On this day in 1966, John Lennon’s infamous comments on Christianity were first published

London’s Evening Standard planned a weekly series called “How Does a Beatle Live?” to be written by journalist Maureen Cleave who was close to and respected by the band. Earlier in their career, Cleave had described them as “the darlings of Merseyside” and accompanied the group on their first trip to the US.

Lennon’s interview was held in February at his home in Weybridge, Surrey. The article portrayed him as searching for meaning in life, and it was mentioned Lennon was reading a lot about religion. It was then that Lennon was quoted as saying “Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that; I’m right and I’ll be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first – rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity.”

The Evening Standard published the article on the 4th March and the reaction was much delayed. The UK had no response the article, and it was only after being published in the US in July that controversy was sparked. Radio stations around the States then planned a ban on the groups records. Christian fans began burning records and holding demonstrations against the band. Lennon soon after said that his comments were misconstrued and apologised. The controversy played a big part in the bands decision to stop touring.

On this day in 1965, The Beatles kicked off what would be their last tour of the UK

Coinciding with the release of their studio album Rubber Soul, the band set off on a tour of 18 shows across 9 venues. Whereas the group had been playing in arenas earlier in the year during their US tour, this tour was set to be played in theatres and cinemas.

The opening show took place in Glasgow, and the tour continued through Scotland, England and Wales. On their way to Scotland for the first show, one of George Harrison’s guitars was destroyed when it fell out of the groups car and into the path of a truck, leaving him with only two guitars for the tour.

Some promotors reported a less wild fan reaction than in previous years, partly due to road closures around the venue by a heavy police presence, ensuring only ticket holders made it to the shows. Regardless, the shows were extremely popular with over 25,000 people vying for the 5000 available tickets.

ON THIS DAY IN 1965, THE BEATLES COLLECTED THEIR MBES FROM BUCKINGHAM PALACE

The group arrived in Lennon’s Rolls-Royce to a crowd of around 4,000 screaming fans held back by police. All four members received the award, although John Lennon returned his in 1969, alongside a note reading “Your Majesty, I am returning my MBE as a protest against Britain’s involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam and against ‘Cold Turkey’ slipping down the charts. With love, John Lennon of Bag”. Apparently, Lennon found the whole incident to be bizarre and amusing, claiming to not be a fan of the Royal Family.

The rest of the group seemed happy enough with their medals as they gave a cheerful press conference outside of the palace. All of the group seemed a bit bewildered and awestruck by the event, all filled with praise for Her Majesty, again except from Lennon who was more flippant, referring to the queen as “like a mum” and “warm and sweet” and joking about the early hour of the ceremony.

The Queen herself was reportedly pleased to present the awards, despite seeming to know very little about the group, asking if Ringo Starr had been the one to form the band. Starr responded by pointing to the others and claiming it was their idea.

On this day in 1965, Bob Dylan introduced his new band at Carnegie Hall

Just 10 weeks after making history with his infamous transition to electric guitar, Dylan decided to hire a new group to be his backing band. Blues singer John Hammond Jr. recommended the Hawks, the band that had been working alongside Ronnie Hawkins until they split in late 1963. Hawkins went on to claim in an interview that “Bob Dylan stole my band!”.

After seeing the band perform, Dylan invited drummer Levon Helm and guitarist Robbie Robertson to join his band. Helm recalls Dylan phoning him and asking “Well, um… uh, how’d ya like to play the Hollywood Bowl”. After two shows, Helm and Robertson told Dylan of their loyalty to the other Hawks and explained they would not continue without them. The other members Rick Danko, Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel then joined the group that would be renamed from the Hawks to The Band.

At the show at Carnegie Hall, Dylan took the stage and introduced his new band. Though at the time the group received much scrutiny and heckling from folk music purists, The Band continued to perform with Dylan until their dissolution in 1975. Since then, various controversies about the band have come up, mostly a lasting disagreement between Robertson and the other members who allege that he stole credit for a number of songs where he is listed as writer or co-writer and as a result receives a majority of the royalties generated from the music. The other members claim the songs were created in collaboration with all members.

There are now numerous films and documentaries covering the story and the controversies of The Band, as well as books and interviews from the original members. Despite their disagreements, The Band remains one of the most well-known and highly renowned musical groups of the era.

ON THIS DAY IN 1965, BOB DYLAN RELEASED ONE OF HIS MOST SUCCESSFUL ALBUMS, “HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED”

Dylan’s 6th album, Highway 61 Revisited is considered a departure for the singer-songwriter, as until this point, much of his work had been acoustic, whereas this album drew upon rock musicians for the backing tracks of almost every song.

Highway 61 itself is a stretch of road that Dylan felt a connection to, stating the road “begins about where I began. I always felt like I’d started on it, always had been on it and could go anywhere, even down in to the deep Delta country. It was the same road, full of the same contradictions, the same one-horse towns, the same spiritual ancestors … It was my place in the universe, always felt like it was in my blood.” The highway passes the homes and birthplaces of many significant musicians and a number of stories about blues musicians originated there. It has been speculated this is the reason for the albums title, as much of the music is heavyily blues influenced.

