The Beatles Don't Break Up in 1970 - A Timeline

So Pete's been fired?

Not quite - IOTL when the Beatles recorded Love Me Do with Ringo as drummer Martin wasn't that impressed and took on Andy White as session drummer, while Ringo was relegated to tambourine. IIRC the original single had Ringo on drums but the version on Please Please Me had White on drums.
 
June 1962 - August 1962 (Ringo officially joins The Beatles)
June 9, 1962 - The Beatles play the Cavern Club for the first time since they departed for Germany.

August 14, 1962 - Brian Epstein invites Ringo Starr to join The Beatles permanently.

August 15, 1962 - Pete Best performs with The Beatles for the last time at the Cavern Club.

August 16, 1962 - Brian Epstein tells Pete Best at his record store that he has been fired from The Beatles. The decision was a hard one as Best had become a fan favorite. Johnny Hutchinson, a member of fellow Liverpool band The Big Three, fills in for Best at the group's performance at Riverpark Ballroom in Chester.

August 18, 1962 - Ringo Starr officially joins The Beatles. The classic lineup is now together.

August 19, 1962 - After a performance at the Cavern Club, disgruntled fans angered by the firing of Pete Best hold a vigil outside his house, chanting "Peter forever, Ringo never!". George Harrison gets a black eye from an audience member and Brian Epstein temporarily hires a bodyguard.

August 22, 1962 - Granada Television films a performance of The Beatles at the Cavern Club. This is the earliest known video footage of the group. Note: At the 4:14 mark of the video, you can hear a guy yelling "We want Pete!", to which John simply replies "Yes".
 
August 1962 - October 1962
August 23, 1962 - John Lennon marries Cynthia Powell at the Mount Pleasant register office in Liverpool. John and Cynthia had been dating for the last four years. Cynthia recently discovered that she's pregnant. When told this, John said "There's only one thing for it Cyn – we'll have to get married". Brian Epstein is the best man. Also in attendance are John's mother Julia, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Cynthia's half-brother, and his wife.

September 4, 1962 - The Beatles do their first official recording session at the Abbey Road studios. Ringo Starr auditions for George Martin. They record two songs "Love Me Do" (Lennon-McCartney) and a demo of "How Do You Do It" (Murray), the latter of which is later recorded by Gerry And The Pacemakers. The version of "Love Me Do" recorded today will be used as the A-Side of their first UK single.

September 11, 1962 - The Beatles return to Abbey Road studios to record their first single. They record "P.S. I Love You" and a different version of "Love Me Do", this time with session drummer Andy White and Ringo Starr on tambourine. That version will be released as a single in US later on. They also perform, but don't record, "Please Please Me" (Lennon-McCartney), which George Martin suggests be reworked.

October 1, 1962 - The Beatles renew their contract with Brian Epstein.

October 5, 1962 - "Love Me Do" b/w "P.S. I Love You" is released in the UK as Parlophone R 4949.

October 17, 1962 - The Beatles make their television debut on Granada Television's People and Places.

October 26, 1962 - The "Love Me Do" single first appears on the UK Singles chart. It will go on to peak at #12. Note: In OTL, the single peaked at #17. I decided to take into account the Beat Brothers album reissue in Liverpool and the added popularity resulting from it.
 
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Another thing, do I really need to put the songwriter credits every time I mention a song or just the first time? I hope that made sense.
Once is more than fine. Everything made clear sense. Something will have to happen in the future though, in order for the Beatles to last (eg. George getting more songs, John being less harsh of Paul's "granny music" and possibly not meeting Yoko, Brian Epstein living will lead to Paul being less of a boss, maybe with Paul becoming vegan might encourage the other members to quit smoking/alcohol abuse, leading to them being healthy and living today etc.). I'm loving this timeline so far, you're doing a terrific job. Also, your album cover was great. Can't wait for more! :)
 
I had thought, considering the release of a full album beforehand (therefore being slightly more popular by at least 5%), Love Me Do would have been able to peak slightly higher ITL?
 
