[T6Harvard]

Keep it coming folks, I am feeling soooooooooo young.

Me too

MrT6 is a scouser, born in 1964 so not a Beatles story to be told, but he has such pride in the City that saw him playing in the 'bombdees' left by the Luftwaffe, and their family terraced house being slum-clearance material in the late 60's. The improvements made in the 60's, the popular zeitgeist, and the sense of optimism were all pretty amazing.

[Rob P]

... playing in the 'bombdees' left by the Luftwaffe

Ah... such memories. We called them 'debbies', presumably a contraction from 'debris'. The popular game was to split into two more or less equal teams, take cover a few yards apart and lob half-bricks across the no-mans land until, inevitably, someone collected one with their head and the game finished as they took him off to casualty.

Computer games? Pah!

Rob P

[T6Harvard]

I hear tales of giant splinters, setting fires, lots of 'gun fights' (pow, pow!), and the cure for any injuries was rubbing dirt into it

[kanga]

..

MrT6 is a scouser, born in 1964 ..family terraced house being slum-clearance material in the late 60's. ...

.. a poignant folkie tribute to that slum clearance programme in what was my first UK 'home town' after a nomadic childhood :

https://sonichits.com/video/Jackie_%26_ ... nan_Street

Our neighbourhood (Garston, handily close to the back gate of Speke, usually left open, and where I got my first airline (British Eagle) school holiday job) was very welcoming to this school age foreigner.

But the Beatles were almost after my time: ISTR a poster for a gig with Helen Shapiro headlining and The Beatles as a final supporting act, My first memory of them is reckoning that their melodies and lyrics were pretty good, but neither as good as those of my then favourite, Buddy Holly

[Paultheparaglider]

I am so grateful to have been a teenager in the 60's, the best decade the world has known, which gave us the best music

Complete rubbish. Everyone knows the 70s was the best decade for music. By sheer coincidence, those were my teenage years.

I remember as a very young boy seeing the Beatles sing She Loves You on TV and my mother complaining vociferously about how music had gone to the dogs with all that new fangled nonsense. Of course, that meant I naturally became a Beatles fan.

My favourite restaurant in NZ was Sgt Peppers Steakhouse in Christchurch near the cathedral. Great steaks, and they played nothing but Beatles music. Sadly, I don't think it survived the earthquake.

[lobstaboy]

I am so grateful to have been a teenager in the 60's, the best decade the world has known, which gave us the best music

Complete rubbish. Everyone knows the 70s was the best decade for music. By sheer coincidence, those were my teenage years.
.

No. No you're both wrong. The best ten years for music were 1965-75. Heydays of pirate radio until just before punk.
In other words, my teenage years

[LowNSlow1]

Never was a Beatles fan, I far preferred the Rolling Stones, however I saw the interview of Peter Jackson on the Beeb this morning and the new films are a must see. I was astounded at the picture quality and the way it had been done. He has shown some of the clips to Paul and Ringo and they were surprised how happy they all were in the summer before they broke up. McCartney even went as far as to say it has changed his perspective of that period in his life. Strong words indeed!

It all came about when Jackson, a lifelong Beatles devotee, was in a meeting with Apple (music not iPhone) about a fairly dull project when he asked if they still had the outtakes from the film Let It Be. Of course they replied, they are 60 hours of it in the archives. Apparently he then did something he had never done before and put his hand in the air and said "if you ever want to make a film of it please consider me for the job."
Within 24 hours Apple had contacted him and the project started. 5 years, I think, later and there will be 3 films about it.

Here's a clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OebjReZ1XU

[Rob P]

... lots of 'gun fights' (pow, pow!)

In those days we called it 'cowies and indians', today presumably 'itinerant agricultural workers and native Americans'

Of course there was also 'Germans and British'. I fear the Wehrmacht were generally outnumbered badly.

Rob P

[PeteSpencer]

I am so grateful to have been a teenager in the 60's, the best decade the world has known, which gave us the best music, from the greatest city on Earth.

No question:

The Sixties formed the sound track to my education, from 'O' levels to qualification in my definitive career and getting my first (barely) meaningful paycheck.

Oh, and getting married to 'er indoors....................

[OCB]

All this talk of the 60s or 70s being "the best years to be a teenager" - have a bit of consideration for us poor beggars who went through that phase in the 80s....although, when I hear what my kids listen to (I mean, as in music released these days, not them "discovering" for themselves great bands from the past) - TBH, I think I got off lightly...

Even though I said in the opening post that I've never really been into the Beatles - I think it's clear they were a phenomenal band, and their music + the "mania" have clearly etched themselves into history. Would we have BTS today, if it weren't for the Fab Four?

Anyway - if I had the chance to go back in time, I'd definitely go see them live - although (without sounding disparaging), I'd be checking out Hendrix and a few other acts first....

[Pete L]

Married to a Stones fan. Beatles not allowed house room. The Kinks were permitted despite being from N of the River, on the basis of "Waterloo Sunset". Ray Davies I think is a better songwriter than either Lennon or McCartney.

That won't stop me watching the documentary once it escapes Disney - the footage they showed on the news looked great.

[lobstaboy]

I missed out on seeing many groups live (they weren't called bands then) but The Kinks I did see - they were superb live. And yes Ray Davies wrote great stuff.
My other heroes from then, largely forgotten now, were The Small Faces. "Tin Soldier" still gives me goosebumps. And talking about albums being a complete work, not just a bunch of songs, then "Ogden's Nutgone Flake" needs a mention.
There was a lot more to the 60's than The Beatles, great though they were.
It's funny how pop music doesn't mean anything anymore. It did then. I mean it was part of how we were going to change the world. That hasn't turned out right, has it?

[Propwash]

Being a fan of groups like the Beatles or the Rolling Stones are not, and never were, mutually exclusive; it is perfectly possible, and acceptable, to be a lover of music by both. My own musical tastes from the 60’s stretched from the Merseybeats, through the Beatles, Stones, Shadows and Hollies to the Seekers. The 1960s were an amazing time to be young. The 1970s were OK to start with, Queen, Abba, etc and then Punk arrived. Pretty much all downhill for me musically from there.

PW

[OCB]

The 1960s were an amazing time to be young. The 1970s were OK to start with, Queen, Abba, etc and then Punk arrived. Pretty much all downhill for me musically from there.

PW

I just spent a pleasant hour talking with a staff member at the kids hockey club - who happens to be a music academy trained guitarist. We got chatting as the music coming from the clubhouse speakers was for once definitely from someone who knew their stuff.

We both agreed - the modern musical world would be a much poorer place without the Beatles.

@Propwash - as someone who went through their developmentally critical teenage years in the 80s, I actually can't disagree. I spent my teenage years listening mainly to 70s...Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Led Zep, Rush, Whitesnake, Rainbow, Queen, Genesis, Motorhead, Saxon etc - although with a bit of Echo and the Bunnymen (mate loved them), Marillion, Megadeath, Def Leppard - and a band that I would recommend to anyone; Metallica. I can honestly say that about 80% of our listening was 70s, 20% 80s.

I hated Abba in the 70s and early 80s.

In the early 90s, I had a mate who had a music studio. "fur laffs and giggles", a regular ritual was having "virgin" musicians play something from Abba. Due to that, I quickly realised that Abba's music is actually a lot better than people think....

[JAFO]

I quickly realised that Abba's music is actually a lot better than people think....

It would have to be.