The Beatles and Ed Fifty years and three hours ago, I was trying to watch The Ed Sullivan Show where The Beatles were making their American debut. I was 13. My uncle, aunt and cousins (who were a couple years older than I was) were there. As were my parents and my siblings. The pre-show publicity, of course, was huge and The Beatles, among some, in those earliest of days, were something to laugh at with the "long" hair and crazy music.
When Ed introduced them, I think the howls of laughter in my parents' red-shagged carpeted family room were louder than the young girls screaming for John, Paul, George and Ringo in the CBS studio. They were laughing so much, and of course making fun of me for already being a fan of The Beatles, that I left the room and moved to my parents small black-and-white TV in their bedroom so I could watch in peace and quiet the near-riot atmosphere of the Sullivan show with The Beatles performing.
The next day, I asked my mother, when she went to the grocery store (where they sold records in those days) if she would pick up "Meet The Beatles" for me, their first album (vinyl). To my surprise and delight, she came back with the record and I closed the door to my room and played the hell out of it. I think I still have it in a box somewhere.
I know there was competition from Downton Abbey and the Olympics for the Grammy Salute to The Beatles tonight, but I can't imagine many of my generation who weren't watching and singing along (remembering nearly every single word) of the show tonight. It was a kick watching Ringo, who is 74 now, jumping, running and singing maybe better than I've heard him as he led the crowd in "(We All Live in a) Yellow Submarine). A bigger thrill was watching Yoko Ono (who I hated for her role in breaking up The Beatles) dancing animatedly along.
Then Sir Paul, 72, got up and performed a few of his greatest (can you use the word "greatest" for a composer who had 60 gold records? I mean what's greater than greatest??).
I can't think what could have been a more entertaining way to spend two-and-one-half hours than watching today's top acts performing the best music of my growing up years, followed by Sir Paul and Ringo together on TV for the first time in decades. The only thing better would have been if George and John had been there.
Imagine.
When Ed introduced them, I think the howls of laughter in my parents' red-shagged carpeted family room were louder than the young girls screaming for John, Paul, George and Ringo in the CBS studio. They were laughing so much, and of course making fun of me for already being a fan of The Beatles, that I left the room and moved to my parents small black-and-white TV in their bedroom so I could watch in peace and quiet the near-riot atmosphere of the Sullivan show with The Beatles performing.
The next day, I asked my mother, when she went to the grocery store (where they sold records in those days) if she would pick up "Meet The Beatles" for me, their first album (vinyl). To my surprise and delight, she came back with the record and I closed the door to my room and played the hell out of it. I think I still have it in a box somewhere.
I know there was competition from Downton Abbey and the Olympics for the Grammy Salute to The Beatles tonight, but I can't imagine many of my generation who weren't watching and singing along (remembering nearly every single word) of the show tonight. It was a kick watching Ringo, who is 74 now, jumping, running and singing maybe better than I've heard him as he led the crowd in "(We All Live in a) Yellow Submarine). A bigger thrill was watching Yoko Ono (who I hated for her role in breaking up The Beatles) dancing animatedly along.
Then Sir Paul, 72, got up and performed a few of his greatest (can you use the word "greatest" for a composer who had 60 gold records? I mean what's greater than greatest??).
I can't think what could have been a more entertaining way to spend two-and-one-half hours than watching today's top acts performing the best music of my growing up years, followed by Sir Paul and Ringo together on TV for the first time in decades. The only thing better would have been if George and John had been there.
Imagine.
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