Post by eppy on Mar 19, 2008 12:32:58 GMT
I have come across this rare photo of which I have not seen before showing John Lennon and Elvis on the 27th August 1965 taken on the historic meeting between Elvis and all Four Beatles
Further details of that historic meeting are below, from interviews with the people who where there.
Joe Esposito Remembers
Q : How about that historic night with the Fab Four. We have the different
angles from some of the other guys who were there. Why don't we have you
just take us through it.
A : The day Elvis and the Beatles met. There's a lot of different versions
of this story. We've all gotten older. All our memories are different. And
maybe when you read things or believe certain things you read, which you
know are not true but eventually they become real. My recollection - -
only mine -- is when the Beatles first came to the United States, I think
it was 64. They wanted to meet Elvis and it never worked out. So in 65
when they came back again, Brian Epstein and Colonel Parker got together
and talked about seeing if they could arrange a meeting. Basically what it
was, they said fine.
Elvis was making a movie at the time, I forgot which one it was. And we
were at MGM studios and their road manager Malcolm Evans, nice man, he was
the biggest Elvis fan in the world. I mean he was amazing, bigger than the
Beatles were. So Malcolm came over to the studio to meet the Colonel and
he was all dressed up nice in his suit and tie, and everything like that.
So Colonel Parker called me on the set and he said, 'Joe, I need to talk
to you'. So I went over to the Colonels office. He introduces Malcolm. And
he said, 'Take Malcolm over to the set to meet Elvis and talk about what
night were going to get together'. And I said, 'Great'. So I took Malcolm
over there. He was a nervous wreck, the poor guy. I mean, he was just
shaking in his boots, I mean. You know, when somebody meets somebody they
idolize they don't know what to say, they can't talk. And I introduced
Malcolm to Elvis and he was so nervous he shook his hand and that was it.
There was nothing to say. You know, say something Malcolm, you know. But
he just said how much he admired Elvis and the Beatles are really anxious
to meet him and all of that. And basically all that happened that night.
So then I took Malcolm back to the office and Malcolm was just thrilled.
He couldn't believe his -- he says, 'I didn't know what to say'. He says,
'All my years wanting to meet Elvis and I didn't know what to say'.
So, OK we made arrangements for one night a couple of days later. What
happened is that Colonel Parker and myself had two limousines picked us up
at Elvis house. At the house was Elvis and Priscilla, and my wife Joan and
a bunch of the guy's girl friends and wives and stuff. And I went to the
house. The two limousines. The boys had a house rented up on Coldwater
Canyon. We went up there -- two limousines -- we went inside, met the guys
and a couple of their friends with them. Got in the limousines. Colonel
was with John and Paul in one limousine. I was with Ringo and George
Harrison in the other car and a couple of other guys, Malcolm the road
manager. And we all go back to the house. The Colonel, you know, being the
promoter that he is, he leaked it out that the Beatles are meeting Elvis
tonight. So we get out there and there's thousands of kids hanging all
over the walls, climbing the trees, and reporters. And we pull in, go into
the driveway and all the boys get out and we went to the door and Elvis
was there to greet them.
Now some people say that Elvis wasn't there, but Elvis was standing there,
from what I remember and a lot of the other guys remember. Elvis and
Priscilla were there to meet the guys, and they were introduced and Brian
Epstein and people like that all walked in to the living room -- the
family room. And the TV was on -- Elvis always had a television on -- all
the time. I don't care what it was, it was always on. It was like his
company, I guess. So we sat down and they talked for a little while. It
was really quiet. They all just sat there and looked at Elvis. They didn't
know what to say. The same thing I told you about before. I've met big
stars too and I didn't know what to say either. So they're the same way.
And like John Lennon said, 'If it wasn't for Elvis Presley, there would be
no Beatles'. So they idolized this guy. And that's where Elvis got up off
the couch and he said, 'Well, if these guys are all going to sit around
and look at me, I'm going to sleep'. And they said, 'No Elvis, we're sorry
we didn't know what to say. Let's sit down and talk and relax'.
Then they went and got a couple of acoustic guitars and sat around and
started playing some old songs. You know oldies, but goodies songs --Chuck
Berry tunes and just some instrumentals. I mean, that's what I remember.
Some guys say they didn't play. Some guys say they do. I heard them I
thought. Unless I'm losing my mind, too.
