Beatle Mania - today in Liverpool

Saturday, 11 July 2009 12:29

Of course we are Beatles fans! Liverpool is world famous because of the Fab Four! Naturally the City is full of reminders of the Beatles - The Cavern in Matthew Street, Abbey Road, Strawberry Fields and more recently the National Trust have opened the homes of Paul and John to public scrutiny.

Who was the greatest - we all have our own opinion - even John and I differ on that one! I was always a George Fan, particularly latterly (it must have been the long hair and moustache, not least his song writing!). Who was/is the Greatest songwriter? John for me - you cannot beat "Imagine"! Paul was always the "Liverpool Boy" in my eyes and Ringo - "Thomas the Tank Engine" says it all, he was the funniest!

In the "Home" of the Beatles the least you can do is visit "The Beatles Story", an exhibition on Albert Dock. It is very popular, but the day we went not too crowded! It is down stairs and there is an excellent audio tour.

Entrance

The story is told via pictures, music, video, memorabilia and "mock ups" of various famous locations. Some of these stood out for us! There is a complete replica of The Cavern, bar, stage and atmosphere!

The stage in "The Cavern" (the camera took this by accident!)

For many and I include us in this Sergeant Pepper is The Beatles most memorable LP - yes we both had the vinyl versions! The songs, Yellow Submarine and cover all stir memories!

Sergeant Pepper cover "mock up"

The voices from the past - Brian Epstein, John Lennon, and George Harrison echo through the whole experience. Paul, Ringo and George Martin are "present" too and all their memories add to the poignancy of "The Beatles" phenomenon. Pete Best (original drummer) and Stuart Sutcliffe (original bassist) also feature in the exhibition.

Listening to George Martin was a shock - he sounds just like my Father did. It must be the "broadcasting voice" that they had - it was quite emotional!

There are video tributes to each Beatle at the end of "The Beatles Story". It was interesting to see that Paul's "room" appeared to be the most popular, with John's running a close second.

John and Yoko's "bed-in" is told in photographs in an exhibition at the end, some of them never seen before. It was fascinating to see a different perspective of this demonstration and to realise how commercial it all was in reality.

There is a new part of "The Beatles Story" - The White Feather exhibition. This is above the new Mersey Ferry Terminal and the tickets for "The Beatles Story" give you 48 hours before they expire, so you can visit on another day. However it is only open until the end of December.

We had a break for lunch and then wandered over. The White Feather is a collection of memorabilia put together by Julian Lennon and Cynthia Lennon, his mother and John's first wife. It is very evocative and personal, telling their stories and memories of John. I found it quite moving. It is really worth a visit.

Finally - today is "Beatles Day" in Liverpool. Good timing or what - we can join in!

It was opened this morning by these two, dig the mop tops!

I shall try to get out sometime today to soak up the atmosphere! Yesterday as I walked through Chavasse Park (above the shops at Liverpool One) the Bootleg Beatles were playing. It sounded so authentic even though only two of them were there!

Chavasse parkhttp://www.artinliverpool.com/blog/

I have the cratch cover up, windows and swan doors open and I can hear music, the Cathedral Bells and lots of noise - Liverpool is definitely buzzing today!