I had thought, considering the release of a full album beforehand (therefore being slightly more popular by at least 5%), Love Me Do would have been able to peak slightly higher ITL?

That's certainly possible. However, the reissue of the album was limited to the Liverpool area as I may or may not have mentioned. Therefore, Love Me Do was the first most people in the UK ever heard of The Beatles. How much higher do you think it should peak ITTL?
 
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That's certainly possible. However, the reissue of the album was limited to the Liverpool area as I may or may not have mentioned. Therefore, Love Me Do was the first most people in the UK ever heard of The Beatles. How much higher do you think it should peak ITTL?
Well not by much, I'm think at least by a couple of places. The album is bound to be a sell-out in Liverpool that may help it more just about?
 
November 1962 - January 1963
Well not by much, I'm think at least by a couple of places. The album is bound to be a sell-out in Liverpool that may help it more just about?

Thank you very much. I changed the single's peak to #12. Still a very good start for them. And yes, the Beat Brothers album reissue did sell out in Liverpool ITTL. And now, back to the timeline:

November 1, 1962 - The Beatles return to Hamburg to begin a two-week run at the Star Club.

November 15, 1962 - The Beatles travel back to England.

November 26, 1962 - The Beatles record their second single at Abbey Road studios. The songs are "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why". They return four days later to finish "Please Please Me".

December 17, 1962 - Brian Epstein takes George Martin to a Beatles performance at the Cavern Club.

December 18, 1962 - The Beatles travel to Hamburg to play the Star Club for 12 performances. This is the last time they will take up residence in Hamburg.

January 11, 1963 - "Please Please Me" b/w "Ask Me Why" is released in the UK as Parlophone R 4983. It will go on to become their first #1 hit on the UK Singles chart. Note: In OTL, it peaked at #2 in the UK.
 
February 1963 - April 1963 ("Please Please Me" released)
February 7, 1963 - "Please Please Me" b/w "Ask Me Why" is released in the US as Vee-Jay 498. This is the first Beatles single released in the US. Thanks to DJ Dick Biondi, the single appears on the WLS Chicago survery for two weeks, peaking at #35. It also registers on the surveys of a couple of other radio stations in California and Florida. Despite this, the single goes nowhere.

February 11, 1963 - In one marathon record session lasting almost 13 hours, The Beatles record the remaining ten tracks for their upcoming album, Please Please Me, at the Abbey Road studios.

March 5, 1963 - The Beatles record their third single at Abbey Road studios. The songs are "From Me To You" (Lennon-McCartney) and "Thank You Girl" (Lennon-McCartney). They also record "The One After 909" (Lennon-McCartney). Despite some difficulties incurred due to their hectic schedule, they are able to put together a serviceable version of the song. They plan to put it on their next album, considering that Please Please Me has already been completed. . Note. In OTL, The One After 909 was never edited into a full song until the release of Anthology 1.

March 22, 1963 - The Beatle's first official album, Please Please Me, is released in the UK. It goes on to peak at #1 on the UK Albums chart. Note: This album remains unchanged from OTL.

"Please Please Me"
Parlophone 1202

All tracks written by Lennon-McCartney unless otherwise noted

SIDE 1
1. I Saw Her Standing There
2. Misery
3. Anna (Go To Him) (Alexander)
4. Chains (Goffin-King)
5. Boys (Dixon-Farrell)
6. Ask Me Why
7. Please Please Me

SIDE 2
1. Love Me Do
2. P.S. I Love You
3. Baby It's You (Bacharach-David-Williams)
4. Do You Want To Know A Secret
5. A Taste Of Honey (Scott-Marlow)
6. There's A Place
7. Twist And Shout (Medley-Russell)

April 8, 1963 - Cynthia Lennon gives birth to Julian at Sefton General Hospital in Liverpool. John can't be present at the birth due to the group being on tour at the time, so John's mother Julia attends in his place. Cynthia goes through a whole 24 hours of labor. She recalls many years later that Julia's presence helped her get through it and that "it was almost like having John there with me". In gratitude to Julia, she names the boy Julian. John sees his son for the first time three days later.
 
