My First
February 9, 1964. There I was, all of six (and a half) years old, plopped in front of the TV in Portland, Oregon. My Mom said something like 'this is important...' and mentioned Elvis. I suppose she was comparing the Beatles' much hyped appearance to the famous Elvis/Ed Sullivan moment. I knew who Elvis was, and remember liking the GI Blues album which got played a lot in our little apartment.
My brother (he must've been about nine going on ten) and I watched and were hooked.
Thinking back on it, I realized just the other day, that was probably the first time I ever actually saw a rock group perform. And what a first! No wonder I had little interest in other singers for the next three or four years. My initial exposure to rock ended up being one of the pivotal moments in music history, showcasing what would be the greatest band of all time.
I recall being in a record store in the summer of 1966. With no new Beatle offering, I wasn't interested in anything else. Mom urged me to try something besides 'Beatles' for once. I reluctantly ended up with the 45 'Wild Thing' by the Troggs (not a bad choice for nine year old).
But all I wanted was Beatles and more Beatles. And not just the music. I read the magazines, collected the merchandise, watched their movies and goofy cartoon show.
That damn 'Ed Sullivan Show' back in February 1964 spoiled the heck out of me. Imagine the first movie you ever saw was 'Citizen Kane', or the first novel you read was 'Moby Dick'. Other bands couldn't come close to being as good.
My initial Beatles experience would eventually lead to me becoming a fan of all kinds of music. R&B, Jazz, Classical...you name it. Pretty much everything (except Rap and Modern Country, ugh). But it took a while to get past that 'first love'.
My brother (he must've been about nine going on ten) and I watched and were hooked.
Thinking back on it, I realized just the other day, that was probably the first time I ever actually saw a rock group perform. And what a first! No wonder I had little interest in other singers for the next three or four years. My initial exposure to rock ended up being one of the pivotal moments in music history, showcasing what would be the greatest band of all time.
I recall being in a record store in the summer of 1966. With no new Beatle offering, I wasn't interested in anything else. Mom urged me to try something besides 'Beatles' for once. I reluctantly ended up with the 45 'Wild Thing' by the Troggs (not a bad choice for nine year old).
But all I wanted was Beatles and more Beatles. And not just the music. I read the magazines, collected the merchandise, watched their movies and goofy cartoon show.
That damn 'Ed Sullivan Show' back in February 1964 spoiled the heck out of me. Imagine the first movie you ever saw was 'Citizen Kane', or the first novel you read was 'Moby Dick'. Other bands couldn't come close to being as good.
My initial Beatles experience would eventually lead to me becoming a fan of all kinds of music. R&B, Jazz, Classical...you name it. Pretty much everything (except Rap and Modern Country, ugh). But it took a while to get past that 'first love'.
posted by John Goins at 4:23 PM
3 Comments:
A belated Happy Christmas to you ! Your blog warms the cockles of my heart, seeing as I, too, am a Beatle-maniac.
Pls upload some pix of your magazines, merchandise, movies and goofy cartoon shows. They must be worth many moneys. Interesting to see for your birdandbee blog.
Thanks for the interest. I might get around to uploading some pics one day.
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