Saturday, 13th September

I caught two Beatles numbers on the Radio2 today: "For No One" at 16.52 pm and "Because" at 18.42 pm

I watched a documentary about Carole King tonight (BBC4). One of the talking heads remarked that her LP "Tapestry" (a favourite of mine) was a real hit when it was released - heard everywhere.  He could only compare its popularity to Sgt Pepper. I also learnt that she wrote the song Chains - which I also like very much not just because it was covered by The Beatles but because Stranded did a very good version too. 

I got ready for work to Hey Jude (Chris Evan's Monday Beatles slot is alive and well).  And was delighted with a question on BBC2's "Only Connect" as I ate my tea.  Q: What's the link between four clues, the last being Musical Subaqueous Craft.  The answer was yellow and the final clue: Yellow Submarine (ta-dah).

A bumper crop of references this weekend.  I heard John Lennon singing on Smooth Radio in Hinckley's Mind Charity shop on Saturday; Wings on R2 in my summerhouse this afternoon.



Peter Prichard

I've read Peter Prichard's obit in yesterday's Times (p76) - the show business agent and Ed Sullivan's eyes and ears in Europe who made the famous Beatles booking that led to a record 73 million Americans tuning in to see them : "The Beatles' sensational performance at Studio 50 on Broadway ... would not have happened but for the cool showbiz acumen of a largely unheralded figure back in London: the agent Peter Prichard.

The Beatles also featured in Daniel Finkelstein's Notebook (p21): "I am reminded of George Harrison's remark about writing Something  and Here Comes the Sun.  He said he hadn't seen himself as a songwriter, "but then I thought, if John and Paul can write, then everyone can write"".

And a few moments ago whilst checking to see if there are any tickets available for Wolf Hall (unsurprisingly, there are not) I saw that there's also a play on about Brain Epstein.



Best Beatle reference ever!  One of our new students is called Eleanor Rigby - and yes, she was named after the song.

Apparently today, is the day when John and Olivia married.   To celebrate, Chris Evans played Oh Sweet Lord - a song we all sung at Mike's funeral (which is just 7 days away from its 3 year "anniversary")

Monday, 1st September

"McCartney in storm of abuse after urging Scotland to stay ... McCartney, whose love song to Scotland, Mull of Kintyre, featured in the opening ceremony of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, signed a letter that made the case for the Union" (Times, p2)