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April 1963 - July 1963
April 11, 1963 - "From Me To You" b/w "Thank You Girl" is released in the UK as Parlophone R 5015. It eventually becomes their second #1 hit in the UK.

April 18, 1963 - The Beatles perform for the BBC radio program Swinging Sounds 63 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. After the performance, Paul McCartney meets Jane Asher for the first time. She is the sister of Peter Asher of the pop duo Peter & Gordon.

May 6, 1963 - "From Me To You" b/w "Thank You Girl" is released in the US as Vee-Jay 522. Due to some sales in Los Angeles (thanks once again to Dick Biondi, now a DJ at KRLA), the song makes the Cashbox Looking Ahead chart at #149 on July 13th. This marks the first chart appearance of a Beatles record in the US.

May 24, 1963 - The Beatles record the first episode of their BBC radio series Pop Go The Beatles. The episode airs on June 4th.

June 20, 1963 - The Beatles Ltd. is formed to handle the legal and business affairs of the group. This has become necessary as their popularity has continued to grow across the UK.

June 29, 1963 - Del Shannon's version of "From Me To You" debuts on the US Billboard Hot 100, eventually peaking at #77. This marks the first time a Lennon-McCartney song has appeared on the Hot 100 chart.

July 1, 1963 - The Beatles record their third single at Abbey Road studios. The songs are: "She Loves You" (Lennon-McCartney) and "I'll Get You" (Lennon-McCartney).

July 12, 1963 - The Beatles' first EP, Twist and Shout, is released by Parlophone. It contains four songs, all from the Please Please Me album. Side 1: "Twist And Shout" and "A Taste Of Honey". Side 2: "Do You Want To Know A Secret" and "There's A Place".
 
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July 1963 - October 1963
July 18, 1963 - The Beatles begin recording songs for their next UK album, called With The Beatles. The songs they record on this particular day are: "You Really Got A Hold On Me" (Robinson), "Money (Bradford-Gordy), "Devil In Her Heart" (Drapkin), and "Till There Was You" (Willson).

August 3, 1963 - The Beatles play the Cavern Club for the last time.

August 23, 1963 - "She Loves You" b/w "I'll Get You" is released in the UK as Parlophone R 5055. It becomes their third straight UK #1 hit, sealing their status as Britain's hottest band.

September 7, 1963 - The Beatles record an appearance on the BBC radio show Saturday Club to air on October 5th. One of their numbers is them singing Happy Birthday to the show in the style of Eddie Cochran.

September 16, 1963 - "She Loves You" b/w "I'll Get You" is released in the US as Swan 4152. Unlike the other two US releases, this one is a total dud.

October 13, 1963 - The Beatles perform on ITV's televised musical variety show Val Parnell's Sunday Night at the London Palladium. This performance is considered by many to be the moment Beatlemania takes hold in the UK.
 
October 1963 - November 1963 ("With The Beatles" released)
October 17, 1963 - The Beatles record their fifth UK single along with their first Christmas record to be distributed to members of their official fan club. The songs recorded for the single are "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (Lennon-McCartney) and "This Boy" (Lennon-McCartney). They also continue work on "You Really Got A Hold On Me" for possible inclusion on their next album. However, they run into difficulties and quickly give up working on the song.

November 4, 1963 - The Beatles perform at a Royal Command Performance at the Prince Of Wales Theatre in London. The concert is attended by The Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, and Lord Snowdon.

November 18, 1963 - EMI presents The Beatles with several silver discs to commemorate their extraordinary record sales.

November 22, 1963 - The Beatles' second UK album, With The Beatles, is released. It becomes their second straight #1 album in the UK, knocking their own Please Please Me off the top in the process. Note: A couple of tracks have been changed from OTL.

