MATT – BEATLES COLLECTOR: RARE PIECES OF BEATLES STAGES AND PLACES!

by John “Buzz” Bezzini

In the first installment of this series of posts about the superb collection of 2nd generation Beatles fan, Matt, I had mentioned that I have seen a lot of super collections in my time, but only a few would be able surpass or remotely approach the artifacts this gentleman has been able to acquire for his personal collection. There is one sentence I can use to sum up of what I have seen of Matt’s collection so far. Paul McCartney has a beautiful song entitled Maybe I’m Amazed. When I saw Matt’s collection of signatures and artifacts, the more apt song title would read as: Definitely I’m Amazed!

Part 2:

There are places we remember …. some have gone and some remain …. 

Matt’s story: Relax and float downstream

Many years have passed since The Beatles first made history in the sixties. Just like many people in The Beatles’ orbit have passed on, the same is true with many of the places that feature prominently in their story. Artifacts associated with these places provide a tangible connection to The Beatles and allows for fans to connect with the band’s legacy long after the places and people associated with them are gone. Whether it’s a brick from one of their homes or a piece of a stage they performed on, Beatles artifacts have become an important and exciting part of the collecting world. Each artifact tells a story and captures a moment in time. According to Matt, it is an honor to share some of the artifacts he has collected over the last two decades with fellow fans. 

Matt’s collection of Beatles artifacts began in 2006 when Graham Paisley, the Verger at St. Peter’s Church gave Matt a section of the floor from the Church Hall where on July 6, 1957, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were first introduced to each other. Since then, Matt has tried to collect anything associated with that day that he can find. Matt acquired a piece of the stage that John and his band the Quarrymen performed on that historic day in a private sale from an individual who in 1997 attended the 40^th anniversary of the meeting of John and Paul. The stage has been removed from the hall and part of it is in a museum. In another private sale, Matt purchased a piece of the wall from the church hall. The green stain glass piece from the church hall in Matt’s collection was sold by St. Peter’s Church after it had to remove the stain glass panels for safety reasons.

One of the most incredible items that Matt has obtained is a teacup saucer custom made for St Peter’s Church (commonly referred to as Woolton Parish Church as it is located in Woolton, a suburb of Liverpool). The saucer was made in the late 1800s and is the only known piece to survive from the original set. It was used for in the church hall for fellowship and special events, including the Woolton Village Fete on July 6, 1957, when John met Paul. Matt obtained the piece from a gentleman in England whose father obtained it directly from the parish’s priest at the time.

A floor block from St Peter’s Church Hall:

Framed display of teacup saucer used in St Peter’s Church Hall:

Front of the saucer with custom engraving:

Back of the saucer with maker’s mark:

Framed display of green stain glass panel, wall piece, and wood stage piece from St Peter’s Church Hall:

Before The Beatles became world famous, they performed for years in small venues in and around Liverpool.

The Cavern Club

The most well known of these venues is by far the Cavern Club. The Beatles performed 292 times there between 1961 and 1963. The Cavern Club was torn down but subsequently rebuilt using many of the original bricks. The 5,000 unused bricks were sold for charity. The Cavern Club brick in Matt’s collection was the first of many Beatles bricks he collected. When Matt was in Liverpool in 2008 he got to hold a piece of the Cavern Club stage that The Beatles performed on before it was removed in 1964 for a bigger stage. This piece was being sold by Tracks, UK. When Matt returned home, he contacted Tracks (the seller of the stage) and bought it. It’s a prized piece in his collection.

A brick from the Cavern Club:

A piece of the stage from the Cavern Club :

The Casbah Coffee Club

Another early venue that The Quarrymen and then The Beatles performed at many times was the Casbah Coffee Club, which was a teen social club in the basement of the home of one time Beatles drummer Pete Best. The Casbah still exists, though it is no longer a social club. Matt visited the Casbah where he met Pete and his brothers Rory and Roag. Subsequently, Matt acquired a brick and stage pieces from the Casbah from the Best family when they sold very limited quantities of them. The most significant Casbah artifact that Matt has acquired is a star painted by one of The Beatles on the ceiling of the Casbah. 200 of these stars were removed and sold. Matt’s star is number 7 and it was obtained at an auction.

