Till There Was You- A Beatles TL

Chapter 1: Another Day, Another Change


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John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Pete Best, then in a locally known Liverpudlian band called the Beatles, auditioned with 15 songs at Decca Records in London.


Songs Recorded For Decca
1. Like Dreamers Do- (Lennon - McCartney)
2. Money (That's What I Want)- (Gordy - Bradford)
3. Till There Was You- (Wilson)
4. The Sheik of Araby- (Smith - Wheeler - Snyder)
5. To Know Her Is To Love Her- (Spector)
6. Take Good Care of My Baby- (King - Goffin)
7. Memphis, Tennessee- (Berry)
8. Sure to Fall (In Love With You)- (Cantrell - Claunch - Perkins)
9. Hello Little Girl- (Lennon - McCartney)
10. Three Cool Cats- (Leiber - Stoller)
11. Crying, Waiting, Hoping- (Holly)
12. Love Of the Loved- (Lennon - McCartney)
13. September In the Rain- (Warren - Dubin)
14. Besame Mucho- (Valazquez)
15. Searchin'- (Leiber - Stoller)

Among the 15 songs were three written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, proving they were songwriters. Also among the 15 songs was one "Till There Was You" by Meredith Wilson, a show tune from "The Music Man," sung by Paul McCartney, a ballad.

After the audition, Decca executive told the Beatle's then manager, Brian Epstein, that "Guitar bands are on the way out."

However, while the band was leaving, Decca producer, Tony Meehan, pulled Paul McCartney aside and told him he could be a pop star in his own right, that he had the face and the voice. He offered him a solo contract.

After some thinking.

He took it.



 
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Interesting POD, I'm subscribed but IMHO I don't think Paul would've done such a thing. Not a critique just an opinion and it is a good POD. :)
 
Interesting POD, I'm subscribed but IMHO I don't think Paul would've done such a thing. Not a critique just an opinion and it is a good POD. :)
No problem, I know it seems unlikely to happen but during this time, but you'll see the reason why in the next update​

 
Loving this concept, Paul was always my favorite Beatle, and still is one of my favorite musicians today. Keep up the good work on it. Watched.
 
Maybe the POD in this is really that Alien Space Bats right at the moment Tony suggested this to Paul zapped Paul with a Personality Changer Ray Gun?
 
Maybe the POD in this is really that Alien Space Bats right at the moment Tony suggested this to Paul zapped Paul with a Personality Changer Ray Gun?

Along those lines, I was thinking that maybe Paul was offered that by Meekham and turned it down in OTL and never told his bandmates.
 
Along those lines, I was thinking that maybe Paul was offered that by Meekham and turned it down in OTL and never told his bandmates.
I'm a little surprised it didn't happen (if it didn't), Paul did have the looks and the voice to be a purely "pop" sensation but he would've missed the rock.
 

hammo1j

Donor
Maybe the POD in this is really that Alien Space Bats right at the moment Tony suggested this to Paul zapped Paul with a Personality Changer Ray Gun?

There was a long time when McCartney was not number 2 in the Band in Hamburg. Lennon and McCartney stopped writing together and Lennon respected Stu, Pete, George and Paul in that order for their capability for mayhem. (Check out the definitive "Tune In" biog ).

TTL Paul may have resentments and indeed he had fights to try and maintain his status.
 

hammo1j

Donor
Along those lines, I was thinking that maybe Paul was offered that by Meekham and turned it down in OTL and never told his bandmates.

The story goes that Pete's drumming was the weak link and lost them the recording contract, but check out the interviews with Decca guys and they considered Paul's bass playing poor and so he was regarded as musically behind, not Pete.

Can we have an amnesty for Pete too, please? He was a good drummer not the liability that we have bandied about. It's just that he got replaced by one of the greatest drummers of all time, and that will always make you look bad.
 
The story goes that Pete's drumming was the weak link and lost them the recording contract, but check out the interviews with Decca guys and they considered Paul's bass playing poor and so he was regarded as musically behind, not Pete.

Can we have an amnesty for Pete too, please? He was a good drummer not the liability that we have bandied about. It's just that he got replaced by one of the greatest drummers of all time, and that will always make you look bad.
I never heard about Decca not liking Pete's drumming or Paul's bass playing, I thought they were just anti-rock.
This makes me think Dacca might want Paul to just sing and not play an instrument except maybe strum an acoustic guitar like Elvis did now and then. Paul will hate that though especially if they don't let him play on recordings.
This could turn into one of those "be careful what you wish for" type stories.
Er... I mean TL's.
 

hammo1j

Donor
I never heard about Decca not liking Pete's drumming or Paul's bass playing, I thought they were just anti-rock.

