return to Twickenham Film Studios and the "Get Back" project. It must have been a miserable day.

Saturday, January 14, 1961: The Beatles perform at Aintree Institute, Aintree, Liverpool.

Sunday, January 14, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.

Monday, January 14, 1963: The Beatles perform at Civic Hall, Ellesmere Port, Wirral, Cheshire, before a capacity crowd of 700, for a Wolverham Welfare Association Dance.

Tuesday, January 14, 1964: The Beatles (minus Ringo Starr, who is fog-bound in Liverpool) depart for Paris for an 18-day engagement at the Olympia Theatre. Arriving in Paris, John, Paul, and George are met by 60 teenagers. Ringo, accompanied by Neil Aspinall, arrives the next day, just in time for a dress-rehearsal performance.

Thursday, January 14, 1965: The Beatles put on two performances of "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Tuesday, January 14, 1969: The Beatles, still without George, rehearse at Twickenham Film Studios for the ever-more-nebulous "Get Back" project. They perform songs more or less at random. Perhaps they suspect that if they quit playing, then it really will be the end for The Beatles.

Sunday, January 15, 1961: The Beatles perform at the Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.

Monday, January 15, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club - a lunchtime show.

Wednesday, January 15, 1964: The Beatles perform live at the Cinema Cyrano, Versailles, France, before an audience of 2,000. The show is primarily a warm-up for a three-week engagement at the Olympia Theatre that is scheduled to open the next day in Paris. The Beatles are unhappy with their performance and with the French organizers.

Friday, January 15, 1965: The Beatles put on two performances of "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.

Saturday, January 15, 1966: "We Can Work It Out" is the #1 single in the US for the second week in a row.

Wednesday, January 15, 1969: George Harrison returns to London and has a five-hour meeting with John, Paul, and Ringo. George makes it clear that he is fully prepared to quit for good if certain conditions of his aren't met. All the talk about live performances must stop, and the sessions must be geared towards recording an album AS AN ALBUM, not as a sidelight to a film project. This would allow The Beatles to quit rehearsing at the gloomy and cold Twickenham sound stage and start recording at their own brand-new Apple Studios. The filming could continue as long as it was for the making of a film about The Beatles making an album. The other Beatles accepted his conditions; after all, they were getting nowhere with what they were doing, and they certainly didn't want George to leave the group. And so they now embarked upon the making of an album and a film about the making of the album, both the record and the movie to be called "Get Back".

Wednesday, January 16, 1963: The Beatles are at Granada TV Centre, Manchester, for a live appearance on the Granada Television program "People and Places". They lip-sync "performances" of "Ask Me Why" and "Please Please Me" for the live transmission. They also record a radio appearance on this day (see separate entry).

Wednesday, January 16, 1963: The Beatles are at the Playhouse Theatre in Manchester to tape a radio appearance for the BBC program "Here We Go". The Beatles perform four songs, "Chains", "Please Please Me", "Three Cool Cats", and "Ask Me Why", but "Three Cool Cats" is omitted from the actual broadcast, which goes out on January 25. The Beatles also appear live on Granada Television on this day (see separate entry). The Beatles' hectic schedule for the day went as follows: 3:00-4:00 rehearsing at the Granada TV Centre; 4:30-5:30 rehearsing at the Playhouse Theatre; 6:35-7:00 back at the Granada TV Centre for their live television broadcast; 8:45-9:30 back to the Playhouse Theatre for recording of the radio program.