But at that time, we owned this roulette table. Actually it was a coffee
table and when you picked it up, you drop the legs off, took the top off,
it became a roulette table, like in Vegas. So, the Colonel said, 'You want
to play a little roulette?' So, I was the house. I was the banker. So we
started playing and Ringo would come over and play a little bit and George
Harrison played a little and a few of the guys. I was losing for a while
there and I was really hurtin'. All of a sudden I started winning and we
won. The other guys were playing guitar and singing and everything was a
real quiet evening. Very nice. it was polite.
It lasted for about two or three hours and there were no cameras taken --
no pictures whatsoever. People say there's pictures. No recordings,
nothing like that. The only pictures of that meeting were outside taken by
fans and photographers. Nothing on the inside. No pictures taken together.
And it was great. It was real enjoyable. They were real nice guys. I'm a
big fan of the Beatles too and that was it for the night.
Q : Did that night change Elvis perspective on the Beatles once he got the
chance to get to know them?
A : Well, Elvis loved the Beatles music. I mean, let's face it, he
recorded three of their songs. He just did -- Yellow Submarine that period
of time. He didn't care for those songs. Elvis was a very believed in
songs with a lot of good words and meaning with something behind them like
'Michelle' and 'Yesterday' and 'Hey Jude' and those songs. He didn't care
for that period of time. That was a drug time which was ironic. So, those
songs he didn't care about. But he didn't say anything bad about the
Beatles. I mean, there's always stories about him putting the Beatles down
and stuff like that. And we all say different things about different
people at different times and really don't mean. But overall, he respected
them.
Priscilla Presley Remembers (from 'Elvis by the Presleys')
Priscilla: Some stars want to meet other stars. Some stars have to hang
out with other stars. Not Elvis. I can't remember him once telling the
Colonel to arrange a meeting with anyone famous. He saw Hollywood as the
home of phonies. He certainly felt out of place, which is why the minute
the movie wrapped he was gone.
One memorable evening, the Colonel arranged for Elvis to meet four famous
people. But I believe it was the Beatles who were eager to meet Elvis, not
the other way around. In fact, when John, Paul, Ringo and George walked
in, Elvis was relaxing on the couch, looking at TV without the sound. He
barely bothered to get up. Naturally he was curious about the Beatles. He
respected them. Mostly he respected the way they had achieved their
artistic freedom. He saw how they did whatever they liked to do. He
appreciated their songs and especially their film 'A Hard Day's Night'
where their creativity and sense of fun came through so powerfully.
'Help!' was out or just about to be released. He also admired Bob Dylan
and appreciated Dylan's serious songwriting.
But Elvis, like all iconic entertainers, was conscious of competitors. He
understood that generational idols come and go, and that, for this new
generation, the Beatles were the new idols. He viewed this whole world of
music coming from England - the Beatles and Stones and the Dave Clark Five
- with tremendous interest and I suppose some trepidation. He acknowledged
their talent and energy - he told me so on many occasions - but he worried
about losing popularity. And in 1965, no one was more popular than the
Beatles.
The night they arrived at our house on Perugia Way in Bel Air there were
nearly as many security men outside as fans. This was definitely treated
as a summit. The fact that Elvis greeted them with studied casualness
didn't mean he didn't care. He did. He was simply affirming his role as
Original King. The Beatles respected that role enormously. When they were
escorted into our living room and finally greeted Elvis, all they could do
was stare, especially John and Paul. Intimidation was written all over
their faces. They couldn't have been more humble. At first it was awkward.
They looked to Elvis for an agenda. Clearly Elvis was running the show.
But Elvis was simply content to recline on the couch and watch soundless
TV. Was this going to be the extent of the evening's activities?
Thirty minutes or so into their visit, Elvis got up, put a song on the
stereo, picked up his bass and began playing along with the music. It
might have been something by Charlie Rich, I'm not sure, but it broke the
ice. Out came the guitars and a jam session was under way. Paul was
surprised Elvis played bass. The truth is that Elvis had been teaching
himself bass for a while and, given his natural talent, was accomplished
within no time. For the rest of the evening there was more music than
talk. I don't think Elvis asked the Beatles a single question and I know
the Beatles were too overwhelmed to ask a question of Elvis.
But they got along and made sweet music together. I regret that no one had
a camera or tape recorder to record the historic moment. When it seemed
Elvis was ready to retire, the evening came to an end, but not until we
all enjoyed several hours of music and idle chatter. John and Paul invited
Elvis to their place - they had leased a house in nearby Benedict Canyon -
the next night. Clearly they wanted to maintain and extend this
relationship. Elvis smiled and said, 'We'll see'. But I knew he had no
intention of returning the visit. Elvis rarely went out in Hollywood, not
even for show business royalty. Several of Elvis's boys, though, took up
the offer. When they returned they said that John wanted Elvis to know
that without him there would be no Beatles. He was their first and best
inspiration. Elvis liked hearing that, but even such a compliment wasn't
enough to invite them back.
