1981 - The HARDEST Year For Beatles Fans? The FULL Story of That Year

1981 was a tough year to be a Beatles fan. John was gone and Paul was nowhere to be seen and the only Beatles music in the chart was the 'Stars on 45' medley. However, there was no shortage of stories top report by the press. In this video, the second of our scrapbook series, we cover all the major Beatles-related stories year via contemporary UK news and music paper cuttings - many of which may be new to you.
Some of our other KZbin videos you may enjoy:
Scrapbook collection unboxing: • Unboxing Huge Beatles ...
Beatles stories from 1980: • How the UK Press React...
'Beatles World Records Box Set' review: • The Beatles 1980 World...
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[@elwin38]

Ironically, 1981 was the year i became a Beatles fan. I was 12yrs old when John was killed and that woke me up to the impact of Lennon and the Beatles in music/world history. I saw the movie Help! for the first time in the spring of '81 and i was hooked. Growing up in the inner city/'hood, i used to get teased and laughed at for listening to the Beatles but i'm still a fan.

[@carlnielsen3477]

And it was the year I jumped of the waggon for some time after some very enthusiastic years. But I came back some years later and is still a big fan of The Beatles today.

[@adderal2147]

Same thing. I became a Beatles fan and had an obsession with them from 2011 to 2013. People used to say shit about Beatles because they where "for children" and "old music" but they where a turning point in my musical knowledge. Now people seem to have a renewed interest in them and I'm glad about that!

[@krycklund]

Man, the way the press treated the surviving Beatles and particularily Paul in the year after John's death is nothing short of disgusting.

[@PeacefulAutistic]

Yeah. Didn’t they literally harass Paul about his feelings and thoughts when all Paul wanted to do was move forward and try to live his best life? Like jeez. One of his best friends died. One of them was marrying. One of them was just reconnecting and reconciling all the mistakes made through the late 60s and through the 70s

[@farrellmcnulty909]

@@PeacefulAutistic admittedly I tbought Paul was a non-caring dick when I first heard "drag, isn't it". The poor old man may never live that down. It was sarcasm, sort of "well how do you think it feels? What do you suppose I think of John's murder?" He didn't have time to get his thoughts together. He was shattered, man...all in pieces.

[@oui2611]

it was the 80s they were all on coke writing these articles

[@farrellmcnulty909]

@@oui2611 That makes perfect sense. This kind of "journalism" makes me wonder what it is their subjects did to them in order to make them write with such rancor. Meghan Markle, I can perfectly understand because she's asking for it all, but not the Beatles.

[@moonmad7]

1970 was the toughest year for me as a Beatles fan.

[@davidbowman4259]

One never fully gets over the Beatles. I still miss them. But I have their music, which is classic and timeless. Greatest band ever -- musically, sociologically and culturally.

[@paulfrost8895]

They sure made their mark on history.

[@themadafaka6839]

So sad to say... But, John's tragic death was what introduced me to his music and The Beatles and their music.. with the indirect help from my older sisters. And I've been a long-time fan ever since.

[@andrewmcinnis1123]

Same here! I was 10 in December 1980 and have been a die hard dedicated fan ever since! I was obsessed with everything Beatles at that time! I played Double Fantasy endlessly and any of my Mother’s Beatles albums and 45s she had from the 60s! 😊

[@Sugarnaut]

That’s the year I became a Beatles fan so I didn’t have anything for comparison. Listened to my sister’s red album every day after school. Loved All Those Years Ago and Stars On 45 that summer.

[@michaelrochester48]

Somewhere in England was a great George Harrison album. All those years ago continues to be a classic

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Blood From A Clone is also superb - I love the odd change to the timing during the guitar solo

[@farrellmcnulty909]

@@simonhodgetts6530 oh yeah, Blood From a Clone is hysterically funny. George never pulled any punches when criticizing anything.

[@farrellmcnulty909]

On the CD remaster I love the acoustic demo version of Save the World at the end. It's more melodic than the finished version.

[@Nina5144]

Double Fantasy was disappointing and forgettable

[@joelnehl]

⁠@@Nina5144I love Double Fantasy!

[@jacknewman9256]

I never knew All Those Years Ago was criticized. Beautiful melody and lyrics that bring tears, very well thought out. I can't put '81 as the worst year just cuz of that song. George raked his way through the muck and wrote a simple and innocent love ballad

[@newwavepop]

yeah i have always liked that song, before i had even actually discovered the Beatles music.

[@paulfrost8895]

Every year has it's ups and downs ' 81 would have been no different ' rock stars ' film stars eg ' have passed in many other years besides ' including this one.

[@KenLieck]

Well, he only had the one clipping to work from. Wikipedia also only has one example on their page about the single, but it says: Record World described the song as a "buoyant reminiscence [that] features George's fluid guitar lines with help from Paul, Ringo and Linda." On the page for the LP they add that critic Robert Christgau hated the album but he praised the single quite highly.

[@michaelmott1498]

I cannot believe Birth of the Beatles has not been remastered and re-released as a clean cut. It’s a great flick and MacKenna was a great Lennon

[@juancarlosgonzalezmartinez8793]

amazing movie!!!!! i saw it many times and I Loved it!!!