Thursday, January 16, 1964: The Beatles perform two shows at the Olympia Theatre, Boulevard des Capucines, Paris, France. This is the first an 18-night engagement, spanning from Jan. 16 through February 4 (20 nights in Paris with two nights off, Jan. 21 and Jan. 28). They perform two, or even three, shows each night. Exactly who the headline act was supposed to be was never particularly clear--but The Beatles did close every show, which included French singer Sylvie Vartan, US singer Trini Lopez, and six other acts. The Beatles' repertoire was "From Me to You", "Roll Over Beethoven", "She Loves You", "This Boy", "Boys", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "Twist and Shout", and "Long Tall Sally". This first night was a disaster--The Beatles' amplification equipment broke down three times during their performance (George Harrison suspected sabotage). The first show, which was attended mostly by Paris' "top society" members (all dressed in formal evening attire), went over like a lead balloon. The audience was unresponsive, and The Beatles didn't like them much either. The French press had little good to say about The Beatles in the next day's papers, but The Beatles didn't really care, because they'd just received news that their single "I Want to Hold Your Hand" had hit #1 in the US, vaulting to the top spot from the #43 position it had held the previous week. It is estimated that in mid-January, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was selling 10,000 copies an hour in New York City alone. Now, all of The Beatles' recordings were hitting the receptive US market at once, including re-releases of the VeeJay and Swan releases that had hardly dented the US charts in 1963. In less than a month The Beatles would be in America, and their reputation was about to leap from mere fame into legend.

Saturday, January 16, 1965: The Beatles put on two performances of "Another Beatles Christmas Show" at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. This is the final night of the revue.

Wednesday, January 17, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club at lunchtime and then again at night.

Thursday, January 17, 1963: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club at lunchtime; at night they appear at the Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead. At the Majestic, every ticket had been sold in advance, leaving 500 disappointed fans waiting outside.

Friday, January 17, 1964: The Beatles perform two shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France.

Tuesday, January 17, 1967: The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). "Penny Lane" is completed with the overdubbing of a piccolo trumpet part, played by David Mason using a B-flat piccolo trumpet. Paul McCartney had seen/heard Mason during a BBC2 television program of the English Chamber Orchestra performing Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major". "The Beatles Anthology 2" includes a remix version of "Penny Lane" that highlights features from the many different takes that make up the original master, plus an extra piccolo trumpet bit at the end and an extra "suitable ending" (Disc two, Track 4).

Friday, January 17, 1969: UK release of Beatles LP "Yellow Submarine" (Apple). The Beatles' tenth album. Songs: "Yellow Submarine", "Only a Northern Song", "All Together Now", "Hey Bulldog", "It's All Too Much", "All You Need Is Love", and one side of George Martin instrumental music from the film. Highest chart position: #3.

Wednesday, January 18, 1961: The Beatles perform at Aintree Institute, Aintree, Liverpool, for a fee of 8.5 pounds.

Friday, January 18, 1963: The Beatles perform at the Floral Hall Ballroom, Morecambe.

Saturday, January 18, 1964: The Beatles perform two shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France.

Thursday, January 19, 1961: The Beatles perform at Alexandra Hall, Crosby, Liverpool.

Friday, January 19, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club at lunchtime. That night they play at the Tower Ballroom in New Brighton, Wallasey.

Saturday, January 19, 1963: The Beatles perform at Town Hall Ballroom, Dodington, Whitchurch, Shropshire.

Sunday, January 19, 1964: The Beatles perform three shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France. A portion of one of the shows is broadcast by French radio station Europe 1, for its program "Musicorama", and includes Beatles songs "From Me to You", "This Boy", "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "She Loves You", and "Twist and Shout".

Thursday, January 19, 1967: The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). The Beatles begin recording "A Day in the Life". They record four takes, but there is a missing middle section that they aren't sure what to do with, so they mark out the place and timing where the missing segment will go by having Mal Evans count out the bars, one through 24, his voice heavily echoed and backed by a tinkling piano, and with an alarm clock ringing to flag the end of the 'missing' section.

Sunday, January 19, 1969: Pete Best wins a defamation lawsuit that he had filed against The Beatles following remarks Ringo had made in a 1965 interview with "Playboy" magazine.

Friday, January 19, 1973: The ex-Beatles turn down promoter Bill Sargent's offer of $130 million for The Beatles to reunite for one concert.