The Beatles Remember
John Lennon
: When I first heard 'Heartbreak Hotel', I could hardly make
out what was being said. It was just the experience of hearing it and
having my hair stand on end. We'd never heard American voices singing like
that. They'd always sung like Sinatra or enunciated very well. Suddenly,
there's this hillbilly hiccuping on tape echo and all this bluesy
background going on. And we didn't know what the hell Presley was singing
about, or Little Richard or Chuck Berry. It took a long time to work out
what was going on. To us, it just sounded like a noise that was great.
It was nice meeting Elvis. He was just Elvis, you know? He seemed normal
to us, and we were asking about his making movies and not doing any
personal appearances or TV. I asked him if he was preparing new ideas for
his next film and he drawled, 'Ah sure am. Ah play a country boy with a
guitar who meets a few gals along the way, and ah sing a few songs'. We
all looked at one another. Finally Presley and Colonel Parker laughed and
explained that the only time they departed from that formula - for Wild in
the Country - they lost money.
He had his TV going all the time, which is what I do; we always have TV
on. We never watch it - it's just there with no sound on, and we listen to
records. In front of the TV, he had a massive amplifier with a bass
plugged into it, and he was up playing bass all the time with the picture
up on the TV. So we just got in there and played with him. We all plugged
in whatever was around, and we played and sang. He had a jukebox, like I
do, but I think he had all his hits on it. But if I'd made as many as him,
maybe I'd have all mine on.
Paul McCartney
: We met Elvis Presley at the end of our stay in L.A. We'd
tried for years to, but we could never get to him. He was our greatest
idol, but the styles were changing in favor of us. He was a pretty
powerful image to British people. You'd look at photos of him doing
American concerts, and the audience would not even be jumping up and down.
We used to be amazed, seeing them sitting in the front row - not even
dancing.
We played a bit of pool with a few of his motorcycle mates, and at about
ten o'clock, Priscilla was brought in. To demonstrate the respect that
country-and-western people have for their wives. Sometimes it's a bit on
the surface - as maybe their situation was shown to be later. It was like,
'Here's Priscilla'. She came in, and I got this picture of her as a sort
of a Barbie doll - with a purple gingham dress and a gingham bow in her
very beehive hair, with lots of makeup. We all said hello, and then it
was, 'Right, lads, hands off - she's going'. She didn't stay long.
That was the great thing for me, that he was into the bass, So there I
was, 'Well, let me show you a thing or two, El...' Suddenly he was a mate.
It was a great conversation piece for me. I could actually talk about the
bass, and we sat around and just enjoyed ourselves. He was great -
talkative and friendly and a little bit shy. But that was his image. We
expected that, we hoped for that.
It was one of the great meetings of my life. I think he liked us. I think
at that time, he may have felt a little bit threatened, but he didn't say
anything. We certainly didn't feel any antagonism.
These were great times, so even if you didn't enjoy all of the events that
much, you could still go home to Liverpool and say, 'Well, you know who I
met?' I mean, to meet Elvis, or anybody like that, or to say you've been
to Sunset Strip - it was very impressive
Further details of that historic meeting are below, from interviews with the people who where there.
Joe Esposito Remembers
Q : How about that historic night with the Fab Four. We have the different
angles from some of the other guys who were there. Why don't we have you
just take us through it.
A : The day Elvis and the Beatles met. There's a lot of different versions
of this story. We've all gotten older. All our memories are different. And
maybe when you read things or believe certain things you read, which you
know are not true but eventually they become real. My recollection - -
only mine -- is when the Beatles first came to the United States, I think
it was 64. They wanted to meet Elvis and it never worked out. So in 65
when they came back again, Brian Epstein and Colonel Parker got together
and talked about seeing if they could arrange a meeting. Basically what it
was, they said fine.
Elvis was making a movie at the time, I forgot which one it was. And we
were at MGM studios and their road manager Malcolm Evans, nice man, he was
the biggest Elvis fan in the world. I mean he was amazing, bigger than the
Beatles were. So Malcolm came over to the studio to meet the Colonel and
he was all dressed up nice in his suit and tie, and everything like that.