[@bartoncross-tierney8941]

Much like Dave Clark Productions being rather 'sticky' about releasing Ready, Steady, Go! video in ANY format (last one I have is on laser disc), Dick Clark Productions is equally tight fisted.

[@davids2720]

As I recall, they had that Eastenders no good, nasty Nick Cotton playing George Harrison. Surely the best dramatization of any Beatles’ related history was Bernard Hill’s portrayal of John Lennon in the TV film that came out mid 80s?

[@schitzwatz]

Agree. It's one of the most tolerable biopics of the Beatles. It captures the cheeky, irreverent Scouse humour which they surely would've have employed at their age.

[@michaelmott1498]

@@davids2720 I’ll have to look that up

[@joelgoldenberg1100]

For me, 1981 was the year I only listened to the Beatles. Thanks to my recording on cassette a multi-part radio show Beatles radio special that year, giving me the opportunity to delve deep into their catalogue beyond the U.S. 8-track tape of Rubber Soul and the Red and Blue albums a friend taped for me.

[@tommymaguire2839]

When this segment ended, I literally let out a "nooooooooo" while sitting alone in my music room on this cold rainy day in the suburbs of Philadelphia. The 1980 segment's finale begat the same reaction. Thank you Andrew. I was 17 on 1981 and seeing such a comprehensive recap of that mostly forgotten time in Beatles lore is endlessly satisfying. You are wonderful to share these clips with. Your professionalism and delivery is SO rare on this KZbin wasteland. Best to you man. Love, Tommy

[@farrellmcnulty909]

All things must pass, Tommy. 😉 But I agree. I could listen to Andrew for hours.

[@tommymaguire2839]

@@farrellmcnulty909 I see what you did there. Hahaha! Yeah Andrew is boss.

[@theomegaman218]

“Birth of the Beatles” was great. I (18 years) recorded it and watched it a 100 times. A great movie to learn the Beatle story in 1981. The next year VHS movie “The Compleat Beatles”released in 1982, a documentary chronicling the career of the Beatles was a big hit. Then a new generation learned the beatles history. After those two events the Rutles 1978 “All you need is cash” made sense.

[@Ross1966]

Saw Birth of the Beatles when it first aired in the States. I thought the later film, Backbeat, which covered the same period, was much better.

[@cosmicdonkey3473]

This is an absolutely fantastic series, it's so great to learn such detail about lesser-known Beatle years. As a 21-year-old, I'm limited to facts and personal testimonies - so getting to go into such detail makes me feel like I'm living through the early 80s as a Beatles fan! Thank you :)

[@Parlogram]

Glad you're enjoying it. More soon!

[@paulfrost8895]

The Beatles years were actually in the 60s ' this refers to how the media eg treated the surviving 3 in the first few months following John Lennon's murder ' personally I feel there was more to it than just some crazed phsco who saw John as his alter ego ' the US government ' and possibly his so called nearest and dearest Mrs Ono were not blameless ' I recall reading his biography which was written and published some years after his death 'called the lives of John Lennon ' and very interesting it was too ' see if you can obtain a copy it could be worth while.

[@farrellmcnulty909]

1981 was the first year I'd had a full time job, and with a ton of record shops around the area, my Beatles collection was stacking up. As you said, Andrew, those were the days.

[@farrellmcnulty909]

I bought Walking on Thin Ice because I absutely loved it. John did incredible guitar work on it and his solo after Yoko's spoken word passage went right tbrough me.

[@BugRib]

Yoko's shrieking is an acquired taste in my opinion. 😂

[@farrellmcnulty909]

@@phillipanderson7398 True, that did become annoying after about 5 seconds. Uh, John, can you give us a solo in this passage? By the way his solo at the end was mixed down too far. You heard it, but the mix was a bit too polished and slick.

[@louisbonilla6780]

@@phillipanderson7398 She was stabbing Chapman with every yelp - listen to it again! Absolutely brilliant! 😆

[@louisbonilla6780]

@@phillipanderson7398 Hahaha - Good One - Merry 🌲👍🇬🇧Christmas!

[@Ross1966]

Agreed, it’s Yoko’s best track and John’s guitar parts are amazing.

[@kevinjones9685]

Hard to deny that the little stretch in "love" from Drive My Car>What You're Doing>The Word>Drive My Car is a total moment of serendipity. Throw in the guitar break from Taxman and you have it all...

[@moreheff]

I turned 21 in this year. Never seen the Beatles movie you talk of and did not even know it existed!! I was too busy trying to be a rock star myself ( I failed although I do still play in a band now) whilst working for EMI Music Publishing at the time. I remember the ongoing saga about EMI not keeping up with demand for the Lennon records, but funnily enough not a lot else of what I heard here. Apart from the reaction of Paul to the press intrusion. Who can blame him for feeling a little paranoid at the time. However, I have to disagree regarding the Stars on 45 single. I hated it then and do not care much for it now either. I love the songs individually and had no desire to hear them shoehorned into a medley with other songs and a godawful Stars on 45 refrain with the incessant handclap drum beat in the background. Great work as always Andrew. Look forward to the next instalment.