Wednesday, January 19, 2000: The British Department of the Environment, Transport, and the Regions rejects a request from the Liverpool City Council that the city be permitted to erect road signs promoting Liverpool as the home of The Beatles. The reason given for the disapproval is that such signs would be a hazard for motorists. Liverpool had planned to put up brown and white signs reading "Liverpool - Birthplace of The Beatles" on the M6 motorway. But the department ruled that the signs were to include information about other tourist attractions in the city and that "drivers have just four seconds to assimilate information [from signs]. There is a limit on the number of words allowed. It comes down to safety grounds -- it was too distracting." One Liverpool councillor wondered why such signs are allowed for Stratford-upon-Avon, home of William Shakespeare. The Liverpool City Council plans to protest the decision to the Culture Minister.

Friday, January 20, 1961: The Beatles perform at Lathom Hall, Seaforth, Liverpool.

Saturday, January 20, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club - a night show.

Sunday, January 20, 1963: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club at night.

Monday, January 20, 1964: US release of Beatles LP "Meet the Beatles" (Capitol). Songs: "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "I Saw Her Standing There", "This Boy", "It Won't Be Long", "All I've Got to Do", "All My Loving", "Don't Bother Me", "Little Child", "Till There Was You", "Hold Me Tight", "I Wanna Be Your Man", and "Not a Second Time". 69 weeks on Billboard chart; highest position #1.

Monday, January 20, 1964: The Beatles perform two shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France. A short interview with The Beatles is broadcast on radio station Europe I at midday.

Friday, January 20, 1967: The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London). Overdubbing begins for "A Day in the Life". John Lennon and Paul McCartney record vocals, Paul adds a bass line, and Ringo adds drums. The alarm clock that was recorded to mark the end of the 'missing section' is a perfect lead-in for the first line of Paul's song fragment that had been spliced into the song ("Woke up, fell out of bed"), so the ringing clock is kept on the track. Paul's vocal, intended as a rough guide for a later (Feb. 3) final recording, ends on an expletive when Paul makes a mistake.

Monday, January 20, 1969: The Beatles are scheduled to begin recording sessions for the "Get Back" album at their new Apple Studios on this day. They had entrusted the construction of the studio to their resident electronics wizard, Alex Mardas, better known as "Magic Alex". Alex had promised that The Beatles wouldn't have to work with puny 8-track recording equipment--he would provide 72-track equipment. And they would no longer have to hide Ringo away behind sound baffles to isolate his drums, for Alex was going to install an invisible sonic force-field that would do a much better job. Problem was, "Magic Alex" was a flake. The mixing console was constructed from odd bits of wood and an old oscilloscope, "and [it] looked not unlike the control panel of a B-52 bomber" (Lewisohn). The Beatles tried a sample recording and the results were dismal; the tape was useless. The Beatles had to bring in rented equipment, and they lost two days getting the studio in shape for proper recording.

Wednesday, January 20, 1988: The Beatles are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Yoko, Sean, and Julian Lennon attend. Paul McCartney does not attend, sending instead a letter stating that continuing business differences with the other ex-Beatles was the reason for his absence. Beach Boy Mike Love later makes remarks that are highly critical of McCartney. Inductees into the Hall of Fame this night, besides The Beatles, are the Beach Boys, Drifters, Leadbelly, Bob Dylan, Les Paul, Woody Guthrie, the Supremes, and Berry Gordy, Jr.

Saturday, January 21, 1961: The Beatles perform at Lathom Hall, Seaforth, Liverpool, and at Aintree Institute, Aintree, Liverpool.

Sunday, January 21, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.

Monday, January 21, 1963: The Beatles go to EMI House, London, for their third radio appearance on the Radio Luxembourg program "The Friday Spectacular". As before, they chat with the host and their songs are played for a live audience. The show is taped for broadcast on January 25; the featured songs are from The Beatles' second single, "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why".

Monday, January 22, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club at lunchtime. Their usual two-hour show is cut to one hour as an experiment, with an admission price of one shilling (5 pence). That night The Beatles perform at the Kingsway Club, Southport, Lancashire. The Kingsway booking showed that Brian Epstein was intent on getting The Beatles into respectable clubs (places with a real stage, curtains, and dressing-rooms) instead of the seedy, violent "jive halls" they'd played in before. He also wasn't above exaggerating The Beatles' accomplishments, making much ado of their recording career (which at this point consisted of their single with Tony Sheridan, "My Bonnie").

