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.

ON THIS DAY IN 1964, THE BEATLES WERE MIDWAY THROUGH THEIR FIRST WORLD TOUR, AND HALFWAY THROUGH THEIR AUSTRALIAN VISIT

After huge successes in Adelaide, where assistant tour manager Malcolm Cooke claimed, “I didn’t know that many people were in Adelaide.” Their arrival was marked with over 3000 fans lining the roads near the airport, with various Beatle’s saying it was the largest reception they had received to date. Interestingly, Ringo did not join much of the tour and was replaced by lesser known drummer, Jimmy Nicol, much to the frustration of George Harrison, who threatened to pull out but was convinced he would be letting down thousands of fans if he did not appear.

On the 14th, the group caught a midday flight to Essendon Airport in Melbourne, where more thousands of fans were assembled to greet them. Epstein and a recovering Ringo also flew in, increasing the chaos outside, as the navy and army cadets were called in to help the 300 policemen keep order.

Nicol returned to the UK barely 2 days later, with his role no longer required. He was presented with an engraved gold watch as a token of thanks, though he reportedly smashed the watch years later, angered by his footnote role in the band. This trip was also notable, as it marked John Lennon’s only visit to Australia.

ON THIS DAY IN 1964, THE BEATLES RELEASED EARLY EP, “SOUVENIR OF THEIR VISIT TO AMERICA”

The EP featured four previously released songs and therefore didn’t perform overly well in the charts, especially as this was the beginning of the boys careers. Despite being the most common Beatles EP in the US, many of those sales came from mail order and thus couldn’t be included when it came to tallying the charts. There was also trouble with the record label, Vee-Jay Records, a small company that ultimately couldn’t afford to promote, publicise or even pay royalties to the band and subsequently lost the rights to the Beatles after the EP’s release.

The EP was produced by George Martin and featured two McCartney-Lennon collaborations as well as an Arthur Alexander cover and a Ric Marlow/Bobby Scott cover. The EP is one of three US-released Beatles EP’s, all recorded at EMI Studios in London between 1962 and 63.

Nowadays, a 7” vinyl of the EP varies from $50 for a reissue to up to $400 for one of the original copies, an insane amount for an EP, but perhaps not so crazy to a collector.

ON THIS DAY IN BEATLES HISTORY, IN 1964, THE BOYS WERE BUSY FILMING FOR THEIR FIRST FILM, A HARD DAY’S NIGHT

Over six days of shooting was required to get all of the required shots of the band, and they spent over 2500 miles on the tracks to get it. The movie itself was released in July of the same year and was immediately considered a financial and commercial success.

The band starred as themselves in the film, the plot following their journey to and from a London show, facing troubles like regular interruptions, hoards of screaming fans, hotel boredom and an arrested Ringo in the company of his troublemaking grandfather. It was also during the filming of this production that George Harrison met his wife-to-be Patricia Boyd, who played a schoolgirl in the film. Interestingly, Phil Collins also appeared as an extra in the movie, one of the concert audience, though no-one yet knew that he would also launch a successful musical career in the following years.

The film now sits on numerous greatest films lists, including that of Time Magazine’s, as well as holding a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and being number one on their list of Top Ten Certified Fresh Musicals, an impressive accolade, going on to inspire other musicians and filmmakers in their own creative ventures. A Hard Day’s Night is now renowned as essential viewing for any Beatles fan and is also considered by some as a good introductory point for new listeners.

ON THIS DAY IN 1964, THE BEATLES RELEASED ONE OF THEIR MANY EARLY SUCCESSES, “TWIST AND SHOUT” TO THE US PUBLIC

A cover of the 1961 song by Phil Medley and Bert Russell, the song shot to top 10 positions on music lists worldwide, and only failed to reach number one in US lists because the other top spots were already occupied by other Beatles hits.

Released on their first album, Please Please Me, the song would be the highest charting Beatles song to have no writing or co-writing credits to any of the bands members. The song maintains its high regard due to the power of the vocal track by Lennon, described as raucous and dynamic. Interestingly, he was known to have been suffering from a cold and producer George Martin deliberately left the song until the end of the recording session as he knew Lennon’s voice would suffer and that there would likely only be opportunity for one take. Lennon drank milk and sucked cough drops in an attempt to soother his throat, unsuccessfully as his coughing is still audible on the album. He later said that his voice had been slow to recover and his throat had felt like sandpaper afterwards.

The song recharted in 1986 after being featured in popular film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The combination of the two periods in the charts amounted in the song becoming the longest-running top 40 hit for the Beatles, at 23 weeks and making it the second most successful Beatles single in history after “Hey Jude”.

On this day in 1964, The Beatles paid a visit to Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali

The group had been in America for just 11 days when they were whisked to Miami Beach’s 5th Street Gym for a photo opportunity with the then-22 years old boxer. 

At this time Clay was preparing for his big fight with Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston, but was the 7-1 underdog and was anxious to drum up ticket sales and press attention. The Beatles were happy to meet with a boxer, though the group had made it known that Liston was who they had wanted to meet and not as Lennon described “that loudmouth who’s going to lose.” Liston however had no interest in meeting any kind of rock band just one week before a big fight and so they settled on Clay.

Photographers captured snapshots of the group goofing around with the boxer, with shots of Clay pretending to punch Harrison and the boxer lifting Ringo in his arms appearing in the news soon after. The band had already returned to London by the time the big fight went ahead and they were surprised to see Liston withdrew after 7 rounds, leaving Clay to claim “I’m the greatest!” which is said to be the inspiration behind Ringo Starr’s track of the same name, written by John Lennon.

On this day in 1964, The Beatles performed their first US concert

Two days earlier, the group had been introduced to the United States when they made their legendary performance on The Ed Sullivan Show. The band then headed south to their first show in Washington, D.C.

The band performed at the now-defunct Washington Coliseum and faced many issues. Problems with amplication and the noisy screams of the crowd made it difficult to hear. The band were placed on a stage in the centre  of the crowd and so their instruments had to be moved throughout the concert so they could face each section of audience.

None of these issues seemed to phase the crowd, who screamed throughout the entire show. The success of this concert led to the group planning a bigger tour of the States that summer as well as ushering in the beginning of the so-called “British Invasion”.