The 60s ... What did like best about the 60s?

Re The Beatles in the sixties….Let me tell you a true story.

In 1962 I was working at The Rialto ballroom in Liverpool as assistant general manager after being transferred from the Majestic Ballroom Newcastle. Every Thursday night I was the relief manager at The Majestic ballroom Birkenhead where we put on all the local groups.

I spent most lunchtimes at the Cavern. One day I met my friend Bob Wooler DJ of the Cavern Club and we went around to Nems music store to see Brian Epstein. A little later we all went to The Cavern Club as Bob wanted Brian to see a group called The Beatles who were not long back from Germany. They were great and of course the rest is history.

After being in Liverpool for some months I contacted Mr Neilson Manager of The Majestic Ballroom Newcastle and told him that there were many great groups in Liverpool such as The Big Three, The Beatles, Lee Curtiss and The All Stars, Gerry and The Pacemakers, Billy J Kramer, Freddie Star and the Midnighters and Derry Wilkie and The Pressmen. There were others and that he should book them, which he did.

Sometime later I was involved in a car smash after getting a lift from a drunken doctor from the Blue Angel club, ending up in hospital. Bob Wooler came to visit me and he was sporting a black eye. He told me that John Lennon had thumped him after he made a comment about Lennon's holiday in Spain with Brian Epstein. You have to realise that Bob was the type of guy who would not lift a finger to defend himself.
After recovering I asked for and got a transfer back to the Majestic Newcastle where in 1963 The Beatles were booked to play. I remember that day well as I was looking forward to seeing the band again. When they arrived with their gear I let them in where they commenced to set up their gear for that nights show. They started to rehearse a song, which turned out to be She Loves You, Paul doing the arrangement. The song was rehearsed and polished off on that afternoon BEFORE the gig and not after as many have suggested.. That’s a fact because I sat at the back of the ballroom and listened to it all. I let them out of the ballroom and they went to their hotel, which was The Turks Head. Later that night we had the gig, I introduced them to the stage and all hell was let loose, you could hardly hear the band for the screaming kids. In fact John Lennon told me in the dressing room that it was ok to play their records now ( I did DJ-ing as well) as they would not be heard over the screaming when on stage.

It is my understanding that the band booked into the Turks Head then came to the ballroom to set the gear up and have a rehearsal at about 3pm. I just don't see how they would have the time to write the song at the Turks Head before coming to the Majestic to set the gear up. So as far as I am concerned "She Loves You" was written in Liverpool at Paul McCartneys home. I witnessed its arrangement (which was the same arrangement that ended up on the record) on the afternoon before the gig at The Majestic Ballroom, Newcastle in 1963. My opinion is there was only one musical genius in The Beatles and that was and is Paul McCartney. He was also the best drummer in The Beatles.


By the way, Oriole records made The Merseybeat albums at The Rialto Ballroom Liverpool when I was there. Yes the early 1960’s were a great time to be around.
Ken Black.

Ah, the 60's...... Heavens! was it that long ago? It seems like yesterday. Wonderful memories of youth. The world was our oyster.

The music, the clothes (although I have to admit having recently seen some photos of mens fashions of the time I did find it a bit "cringeworthy").

College and friends, coffee bars, clubs and pubs. I was in the Manchester area, and it was humming and alive. Perhaps that was just youthful emotions, but I like to think the former.

We were very lucky to have our youth in those years. We were not "taken over" by technology. We still talked to each other and children were taught good manners and still "played outside" without a "paedophile" lurking around every corner. We got dirty and wet, and skinned our knees. We went to school to learn, respected others and had pride in ourselves.

When we sat down at the dinner table we ate what we were served and were thankful for it. We had conversations about the day and shared our experiences. The television, if you had one was turned off, and did not rule supreme. What happened??

If we could bring back those days perhaps we could eradicate some of the worlds ills, but perhaps that's just wishful thinking and being too optimistic, but I like to look on the bright side.

hermans hermits

Being young (I was born in Dec 56) and getting excited about doing new things. Music, dance, boys, and just life in general was good.

Perhaps we should try to rekindle some of the passion we had for life.

mini skirts

A great trip down memory lane reading "what did you like best about the60's" even the ice on the windows brought back drawing pictures on the glass. This year I have been to Liverpool on the Beatles tour and to a Beatles tribute band night - brilliant. The excitement and sense of optimism ,the freedom to walk miles over the fields as a child providing you were home by tea time, recording the top 40 on a cassette player and listening to it back when you should be asleep. Leaving school at 15 and becoming a nanny to children aged 2.4.6.and 8 taking the youngest for walks and explaining to people, no they are not mine! Would parents employ someone so young to look after their children today? I was not academic but I'm sure I had a lot more pratical skills than people leaving school now . We were educated in cookery and, sewing . and were less mollycoddled than children today, we were allowed to take risks and learn from our mistakes. I expect the current generation will look back on there childhoods like us with a mixture of emotions but we can't change history just hope for a better tomorrow.