Tuesday, January 22, 1963: On this day The Beatles are especially busy, recording two radio programs and appearing live on a third. First The Beatles go to BBC Paris Studio, London, for the live radio broadcast (see separate entry). Following that, they move to the Playhouse Theatre, London, to tape a radio appearance on the top pop radio program "Saturday Club". The Beatles record five songs for the broadcast, "Some Other Guy", "Love Me Do", "Please Please Me", "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby", and "Beautiful Dreamer". The program is broadcast on January 26. The second half-hour of the show is broadcast overseas to Australia, Africa, the Middle East, the Far East, the Mediterranean, and southeast Asia, that portion of the program including the songs "Some Other Guy" and "Love Me Do". After taping that show, The Beatles go back to the BBC Paris Studio to record an appearance on the radio program "The Talent Spot". They perform "Please Please Me", "Ask Me Why", and "Some Other Guy" before a live audience for the taping. The show is broadcast on January 29. A song recorded for "Saturday Club" is included on the 1994 Beatles double-CD "Live at the BBC"--"Keep Your Hands Off My Baby" (Disc one, Track 6).

Tuesday, January 22, 1963: The Beatles, at BBC Paris Studio in London, appear live on the BBC radio program "Pop Inn". The Beatles chat live with the show's host, and their new single "Please Please Me" is played. One of the other guests appearing on the program is Jon Pertwee, who will go on to play the third incarnation of 'The Doctor' in the popular sci-fi series "Doctor Who". After the live broadcast, The Beatles spend the rest of the day taping two additional radio appearances (see separate entry).

Wednesday, January 22, 1964: The Beatles perform two shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France.

Monday, January 22, 1968: The Beatles open offices at 95 Wigmore St., London, to house Apple and its subsidiaries. It will soon become a haven for crackpots such as "Magic Alex".

Wednesday, January 22, 1969: The Beatles in the recording studio (Apple Studios, London). Moving from Twickenham Film Studios to Apple studios, the Beatles begin recording the "Get Back" LP. Billy Preston is pulled into the studio when George Harrison sees him in the reception area at 3 Savile Row (John, Paul, and George knew Preston from 1962, when he was a member of Little Richard's backing group). The Beatles are determined to leave the studio effects and overdubs behind and record an album "live", flaws and all. Their intent becomes muddied when The Beatles find themselves doing take after take of "live" tracks in order to obtain one without flaws. The whole thing is pretty disorganized, and George Martin's role in the project is unclear. Glyn Johns is engineer and uncredited producer. However, twice Johns will compile a "Get Back" LP master for The Beatles, and twice they will reject it. The tapes will eventually be given to Phil Spector to make an album out of. The Beatles work on songs rather randomly. On this day they run through "All I Want Is You" (later named "I Dig a Pony"), "I've Got a Feeling", "Don't Let Me Down", an instrumental named "Rocker", "Bathroom Window" (later named "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window), and covers of other artists' songs. Billy Preston first appears playing electric piano as The Beatles work out the chord structure for "Bathroom Window" (which will end up on "Abbey Road"). Recordings from this day of "I've Got a Feeling", "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window", and "Dig a Pony" were released on "The Beatles Anthology 3" (Disc two, Tracks 1-3).

Friday, January 22, 1982: UK release of Beatles LP "Rare Beatles" (Phoenix). Another reissue of tracks from the Star-Club tape of Dec. 31, 1962.

Wednesday, January 23, 1963: The Beatles perform a night show at the Cavern Club, Liverpool. They had traveled back to Liverpool from London in terrible conditions: the windshield of their van had shattered, and assistant road manager Mal Evans, the driver, had to drive back to Liverpool in bitterly cold weather, while The Beatles had to lay on top of one another in the back of the van to conserve warmth, and they arrive at the Cavern Club just in time for their performance. Road manager Neil Aspinall was sick and had not made the trip down to London.

Thursday, January 23, 1964: The Beatles perform two shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France.

Thursday, January 23, 1969: The Beatles (with Billy Preston) in the recording studio (Apple Studios, London): they record ten takes of "Get Back". The tape operator for this session is Alan Parsons.

