23 May 1963
Concert:
Odeon Cinema, Angel Row, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
"Police Officer Peter Gibson of the Nottingham City Police Force was assigned to guard the Beatles dressing room. He retired in 1990 after 35 years service to the force. He chatted about that day:
"Many of my colleagues were on the street holding back the crowd, but I got the job of being on their door. The band passed by me every now and then while they were walking the corridors. They were very talkative young guys."
Discussing the atmosphere inside the theatre, Peter said, "The crowd was getting hysterical, especially the young girls. The noise was extremely loud."
Other eye witness accounts suggest than many fans had to lie down due to exhaustion brought on by screaming.
Peter also confirmed where the band went, initially, after the show:
"The lads came for a couple of drinks in the police bar at my station on Shakespeare Street. In those days all police stations had private bars. Those lads must have been totally exhausted after everything they had just gone through. They sat in the corner in comfy chairs while they relaxed, had a drink and a smoke. They just chatted amongst themselves basically. They were as good as gold.""
Source: http://triumphpc.com/mersey-beat/beatles/beatles-nottingham2.shtml
"As for the Beatles at the Odeon. I saw them when they were ostensibly supporting the Big O but of course they were huge by the time the concert came on.
It was a great night that ended in tears.
At the beginning of the night many of us handed in autograph books and albums at the box office hoping for autographs. This was customary!
At the end of the show hundreds of us crowded round the back of the Odean shouting for them to show themselves.
You can imagine the screams when they all came out through a door on top of the fire escape and waved.
Then the bad thing happened.
John put a huge pile of books and albums onto the railing and then threw them down to us.
All the precious albums were torn to pieces by the crowd and many girls were distraught at losing their books, some of them with many autographs.
The fab four thought it was very funny and went back inside laughing, leaving scenes of mayhem below.
I`ve been a bit ambivalent about them since."
Source: http://nottstalgia.com/forums/index.php?s=67abae2d9f3a87d948fb987abdce2963&showtopic=4527&st=20
"A blue page from an autograph book that has been signed by both John Lennon and Paul McCartney in a blue pen. Paul has added 'To Susan' above his signature and 'Beatles' below it. The page has a black and white head shot cut out from a music paper of both John and Paul stuck onto it. Measures 11cm x 9.5cm (4.25 inches x 3.75 inches). Comes with a detailed letter from the original recipient stating the autographs were obtained out side the Nottingham Odeon in May 1963. (The Beatles played the Odeon on the 23rd May 1963)"
Source: Tracks
"AUTOGRAPH BOOK SIGNED BY THE BEATLES DURING THE ROY ORBISON UK TOUR ....
WITH RARE McCARTNEY HANDWRITTEN LYRIC LINE!
On Saturday, May 18, 1963, The Beatles embarked on their third nationwide tour of Britain, supporting American singer-songwriter and rock pioneer Roy Orbison. Though Orbison began the tour as headliner, audience demand quickly necessitated a change in billing and The Beatles assumed the top spot. By the time the tour ended on June 9, 1963, the band had played twenty dates with Orbison, who The Beatles idolized immensely.
On the sixth night of the tour - May 23, 1963 - they played the Odeon Cinema on Angel Row in Nottingham. A page from this autograph book, still intact, was fully signed by all four Beatles that evening. While they signed numerous autograph books for fans in 1963, few have exhibited the kind of content showcased here.
Paul McCartney has written "Beatles" at the top, followed by the inscription: "To Sandra, with love, from me to you ... Paul McCartney XXX." Beneath his signature, he has added the word "BASS" as a reminder of his role in this up-and-coming group. George has signed "George Harrison XXX", adding the words "Lean Guitar XXX", writing "Lean" instead of "Lead" perhaps as a word play on his physical stature. John has written "John Lennon (a Friend) XXX" and Ringo has signed "Ringo Starr XXX".
McCartney's inscription "with love, from me to you" was an obvious reference to the McCartney-Lennon penned hit "From Me To You" which had been released as a Parlophone single in England just six weeks earlier, on April 11, 1963. "From Me To You" was the first Beatles song to reach number one in Britain and it would be the first of eleven consecutive British number one singles by the group.
Beatles handwritten inscriptions that borrow lyric lines from their songs are very rare indeed and any additional writing (such as Paul and George noting the instruments they played or John's "heartwarming" addendum) add enormously to the appeal and value of a set. Considering the astronomical prices Beatles handwritten song manuscripts are fetching at auction, this set enables you to acquire a McCartney handwritten lyric line at a small fraction of the price of a full lyric page.
The signed page, which is pink in color, measures 4 ¼" x 4". All four have signed this page in various ballpoint pens. Paul has used a dark blue ink, George and Ringo have used a lighter blue ink, while John has signed in black ink.
Part of the beauty of this autograph book is that it remains just as it has been for the past 45 years - completely intact and, consequently, a very special complete memento of a fan's quest to secure the signatures of her idols. There are no other notable autographs in the book.
This is a rare opportunity to secure a truly special Beatles autograph set - and the closest most collectors will ever get to possessing handwritten song lyrics. Signed album pages just don't get any better than this...$15,000"
Source: http://www.beatlesautographs.com/album_pages.htm
The Stage and Television Today, 23 May 1963
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