When I was a boy there were two
Beatles compilation albums in the sideboard - The Red Album (1962-1966) and The
Blue Album (1967-1970.) On the front cover of each album Paul, John, George
and Ringo are looking down into the camera. Here I am
in Manchester Square in Marylebone in central London where the photographs were
taken. It was EMI’s headquarters. The old building has been much updated but
you can still see the line in the brickwork where the famous glass atrium once was.
I took a few pictures and spotted someone
watching me from one of the windows (they must be used to geeks by now.) As EMI
was a big label some massive musicians and bands must have visited this
building in the sixties and seventies. If you read the best biography about the
Beatles (by Hunter Davies) by the time The
Blue Album was released the lads were tiring and even hating being The Beatles
(especially George.) Folk say Yoko's presence at recording sessions irritated
the lads and split them up but there was a raft of other things: the end of
touring, musical differences, the rejection of George's songs, individual
artistic agendas, general animosity and Brian Epstein's suicide.
I stood by the railings where David Bowie once
stood (see photo) and wondered how many people walk passed this place without
knowing the biggest and the best of musical talent had been there.
As it used to look…
David Bowie…