"With The Beatles"
Parlophone 1206

All tracks written by Lennon-McCartney unless otherwise noted

SIDE 1
1. It Won't Be Long
2. All I've Got To Do
3. All My Loving
4. Don't Bother Me (Harrison)
5. The One After 909
6. Till There Was You (Willson)
7. Please Mr. Postman (Dobbins-Garrett-Gorman-Holland-Bateman)

SIDE 2
1. Roll Over Beethoven (Berry)
2. Hold Me Tight
3. I'll Be On My Way
4. I Wanna Be Your Man
5. Devil In Her Heart (Drapkin)
6. Not A Second Time
7. Money (That's What I Want) (Bradford-Gordy)

November 25, 1963 - Capitol Records of Canada reissues With The Beatles as Beatlemania! With The Beatles. The marks the first album release by the group in North America.

November 29, 1963 - "I Want To Hold Your Hand" b/w "This Boy" is released in the UK as Parlophone R 5084. The single becomes their fourth straight #1 single, proving that they aren't just a flash-in-the-pan group.
 
Liking the timeline so far, good work! I’m ashamed to say I don’t know enough about the Beatles especially as I’m British but this is helping.

As a silly side note, I hope butterflies somehow make Maxwells Silver Hammer a smash hit single. (It’s my favourite Beatles song)
 
December 1963 - January 1964 (Beatlemania hits America)
Liking the timeline so far, good work! I’m ashamed to say I don’t know enough about the Beatles especially as I’m British but this is helping.

As a silly side note, I hope butterflies somehow make Maxwells Silver Hammer a smash hit single. (It’s my favourite Beatles song)

Thank you so much for the compliment. Not sure about Maxwells Silver Hammer though, we'll have to see. Anyway, on with the timeline:

December 1963 - Marsha Albert, a teenager living in the Washington DC area, writes to WWDC DJ Carroll James asking him to play a Beatles record. The Beatles' first TV appearance in the US was on The Huntley-Brinkley Report aired by NBC News on November 18. Albert watches the CBS Evening News on the 10th which features the group. She recalls later, "I wrote that I thought they would be really popular here, and if he could get one of their records, that would really be great." As The Beatles' latest single, "I Want To Hold Your Hand", has not been released in the US yet, James has a UK pressing of the single flown over from Britain. He subsequently plays the record on his radio show. The song immediately provokes a positive reaction from the station's listeners, and it is put in heavy rotation on WWDC. James sends a tape of the song to a DJ in Chicago, who in turn sends it to a DJ in St. Louis. The song has a positive reaction in those cities as well. The rapidly growing popularity of the song catches the eye of EMI's affiliate in the US, Capitol Records.

December 26, 1963 - "I Want To Hold Your Hand" b/w "I Saw Her Standing There" is released in the US as Capitol 5112. Being EMI's affiliate in the US, Capitol Records has had rights of first refusal on all EMI artists, something that they've exercised on every one of the group's releases in the US to this point, saying in a memo that “We don’t think the Beatles will do anything in this market.” Brian Epstein and EMI recently convinced Capitol to finally release a Beatles single in the US, and the label committed to releasing "I Want To Hold Your Hand" on January 13th. However, the growing popularity brought on by WWDC's playing of the record causes Capitol to release the single on this date two weeks early. Both of the label's pressing plants in Scranton, PA and Los Angeles shift into high gear to keep up with the astronomically high demand. The song immediately enters the US charts, debuting on the Cash Box Top 100 at the #80 slot on January 11th. It reaches the #1 spot just two weeks later. The song also reaches #1 in Billboard and Music Vendor. Beatlemania has taken hold in America.

January 10, 1964 - Introducing... The Beatles is released in the US as Vee-Jay 1062, the group's first album release in America. The album is a reissue of Please Please Me, only missing "Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You" due to the fact that American pop albums only have six tracks per side instead of seven. The album goes to #2 on the US Album chart, kept out of the #1 spot by...

January 20, 1964 - Meet The Beatles is released in the US as Capitol 2047. The album is mostly a reissue of With The Beatles. However, Capitol removes all of the cover songs with the exception of "Till There Was You" in fear that the American public would be turned off by remakes. Replacing the cover songs are both tracks off the "I Want To Hold Your Hand" single and "This Boy". The album becomes their first #1 album in the US.
 
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