A brick from the Casbah Coffee Club:

A piece of the stage from the Casbah Coffee Club display

A ceiling star from the Casbah Coffee Club painted by one of The Beatles (Speculated to be John Lennon):

Grosvenor Ballroom

Another venue that The Beatles frequently performed at was the Grosvenor Ballroom. Matt obtained a piece of the stage’s overhang from a seller on eBay whose friend in England had obtained a number of pieces of the stage’s overhang at the time of its removal. 

A piece of the stage from the Grosvenor Ballroom:

The Jacaranda

The Jacaranda Club is a famous venue in the history of The Beatles. Owned by their first manager Allan Williams, it was a place where the early lineup of the group hung out and eventually performed. Matt performed three Beatles songs there in 2006 with his dad Alex and his brother Ken. Matt recently acquired a piece of one of the murals in the Jacaranda in a private sale from the son of a deceased collector who was a major player in the Beatles collecting world. The mural was painted by original Beatles bassist Stuart Sutcliffe and John Lennon. Matt also has a piece of the Jacaranda itself which his friend, Liverpool Beatles tour guide Jackie Spencer, gifted to him. 

A piece of a mural from the Jacaranda Club painted by Stuart Sutcliffe :

A displayed piece of the Jacaranda Club:

The Aintree Institute

Jackie also gifted Matt a brick from the Aintree Institute, where The Beatles performed many times in their formative years. Jackie obtained the brick in the rubble of where the Aintree Institute once stood. She was giving a tour when she noticed that the venue had been torn down without warning.  

A brick from the Aintree Institute:

Litherland Town Hall

One of the most iconic concerts in the history of The Beatles took place at the Litherland Town Hall on December 27, 1960. Build as direct from Hamburg, Germany, The Beatles opened their homecoming set with “Long Tall Sally”. The crowd’s reaction of rushing towards the stage was beyond anything the group had experienced before. That concert has been widely recognized as the birth of Beatlemania. When the Litherland Town Hall was turned into a medical clinic the construction company removed the stage, which ended up with a certain Mersey Beat musician.  Very limited quantities of the stage were sold. Matt bought his from the man who originally obtained the stage pieces. 

A piece of the stage from the Litherland Town Hall:

Abbey Road-EMI Studios:

The Beatles recorded most of their music in Studio 2 at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in London, England. Studio 2 is a special place in the history of The Beatles. It is still an operational recording studio and has remained largely the same as it did when The Beatles recorded there. Artifacts from Studio 2 are nearly impossible to find. However, a few years back, Abbey Road Studios did some renovations in Studio 2. As part of the renovation, 210 bricks had to be removed. The bricks were cleaned up and sold by the Studios. However, all bricks had to be purchased in person at the Studios gift shop. They would not be shipped. Luckily, Matt’s family friends from England, Steve and Val, graciously made the trek to London and purchased a brick on Matt’s behalf. As soon as they delivered brick number 40 to Matt it became one of his favorite items in his collection. Matt has also acquired a floorboard and a piece of one of the swinging sound baffle walls from Studio Two. Both were originally obtained by an artist who had recorded multiple albums in Studio 2.

A brick from Abbey Road Studios, studio 2:

A floorboard from Abbey Road Studios, studio 2:

A display of a piece of one of the swinging sound baffle walls from Abbey Road Studios, studio 2:

A close up of the piece of one of the swinging sound baffle walls from Abbey Road Studios, studio 2:

Growing Up in Liverpool:

Over the years, Matt has collected a number of artifacts associated with John, Paul, George and Ringo’s early days in Liverpool. One of those items is a brick from John Lennon’s Liverpool home “Mendips” where he lived with his Aunt Mimi and Uncle George Smith. The brick was one of only 150 removed when a wall in the house was knocked down to make room for a film crew that was making a movie about John. Matt obtained it years ago on eBay. Another artifact from Mendips that Matt recently obtained from eBay is a piece of the original carpet. It was sourced from a person involved with restoration work at the house when the National Trust took it over.

Last year, Matt obtained a piece of an original wood door from George Harrison’s Liverpool home at 25 Upton Green where he and his family lived from 1950-1962. Matt obtained this piece in a private sale. 