The album spawned a wave of positive critiques almost immediately, and it’s legacy has continued. Numerous awards have been given both to the album and it’s standout single, “Like a Rolling Stone”, which finished at number one on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”

On this day in 1965, a meeting of musical legends took place as The Beatles were introduced to Elvis Presley

Lennon and McCartney idolised Presley and as their careers took off it was natural for the artists to meet. The group was invited to Elvis’ lavish home, where they recall him being the first person they’d met with a television remote.

As The Beatles arrived at the Presley home, they discovered thousands of fans had found about the meeting and arrived to witness the meeting. The group entered the home and reportedly sat on the floor around Elvis, gaping and staring at him, to which he replied “Well, what the hell, if you guys aren’t going to talk to me I’m going to my bedroom”, a joke that broke the ice and started the conversation between the artists.

The group remembers that after a while, the group gathered around a silent tv to play some music, with the exception of Ringo Starr who had no drums to use. From there, the group jammed and chatted until around 2am when The Beatles left. Both Elvis and The Beatles had nothing but nice things to say about one another after the meeting, although it was the last time many of them met with Presley.

ON THIS DAY IN 1965, RENOWNED SINGER-SONGWRITER BOB DYLAN RELEASES WHAT WOULD BECOME HIS BIGGEST EVER HIT

“Like a Rolling Stone” was released on July 20th, 1965 and quickly climbed to number 2 in the US and number 4 in the UK. The confrontational lyrics were adapted from an extended verse Dylan wrote after returning exhausted from a particularly gruelling England tour. The song was recorded on June 16 and released as a single, as well as on Dylan’s acclaimed 1965 album, Highway 61 Revisited, released in August of the same year.

The song’s two days of production were also an exhausting exercise as Dylan struggled to capture what he believed was the essence of the song. Breakthroughs were made however, when the song  was recorded in a rock music format and when rookie session musician Al Kooper improvised the famous organ riff. Dylan’s label however were unhappy with the tracks length of over six minutes and it’s heavy electric sounds and were hesitant to release it. However, once an advance copy leaked to popular DJs and the songs potential was realised they hastened to organise an official release.

The song has been described as revolutionary, due to it’s combination of musical styles and the youthful, cynical sound of Dylan’s voice. It has been said that no other song has so thoroughly and successfully challenged the commerciality and artistic conventions of it’s time. “Like a Rolling Stone” was listed at number one in Rolling Stone magazine’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list and has been covered by numerous legendary musicians, including Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones. The handwritten lyrics were sold at auction in 2014, fetching an immense $2 million, a world record for a pop music manuscript.

ON THIS DAY IN 1964, A NEW YORK BAND NAMED THE ECHOES RECRUITED A YOUNG PIANO PLAYER BY THE NAME OF BILLY JOEL

Joel was still in high school and was looking for a chance to play music for a job, after seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. Joel stated that “that one performance changed my life…. Up to that moment I’d never considered playing rock as a career.

The Echoes content was largely British Invasion covers and they began recording in 1965. The group was to be short lived, and after two name changes, to The Emeralds and then The Lost Souls, and Joel left in 1967.  He immediately joined another short lived group, The Hassles, releasing two albums before separating with drummer Jon Small to form the duo Attila in 1969, the same year Joel was to graduate high school.

Billy Joel never managed to graduate, as despite being a good student, he worked late nights in a piano bar to help his mother financially, which caused him to miss a final exam. Rather than go to summer school, Joel decided to pursue music full time. Attila released its debut album in July 1970, before disbanding in October 1971. After this Billy Joel launched the solo career that he  is recognised for today, becoming extremely popular after the release of Piano Man in 1973.

ON THIS DAY IN 1964, THE ROLLING STONES MADE THEIR FIRST APPEARANCE ON THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW

The  band already displayed their signature rebellious spirit, as they burst into a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Around and Around” rather than their latest hit “Time Is On My Side” which they saved for last.

The hordes of screaming teenagers in the crowd were barely containable, and Sullivan can be seen struggling to maintain order throughout the performance, having to hush the crowd multiple times and seeming to lose his patience. The band clearly made an impact, as Sullivan vowed they would never appear on his show again, a promise he later relented on.

Meanwhile, the Rolling Stones more well-behaved colleagues, The Beatles were being honoured by the UK music industry received five UK Ivor Novello Awards, including Most Outstanding Contribution to Music.

ON THIS DAY IN 1964, THE BEACH BOYS MADE THEIR FIRST APPEARANCE ON THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW

The band was surrounded by a trio of hot rod cars and a large crowd of screaming fans that ensured the performance would be long remembered.

The group took to the stage to perform their classic songs “I Get Around” and “Wendy”. The bands harmony and synchronisation with one another was unprecedented at the time, as well as their command of the stage and crowd.

The Beach Boys appeared on the show again four years later in 1968 to play new hits “I Do It Again” and “Good Vibrations”. This time the show would be recorded in colour and experimented with new performance technology like green screens and kaleidoscopic effects.