Monday, January 23, 1989: UK re-release of Beatles singles on 3-inch CDs: "I Want to Hold Your Hand/This Boy", "Can't Buy Me Love/You Can't Do That" (Parlophone).

Friday, January 24, 1958: The Quarry Men perform at the Cavern Club, Liverpool. This would be the only performance billed as The Quarry Men at the club. It would be a long wait, an amazing three years before the band would turn up again at the Cavern but under their new name as The Beatles.

Saturday, January 24, 1959: The Quarry Men perform for 10 minutes at a (very) late Christmas party, at Woolton Village Club, Allerton Road, Woolton, Liverpool. The Quarry Men will not play again for over seven months, the group nearly fading into oblivion. George Harrison begins playing with the Les Stewart Quartet.

Wednesday, January 24, 1962: The Beatles perform twice at the Cavern Club -- at lunchtime and then again that night.
Wednesday, January 24, 1962: Brian Epstein officially becomes the manager of The Beatles when John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Pete Best sign a management contract with Epstein. Epstein is to receive 25 percent of their earnings. The contract signing is witnessed by Alistair Taylor, but Brian Epstein, wanting to prove to The Beatles that he was not out to exploit them, did not sign the contract until the following October. As far as The Beatles were concerned, though, this was a mere formality and Epstein was unquestionably their manager.

Thursday, January 24, 1963: The Beatles perform at Assembly Hall, Mold, Flintshire. That morning the Beatles made a personal appearance at Brian Epstein's NEMS central Liverpool record store. They gave a brief acoustic performance and signed copies of their "Please Please Me" single.

Friday, January 24, 1964: The Beatles perform two shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France. They also record an interview for the American Forces Network; it is broadcast the next day, on the program "Weekend World", to US troops stationed in West Germany.

Friday, January 24, 1969: The Beatles in the recording studio (Apple Studios, London). Recording "Two of Us" (under the working title "On Our Way Home"), "Teddy Boy" (which Paul will include on his first solo LP, "McCartney"), "Maggie Mae", "Dig It", "Dig a Pony", and "I've Got a Feeling". A recording of "Two of Us" from this day's session was released on "The Beatles Anthology 3" (Disc two, Track 4). A rehearsal version of "Teddy Boy" was released on "The Beatles Anthology 3" (Disc two, Track 6).

Wednesday, January 24, 1979: US release of Beatles double LP "The Beatles: First Live Recordings" (Pickwick). Repackaging of the Star-Club tapes, which were released in 1977 by Lingasong.

Wednesday, January 25, 1961: The Beatles perform at Hambleton Hall, Huyton, Liverpool. Also appearing are Derry & the Seniors and Faron & the Tempest Tornadoes.

Friday, January 25, 1963: The Beatles perform at Co-operative Hall, Darwen, Lancashire, for a dance promoted by a local Baptist church youth club. Supporting groups are The Electones, The Mike Taylor Combo, and The Mustangs with Ricky Day.

Saturday, January 25, 1964: The Beatles perform two shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France.

Wednesday, January 25, 1967: The Beatles in the recording studio (Studio One, EMI Studios, London). A last-minute remix of "Penny Lane" is made before the pressing of The Beatles' next single, the awesome "Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane". A few promotional copies of "Penny Lane", using the earlier mix, have already been pressed in the US, but all commercially released singles in the US are pressed from this day's remix. Both songs, originally intended for The Beatles' next album, are issued as a single instead, so two additional songs will be needed for the album that will shake the musical/cultural world, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". The "Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane" single will be released in the UK on February 17, 1967.

Thursday, January 25, 1968: The Beatles film their live-action cameo appearance that comes at the end of the animated film "Yellow Submarine".

Saturday, January 25, 1969: The Beatles in the recording studio (Apple Studios, London). Recording "Untitled Jamming", "Bye Bye Love", "Let It Be", and "George's Blues" (working title for "For You Blue"). "For You Blue" will not be completed until January 8, 1970. "The Beatles Anthology 3" contains a version of "For You Blue" completed during this day's session (Disc two, Track 5). An early recording of "Let It Be" is also included on "Anthology 3" (Disc two, Track 21).