If you listen to the demo it is an above average rock band but nothing special.

My cousin went to see them in Shrewsbury twice and said there were better bands than them.

Yet within 9 months they were doing this which was irresistible.



It does almost fulfil the story that Lennon sold his soul to the devil.
 
It does almost fulfil the story that Lennon sold his soul to the devil.

There is such a story? Can you point us to where it has been said?

That would be a terrible deal for John and a great one for Paul. I mean John loses his soul and becomes a rock god. Paul just becomes a rock god.

I'm suddenly thinking of Supernatural and Dean going to hell for Sam.
 
If you listen to the demo it is an above average rock band but nothing special.

My cousin went to see them in Shrewsbury twice and said there were better bands than them.

Yet within 9 months they were doing this which was irresistible.



It does almost fulfil the story that Lennon sold his soul to the devil.
Could also be that the studio that was used to make the demo tape was a low budget, low tech place and the Beatles weren't masters of the studio yet.
 

hammo1j

Donor
There is such a story? Can you point us to where it has been said?

That would be a terrible deal for John and a great one for Paul. I mean John loses his soul and becomes a rock god. Paul just becomes a rock god.

I'm suddenly thinking of Supernatural and Dean going to hell for Sam.

It's apocryphal: semi autistic guys like me are obsessed with people that came from nowhere who conquered the world.

[Check out Narcos for another Lennon obsessive]

It is bizarre though how in 9 months the Beatles went from a good competent band to being a band that just wants to make me gurn with love from ear to ear.
 

hammo1j

Donor
Could also be that the studio that was used to make the demo tape was a low budget, low tech place and the Beatles weren't masters of the studio yet.

Not really. I think everyone was nervous but the Beatles were nt being themselves. The cavern recording is poor but you do get that wonderful feeling that you always get listening to them even though its just a recording and they were way before my time.

Good luck with your TL. Its a good premise. Paul was the most talented of the 4 but I still like John the best.

If you can get them back together after the split that would be the best.

Over to you, Sir!
 
It is bizarre though how in 9 months the Beatles went from a good competent band to being a band that just wants to make me gurn with love from ear to ear.

It's called 'discipline' and it happens when you suddenly have a manager who makes you take seriously your music as your career and your work. 9 months of Brian Esptein.
 
I would say that before they had this mindset: We get paid to get up on a stage and goof off playing the songs we play and that then finances us doing hijinks the rest of the time. All we need to do is know how to play the song and remember the lyrics and we're ready to go!

But after Brian I'd say the mindset was: knowing the song is not good enough. We need to get it not so we can get it right but so we can't get it wrong ever. We need to practice so we're tight as tight can be. We need to make sure we're not just plunking out a tune but that we have an arrangement that makes our playing together more than the sum of four individuals (a mindset that eventually meant upgrading drummers.) And we need to be so secure in our performance that when we perform we're not having to think about what we're doing anymore but can concentrate on communicating something to our audience- connecting with them- wooing them.

After 9 months of that mindset we had the Beatles we love and adore. They always had the talent. They always had the love of the music. But now they had it all put together technically and the ability to woo their audience.

Add another year to that, a year of professional touring and recording, more experience doing this, and you have Beatlemania.
 

hammo1j

Donor
Could also be that the studio that was used to make the demo tape was a low budget, low tech place and the Beatles weren't masters of the studio yet.

It's called 'discipline' and it happens when you suddenly have a manager who makes you take seriously your music as your career and your work. 9 months of Brian Esptein.

Not really, its a step change not another notch on the ladder.

But in the early days it was mainly Lennon who dragged them up by sheer force of will.

He created the first hit after Paul's lacklustre "Love Me Do".
 
Not really. I think everyone was nervous but the Beatles were nt being themselves. The cavern recording is poor but you do get that wonderful feeling that you always get listening to them even though its just a recording and they were way before my time.

Good luck with your TL. Its a good premise. Paul was the most talented of the 4 but I still like John the best.

If you can get them back together after the split that would be the best.

Over to you, Sir!
Its not my TL, its RedBeetle's and he's over due for an update! :mad::p;)
I think there's some truth in mine and Asharella"s and your post as well.

It's called 'discipline' and it happens when you suddenly have a manager who makes you take seriously your music as your career and your work. 9 months of Brian Esptein.
 
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