[@Merseyrock]

I bought a copy of Season of Glass second-hand years after its initial release, some time in the late eighties. The original owner was moving out and selling his record collection; I picked it up randomly as the cover struck me. After listening to it for the first time I concluded that this album did for Yoko what John's 1970 Plastic Ono Band album did for him: It was a self-revealing/therapy sort of album. Some songs in it were not uninteresting either: No No No had an edge reminiscent of Walking On Thin Ice. The performance and mixing of some tracks was reminiscent of Yoko's contributions to Double Fantasy just some months prior. Not to mention the fact that many of the session musicians on DF are featured here as well! In some ways the album seemed like a sequel to Double Fantasy that would never come to be, with Yoko being left stranded in the studio with the same session musicians from DF. Minus John and his material, giving the album a DF-minus John atmosphere which made it an eerie listen, tbh. If Yoko sought to depict the presence (of John's haunting absence within the album tracks) by showing the half-empty glass on the cover, then I guess she succeeded, imo. One interesting bit of trivia is Sean narrating at the opening of one of the tracks on Side A.

[@guillermosanchez8843]

My sister was in England in the summer of 1981, she was there during Wimbledon and the Royal Wedding. One of the things she bought for me during that trip was a Walkman (not a Sony but a Sanyo Walkman). I had only a handful of cassettes to play at that time; for my birthday in September I was given the "Stars on 45" album by one of my aunts, which quickly became one of my favorites.; the guy who sang John's Lennon's original vocals did a great job.

[@paulfrost8895]

You ever read his biography ' published posthumous ' named the lives of JL ' has a brilliant account of his life right from birth right through his fame years as a beatle ' right until his untimely death ' quite shocking revelations in it aswell.

[@lavallee1963]

The boy that sings like lennon is Bas Muys, an excellente singer and guitarrist from Holland. He recorded a complete album Beatles by bas muys in 1983 I thing is a very good album.

[@Vablonsky]

The Melody Maker critique of The Birth of the Beatles (saying that "[the] acting was so comprehensively wooden that the cast left puddles of sawdust in their wake") is the most devastating statement that I've ever heard in a movie review. Wow. But, I must admit that I chuckled. The movie itself aside, it's a very creative line.

[@xfoolsgoldx]

Loved the film, Birth of the Beatles back when I was a teenager back in the mid 80s👍

[@caseyosburn4998]

One positive in 1981 was July 4, 1981. Casey Kasem and American Top 40, who usually did a special countdown every year around the 4th of July to celebrate their anniversary, chose in 1981 to do the top 40 Beatles songs together and on their own. This aired across the country the weekend of July 4th-5th, 1981, and it was the first time many Beatle songs were broadcast over the air in FM stereo, as AM was primarily used in the 1960s during the songs first run. I was 8 years old when this aired, but I remember it very clearly. I had 4 older brothers who loved the Beatles and so I that's all I heard the first 10 years of my life. I remember my brothers were disappointed there was so many solo songs in the countdown (17 of 40 were from John, Paul, George and Ringo's solo career post-Beatles). I purchased a copy of the original countdown this past summer to listen to as we shot off fireworks, and it was probably the most enjoyable AT40 ever broadcast.

[@spinninground]

I remember buying "Season of Glass" when it came out and thought that as an album it was much better than any of Yoko's work on Double Fantasy or Milk and Honey and played it a lot. It is a great artistic statement and I will have to pull the record out this week and have another listen to it and reassess. I was one of the few who loved Walking on Thin Ice and was saddened that there would be no more new recordings from the two of them together.

[@thechuckster6838]

This was great! 1981 saw me living in New York. I got to see the constant press output from my side of the pond, but I can't ever remember Capitol records here in the states experiencing a shortage of Lennon material, it gave me the opportunity to replace my original Lennon albums which were worn beyond belief. Also, the Live Peace In Toronto album finally saw the light of day again, as that album had been deleted for many years prior to December 8th. I have live audio from the New York rock stations shortly after the tragedy and I made the trip to the Dakota the very next morning. It was a madhouse! This posting Brough me back to that time all over again.

[@joelgoldenberg1100]

Starsound's Stevie Wonder medley was great. Apparently, even Stevie Wonder thought it was himself singing - the soundalike was that good.

[@normansaunders6891]

Hi Andrew, Another brilliant memory jog. John's senseless murder was one of those moments that you can remember exactly what you were doing when you heard the news. The Stars On 45 singles were a welcome breath of fresh air snd should have prompted a properly produced medley of Beatles songs. The Rock 'N' Roll Music and Movie Medleys always seemed a bit amateurish (The 1964 "Around The Beatles" medley seems better produced) but the 25 year wait for Love was well worth it.

[@KevinTheCaravanner]

Wow, what a trip down memory lane. I was lost in 1981. Stunned that John was no longer with us and the Beatles could never reform. I bought all the singles you showed, apart from Stars on 45. I still have them. To me, the biggest music event of 1981 wasn’t Beatles related. In fact it was two events. The release of ELO’s masterpiece Time in July, and Queen’s Greatest Hits in October.