January 26 This Day In Beatle History

Thursday, January 26, 1961: The Beatles perform at Litherland Town Hall, Liverpool.

Friday, January 26, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club twice -- at lunchtime and then again at night. They perform a third show at the Tower Ballroom in New Brighton, Wallasey.

Saturday, January 26, 1963: The Beatles perform two shows. The first is at the El Rio Club/Dance Hall, Macclesfield, Cheshire, supported by Wayne Fontana & the Jets. Then The Beatles travel 21 miles to their next engagement, at King's Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. While waiting backstage at Stoke, John Lennon and Paul McCartney begin composing the song "Misery", with the intention of donating the song to Helen Shapiro, who they are to meet the following week. Later, on stage, The Beatles perform, for the one and only time, the current hit by the Rooftop Singers, "Walk Right In".

Sunday, January 26, 1964: The Beatles perform two shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France.

Sunday, January 26, 1969: The Beatles in the recording studio (Apple Studios, London). Recording the final version of "Dig It", which turns out to be 12 mins 25 secs long, only 50 seconds of which will be used on the "Let It Be" album. Then The Beatles play an extended rock 'n' roll medley: "Rip It Up", "Shake Rattle and Roll", "Kansas City", "Miss Ann", "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", "Blue Suede Shoes", and "You Really Got a Hold On Me". This is followed by a version of "Tracks of My Tears" (mostly instrumental). Also recording "The Long and Winding Road" and a George Harrison demo for an untitled song which would end up on his "All Things Must Pass" album as "Isn't it a Pity". A medley of "Rip it Up", "Shake, Rattle and Roll", and "Blue Suede Shoes" was released on "The Beatles Anthology 3" (Disc two, Track 7). Also on "Anthology 3" is "The Long and Winding Road" as it sounded before Phil Spector's orchestration was overdubbed (Disc 2, Track 8).

Monday, January 26, 1976: The Beatles' nine-year contract with EMI expires. Paul McCartney remains with EMI, George Harrison moves to A&M, Ringo Starr signs with Atlantic (in the US) and Polydor (everywhere else). John Lennon does not sign a new contract.

Friday, January 27, 1961: The Beatles perform at Aintree Institute, Aintree, Liverpool.

Saturday, January 27, 1962: The Beatles perform at Aintree Institute, Aintree, Liverpool. Although The Beatles had played here many times before, this would be their last performance at this venue -- Brian Epstein became infuriated when the promoter paid The Beatles' fee (15 pounds) with handfuls of loose change. Epstein took this as an insult to the group, and he made sure that The Beatles never played for that promoter (Brian Kelly) again.

Saturday, January 27, 1962: The "Liverpool Echo" publishes a short article about The Beatles' audition with Decca. The tone of the article, along with a comment from Decca's Mike Smith, made it look as if The Beatles were going to be given a recording contract -- they weren't.

Sunday, January 27, 1963: The Beatles perform at the Three Coins Club in Manchester.

Monday, January 27, 1964: US release of Beatles LP "Introducing The Beatles" (VeeJay), originally released on July 22, 1963. The songs "Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You" were replaced by "Ask Me Why" and "Please Please Me". 49 weeks on Billboard chart; highest position #2.

Monday, January 27, 1964: US release of single "My Bonnie/The Saints" (MGM). 6 weeks on Billboard chart; highest position #26.

Monday, January 27, 1964: The Beatles perform two shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France.

Thursday, January 27, 1966: Release in Sweden of Beatles single "Michelle/Girl" (Parlophone). Six weeks in the Swedish charts; highest position #1.

Friday, January 27, 1967: The Beatles sign a 9-year contract with EMI.

