BEATLEmania!
Photo manipulation by John Gambie and Brian Vandervliet / KANSAN
JAYHAWK ROAD: KU students may never see the Beatles crossing Jayhawk Boulevard, but 30 years after the 'Fab Four' took America by storm, fans of the group still remember how George, John, Ringo and Paul changed the world of rock 'n' roll.
FEBRUARY 1964: FAB FOUR DESCENDS ON U.S.; 30 YEARS LATER, FANS STILL SCREAMING
By Kevin Hoffmann
Kansan staff writer
Thirty years ago this month, the British rock band "The Beatles" landed in New York and began traveling the long and winding road across America. Along that road, the Beatles became one of the most popular rock bands ever, rewriting rock 'n' roll record books.
'History has proven the Beatles to be unlike any rock 'n' roll band that ever touched foot on American soil.
'Jeff Butterfield, disc jockey at KCFX 101 FL, a Kansas City area radio station, said he was amazed by the impact of the Beatles and how their legacy had lasted.
"It's not so much the adults," Butterfield said. "It's the fact that their kids listen to them. I mean little kids."
"I remember a couple years ago going to a Christmas party at a friend's house." Butterfield continued. "There must have been about four kids running around, all very young. The thing that they did to keep themselves occupied while us grown-ups were playing poker and all that, was that they listened to Beatles records. We thought it was kind of funny that they danced to the records that their parents had when they were teen-agers."
Just two days after they landed in America, the Beatles captured the hearts of nearly every young American with an appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." More
than 73 million people watched that enisode.
Formed in Liverpool, England, in the late 1950s, the Beatles originally consisted of six members.
Bassist Stu Sutcliffe left the band, and drummer Pete Best was replaced with Ringo Starr.
Starr joined John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison to reach everlasting fame as a member of the "Fab Four."
The accomplishments of the Beatles, who shocked adults with their "mop" haircuts and rebellious attitudes, are countless.
During the seven years the band performed in the United States, it recorded 15 chart-topping albums and 21 No. 1 singles.
The song-writing team of Lennon and McCartney resulted in such famous albums as "The Beatles" — also known as the White Album — "Magical Mystery Tour," "Abbey Road" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."
The Sgt. Pepper's album spent 63 weeks at the top of U.S. charts.
The Beatles performed for sold-out crowds everywhere they went. Stories of fans hyperventilating at concerts and going to extremes to purchase concert tickets were common.
dards for the rock 'n' roll industry, the group also changed the way rock bands would be treated in the future. Butterfield said the Beatles were one of the first bands to break free from promoters who controlled when and where they played.
Ray Velasquez, Lawrence DJ, said that his work in area clubs and at private parties was influenced by the Beatles.
"What many people don't realize is that the Beatles stood up for each other individually." Butterfield said.
Not only did the Beatles set new stan-
"Almost everything I do has been touched or influenced by the Beatles," Velasquez said. "Most kids today probably don't realize what they hear on the radio today in the way of progressive music was influenced by the Beatles."
Velasquez, who began a Beatles fan club at his high school, said the rock group had had a tremendous impact on him and his childhood friends.
"Four of us boys would act like we were the Beatles, and we would have the neighborhood girls chasing us around," he said. "I don't know of anyone else in rock 'n' roll before the Beatles that had kids acting like them."
But the Beatles could not stay together forever. Citing personal differences, the group disbanded in 1970, with all members going on to pursue successful solo careers.
'We're not the Beatles'
By Casey Barnes Special to the Kansan
On Feb. 12, 1946, John, Paul, George and Ringo slammed out "Twist and Shout" at Carnegie Hall while thousands of teen-agers screamed.
Thirty years after the Carnegie Hall appearance, look-alike groups and rumors of a possible reunion have helped keep the Beale's alive.
Today, a band in Kansas City sings "Twist and Shout" and performs a completely costumed Beatles show.
Liverpool pays special attention to the details of each performance. From '60s hairstyles to an array of original equipment from the Beatles' era, the band members do what they can to recreate the sounds of their heroes
"The Beatles changed the face of music, and they changed the whole world," said Steve Davis, the George Harrison look-alike in Liverpool and an editor at Great Plains Television.
Members of Liverpool had mixed feelings when former Beatle Paul McCartney recently announced that the group might be getting back together for a "Beatlemania" reunion.
In January, McCartney told "Rolling Stone" magazine, "We're looking for a completely unpressured situation to get together because nobody wants to revive the Beatles."
Since that announcement, McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr have said that talk of reviving the band was more of a publicity stunt than a real goal. But even the thought of a "Beatlemania" reunion elicits emotional reactions from devoted fans such as the members of Liverpool.
"At first there will be a large media hype, but it will be hard to recreate what they did in the '60s," Davis said. "They can't live up to the reputation they had in the past."
Max Utsler, professor of journalism, is a fan of both the Beatles and Liverpool. Utsler, who has played in a few bands himself, said he would like to see a Beatles reunion.
"I've always been a big advocate of the Beatles getting back together," Utsler said. "They have the ability to keep their old audience and attract a new one. No one can touch that, and there is no way to dominate them."