[@tammylewis2408]

I was saddened by John's death, we all were because we loved him so much and were happy to get a new album from him. And there was a lot of press coverage about John's life and tragic death. There were numerous tributes, and sales of Beatles records and collectibles skyrocketed, and the worldwide hit of the Stars on 45 Beatles medley (I had the 45, and played it constantly). Meanwhile, another star was emerging....Lady Diana Spencer. As I watched the news of Prince (now King) Charles announcing his engagement to Diana in February 1981, she was 19 and a kindergarten teacher, I thought "she's not much older than me" (I was 13), but she was very pretty. And the royal wedding, she was stunning in her wedding dress and riding in the gold carriage; we all thought she would have her happily ever after, but as history showed, she didn't, and like John, she was taken from us too soon. But she was a global superstar, and like the Beatles, was mobbed constantly by the media, and faced difficulties in her marriage behind the scenes, similar to what happened to the Beatles in their final years with their difficulties. When she died in 1997 and was grieving for her, I began thinking about how she came at a time in Britain when they were still grieving over the death of John, similar to when John and the Beatles came at a time when people were grieving over the death of JFK, and between the Beatles and John's death was about 16, almost 17 years apart, roughly the same time between the death of John and the death of Diana. Elton John was friends with both of them and recorded "Empty Garden" (for John) and "Candle in the Wind '97" (for Diana). Sorry for my digress.....

[@sliat1981]

To me Ronald Reagan being shot was way bigger news than the royal weddng

[@BugRib]

Good observations and parallels! 👍 Funny he we psychologically feel like we know these famous people personally. A more recent celebrity death that really got to me was Robin Williams. 😢

[@paulfrost8895]

Diana was no angel ' but then who is ' her wedding to Charles was exactly how it was labeled ' a fairy tale ' couldn 't have been a worst match.

[@jackdubz4247]

As someone who was born in 1979, I remember the Eighties being a rough decade for The Beatles (both former members and fans) in general. They just seemed to fall out of fashion until the mid-Nineties brought them back with a bang.

[@catsofsherman1316]

As someone born in 1969, I remember the 80s being a rough decade for music in general. Bad synths, drum machines, and gated reverb destroyed so much music. The great artists of the 60s and 70s descended into mediocrity.

[@gns423]

@@catsofsherman1316 Very well said. I couldn’t agree with you more.

[@theomegaman218]

The 80’s was the best. Beatles every where on TV.

[@jackdubz4247]

@@theomegaman218 But they weren't very well regarded. The Beatles, back in the Eighties, were old fogey music that your parents listened to. They weren't hip or happening. Not in the way they were in the Sixties, or would become again in the mid-Nineties.

[@joelgoldenberg1100]

I also had that McCartney interview album. It was where I first became aware of the tensions involved in the making of the White Album and there was that eerie coincidence of the sound of a siren when Paul started talking about the Beatles.

[@marcvallverdugordi6199]

I expected more info on Harrison's Somewhere in England, and how he was asked to change the list of tracks it initially contained, and how some of initial songs like Sat Singing have not been released!

[@archieleechjb]

Anytime "Walking On Thin Ice" comes up, I say it was the best song anyone named Lennon recorded in 1980. About Seasons of Glass...for many years I had a hard time listening to Double Fantasy - John was so vulnerable on it, and Yoko's singing was not as professional as I was used to. Now I realize what a brave statement it was for a hardcore rock-and-roller to put this out, and Yoko's best deserves to be here - "Your tears are streaming even when you're smiling" is lovely. Seasons of Glass is more of this, but even better, with fuller sound, and a tough, mournful feeling. It's not fun, but it's real. Anyone who likes Neil Young's Tonight's the Night should appreciate it. Great job, Andrew, bringing me back to the year I turned 19.

[@paulfrost8895]

This was in the wake of John lennon' s murder ' so no surprise ' great music otherwise just like any year in that era ' unlike 21st century crap.

[@Nina5144]

It was awful. The album was a waste of time. Painful to the ears

[@farrellmcnulty909]

@@Nina5144 Season of Glass or Double Fantasy?

[@TheCliffandPhilShow]

@@nah....6151 From mummy's basement no less!! :)

[@paulfrost8895]

@@Nina5144 Screeching as I remember ' Yoko was a suspicious character ' still think she was possibly behind John's murder ' of course that will never be proven

[@mattgaskell945]

Great stuff as always, Andrew! Great to see the news clippings. As I remember things really picked up in 1982. Tug of war, Beatles 20 Greatest Hits, John Lennon Collection, The Complete Beatles VHS, The Girl is Mine, & The 20th anniversary Beatles singles began. Gone Troppo as well for what it’s worth.

[@farrellmcnulty909]

Gone Troppi is a better album than for which it's credited.

[@catsofsherman1316]

20 Greatest Hits is the first Beatles album I bought. That record seems to have fallen off the planet. The edited Hey Jude just a faded memory.

[@anthonycraig1458]

@@catsofsherman1316 Yes the edited Hey Jude is an odd one. Here in the UK we got the full length version on 20 Greatest Hits

[@Clyde_Lewis]

I remember hearing "The Beatles: The Days of Their Lives" multipart radio documentary during the summer of 1981. It really was a standout of that time and had things I hadn't heard. Excellent.

[@timfurnier7061]

The Beach Boys medley of those years came as a result of the Stars on 45 doing as a follow-up to their Beatles medley a medley of Beach Boys songs. The Beach Boys asked why the public should accept the Stars COPYING their sound when they can have the real thing. So they made their own, and the Stars' version QUICKLY left the charts.