Monday, January 27, 1969: The Beatles in the recording studio (Apple Studios, London). Recording "Untitled Jamming" (10 mins 54 secs of heavy, unstructured jamming that Mark Lewisohn claims is "barely listenable"). Most of the session is spent recording "Get Back", although none of the versions recorded this day will be released. A John Lennon ditty is caught on tape, and it will be included on "Let It Be": "Sweet Loretta Fart she thought she was a cleaner, but she was a frying pan". Also a bit of work on "Oh! Darling", unreleased takes of "I've Got a Feeling", and Jimmy McCracklin's "The Walk". "The Beatles Anthology 3" includes an early run-through of "Oh! Darling" (Disc two, Track 9).

Monday, January 27, 1969: Release in Sweden of Beatles LP "Yellow Submarine" (Apple).

Saturday, January 28, 1961: The Beatles perform at Lathom Hall, Seaforth, Liverpool, and at Aintree Institute, Aintree, Liverpool.

Sunday, January 28, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.

Monday, January 28, 1963: The Beatles perform at the Majestic Ballroom, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland.

Tuesday, January 28, 1969: The Beatles (with Billy Preston) in the recording studio (Apple Studios, London). Recording the songs for the next Beatles single, "Get Back" and "Don't Let Me Down". A re-make of "Love Me Do" (and a rather wretched one at that) is also recorded, as is "The One After 909". A couple of Billy Preston demos are also recorded. Towards the end of the session, The Beatles' taped conversation shows that things aren't going very well--they discuss whether they should be recording or merely rehearsing, whether they should be filming or not, and even whether they should bother with the project any longer. Ringo is due to begin filming for the movie "Magic Christian" in just a few days, so the situation seems to be hopelessly muddled.

Friday, January 28, 1994: US re-release of Beatles vinyl singles labeled 'For Jukeboxes Only': "Hey Jude/ Revolution" (blue vinyl); "Birthday/Taxman" (green vinyl); "A Hard Day's Night/Things We Said Today" (white vinyl); "Something/Come Together" (blue vinyl); and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band/A Day in the Life" (clear vinyl). All released by Capitol/CEMA.

Sunday, January 29, 1961: The Beatles perform at the Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.

Monday, January 29, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Kingsway Club, Southport.

Wednesday, January 29, 1964: The Beatles perform two shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France. Earlier in the day they had recorded the German-language versions of their songs "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (see separate entry).

Wednesday, January 29, 1964: The Beatles in the recording studio (Pathe Marconi Studios, Boulogne-sur-Seine, Paris, France). This was The Beatles' first and only studio recording session for EMI held outside of the UK. George Martin had flown in from England to oversee the recording session, bringing with him tapes of instrument-only tracks of The Beatles' songs "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand". EMI's West German branch had finally persuaded Brian Epstein and The Beatles that they would be unable to sell large quantities of records in Germany unless they were recorded in the German language. A translator coached John, Paul, and George, although their familiarity with the German language from their Hamburg days made things much easier. The Beatles record 11 takes of "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" ("I Want to Hold Your Hand"), recording new vocals over the existing instrumental track. "Sie Liebt Dich" ("She Loves You"), was recorded entirely new, instruments and all, in 14 takes. Then, The Beatles recorded four takes of "Can't Buy Me Love", nearly completing the song, which would require only a George Harrison lead guitar overdub and a Paul McCartney vocal overdub to finish it up. The Beatles completed their work quickly, and they were able to cancel another recording session that had been booked for January 31. Take 2 of "Can't Buy Me Love" (with main guitar solo from Take 1) is included on "The Beatles Anthology 1" (Disc 2, Track 8).

Saturday, January 29, 1966: "We Can Work It Out" regains the #1 single position in the US, for its third week at #1.

Wednesday, January 29, 1969: The Beatles in the recording studio (Apple Studios, London). Recording "Teddy Boy", "The One After 909", John's song "I Want You" [which will be re-recorded for "Abbey Road" using the title "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"]. They also record jams of "Not Fade Away", "Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues", and one of their old Cavern standards, "Besame Mucho". The recording of "Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues", a Buddy Holly song, is included on "The Beatles Anthology 3" (Disc two, Track 11).
 

Monday, January 30, 1961: The Beatles perform at Lathom Hall, Seaforth, Liverpool, receiving a fee of 8 pounds, 10 shillings (8.5 pounds).