Penny Lane and Strawberry Field were local Liverpool inspirations for a double A side Beatles single released in 1967. Matt acquired a brick from the demolished orphanage from the Strawberry Field grounds where a young John Lennon frequently played. Matt purchased the brick directly from Strawberry Field. Also in Matt’s collection is a piece of the original wood doors from the Allerton fire station at the Penny Lane roundabout featured in the song of the same name. Matt purchased the door piece directly from the Penny Lane Development Trust.

A brick from John Lennon’s Liverpool home Mendips:

A piece of carpet from John Lennon’s Liverpool home Mendips:

A piece of a wood door from George Harrison’s Liverpool home at 25 Upton Green:

A brick from Strawberry Field and a piece of one of the doors from the Allerton fire station in the Penny Lane district mentioned in the song: 

Concert Artifacts:

Some of the most sought-after Beatles’ artifacts are those associated with historic concerts.  Matt has acquired a number of these artifacts over the years. 

Ed Sullivan Show

One of The Beatles’ most famous performances took place on February 9, 1964, when they made their live American television debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. Years ago, Matt obtained a pair of isle seats from Row B in the balcony of CBS Studio 50 in New York that were there when The Beatles made history on the Ed Sullivan Show. He purchased them from an antique dealer selling them on behalf of a former stagehand at the studio who removed the seats as part of the theater’s massive renovation for the David Letterman Show. Matt also owns a piece of the theater’s ornate ceiling that was given to an individual involved with its restoration for the David Letterman Show. Matt obtained this from eBay. 

A pair of seats from CBS Studio 50 (Ed Sullivan Theater):

A piece of the ceiling from CBD Studio 50 (Ed Sullivan Theater):

Candlestick Park

The Beatles last ever ticketed concert took place on August 29, 1966, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. When the ballpark was demolished, nothing was saved. Matt’s collection includes a piece of concrete that was part of Candlestick Park when The Beatles said goodbye to touring. He purchased it from a San Francisco Giants fan who snuck into the fenced in demolition site. The piece was obtained in the aftermath of the demolition of the original part of the Candlestick Park. 

A piece of concrete from Candlestick Park:

Washington Coliseum

Another historic concert by The Beatles took place two days after their first Ed Sullivan Show performance when they appeared in their first American concert at the Washington Coliseum. Matt’s collection includes an original concession sign that was part of the Washington Coliseum when The Beatles played there on February 11, 1964. Matt purchased this on eBay. 

A concession sign from the Washington Coliseum:

Star Club, Hamburg

In 1962, The Beatles had a number of residencies at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany. You can hear them at this venue on the Live at the Star Club recording. Matt owns a piece of the original Star Club stage that was removed after it was damaged in a fire. He purchased this on eBay. 

A display of a piece of the Star Club stage:

Apple – 3 Savile Row

The Beatles’ final live performance took place on January 30, 1969, on the rooftop of their Apple headquarters at 3 Savile Row in London. Matt’s collection includes an original vintage Savile Row sign that hung on a building on Savile Row through sixties, including for The Beatles’ swan song. 

A Savile Row street sign that was actually posted during the famous rooftop concert in January of 1969:

Shea Stadium

Perhaps the most famous of all The Beatles’ live events was their historic Shea Stadium concert on August 15, 1965. Matt has a number of artifacts from Shea Stadium that were present when The Beatles reached the mountain top, including brick fragments from the outfield wall, a piece of one of the two original foul poles, an iron seat bracket and a railing segment. They were purchased from a reputable dealer of artifacts from Shea Stadium. 

Bricks, iron seat support, and green painted railing piece from Shea Stadium:

A piece of one of the Shea Stadium foul poles:

Hollywood Bowl

In both 1964 and 1965, The Beatles performed at the legendary Hollywood Bowl in California. Matt acquired a piece of one of the original wood benches from the venue the absorbed every note of those historic concerts, selections from which were released as The Beatles Live at the Hollywood Bowl album. The wood bench piece for seat 21 was purchased in a private sale from an artist who owned much of the wood sourced from the Hollywood Bowl as part of a renovation. 

A piece of a wooden seat bench from the Hollywood Bowl:

I know you were amazed by these artifacts collected by 2nd generation Beatles super fan, Matt. Stay tuned for more posts of his magnificent collection in the near future!

A special thanks and appreciation are extended to Matt, for sharing his photos and memories with us all!

Be happy and healthy!

Buzz

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