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On Saturday August
25th 2001, I asked my good friend and Beatlefan Patti Sekers from the
USA to help me arrange a rather special meeting with a rather special
person at a rather special time. - It was the height of Beatle
Week here in Liverpool and everywhere you turned there was famous faces
from all four corners of this fantastic story - Astrid Kirsher, Klaus
Voorman, Mae Pang, Alan Williams, Charlie Lennon and Julia Baird to
name a few. - But I was hoping to meet a man who made his mark in the
history of modern times by signing his name on a peice of paper.
On an ordinary day
in Liverpool many years ago, six people met in a city centre basement
office to agree a deal, where was that basement ?, what was that deal
?
Brian Epstein had managed to change the nature
of his family business from home furnishings to record discs, partially
because of his love of classical music and partially because of the
changing values, needs and demands of a post war Britain. NEMS Enterprises
was Brians record store situated at number 12 Whitechapel, Liverpool
- Brian had persuaded a local beat combo that he was the one who could
take them on to the next stage of their journey, and so he did.....
some stage......some journey!! - In the words of John Lennon "Go
on then Eppy, manage us !"
So there they were in the basement of NEMS record store to sign the
contract that would forever change the face of popular music, John Lennon,
Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Star, Brian Epstein and Alistair
Taylor - Brian's personal assistant. Legend has it that all four Beatles
signed, Alister signed and Brian, in his excitment forgot ! -
so from the side of "The Management" it was Alistairr who
made history, he signed, not Brian !
Now I had heard
that Alistair had not been back in that room for fourty years, so with
the kind permission of the present occupiers, back we went - myself,
Alistair, Jean Catherall (President of Liverpool Beatlescene) and Patti
Sekers. We were treated to a special and one off visit to that room.
The following pictures tell the story.
Please note the visit was granted by special arrangement
and I have been asked by the owners of the property to request that
Beatles64 visitors do not approach the owners regarding visits.
Steve Barnes - 2001
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