Tuesday, January 30, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club - a lunchtime show.

Wednesday, January 30, 1963: The Beatles perform a lunchtime show at the Cavern Club, Liverpool.

Thursday, January 30, 1964: US release of Beatles single "Please Please Me/From Me to You" (VeeJay). Previously issued on Feb. 25, 1963 ("Please Please Me") and May 27, 1963 ("From Me to You"). 13 weeks on Billboard chart; highest position #3.

Thursday, January 30, 1964: The Beatles perform two shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France.

Monday, January 30, 1967: The Beatles go to Knole Park, Sevenoaks, Kent, for the first day of filming for the "Strawberry Fields Forever" promotional video. Subafilms, a Beatles film company, sponsors the film, which is produced by Tony Bramwell. The director is Peter Goldmann, who had been recommended to The Beatles by their old Hamburg friend Klaus Voorman, who was himself at that time playing bass with Manfred Mann. "Strawberry Fields Forever" is shot in color, for the benefit of the US market, since UK television is still broadcasting only in black and white. This day's shooting takes place near the end of the day, around a dead oak tree behind the Birdhouse. The film is as innovative as the music, expressing the mood and 'the feel' of the music instead of acting out a preconceived story-line.

Thursday, January 30, 1969: The Beatles perform their legendary "rooftop concert" atop Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London. They play for about 42 minutes, about half of which is included in the movie "Let It Be". The police arrive, after neighbors complain, and they bring the Beatles' final live performance to a close. The Beatles perform "Get Back" three times (twice to open the performance and a third time to close it). An edit of the first two "Get Back" versions is seen in the movie, along with Paul and John's ad-libs at the end of the third: Paul sings, "You've been playing on the roofs again, and you know your Momma doesn't like it, she's gonna have you arrested"; after the song's close, John quips, "I'd like to say 'thank you' on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope we passed the audition!" The Beatles also perform "Don't Let Me Down", "I've Got a Feeling", "The One After 909", "Dig a Pony", a second "I've Got a Feeling", and a second "Don't Let Me Down". The "Let It Be" movie includes the following 'rooftop' songs: "Don't Let Me Down", "I've Got a Feeling", "The One After 909", "Dig A Pony", and "Get Back". The third take of "Get Back" is included on "The Beatles Anthology 3" (Disc two, Track 12).

Friday, January 30, 1981: US re-release of Beatles LP "Magical Mystery Tour" (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab/Capitol). Half-speed master recording.

January 31 This Day In Beatle History

Wednesday, January 31, 1962: The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club - a night performance.

Thursday, January 31, 1963: The Beatles perform a lunchtime show at the Cavern Club, followed by a night show at the Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead. The demand for tickets at the Majestic was so high that The Beatles perform two separate shows for two "houses", which is quite unusual for a ballroom appearance.

Friday, January 31, 1964: UK release of Tony Sheridan/Beatles single "Sweet Georgia Brown/Nobody's Child" (Polydor).

Friday, January 31, 1964: The Beatles perform two shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France.

Tuesday, January 31, 1967: The Beatles are back at Knole Park, Sevenoaks, Kent, to complete filming for the "Strawberry Fields Forever" promotional video. One of the scenes shot on this day has Paul dropping down from a high branch in the dead tree and running backwards to a piano. In the final video, this segment is played in reverse, making it appear as if Paul is jumping up into the tree--this time The Beatles utilize backwards film in addition to their experiments with backwards tapes.

Friday, January 31, 1969: The completion of filming and recording for the "Get Back" project. In Apple Studios, London, The Beatles and Billy Preston set up in stage formation and perform/film/record "Two of Us", "The Long and Winding Road", and "Let It Be" (nine takes). This has been called the "Apple Studio Performance". Ultimately, The Beatles aren't at all happy with the results of the "Get Back" sessions. John favors putting it out just as it is, so that "It'll tell people, 'This is us with our trousers off, so will you please end the game now?'" But "Abbey Road" will be recorded and released before the "Get Back" album is issued, with the new title "Let It Be".