With A Little Help From My Friends

The supposed rivalry between the Beatles and the Rolling Stones is often spoken of, like Oasis and Blur or Spice Girls and All Saints. People would take sides. ‘Stones forever, Beatles never!’ etc Often this was a confection dreamed up by publicity people – ‘Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone?

Stones manager, Andrew Loog Oldham was instrumental in setting his charges apart from the Beatles with their suits and family friendly appeal he once said “The Beatles looked like they were in show business … and the important thing for the Rolling Stones was to look as if they were not.”

However, the truth is a bit different. As you will read in this book, the two first met on the evening of 14th April 1963 when the Beatles had just recorded an edition of ITV network pop music show ‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’. While they were in Teddington Studios., Beatles manager, Brian Epstein was approached by a young impresario, Giorgio Gomelsky who wanted to make a film about his group. He wasn’t successful but he did manage to persuade him that the Beatles should go down the Road to Richmond where his group were performing at the Crawdaddy Club. The group was the as-yet unsigned Rolling Stones.

The Beatles watched from the shadows as the Stones performed their first set, then, at the end of the evening they travelled back to the Stones flat on Edith Grove, Chelsea. They got on well and stayed to the small hours. On leaving they gave Brian Jones, the Stones then leader, a signed photograph and tickets for a front row seat at their concert at the Royal Albert Hall on the coming Thursday 18th April.

For example, when Harrison made an appearance as a judge in a ‘Beat Group’ talent show, which was made up of local Liverpool bands hoping to replicate the Fab Four’s success. A fellow judge at the contest alongside Harrison was Dick Rowe, the president of Decca Records. The winner of the talent show would go on to secure a deal with the label and hope to emulate the pop music stardom that was now becoming a regular occurrence.

This was “the man that turned down the Beatles” when they auditioned for Decca before going to EMI, Rowe was adamant that he wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

George told Rowe that none of the groups performing in the talent show were on the same level as a band from London called The Rolling Stones who he had seen a few days prior.

With his ears pricked by Harrison’s suggestion, Rowe headed straight to London and immediately arranged a meeting to see Rolling Stones perform that night. Rowe recalled: “I pushed my chair back, and I basically ran to my car and got myself down to Richmond to make sure I was there for that Rolling Stones gig.” The rest, as they say, is history.

Finally, in November 1963 the Rolling Stones got their first Top Twenty record courtesy of Lennon and McCartney who visited them at De Lane Lea studio and wrote I Wanna Be Your Man.

It later appeared on With The Beatles, the groups second LP.

So it would appear that the Rolling Stones career flourished ‘With a Little Help From (their) Friends!

Post Views : 79