Little Known Beatles Facts

Rock and roooolllll!

I read this week some interesting little known facts about that 60's rock group called The Beatles. Ever heard of them? Apparently, they were the first band to ever play a stadium concert, way back in August of 1965. And I guess since the amplification systems back then were still pretty primitive, that would explain why the Beatles gave up on outdoor shows after their August 1966 San Francisco gig at Candlestick Park.... they just couldn't crank up the volume enough to hear themselves over their insanely loud audiences. The lads did, however, make that famous off-the-cuff appearance on the chilly rooftop of London's Apple Records in '69. No crowds in their faces for that one. 

Second up: The Beatles were the first musical artists to include lyrics with a recording. That disc was the legendary Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Now stow that nugget away for trivia night at the pub.

And.... the very first appearance of the "devil horns" hand signal in rock music was made by the cartoon version of John Lennon on the cover of the Yellow Submarine album (see the image above). So both Gene Simmons and Ronnie James Dio (R.I.P.) were just wannabe's, each claiming they were the originators.... at least within the rock music world. Of course, Dio made it look the coolest. But Lennon takes the honour. By the way, that devil horns hand sign dates back centuries in several cultures, but I do know that in Italy and India it was used to ward off bad luck, evil omens, and to protect one's home and land from anything unfavourable. The "devil horns" is not to be confused with the international sign language signal for "love", where the thumb in extended. 

Some old Beatles books I dug up out of my collection:

some bios and a songbook - the one from which I learned

some of my first tunes on guitar