[@stevena9305]

For me personally 1981 was the birth of a lifelong Beatles fan - me! Brought up on Merseyside ( I was 15 at the start of 1981) the pain and shock of Johns murder was palpable. I knew who he was and asked my parents about the Beatles. They told me about their lunchtime visits to the Cavern and nights at the Tower Ballroom watching the then unknown Beatles perform and also at other local venues. In my parents very limited record collection I found a copy of Rubber Soul. “Oh somebody left it here after a party” I was told. I placed it carefully on my Dads Dynatron record player, curious to hear what the Beatles music sounded like and, glancing at the back cover, I noticed the first track was a song called Drive My Car….. I never looked back.

[@cliveedwards2958]

Yep I get that! It's the musical journey of a lifetime.

[@paulfrost8895]

I was introduced to them much earlier ' my Mum had a few of their albums +post beatle solo 's ' they were together when I was born (1967) think they were just on the verge of changing their style and music about that time ' Indian mystic eg ' from what I have learned over the years ' of course I was too young to remember when they were still together as a band ' was only around 2 or so when the split happened ' like 1969 or 70 latest ' I have distant memories of hearing Imagine being played at like 4/5 years of age ' plus many more during my childhood.

[@cliveedwards2958]

@@paulfrost8895 sounds like you have good parents with music taste. I was born in 64 so have a very vague memory of the split. Got into them after seeing Hard days night on bbc2 when I was off school in about 72 or 73...I was impressed by 'If I Fell'...and sang it to my mum later that day and she then explained who The Beatles were and sang me some of their other songs..that was me hooked on them..Nowhere man was allways my fave as a kid. Keep the faith !

[@barders]

1981 was the year my Mum bought my Dad the 8 Album EMI postal box set for his birthday. That set with its story telling on the back of each album completely hooked 13 year old me and since then, The Beatles have been a major part of my life.

[@Parlogram]

Such a great box set. We did a video about it a while ago: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGnEeHuGnpJ9hcU

[@barders]

@@Parlogram I enjoyed that video very much and it brought back such great memories of endlessly playing that set. I still have the albums but the box didn’t last too long from the constant use I recall.

[@cisium1184]

All I remember about "All Those Years Ago" is that everybody liked it and it made them tear up a little.

[@moondogaudiojones1146]

Very cool Andrew! The amazing thing I found out was that there are 2 versions of Birth Of The Beatles. One “clean” and one with nudity. The Life drawing class. Great as always, sir! I thought the movie was good. Season of glass was brilliant I thought. England is much tougher on Yoko’s recordings. This was a time I really connected with what she was trying to do. My humble opinion. Interesting times, indeed. Well put together.

[@seamussmith7310]

I enjoy this series Andrew . I can't believe you have not seen 'Birth of the Beatles ' wow!! I have it on video and yeah the acting is dodgy but it's not all bad. It was the only doc film of the Beatles John saw in 1979.

[@farrellmcnulty909]

What was really horrible was "John & Yoko : A Love Story". It's fun to see once or twice, but otherwise a complete pile of (peace). 😄

[@TheHutt]

He also definitely had seen The Rutles. :)

[@NewFalconerRecords]

@@TheHutt John was apparently lent a preview tape of The Rutles and they had trouble getting it back off him because he loved it so much.

[@TheHutt]

@@NewFalconerRecords Yeah, he also consulted Neil Innes which songs were too close to the original material, so that ATV might have a case when suing him for copyright infringement. They still did though.

[@NewFalconerRecords]

​@@TheHutt Those Rutles songs are brilliant in their own right.

[@karenjoannawarwick]

I love All those years ago by George Harrison , it will always be a favourite .

[@liammolyneuxmusic]

Another entertaining & informative video Andrew. Birth of the Beatles was quite funny, Thanks Andrew for your dedication in bringing all Beatles related stories to life again.🙌🙌👍

[@williamhild1793]

So glad the yearly post-Beatles re-caps will continue. Eagerly awaiting 1982 and beyond!

[@patriciaeddy7629]

Bought each one of their new on their own albums and liked Paul's,but really loved George's All Things Must Pass. Bought John's and dug it all.

[@antoniodalfonso]

This was such a pleasant document! Respectful, critical, humorous! Can't wait for part 3!

[@Parlogram]

Thank you, Antonio. More soon!

[@johncarsell1205]

Thanks Andrew. Oh yeah, the hassles involved in the pre-internet days of finding rare records. Over here in the states the best bet was to put an ad in Goldmine record collector's magazine. It was time consuming and at times unsuccessful but I did find some very good Beatles LP's that way.

[@beatlerob62]

Great video Andrew, thanks for sharing

[@Parlogram]

Thanks Rob. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@docscreations6672]

I LOVE these videos! I find them fascinating. Please do more. Also, a big thank you to the person who made all of these scrapbooks

[@Parlogram]

Thanks. More to come!

[@panslegs2773]

Another fascinating and informative wander down news clippings lane. Thanks.

[@aydinstone]

So long ago and yet it feels it was just yesterday. Thanks Andrew.

[@kenq1363]

Great video. Thank you sir.

[@Gothic55]

Another great trip down memory lane, thanks.

[@billleary5779]

Great video Andrew…..some of these news clippings were definitely news to me. I can’t imagine Somewhere In England getting any positive reviews in the UK. I know in the US Nicholas Schaffner (a great Beatles biographer) wrote a mixed review in Rolling Stone stating it goes from the sublime to ridiculous. Thanks for sharing this!

