Nicholas Bate

Why We Love The Beatles: 42 of 100

The back-story:

1960

1961

It was 1962. In January the infamous Decca session went badly: possibly nerves, possibly because of not using their own equipment, possibly through not using their best material. Certainly because their current USP (unique selling point ) of raw live energy was totally lost in an alien studio. So: no signing. In June they do sign to EMI thanks to huge amount of hard work by Brian Epstein; in July Ringo joins the group and in December the lads do their final ever nights in Hamburg. Throughout the year regular live appearances occur mainly in Liverpool. Love Me Do and Please, Please Me are recorded and released.

"It was common in those days to find material for artists...and what I wanted for the Beatles was a hit...I was convinced that How Do You Do It was a hit song. In the end I went with Love Me Do but would still have issued How Do You Do It had they not persuaded me to listen to another version of Please, Please, Me." George Martin, The Anthology.

Meanwhile elsewhere: At the cinema: Dr No, Lolita and Lawrence of Arabia; Cuban Missile Crisis; Satirical magazine Private Eye starts; Thalidomide scandal.

That's another reason we love The Beatles.

A Beatles pie-chart: yes, really

thanks to Lee Potts and Steve Clayton for this

Chop Wood, Carry Water with...

the marvellous Cultural Offering. Get the basics of Life sorted and Life is so much better. I bet there's a cigar humidor in that attic, somewhere. too.

Frontier time: the new 2009.

It's exciting. Life on the frontier, once again. You build your house; you look after the cattle. The results you get are directly attributable to your efforts. You get your share of good luck and bad luck, rain and sunshine, sleet and snow. Over time your wisdom builds and you gain a deep insight and a real appreciation of what's important. The jobs are shared and a lot of the benefits take a long time a-coming. Money becomes a transaction tool, again: not an end in itself. One things for sure: no one is more expert than you; they really let you down in 2008. And they ain't got the foggiest about 2009. Time to saddle up and prepare those fields, clear the tributary and make potted meats.

If you've cracked the basics...

top productivity guru Matt Cornell identifies the necessary superpower up-grades essential in the efficiency/effectiveness world.

How To Think Like: The Slightly Jaded Christmas/New Year Cook

1. Mmm. Let's see. Turkey
2. Few onions. Bit of garlic.
3. More turkey; some sausages. Few Brussel sprouts. 
4. Mmm. Bit of Christmas pudding. 
5. Lea & Perrins? Curry powder?
6. Mmm.
7. Let's send out to Domino's.

On Life by Hugh MacLeod

5. Freedom is expensive. I found that out the hard way. Though it's not as expensive as slavery. I learned that the hard way, too.

6. The creative life is uneven. You have a few short bursts of genius now and then, the rest of the time you’re trying SOMEHOW to get the magic back again, mostly without success. It’s exhausting. I am exhausted, often.

the rest of the list here.

100 Word Story

There were rumours that something wondrous had happened. Odd: things seemed pretty normal for this time of year. Too many visitors, not enough accommodation and difficulty of sleeping because of that wretched bright star in the sky. But as an aspiring reporter there was no way he was going to miss a scoop; his friend Benji who delivered pizzas in Bethlehem said the three old guys who ordered last night seemed pretty smart and wanted to pay him in gold. And there was an odd smell around their tent. And it wasn’t just the camels. That’s where he would start.

How To Think Like: The Guy At The Boxing Day Sales

1. Come on, come on. Open! It's 0959. Open up!

2. At last! Run: through home-care. Up the escalator. Through ladies...

3. Oh. Sorry. It's only a scratch: it'll heal. Got to go...

4. Here we are menswear. Where are they? Ahh ha!

5. BUT WHERE ARE THE SIZE M's?

6. I clearly KNOW it's a bl**dy sale. No I am NOT stressed.

7. I love getting a real bargain.

Winter Dance Party...

...The Surf Ballroom, Clear Lake, Iowa. 2nd February 1959. Here's Buddy Holly's (what was to become) final setlist:

Gotta Travel On

It Doesn't Matter Anymore

Peggy Sue

That'll Be The Day

It's So Easy

Everyday

Oh Boy

Early In The Morning

Rave On

This and a whole lot more from a wonderful little book: The Little Black Book of Setlists ISBN: 9781906032111