“I’m looking through you…” Not with this item. Celebrate the moptops as you neatly tend to your style! No wonder it takes you so long time to start your day. How can you be expected to be prompt when you constantly gaze into your Beatles mirror and dream of the Fab Four?
Photos of The Beatles
Manufactured by Bassett Mirror Company, 1290 Philpott Drive, Bassett, Virginia, this rare mirror measured 15″x21″ housed in an 18″x32″ wood frame and embellished with four 3¼”x3½” color photos of the Beatles along the top. The advertisement for this artifact read:
Advert for the Beatles Mirror
Dating for a hard day’s night at Convention Hall with John, Paul, George, and Ringo? Like you’ll scream, screech, shriek over this beat teen treat in Pittsburgh Plate Glass topped with built-in picture frames and 4 full-color photos of the world’s wildest 4! Back panel opens…. change pix at any time, even replace Liverpool’s answer to the high cost of haircuts! Dig yours in white, maple, or decorator green. And you’ll want to hold Gimbels’ hand for the hip low price!”
Gimbel Brothers (Gimbels) was an American department store.
The sticker attached to the mirror read, “This is a High Fidelity Mirror of Twin-Ground Pittsburgh Plate Glass.” The shipping box read “Bassett Mirror Co. Bassett, VA. Caution-Do Not Lay Flat. Furniture, Including Mirrors or Glass, Fragile, Handle With Care.”
“Bassett has been America’s first name in home furnishings since 1902 when my great-grandfather opened his first furniture factory on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.” – www.bassettmirror.com.
Bassett Mirror Co. Inc. was named in a NEMS Enterprises, Ltd vs. Seltaeb, Incorporated lawsuit filed in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, First Judicial Department, dated: New York, New York, July 6, 1965.
Find out more incredible stories in Terry Crain’s book:
NEMS and the Business of Selling Beatles Merchandise in the U.S. 1964-1966 (2ND EDITION)
The book covers the approximately 150 licensed items that dotted store shelves and helped fuel the band-crazed fan during the time right after the band landed in America and performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. Toys, games, dolls, jewelry, clothing, wigs, and more!
March 17 – Saturday — Liverpool | Knotty Ash Village Hall | ‘St. Patrick’s Night Rock Gala’ | Sam Leach sets up a special ‘Battle of The Bands’ between The Beatles and Rory Storm and the Hurricanes | Later friends and family attend a private party to celebrate Sam’s engagement to Joan McEvoy | Brian Epstein and Bob Wooler among the guests.
RINGO STARR hit the snare with a crack. Rory Storm threw his arm out, pointed at the audience, held a finger up to heaven, and stepped into ‘Blue Suede Shoes’. He rolled his shoulders, thrust out two fingers, and Ringo cracked the snare a second time. On three, Rory shook his arm and snapped his head from side to side. On four, he swivelled his pelvis, stiffened his legs, and spun round. The cat now well and truly out of the bag, he trembled all over, slowly rolled his head, shook his curly blond locks, dipped and dropped, jumped and jived, spun round again, told everyone they could do whatever they wanted to. Then he suddenly stopped, snarled, curled his lip, looked mean, magnificent—real cool, man, cool—and growled that everyone better lay off Sam’s Hush Puppy suede shoes. He paused for the very briefest of moments—let the moment crackle in the air—then Rory Storm and The Hurricanes set about blowing the roof off.
Rory Storm and the Hurricanes
The full rocking force of Liverpool’s ‘Mr Showmanship’ swept up everything before it. This was ‘the Storm’ everyone loved—Rory leaping and writhing, his shocking canary-yellow suit a never-ending blur. The Hurricanes in matching sky-blue suits and ties, forever dipping and diving behind him. Rory whirling the microphone stand around his head. Rory trembling like he’d been electrocuted. Rory prancing. Rory dancing. Rory jumping. Rory strutting. Rory twisting. Rory twirling. Owning the stage, owning the night. Unstoppable. Unbeatable. Unsurpassable.
It was Battle of the Band – Liverpool-style
“Bloody hell, Sam, will you look at that,” shouted John Lennon. “He’s out to bloody bury us, he is.”
“Well, he always did in Hamburg…always does at ‘the Tower’,” George Harrison, piped in. “So, I can’t see as how our Rory would be any different, tonight, given even half a chance, like.”
“I bet the swine swipes all our best rock ‘n’ roll numbers, too,” moaned Paul. “We’ll just have to make up our song-list as we go. See what he leaves us. If he leaves us anything, that is.”