[@Parlogram]

Glad you enjoyed it, Bill!

[@chriscampanozzi6516]

Lennon's passing loomed large for teenage Beatles fans of the 1980s. Being one, I know. Thank you Andrew for all the great information.

[@Nina5144]

Yes his death was difficult for all. A peace maker being murdered. Unbelievable

[@jaymowil]

Such an excellent in-depth look at an interesting time in Beatle fandom. Thanks!

[@glennprangnell5767]

Really enjoyed this video. 1981 is very clear in my mind. I saw 'Birth Of The Beatles' when it was first shown on TV in December 1980. On the 3rd of January '81(one month before my 18th birthday), I was in Liverpool for the opening of Cavern Mecca in Mathew Street. Allan Williams, Bob Wooler and Lord Woodbine were there. Allan Williams commented several times about 'that awful film Birth of the Beatles'. I went to the premiere of 'Rockshow'. So many memories.

[@deccagonerecords]

I absolutely love this series!! Please more if possible..

[@Parlogram]

More soon, Tim.

[@joedee9811]

Really enjoy these year in review scrapbook episodes. They are great fun for people who weren’t around at the time like myself. And they really drive home the point of how pompous and self important so many music “journalists” and critics were. Also, speaking of Cynthia and May, I was at a book signing for Cynthia’s book “John” in ‘05 I think it was, here in NYC, and May Pang was also there “to support her friend” in her words, and even signed the book too. So it’s nice that that friendship lasted.

[@Parlogram]

Great story, Joe. More scrapbook episodes to come.

[@christophecasanave236]

Fantastic !!! Thank you so muh ! it's unic!!!

[@markjamesmeli2520]

Oh wow. Ringo USED to be gray-haired!! 😆 Still, this is a fantastic reflection of a very dark time in music history. Thank you Andrew.

[@Parlogram]

Glad you enjoyed it, Mark!

[@BilisNegra]

Yeah, when he was exactly half his current age! 😂

[@SteviesVinylCupboard]

Lovely video, love your production. Those Stars on 45 were very popular, just shows the power of the Beatles cannot be underestimated. Sawdust across the floor haha

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Stars On 45 was one of the only tapes we had in our car in the early 80s……..I knew it note for note!

[@charlesbronson4282]

This episode was a "masterwork". Good job

[@kevinlee3182]

Seasons of Glass. I bought it in 1981 and enjoyed it on the same level as I do the Plastic Ono Band. It was cathartic with her raw emotion yet very listenable. I was 18 in 1981 and bought every Beatle piece I could get my hands on.

[@gogojoob]

About Stars on 45, I had exact the same feeling about it. It was refreshing at first at that moment..

[@jan-willemvanderzwet8569]

Great video! Greetings from Spain

[@catsofsherman1316]

I really enjoyed Birth of the Beatles. I like it more than Backbeat. I have a very rough copy that I transferred to DVD from a vhs recording off tv in the 80s. A remastered blu-ray is overdue. Wonder who has the rights to it. You don't look old enough to have been involved in Beatles collecting in 1981. I was a couple of years away from discovering what would become a lifelong obsession as a young kid at the time. I remember hearing Watching the Wheels on radio and really loving it, but not knowing it was John Lennon. I liked All those years ago too and didn't know who George Harrison was. I would like a time machine ride back to those Young and Innocent Days.

[@nicknikipediacaulkin5943]

Another fascinating video concetrating on the 1981 scrapbooks. I thought George's All Those Years Ago was a worthy release, despite what the NME thought! Glad to hear that you got all the Beatles albums you wanted through your Record Collectors ad! I remember when that publication, for a time, contained the republished Beatles Monthly Book magazines. I think this was during 1980/81.

[@a013086]

Just great! I love these "time machines". Andrew rules!!

[@monaural2.988]

1981 found me tuning in more and more to the new wave sounds of KROQ in Los Angeles, if only to escape the brutal post-Lennon months the new year brought. I turned into a huge fan of one act in particular, the Go-Go’s, who exuded the fun and freshness of 1964 Beatles. Later on came the Bangles, who had a similar outlook on Rock, while celebrating their love for all things 60’s in their music. I had once held a small hope for a Beatles resurgence and reunion in the late 70s, but now those dreams were torched to ashes. Same as what happened to JFK. And so it was about moving on to some kind of substitutes.

[@rikkousa]

I remember to see KROQ days vividly--from 82-87 were great days in music.

[@TheAndrewmcnelis]

Brilliant, thank you.

[@ciroperez5383]

i really like this new kind of videos. it helps to see how it was being a fan of the beeatles in the past because i am 17 years old. greetings from argentina and you can find the birth of the beatles on youtube

[@Yardbirds777]

Thanks Andrew. Another brill sort through the cuttings. It's a slightly strange experience for me, 'cause I encountered the Beatles so much earlier. I probably first encountered them on Brian Matthews Saturday Club in 1963 ( I was 9) and the next big memory was Sunday Night at the London Palladium in October 1963. WOW!!!. Did I watch them on Juke Box Jury? I think I must've done. The big event was Mum taking us to our local cinema to see A Hard Days Night in 1964. I'd just turned 10. I can still hear the noise!!!!! For me the real tragedy was the breakup in 1969. There was still so much there. I love Abbey Road, but I also love bits of Let It Be, especially Get Back. Anything afterwards was just for me irrelevant. I didn't even know about the film Birth of the Beatles...or that 45. I bought Double Fantasy as a Christmas present for my sister for Christmas 1980 and we opened it the night after his death and listened to it and cried. It's wonderful that their music and fame still attracts young people today.

