One of my all time favourite Beatles songs, by
George Harrison from the 1969 album Abbey Road.
My mum was a huge Beatles fan and George Harrison was her favourite Beatle.
In her late teens in 1964, mum and four workmates caught the tram from their workplace in Carlton into the city on their lunch break, to see The Beatles wave from the Melbourne Town Hall balcony.
She is somewhere in that crowd - along with half of Melbourne by the look of it!
The Beatles, Southern Cross Hotel Balcony Melbourne 1964 - Check the people in the trees!
Image steve hoffman
Image steve hoffman
Mum had tickets way up the back when they performed at Festival Hall on that same Melbourne visit. Said she couldn't hear one song, not a single note - but she was there!
Ringo had been struck down with a severe case of Tonsillitis prior to the Australasian tour commencing, and remained in London to recover. Temporary replacement drummer Jimmy Nicol joined The Beatles so the tour could go ahead as planned. Ringo flew into Melbourne and reunited with the group on 14th June 1964 to complete the rest of the tour. Jimmy Nicol returned to the UK the following day.
Jimmy Nicol pictured with The Beatles at a press conference in Melbourne the day
Ringo rejoined the band after recovering from Tonsillitis. (Image Museums Aust)
Thank you so much, Donna- I absolutely ADORE that song!!! What wonderful photos, and so amazing that your mum was actually there in that crowd!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you love that song too Tove! I was really happy to have found those pics online of the Beatles visit in Melbourne after talking to mum about it the other day. Didn't look like there was much in the way of crowd control on those streets! x
DeleteRingo was my favorite Beatle when I was a 15-year-old kid in high school, but as I got older, George completely won my heart. By the time he organized the concert for Bangladesh, I was a goner.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about you lately, because I'm taking a History of Rock class free online through Coursera. I think you'd really enjoy taking the course too.
It's not too late to join, if you're interested. The deadline for the first quiz isn't till Sept 23, and you could easily watch all the video lectures before then. I watched all of them in a day or two.
I've already finished one Coursera course, and I'm currently taking 3 more. I'm hooked on the things! :)
You were a fan of George too! I really like him in his bearded 1969 era, plus I also loved Got My Mind Set On You and The Travelling Wilburys stuff too. The course sounds great!! I will definitely look into it this weekend. Thanks so much Dana - sounds like fun!
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