So Colonel Parker called me on the set and he said, 'Joe, I need to talk
to you'. So I went over to the Colonels office. He introduces Malcolm. And
he said, 'Take Malcolm over to the set to meet Elvis and talk about what
night were going to get together'. And I said, 'Great'. So I took Malcolm
over there. He was a nervous wreck, the poor guy. I mean, he was just
shaking in his boots, I mean. You know, when somebody meets somebody they
idolize they don't know what to say, they can't talk. And I introduced
Malcolm to Elvis and he was so nervous he shook his hand and that was it.
There was nothing to say. You know, say something Malcolm, you know. But
he just said how much he admired Elvis and the Beatles are really anxious
to meet him and all of that. And basically all that happened that night.
So then I took Malcolm back to the office and Malcolm was just thrilled.
He couldn't believe his -- he says, 'I didn't know what to say'. He says,
'All my years wanting to meet Elvis and I didn't know what to say'.
So, OK we made arrangements for one night a couple of days later. What
happened is that Colonel Parker and myself had two limousines picked us up
at Elvis house. At the house was Elvis and Priscilla, and my wife Joan and
a bunch of the guy's girl friends and wives and stuff. And I went to the
house. The two limousines. The boys had a house rented up on Coldwater
Canyon. We went up there -- two limousines -- we went inside, met the guys
and a couple of their friends with them. Got in the limousines. Colonel
was with John and Paul in one limousine. I was with Ringo and George
Harrison in the other car and a couple of other guys, Malcolm the road
manager. And we all go back to the house. The Colonel, you know, being the
promoter that he is, he leaked it out that the Beatles are meeting Elvis
tonight. So we get out there and there's thousands of kids hanging all
over the walls, climbing the trees, and reporters. And we pull in, go into
the driveway and all the boys get out and we went to the door and Elvis
was there to greet them.
Now some people say that Elvis wasn't there, but Elvis was standing there,
from what I remember and a lot of the other guys remember. Elvis and
Priscilla were there to meet the guys, and they were introduced and Brian
Epstein and people like that all walked in to the living room -- the
family room. And the TV was on -- Elvis always had a television on -- all
the time. I don't care what it was, it was always on. It was like his
company, I guess. So we sat down and they talked for a little while. It
was really quiet. They all just sat there and looked at Elvis. They didn't
know what to say. The same thing I told you about before. I've met big
stars too and I didn't know what to say either. So they're the same way.
And like John Lennon said, 'If it wasn't for Elvis Presley, there would be
no Beatles'. So they idolized this guy. And that's where Elvis got up off
the couch and he said, 'Well, if these guys are all going to sit around
and look at me, I'm going to sleep'. And they said, 'No Elvis, we're sorry
we didn't know what to say. Let's sit down and talk and relax'.
Then they went and got a couple of acoustic guitars and sat around and
started playing some old songs. You know oldies, but goodies songs --Chuck
Berry tunes and just some instrumentals. I mean, that's what I remember.
Some guys say they didn't play. Some guys say they do. I heard them I
thought. Unless I'm losing my mind, too.
But at that time, we owned this roulette table. Actually it was a coffee
table and when you picked it up, you drop the legs off, took the top off,
it became a roulette table, like in Vegas. So, the Colonel said, 'You want
to play a little roulette?' So, I was the house. I was the banker. So we
started playing and Ringo would come over and play a little bit and George
Harrison played a little and a few of the guys. I was losing for a while
there and I was really hurtin'. All of a sudden I started winning and we
won. The other guys were playing guitar and singing and everything was a
real quiet evening. Very nice. it was polite.
It lasted for about two or three hours and there were no cameras taken --
no pictures whatsoever. People say there's pictures. No recordings,
nothing like that. The only pictures of that meeting were outside taken by
fans and photographers. Nothing on the inside. No pictures taken together.
And it was great. It was real enjoyable. They were real nice guys. I'm a
big fan of the Beatles too and that was it for the night.
Q : Did that night change Elvis perspective on the Beatles once he got the
chance to get to know them?
A : Well, Elvis loved the Beatles music. I mean, let's face it, he
recorded three of their songs. He just did -- Yellow Submarine that period
of time. He didn't care for those songs. Elvis was a very believed in
songs with a lot of good words and meaning with something behind them like
'Michelle' and 'Yesterday' and 'Hey Jude' and those songs. He didn't care
for that period of time. That was a drug time which was ironic. So, those
songs he didn't care about. But he didn't say anything bad about the
Beatles. I mean, there's always stories about him putting the Beatles down
and stuff like that. And we all say different things about different
people at different times and really don't mean. But overall, he respected
them.