[@thehighllama8101]

I think All Those Years Ago was an excellent single, so you're a bit too hard on it. I first heard it on the radio when I was 7 years old, back in 1981. I didn't know it was by George Harrison, and I had no idea the lyrics were about John or that Wings played on the track. I just thought it was a great, poppy single, and I loved the song's synth intro.

[@catsofsherman1316]

I liked it too. I was 11 and had no context. It was just a bouncy pop tune on the radio.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

I still have a copy of the single. The B side ‘Writing’s On The Wall’ is excellent too.

[@KenLieck]

The fascinating thing about the Walking on Thin Ice single was that it was the last thing John finished before he was killed, and he told Yoko upon listening to the completed mix that he believed it was going to be her first number one hit. And although on the pop charts it did not do so well, as recounted in the video, it did in fact become Yoko's first number one hit on the Billboard Dance/Club Chart in 2003, verifying John's prediction and kicking off an uninterrupted string of 13 number one hits for Yoko on that chart that concluded in 2017, making her the 11th most popular Dance/Club music performer in history! An entire generation of club kids still thinks of Yoko as the grandma with all the great tracks to dance to!

[@robertwilkinson5865]

Especially interesting seeing this as someone who wasn’t around back then. So many little stories and details I never would have learned about in the shadow of the big ones.

[@paulknight9998]

Great stuff. You should do a video like this for every year.

[@ecfan-addict9477]

So many memories! Again, as a US fan my experience was a bit different in places: "Birth of the Beatles" is a 1979 memory for me, and I was able to pick up "The McCartney Interview" quite easily in 1980. But this really brought 1981 back for me. My memories of Dec. 1980 were published in Larry Kane's "Lennon Revealed," but it's been awhile since I gave much thought to 1981 - a tough year indeed for Beatlemaniacs! I still have the tattered, well-read copy of "SHOUT!" inscribed to me from my Dad for my 12th birthday in July (I also got George's new LP with "All Those Years Ago" for that birthday), a LIFE magazine with coverage of Ringo's wedding, the Stars on 45 single that I probably listened to more than it deserved, and even a Beatles scrapbook that I myself started that year! One thing we had in common: I dutifully purchased "Walking on Thin Ice," but skipped "Season of Glass." LPs took more allowance money, and I still needed a copy of "Shaved Fish!"

[@Parlogram]

Great memories!

[@angusmccartney7036]

Another great video Andrew! Would love to see more about the solo years.

[@Parlogram]

Thanks Angus. More soon.

[@TheHutt]

Thanks for the great overview of 1981! I have had a chat with the German back catalogue marketing manager at EMI Electrola who told stories how they immediately planned to have a tribute album even in December '80 - however, the UK mothership deemed it to be in bad taste and scrapped the plans. As for 1981, yeah, the market for Beatles stuff was im turmoil. There were Dutch, French and Swedish contract pressings in German covers, because Electrola in Cologne couldn't meet the demand. I have several of those.

[@fbt25]

I received Season of Glass as a bonus for another purchase but I haven't listened to it yet. Your video encouraged me to. Thanks!

[@misterzombo9931]

Great video as always, best wishes!. it´s a hard life.

[@dadaalice]

Interesting video, thank you.

[@keeganmet257]

That intro was great!

[@jimcabezola3051]

Mahalofor this superb retrospective! I watched when the BBC broadcast "Help!" a day or so after it happened. I stared at the Teletext for hours wishing the whole thing was a mistake... Seeing the Radio Times notice for that drama about the Beatles...I was too depressed to bother watching it. Living in the US now, I probably will never give it a look. Coildn't stand all the tabloid press surrounding the Fab Four; I admire your intestinal fortitude in bearing up to all those press cuttings of the day. You're made of sterner stuff than I. In 1981...I buried myself in the Royal Wedding hype and the Space Shuttle news. The shootings of Reagan and the Pope were just little bumps along the way. The release of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (I traveled all the way to London to watch it) was the only bright spot in a dismal year. Mahalo for a tour of 1981 from a Beatle admirer's perspective. Looking forward to 1982 now...as I did back in 1981...

[@TheWalrusWasDanny]

Fab vid!! Rock and roll!! Danny

[@lonesomelooch5661]

Love this style of video too. Hope You keep doing both!

[@Parlogram]

More to come!

[@68024]

Very thorough as usual, interesting informatoin

[@coolcatkid7627]

I hope you have more scrapbooks because these videos are great

[@Parlogram]

Yes, more soon.

[@marktubeie07]

Great series Andrew! I wonder if the person who owned the yearly scrapbooks (of which you did an opening on your channel) which inspired this series are aware of your efforts to bring them to life? I would like to think so 👍

[@Parlogram]

Me too!

