Brian Epstein’s Persistence

For more than a year, The Beatles struggled to get into the American market. Capitol Records refused to release the first four singles of the Beatles that were great successes in Great Britain. ‘Love Me Do’ backed with ‘P.S. I Love You’ released October 5 in 1962 and December 12, 1962, peaked at #17 in the UK.

Next, the Beatles released ‘Please Please Me’ backed with ‘Ask Me Why’ was released in the UK on January 11 in 1963 this time the song went to #1 almost immediately on January 22, it was then released in the US on February 25 on a small label called VeeJay Records and it went nowhere on the American Billboard charts, it was to be re-released January 30 in the wake of the American #1 ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’.

Then  ‘From Me To You’ backed with ‘Thank You Girl’ hit the UK at #6 upon release on April 11, 1963, peaking at #1 on May 4th for 7 weeks, along aside their first album ‘Please Please Me’ released March 22 and also peaking #1 on May 4th. This new single was released in the states on May 25th and reached #119 on the American Billboard charts selling a dismal 4,000 copies.

‘ She Loves You’ backed with ‘I’ll Get You’ on August 23 in the UK becoming the biggest selling single in Great Britain again a #1 hit in the UK, the single didn’t even chart in America until January 25, 1964, when the single was re-released after the success of ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’.

Brian Epstein, the Beatles genius manager, tried very hard to get EMI’s American subsidiary Capitol Records to release the four singles in the states but was consistently turned down. Finally, Capitol Records executive Brown Meggs relented (he may have been the smartest guy in Capitol) and agreed to release ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ on January 18 of 1964, almost 2 years after the Beatles began their recording career.

I have to stress what a piece of work that Capitol Records was, here they were stupidly putting down the group and its success, over and over again in a very condescending manner only to make an about-face when the MONEY started to come in.

Capitol Records are a true example of the evils of the greedy capitalist system in the US. What hypocrites they were, true to form as they cashed in on the Beatles success. They went on to shortchange the American market with padding the American albums, duplicating songs and ripping off the American public with their grubby, greedy way of squeezing out every last buck from the US while cutting up and deforming the Beatles art in making albums.

Not all record companies in America were as arrogant, ignorant and then ruthless as Capitol records, the small record company VeeJay was nice enough to release all the singles released in the UK. VeeJay was to become a victim of the money hungry and big, rich Capitol records after the later sued for the rights to the Beatles catalog only after ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ was released and went to #1 on February 1st, 1964.

 

Carroll Baker first broadcast the song ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ after December 5th, 1963 in Chicago and St. Louis, the reaction was strong and the release date was advanced to December 26th, 1963 in the US.

Jack Paar showed clips of “Beatlemania in Britain” and prompted all the major media such as Life, The New York Times, CBS, The Associated Press and the Washington Post all sent journalists out to cover the Beatles coming to America. This is mainly why the American youth (particularly the teenage girls) knew about the Beatles when they arrived that fateful day at JFK airport February 7th, 1964 to a crowd of about 3,000 screaming youths.

 

 

The Beatles Competition

There have been many artists that were considered competition to the Beatles, starting first with The Beach Boys early on in 1964. Later on the in early 1965 the Supremes were said to be the true competition to the Beatles in terms of number 1 hits. Then for a while, it was Bob Dylan when it came to songwriting, who was actually very friendly with the fab four in the beginning years of 1964 to 1966.

Then the Rolling Stones in late 1965 and early 1966 and thereafter they were to keep popping up as being competitors to the Beatles as far as British Invasion bands were concerned. Then later in 1966 to 1968 the competition was with the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel in terms of songwriting with Bob Dylan in a self-imposed exile.