Sam Leach laughed. “Well, it’s a rockin’ good way to start off my engagement party, lads. Just you remember, all those punters out there are paying for all the food and booze you’ll be scoffing down, later.”
“Well, in that case, Sam,” sniffed John, narrowing his eyes. “We’ll just have to go blow all those Rory Storm clouds away, won’t we?”
Rory lit into ‘Be-Bop-A-Lula’.
“That’s my bloody song,” John exploded. “Gene Vincent’s and mine. I’ll do Rory, He knows that’s my favourite number.”
Summertime Blues
For the next hour, Rory Storm and The Hurricanes grabbed the best songs in the rock ‘n’ roll cupboard. He took Elvis’s Top Ten rockers and then stole Eddie Cochran’s very best songs, including Sam’s all-time favourite, ‘Summertime Blues’. Then he made off with Buddy Holly’s catchiest riffs, before reaching for Carl Perkins’ ‘Lend Me Your Comb’. He swiped ‘Cathy’s Clown’ and ‘Claudette’ from the Everly Brothers. Took ‘I Got A Woman’ from Ray Charles. Then turned up the gas even higher still with Jerry Lee Lewis’s ‘Great Balls of Fire’.
Everyone’s nerves and brains utterly rattled, he smiled his million-watt smile, pointed to each Hurricane, in turn, smiled at the crowd, combed his curly golden locks with his giant plastic comb for one last time. He did the splits, rebounded, stood to attention, bowed from the waist, swivelled his pelvis, spun round and around and was gone.
“Sweet Lord,” muttered George. “We have to follow that?”
“What with?” Paul sighed.
“Let’s bloody hit them with ‘Johnny B Goode’,” snarled John.
“Righto, Johnno,” shouted Paul. “I’ll blow their ear drums to smithereens with me Hofner bass.” He turned to the other Beatles. “Pete. You hit them with your ‘atomic’ beat. And George?”
“Yeah, Pauly?”
“Go ring that bloody bell, why don’t yer.”
The Beatles at the Cavern
John strode onto the stage and grabbed hold of the mike. “This is a number by Chuck Berry…a Liverpool-born school-teacher with bad teeth and no humour.” George hit straight into the opening riff and he and his fellow Beatles lit into ‘School Day’, as if possessed. And for the next hour-and-a-half The Beatles kept up a blistering pace, not letting up for an instant. They followed their opening number with even more of Chuck Berry’s best.
“Long Tall Sally”
Then ripped through Little Richard’s repertoire with Paul taking the lead on ‘Long Tall Sally’, ‘Tutti-Frutti’, and ‘Kansas City’. John kept things spinning with Larry William’s ‘Dizzy, Miss Lizzy’ and Carl Perkins’ ‘Honey Don’t’. George took a turn with Tommy Roe’s ‘Sheila’, Bobby Vee’s ‘Take Good Care of My Baby’, and The Coasters’ ‘Youngblood’.
You Really Got A Hold On Me
To give his band-mates’ voices a break, Pete opened up Carl Perkins’ ‘Matchbox’ and followed that with The Shirelles’ hit ‘Boys’. Paul went ‘Searchin’ for The Coasters again. John gave people another hit of Arthur Alexander’s ‘A Shot of Rhythm and Blues’, reintroduced them to ‘Anna’, before grabbing everyone by the throat with Smokey Robinson’s ‘You Really Got a Hold on Me’. Then he capped everything off with Barrett Strong’s ‘Money’. After which, the place exploded into one long roar of cheers, whistling, stamping, and thunderous applause.
Sam Leach
Sam Leach ran onto the stage, as wrung-out as if he’d been up there playing the music himself. He clapped, cheered, took hold of the microphone, and waved everyone to silence. “Blimey O’Riley! I’ve never seen or heard anything as spectacular as what happened here at tonight’s ‘Battle of the Bands’ and I doubt if any of us will ever see the likes of it again, however long we live.” Everyone clapped and cheered for their favourite band. Sam patted the air with his hands—waited for all the noise to die down. “So listen…what can I say? There can be no winners tonight other than all of you and me…and all of Liverpool…for being home to such fabulous entertainers as…Rory Storm and The Hurricanes! And The Beatles!”