Newcastle on Tyne was the place to be in the 60's. The clubs were The Marimba, The New Orleans Jazz, The Muscle In, The Downbeat where the Animals started, and the Club aGo-go was the best, to name but a few. Anyone remember the Newcastle clubs? - have a look at the Club aGo-go website which also has memories and old photos of other clubs, memories from musicians and of club go-ers. - All of the 60's.

So much to like about the sixties. The music
Del Shannon Elvis Small Faces. Four Seasons and so many more.Maybe falling in so called love. Leyton Orient getting promoted to the old first division for the only time in their history .Living life to the full .Oh what great days don't really remember much about it though?

During the sixties I was a member of a youth club in South Ockendon Essex called All Saints youth club, to this day several of us meet regularly all over the county for a Sunday lunch there has been as many as 16 of us, we call ourselves the last of the summer wineos, I don't know why. My first job was as a page boy in Bucks club in the west end of London in 1961 I was earning £3/10 shillings a week. Married my lovely wife Joan 1n 1966 when we won the world cup, she sadly passed away in August this year and I am now learning how to manage without her, its hard for an undomesticated fellow.

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When you see the way "Society "has changed the sixties can never be replaced for surplus jobs, no wars , the Beatles, innovation, "credit", allowing us to buy on the never never, Computers, T.V.'s.
I can remember my Friends' Father was always in the shed makig a T.V.!!!!!!! We watched it on the T.V.
Report of the Royal Wedding , the colour of the picture was green and the Horses' legs filled the 9 in screen , you couldn't see the Carriage.LOL

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What I didn't like about the 60's was, being caned at school (the teachers would be frogmarched out of the profession these days!) black and white pictures on our 9 inch telly box. Hard toilet paper, ouch! Stork margarine, bread and jam for tea, thuggish teachers, cold sheets and heavy blankets on my bed. Waking up to a freezing cold house with ice coated windows on a winters morning.
Can you think of any more?

In those days you could leave one job in the morning and start a new job by the after noon.. I remember jiving with my Flat Mate to rock and roll music. Worked for Monsanto Chemicals all day ....really good Company. Do you remember the severe cold one Winter which froze pipes? Monsanto delivered huge plastic Containers of Water to every Employee. Had an evening job at night selling Photographs at Dinner Dances in all the best Hotels in London........yes, those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end.LOL

I remember coffee bars, Cherry B, Babycham, hipster trousers, Mary Quant, CND, London To Aldermaston Marches, dance halls, fish and chip shops open till 11pm, the mobile shop that sold paraffin for our heater, flagons of Woodpecker cider. Playing 'postmans knock' at parties, doing a paper round for 15/- per week. The 6/5 Special, Radio Luxembourg, Radio Caroline, the Top 20 on Sunday evening radio.
The Black and White Minstrels (how very un PC that would be today) Simon Dee, Charles Atlas bodybuilding adverts in the papers. Public Information films on the telly box. Popeye the Sailor.
Malcolm Muggeridge, Richard Dimbleby, The Brains Trust, waiting for the voice that reminded us 'don't forget to turn your set off' at the end of the evenings viewing.

Linoleum and no central heating. Yuk.

My Sister was 17 at the time, she attended a CND march in London, things got out of hand, she said was got picked up by the fuzz, she said at the time it hurt, but it soon grew back

The best thing for me was....my Lambretta. Today at the age of 66, I still own one and, wear the Parka

You had it easy then...we had ice on our loo seat! We had to get up at 4am to start chipping the ice off our front door so that dad could get out to go to work. Then we had to walk 2 miles to the forest to chop down a tree, drag it back home, and then chop it up into logs before mum could light the fire and cook us some gruel.
Then we had to do a paper round, help the milkman, and clear the snow from old people's paths before trudging 5 miles to school. We were always late, so the headmaster would beat us black and blue with a bull whip, then hang us upside down till hometime.
On Saturdays we had to do a 14 hour shift at the sewage works, we had to stand waist deep in the muck trying to sort out anything recyclable.The gaffer would push us under the surface if we made a mistake, then dock our wages.
On Sunday we got a lie in till 5am then went off to clean factory chimneys all day until it got dark.. When we couldn't afford coal grannie would suck a Victory V and we could warm ourselves on her tongue!
By eck, they were wonderful days!

Yes , I would agree that the 60,s was the best . Everything from Music , jobs galore , the famous CND march from Aldermaston to London , we really thought we would make a difference ...we didn't !!!
I was living in London in the 60's , jobs galore , I shared a Flat with my schoolfriend and her Flatmate and remember jiving with one of them to the first Beatle "she loves you yeah yeah ". There was some drug taking , but very little , drinking also did not create many drunks .

"those were the days my Friend, I thought they'd never end" was true.

Great Times.