[@DerekSee]

Another great video! I loved ‘Birth Of The Beatles’ when I was a little kid [I remember watching it at least twice) but wonder how well it would translate today. Yoko’s ‘Seasons Of Glass’ is an incredible album, but very difficult to listen to, as the intensity of the subject matter and her grief is overpowering. I consider it a masterpiece, and play it every few years where the overwhelming sadness of John’s murder hits again.

[@timfisher5925]

Hi Andrew, I have very vivid memories of these stories. I was 16 in April 1981 I got into the Beatles like so many fans when the Beatles and John's music flooded the radio and tv when he was assassinated. At the time there was an amazing record shop in Croydon called beano's owned by Dave Lashmar who I got to know, I seem to remember a beano's bag popped up in your record stores video . I remember going in there and buying a whole stack of Beatles singles in decent nick and going home and playing both sides endlessly. Those were the days when we didn't even know which Singles and albums were released and we had to work out which records we did not have. Eventually I got every Beatles record most original 60's copies some repressing's. The time on reflection is bittersweet it was my own Beatlemania experience coupled with intense sadness that John was gone and there could be no more music from him. These were the days when a mint copy of Love me do could be bought for £25 (those were the days!) I also remember in about 1982 seeing a copy of the Please Please me LP in mono with the gold label on the wall with a note saying that some copies were released on this label and were rare (no mention of a stereo copy) it was near mint and the price was £100. The magic of going into that store and finding Beatles records in charity shops for pennies were magic memories. Thanks for the video great memories

[@Parlogram]

Great days. Thanks for the memories, Tim!

[@jeff901]

Pete Best was listed as "technical advisor" on Birth of the Beatles.

[@andresf1984]

I was only born in 1984, so this is a great perspective for me. Awesome series!

[@Ric-Roze]

All those years ago is a awesome tune

[@aureliande2659]

18:55 re Yoko's Season of Glass: This is the closest she ever came to a pop-rock album. It's a good album with competent musicianship and inventive songs. At least two of them -- Nobody Sees Me Like You Do and Toy Boat have VERY Beatlish chord changes and sound like John might have given a hand during the composition stage. Or is it mimicry? Earl Slick, one of the guitarists, remembers that co-producer Phil Spector had the nerve to brandish a gun in the studio just a couple of months after John's assassination. Apparently Yoko threw him out and finished the production on her own. BTW, Walking on Thin Ice is NOT included in the album, at least in my copy! I bought that separately as a 12" single.

[@farrellmcnulty909]

It wasn't on my original LP pressing, either, but might've been a bonus track on the CD.

[@farrellmcnulty909]

That explains why it doesn't really sound like a "SPECTOR" album. She probably fired him early into the sessions. Good on her, because after what she went through, the last thing she needed was to be in the same space as some asshole with a gun.

[@tonihernandez6862]

wow, this is a great post - thank you! i remember all these stories, as i had been a beatles fan and follower since the late 60s. i subscribed to a fanzine called "Strawberry Fields Forever" by Joe Pope in the mid-70s. thats when i learned about the first beatlefest in boston (76?). it was featured in creem magazine, and reported that someone paid the outrageous amount of $125 for the butcher cover, or as creem put it "for a piece of cardboard". all those years ago, keep up the great work!

[@Parlogram]

Great memories, Toni! Thanks for watching!

[@matthewhodgson4447]

Hearing that story about Northern Songs makes me look forward to about 1985. Kinda interesting story to learn about in the history of the Fab Four

[@charliebadger]

I think the Birth of The Beatles is one of the finest Beatle films. You get a feeling of hamburg and the damp squalid conditions they lived through, more than any other film.

[@derekroberts6654]

i strongly believe that they should’ve got Bud Court to play Paul…

[@robertdillon6821]

Saw it at the cinema in Sydney in '79.... great movie

[@Kieop]

@@derekroberts6654 Would've put an interesting spin on it. Probably more accurate too.

[@lefthand84]

I've been playing the Walking on Thin Ice 45 in my DJ sets lately. Doesn't exactly fill the floor, but no one complains!

[@rogerrambo4172]

SEASON OF GLASS in my opinion, might just be the greatest Beatles related album of the 80's (competition in the form of All the Best, Cloud Nine & Flowers in the Dirt). The amazing thing is the versatility Yoko shows with each track being holding its own identity. Mindweaver is a beautiful Torch Song to John & No No No is so ferocious with pain & anger (& police sirens) that it could have been recorded outside the Dakota at ten to eleven on 08/12/80. Nobody Sees Me like you & Goodbye Sadness are just beautiful. Put it this way, if Kate Bush or Annie Lennox had released this album with no differences to Yoko's version then we would be talking about platinum sales, multi grammy/brit awards & numerous books & documentaries about it. Yoko IS severely underrated & this album is her masterpiece. And good on her for putting the bloodstained glasses on the cover : John was more than just a news report or tabloid fodder, both godlike AND human but at the end of the day he bled like all of us would after the actions of total madness.

[@farrellmcnulty909]

That's a great point you made about this album getting more recognition if sung by Annie Lennox or Kate Bush. In fact, Harry Nilsson had a nice cover on the "Every Man Has A Woman Who Love Him" album with "Silver Horse" (I think it's called), so the music and lyrics are there.

[@EricMcDowellegm]

Season of Glass is Yoko's finest hour, in my opinion. Great points you make!