Ray Charles
He turned, applauded both bands again, asked the audience to show their appreciation again, and then left the stage. The hall exploded into another riot of clapping, stamping, cheering, and whistling. After it showed no sign of abating, Sam ran back on, took up the microphone and held it between his hands as if in prayer. “What do you say, fellas? Ray Charles’ ‘What’d I Say?’ to bring the night to a proper close? Send everyone off home, drained but deliriously happy?”
Sam spun round and cocked his head and raised his eyebrows—in mute question—and the three hundred or so beat fans roared, cheered and stamped their feet in response. John Lennon and Rory Storm glanced at one another, nodded. The two drummers settled back behind their drum kits. Guitars got re-plugged into amplifiers. And the two bands came together as one. Then Rory and John and Paul took turns in stretching their final song’s call and response to its very limits. And for a good twenty minutes or more Knotty Ash Village Hall rocked on its very foundations and Sam Leach’s ‘St. Patrick’s Night Rock Gala’ rolled into local legend as the one night of rock ‘n’ roll no beat fan alive should ever have missed.
March 7- Wednesday — Manchester, Playhouse Theatre, Teenager’s Turn…Here We Go
The Beatles appeared on Radio for the first time. They record their BBC radio début wearing new suits made especially for them by Brian Epstein’s personal tailor, in light of the fact the BBC had insisted for years that its newscasters wear formal dinner suits to read the news, not quite as mad as it sounds. It certainly has the desired effect; the show’s producers think The Beatles look very professional. On the show with newly-smartened up Beatles is the renowned Northern Dance Orchestra, under the direction of Bernard Herrmann. The ‘old world’ of entertainment face-to-face with the ‘new’; and not for the last time.
March 8 – Thursday — The Beatles first ‘appearance’ on the radio | Teenager’s Turn is broadcast to listeners ‘oop North on the BBC Light Programme from 5:00 p.m. – 5:29 p.m.
“I hate Teddy Boys. Always causing trouble, they are.”
“I bloody hate them, too, Sandra. And, look, I’m sorry about all this. So, let’s just talk about us and sod everybody else, okay? Hey, for a start, we’ve been invited to Sam Leach’s engagement party, a week Saturday. Knowing Sam, it’ll probably go on all night. So will that be okay with your mum and your dad?”
Sandra nodded. “I’ll just tell them that I’m staying over at Thelma’s. And if she and Jimmy end up going, she’ll tell her mam, she’s staying with me.” She looked up and smiled. “I’m okay, now, Spike. Honest.”
“Good. But there’s more. Right before the party, Sam’s going to put on a special show at Knotty Ash Village Hall with Rory Storm and The Hurricanes, and The Beatles…and guess what¼we’re going to be there.”
The Beatles On The Radio Soon
“Oh, that’ll be fab,” she said, hugging his arm. “But look at the time, The Beatles will be on the radio soon.”
“Into the front-room. I’ll switch on the radiogram. It’s their first time on the Light Programme. People were saying in Hessy’s that The Beatles recorded all their songs yesterday, in Manchester. I tell you, I couldn’t be more excited if it was me on the radio.”
“Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s ‘Teenagers Turn…Here We Go’. And this week, on the show, along with Bernard Herrman and The Northern Dance Orchestra, we present Brad Newman, The Trad Lads, and The Beatles pop group. So teenagers, everywhere, it’s your turn, now. And so, here…we…go!”
Sandra and Spike sat, ears glued to the radio for the next half-hour. Sat patiently through the dance orchestra, the ballad singer, and the Trad-jazz band—everything so boring and old-fashioned. And then suddenly they heard The Beatles singing ‘Dream Baby’, ‘Memphis Tennessee’, and ‘Please Mister Postman’. And they imagined the lads in the radio studio and sang along with their every word. Dreaming sweet dreams. Pleading for long distance information to connect them to a number in Tennessee. Imploring Mister Postman to please, please, wait—wait for just one more minute—please, please.
Liverpool Resurgent
Then it was all over. And as all the cheering and clapping of the teenagers in the studio audience washed over them, the two young lovers sat staring into each other’s eyes. Smiling. Knowing. Happy together, because without even saying a single word they both knew something very important had just happened between them. Hearing The Beatles on the BBC, like that, somehow marked the start of a new future for them, too. ‘Liverpool Resurgent’, no less, and in their lifetimes. Sandra toyed with her hair, looked away. “Spike, if we were ever parted for a long time, would you write me a letter every day?”
“Course, I would, San. Only, I’m not the one always going on about getting away to London, am I? That’s you.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve got my reasons and the only reason I’m still here, Spike Jones, is because of you.”
