Liverpool Beatle Week 28 August 2000

NEMS, Hessy's, The White Star Pub,
Liver Building, Pier Head, The River Mersey,
Albert Dock and The Beatles Story.
'Let It Be' Mathew Street Festival with
Hocus Pocus, The Overtures,
The Beats and THE FAB FAUX.
Late concerts with
Gary Gibson and Hocus Pocus.

12-13 Whitechapel was the place of NEMS (now Ann Summers), a record store owned by the Epstein family and managed by BRIAN EPSTEIN. It was here that, on 28 October 1961, BRIAN first heard about The Beatles when a youth called RAYMOND JONES asked for the record 'My Bonnie' with The Beatles, released in Germany only. He eventually tracked down the record and curiosity lead him, on 9 November 1961, to the CAVERN CLUB in nearby Mathew Street, where The Beatles were performing a lunchtime session. By December 1961 he had become their manager. The rest is history.

60 Stanley Street was the place of HESSY's (now Wade Smith), Liverpool's other major music store during the Merseybeat years. Here AUNT MIMI, in 1957, bought JOHN a guitar for the pricely sum of £17. Also here The Beatles bought JOHN's Hofner Club 40 guitar, GEORGE's Futurama guitar and PAUL's amplification equipment. Sadly Hessy's closed for business on 5 August 1995.

	WHITE STAR PUB, Button Street was an alternative venue to THE GRAPES, on Mathew Street, for The Beatles and other groups appearing at The Cavern. We continue our walk towards the waterfront...
White Star Pub

	The ROYAL LIVER BUILDING just above the PIERHEAD. A building you can recognize from the 'Anthology' and 'Real Love' videos. We turn and get a view over...
Royal Liver Building

THE PIERHEAD. During the 50's RINGO served as a barman on the cross-river ferry boats. This ferry service, which still sails from Pier Head, was imortalised in 1964 by the GARRY MARSDEN film and title music 'Ferry 'Cross The Mersey'. We continue along the river...

THE ALBERT DOCK. The 150-years old converted warehouses attract over six miliion visitors a year. A fascinating blend of speciality shops, restaurants and bars, the TATE GALLERY, the MERSEYSIDE MARITIME MUSEUM and...

THE BEATLES STORY, opened in 1990, provides a unique opportunity to live through the halcyon days of Beatlemania and lets you see, hear and feel just what it was all about. A great exhibition and lasting tribute to the world's greatest pop group. Now, for a few months. it's possible to see the piano on which JOHN composed 'Imagine'. Not a chance to bring it home, not even to take a photograph! There is a guard 24 hours per day! Besides, not allowed to photograph anywhere. But here below you can see...

The Beatles Story

The MERSEY BEAT OFFICE. The lady to the left is listening to an original 60's taped conversation between editor BILL HARRY and promotor BOB WOOLER. BILL's highly regarded and influential weekly pop newspaper became an important catalyst for the rapidly growing music scene in Liverpool in the early 60's. He was the first to print an article of praise , referring to The Beatles. It was written in the summer of 1961 by BOB.

Time now for the 'LET IT BE MATHEW STREET FESTIVAL'. We go to Castle Street and 'The Album Years' again.

HOCUS POCUS from Brazil played 'Rubber Soul' just as marvellous as the night before at The Adelphi. A great band!

THE OVERTURES with 'Revolver', off course. Today's highlight: When DENNIS played sitar on 'Love You Too'. But this time on ELECTRIC guitar! How does he make it? A miracle!

And here they are again! THE BEATS played some of The Beatles' most well-known early hits.

	THE FAB FAUX played 'Abbey Road' again. Same power and magic as at The Adelphi the night before. But tonight Castle Street was jammed! Tenth of thousands! How nice, that so many people got the chance to see THE BEST BEATLE TRIBUTE BAND IN THE WORLD! And we got an ENCORE too...
Will Lee

The public on the street couldn't believe their ears, and eyes! How could this little man got so much power in his voice, JACK that means! And the rest of the band - heavy Heavy HEAVY METAL!!! WOWWOWWOW!!!

I know, GARY GIBSON has got many fans with his Lennon-show. Some tracks are very tight, but personally I feel that something doesn't fit. Does his young band really like what they are playing? And why does he sing Macca songs like 'Birthday' in a 1971 military jacket? And all the old rock'n'roll hits? I would like to hear more later songs from the excellent albums 'Double Fantasy' and 'Milk And 'Honey'!

HOCUS POCUS makes a very late (early in the morning) show at Friday's Bar. They are GREAT, but tonight we're a bit tired, so we remain sitting in the sofa. I go to the stage and take the photo above - the LAST picture of my film roll. Suddenly I hear ONE single note. "Now I think it's time for 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' again", I say to Tabbe. Me and Ulla rush to the stage. And I am right! Soon the first guitar-solo come, and without knowing how it happened, suddenly I'm standing just beneath the guitarist PEDRO 'DOCA' ROLIM! We have eye-contact with each other. All his face shines with happiness! And my face probably shine back. The coming 15 minutes will become THE TOP MUSICAL HIGHLIGHT IN MY WHOLE LIFE! Encouraged by me and the band 'DOCA' plays solo after solo. Better and better all the time! They all sound as coming direct from heaven! He looks so wonderful and happy, and I'VE GOT NO FILM LEFT in my camera! But thanks to HOCUS POCUS, who mailed me this photo, you can now see the magic yourself. "THIS WAS THE ABSOLUTE HIGHLIGHT OF THE WHOLE BEATLE WEEK", I say to Ulla . "Now we go to bed!"

THANKS to Henrik Jutbring, Lenny Pane, Henrik Andersson, Kent Adeborn, Cavern City Tours, Dave Jones, The Fab Faux, Frank Agnello, Banned On The Run, Marc Mowforth, Bob Bartey, Hocus Pocus, Aggeu Marques, Pedro 'Doca' Rolim, Richard Porter at the London Beatles Fan Club, Allan Rouse and Tim Chacksfield at Abbey Road Studios and Mike Heatley at EMI International. And of course all you wonderful friends, who attended these journeys of a lifetime! Not the least my wife Ulla, not a Beatle-fan, but who shared these experiences with me - and enjoyed it!