OT: Feb. 9, 1964, the night that changed everything
 

Sixty years ago tonight, The Beatles changed America.

I was 6. My sister was in high school. We had one of the only color TVs among her group of friends, so everyone came to our house -- even though The Ed Sullivan Show was in black-and-white.

About a dozen girls were in our family room, and I still hear the screaming in my head. (My sister: "PAAAAAAUUUUUUULLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!")

I had been taking guitar lessons since the start of that year, but my mom -- in a nod toward The Lawrence Welk Show and its American wholesomeness -- immediately made me stop and take accordion lessons instead.

Anna one, anna two...

I was 9 and remember sitting watching with my parents.
They thought it was funny.

Do you still play accordion?

I was too young to remember whether I saw The Beatles on their Ed Sullivan Show debut, but my parents got their Rubber Soul album the following year, and for the next ~5 years that (and some weird clone/tribute album of the earlier Beatles hits by a group called "The Liverpools") were the only records I listened to.

Literally, five years, from age 5 through 10, nothing but Beatles (...well, okay, for the last year of that stretch I added the soundtrack to Disney's The Jungle Book animated film.)

So suffice it to say they definitely changed me. But yeah, America too, for sure.

Pure social engineering. MI5 and CIA were steering things in a new direction. Anything so heavily promoted is always suspect. Just actors playing a role...
Would be interesting to know who was writing the music for them.

No. I changed to trombone in 5th grade. I finally sold my old Crucianelli a few years ago for what I considered to be an obscene amount of money.

I am looking at a poster of the Beatles exiting the plane upon their first arrival in NYC. They look like 4 extremely happy young lads, not overwhelmed and ready for the moment. I have the poster on top of the computer hutch. I also have a picture of them on stage at the Ed Sullivan show, hanging in my living room.

I worked with a woman in 1976 that had a picture of the Beatles performing in Baltimore, along with a photo, at the concert, of the friends she attended with. She always carried them with her.

You so funny....

I started trombone in the 4th grade. LOVED that thing, but it was too big to schlep on the walk to school everyday, so I quit. :cool:
In hindsight, I wish I had played Cajun accordian or Irish button accordian.....

It wasn't until the Rolling Stones were on the Ed Sullivan Show that America got some truly great British rock.

Hard to believe.

SPP

Do go on

https://www.beatlesbible.com/wp/medi...arrison_01.jpg

You don't think he's a new phenomenon, do you?

You mean an early clue to the new direction?

Where's the calendar?

No. It's all right. He's just a troublemaker.

The change isn't due for three weeks yet.

I saw them in concert that year at the Convention Center, I was 10.