“Well, in that case,” said Spike. “You better stay for tea and meet me mam. She’s dying to meet you.”
Sandra turned and bit her lip and pulled him to her and gently kissed him. And they stood, arms locked around one another, kissing, passionately, for ten minutes or more, before they slowly descended to the sofa and then to the living room carpet.
Two full years before Sergeant Pepper, with Rubber Soul the Beatles were beginning to write much more complex songs than the pop songs for which they first had become popular, and because of which Sergeant Pepper was so iconic. “Girl” was one of those songs. Many were focused on women, many on love in general, but they were a universe apart from the early songs. The narratives, the instrumentation, the lyrics, the interest in experimenting with different types of music all went to a new level.
“Girl” was one of the watershed songs from Rubber Soul, the last song recorded for the album. The subject matter, again, was about an idealized girl, “the kind of girl you want so much it makes you sorry,” who makes your very intake of breath accentuated. But the harmonies were impeccable as always, the staccato background vocals in the bridge were a naughty schoolboy joke that were sneaked in past the producer George Martin, the guitar solo at the end could have been for a Greek folk song, and the lyrics were…poetry:
Was she told when she was young
That pain would lead to pleasure?…
That a man must break his back
To earn his day of leisure?
“Love love me do, You know I love you” this was not.
The Beatles grew, and continued to grow. We can, too, including during challenging times. And in troubled times for an entire society, it is imperative that we grow beyond where we have been. If only the growth of our civic and humane sensibilities could be anywhere as rapid as the growth of the Beatles’ creative powers.
But. We. Cannot. Let. This. Pivotal. Moment. Go. By.
Bill Zygmant took some of the most iconic photographs of the 1960s, with many of The Beatles. He took the very first photos of John and Yoko and, when told that John would be on the BBC show “Top of The Pops”, he gained exclusive access to the rehearsals.
“I took the last photos of John and Yoko together before they left for America in 1971. The photos of the two of them cuddling were really natural, and after a few pictures, Lennon signalled to me that that was enough, so I stopped.
Were They In Love?
“If anyone asks me if they were in love, then I say yes. You could tell when they were together, especially away from the camera. I was the only photographer allowed in the studio for the rehearsals, but not for the “live” show, because the BBC had their own photographers present, so I wasn’t allowed to be there then. John was singing “Instant Karma”, while Yoko sat there with what many thought was a napkin, but was actually a sanitary towel.
“I did lots of Top Of The Pops pictures over the years, through knowing the agents. I was well known at the BBC as I was there so often. A lady who worked there said that “you have first choice of anyone at the BBC”.”
Get Bill’s incredible book of photographs and stories now PLUS a FREE SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH of John and Yoko
Bill Zygmant – Where Did You Get That Shirt? (Signed Limited Edition)
Get your copy of Bill Zygmant’s portfolio book of unique photographs covering his career from the late 1960s to the 1980s.
This will be a signed, numbered edition – maximum of 250 numbered editions.
It comes with one of Bill’s signed photographs, which usually sells for £50!
Shirley was my client for many years at Vidal Sassoon and she often used to say to me that she accompanied Cliff Richard, Liberace and Engelbert Humperdinck on their shows.
When I was listing to The Beatles rehearse at Trident Studios, John Lennon happened to say if anyone knew an accordionist. I said to him that I have a client who plays accordion professionally.
John asked if I could you tell her to ring Derek Taylor and he would put her in touch with him.
When she came in a few weeks later I asked her what she has been doing. She said a few TV shows etc, then asked what I have been doing?
Go With The Beatles on a Coach!
Ringo on the set of Magical Mystery Tour
I said if you could keep it quiet and don’t tell anyone I have been invited to go with the Beatles on a coach and they are making a film called the Magical Mystery Tour.
She looked at me and said that if I could also not tell anyone she had also been invited by John Lennon to go on the coach.
Shirley’s Wild Accordion
And that is why we had “Shirley’s Wild Accordion.”
You can read may more stories about my time as the Beatles hairdresser in my book THE CUTTING EDGE which can be purchased
The Cutting Edge (Paperback)
The Beatles’ hair changed the world. As their increasingly wild, untamed manes grew, to the horror of parents everywhere, they set off a cultural revolution as the most tangible symbol of the Sixties’ psychedelic dream of peace, love and playful rebellion. In the midst of this epochal change was Leslie Cavendish, hairdresser to the Beatles and some of the greatest stars of the music and entertainment industry.