Many Beatles fans agreed that, if the group ever did reunite, it would not be the same without John Lennon, who was assassinated in 1980. When the band was considering a reunion, it considered replacing him with such performers as Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Eric Clapton. But true fans of the Beatles think that Lennon's absence would have a big impact on any planned or rumored reunion.
"It will be interesting but difficult to capture the magic they had in the '60s," said Larry Kips, an employee at Quigley Music in Kansas City, Mo., who impersonates Lennon in Liverpool. "They can record music and be good, but it wouldn't be the Beatles as I remember."
Beatle collections worth more these days than a box of bugs
By Katherine Barber
Special to the Kansan
When the Beatles invaded the United States 30 years ago this month, they didn't bring their music, they brought their images. The faces of the "Fab Four" began to pop up on everything from bobbin'head dolls to blankets and bombers.
Clyde Chapman, proprietor of The Chapman, an antique and collectibles shop at 731 New Hampshire St., said interest in Beatles collectibles for the most part was generational. Beatles memorabilia is popular mainly among those who grew up listening to the group.
Today, these items may not have the collectible draw of Elvis memorabilia, but they are valuable among a small group of collectors, local dealers say.
Price guides show that a 1965 Aladdin brand thermos with a full color lithograph of the Beaules can cost $70. A cotton blanket with a screen print of the group fetches $235.
worth $150.
The complete set of Beatles dolls with bobbing heads is valued at $640. Sold separately, George Harrison is worth $135, Paul McCartney is worth $125, Ringo Starr is worth $130 and John Lennon is
"Younger people don't get into the Beatles as much, whereas Elvis is rather cultish," Chapman said.
Alley Cat Records, 717 Massachusetts St., has a substantial collection of used Beatles records, as well as stickers and t-shirts.
Heather Lofflin / KANSAN
Chapman said that interest in Beatles trinkets probably would rise with reports that the surviving members were planning to cut another album.
Although Beatles toys and trinkets may have some value, Chapman said, the band's biggest collectible is its music.
The most valuable album, "Yesterday and Today," from 1966, features what is called the "butcher-block cover." According to price guides, it can cost as much as $10,000.
The "butcher-block" cover shows John, Paul, George and Ringo sporting butchers' coats and dolls on a butcher block with their arms and legs torn off. Only a few of these albums were released before the record company decided that the cover was too extreme and pulled it.
But even the value of Beatles albums can vary a great deal.
Some albums are worth only a few dollars, but others have been appraised in the hundreds, even thousands of dollars.
An album will fetch a higher price if both the album and its cover are in good condition, without gouges from over-playing or ring wear on the cover. Fitzgerald said.
Mike Fitzgerald, a dealer at Alley Cat Records, 717 Massachusetts St., said several factors contributed to the value of Beatles and other used albums.
If the album still has all of its paperwork, such as posters, the value also increases.
But original Beatles albums in good condition are in short supply.
Fitzgerald said the Beatles were so popular that most people played their records a lot, thus wearing them out.
But the main factor in determining an
album's worth has to do with when it was pressed, or printed. Originals and early pressings fetch higher prices, Fitzgerald said.
Andy Fletcher, also a dealer for Alley Cat Records, said of Beatles albums, "Some albums are very high-priced, but there are so many reissues that it really drives down the price."
FEBRUARY 23,1994 PAGE 9
calendar
People and places at the University of Kansas.
EXHIBITIONS AND LECTURES
Concert—The University Band and Concert Band, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 2 at the Lied Center. $3 public, $2 students and senior citizens.
Lecture—artist Pheobe Adams about her work, 2 p.m. today at Spencer Museum Auditorium.
Program—"Women as Winners: Finding Your Own Voice," 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 2 at the Pine Room in the Kansas Union.
Exhibition—Sacred and Profane: Two Books In Black and White, Jan. 23-March 20 at the Spencer Museum of Art.
Lecture - Langston Hughes Lecture Series presents "Frank Marshall Davis and the Politics of Black Art" by John Edgar Tidwell, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 2 at Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union.
Exhibition—"Imagery and Form," Feb. 15 March 10 at The Lawrence Arts Center, 200 W. Ninth St.
Closing Exhibition—"Art Wake"—group show of paintings, prints and sculpture by gallery artists, Feb. 12-March 1 at Artists En Masse,803 1/2 Massachusetts St.
PERFORMANCES
New Directions Series-
The Kronos Quartet,
8 p.m. Tuesday, March 1
at the Lied Center. $16,
$14 public; $8, $7
students; $15, $13 senior
citizens.
Faculty Recital—Norman Pailge, tenor and Incl Bashar Pailge, mezzo-soprano, 7:30 p.m.
Monday. Feb. 28 at Swarthout Recital Hall.
Doctoral Recital—WaudHalt, plano, 7:30 tonight at Swartch Recital Hall.
Student Recital—Hong Woon Tan, composition,
7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24 at Swarthout Recital Hall.
The Renegade Theatre Company presents "East Side Comedy Shop," 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25, 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26 at the Renegade Theatre, 518 E. Eighth St. $5 public.