Priscilla Presley Remembers (from 'Elvis by the Presleys')
Priscilla: Some stars want to meet other stars. Some stars have to hang
out with other stars. Not Elvis. I can't remember him once telling the
Colonel to arrange a meeting with anyone famous. He saw Hollywood as the
home of phonies. He certainly felt out of place, which is why the minute
the movie wrapped he was gone.
One memorable evening, the Colonel arranged for Elvis to meet four famous
people. But I believe it was the Beatles who were eager to meet Elvis, not
the other way around. In fact, when John, Paul, Ringo and George walked
in, Elvis was relaxing on the couch, looking at TV without the sound. He
barely bothered to get up. Naturally he was curious about the Beatles. He
respected them. Mostly he respected the way they had achieved their
artistic freedom. He saw how they did whatever they liked to do. He
appreciated their songs and especially their film 'A Hard Day's Night'
where their creativity and sense of fun came through so powerfully.
'Help!' was out or just about to be released. He also admired Bob Dylan
and appreciated Dylan's serious songwriting.
But Elvis, like all iconic entertainers, was conscious of competitors. He
understood that generational idols come and go, and that, for this new
generation, the Beatles were the new idols. He viewed this whole world of
music coming from England - the Beatles and Stones and the Dave Clark Five
- with tremendous interest and I suppose some trepidation. He acknowledged
their talent and energy - he told me so on many occasions - but he worried
about losing popularity. And in 1965, no one was more popular than the
Beatles.
The night they arrived at our house on Perugia Way in Bel Air there were
nearly as many security men outside as fans. This was definitely treated
as a summit. The fact that Elvis greeted them with studied casualness
didn't mean he didn't care. He did. He was simply affirming his role as
Original King. The Beatles respected that role enormously. When they were
escorted into our living room and finally greeted Elvis, all they could do
was stare, especially John and Paul. Intimidation was written all over
their faces. They couldn't have been more humble. At first it was awkward.
They looked to Elvis for an agenda. Clearly Elvis was running the show.
But Elvis was simply content to recline on the couch and watch soundless
TV. Was this going to be the extent of the evening's activities?
Thirty minutes or so into their visit, Elvis got up, put a song on the
stereo, picked up his bass and began playing along with the music. It
might have been something by Charlie Rich, I'm not sure, but it broke the
ice. Out came the guitars and a jam session was under way. Paul was
surprised Elvis played bass. The truth is that Elvis had been teaching
himself bass for a while and, given his natural talent, was accomplished
within no time. For the rest of the evening there was more music than
talk. I don't think Elvis asked the Beatles a single question and I know
the Beatles were too overwhelmed to ask a question of Elvis.
But they got along and made sweet music together. I regret that no one had
a camera or tape recorder to record the historic moment. When it seemed
Elvis was ready to retire, the evening came to an end, but not until we
all enjoyed several hours of music and idle chatter. John and Paul invited
Elvis to their place - they had leased a house in nearby Benedict Canyon -
the next night. Clearly they wanted to maintain and extend this
relationship. Elvis smiled and said, 'We'll see'. But I knew he had no
intention of returning the visit. Elvis rarely went out in Hollywood, not
even for show business royalty. Several of Elvis's boys, though, took up
the offer. When they returned they said that John wanted Elvis to know
that without him there would be no Beatles. He was their first and best
inspiration. Elvis liked hearing that, but even such a compliment wasn't
enough to invite them back.
The Beatles Remember
John Lennon
: When I first heard 'Heartbreak Hotel', I could hardly make
out what was being said. It was just the experience of hearing it and
having my hair stand on end. We'd never heard American voices singing like
that. They'd always sung like Sinatra or enunciated very well. Suddenly,
there's this hillbilly hiccuping on tape echo and all this bluesy
background going on. And we didn't know what the hell Presley was singing
about, or Little Richard or Chuck Berry. It took a long time to work out
what was going on. To us, it just sounded like a noise that was great.
It was nice meeting Elvis. He was just Elvis, you know? He seemed normal
to us, and we were asking about his making movies and not doing any
personal appearances or TV. I asked him if he was preparing new ideas for
his next film and he drawled, 'Ah sure am. Ah play a country boy with a
guitar who meets a few gals along the way, and ah sing a few songs'. We
all looked at one another. Finally Presley and Colonel Parker laughed and
explained that the only time they departed from that formula - for Wild in
the Country - they lost money.
He had his TV going all the time, which is what I do; we always have TV
on. We never watch it - it's just there with no sound on, and we listen to
records. In front of the TV, he had a massive amplifier with a bass
plugged into it, and he was up playing bass all the time with the picture
up on the TV. So we just got in there and played with him. We all plugged
in whatever was around, and we played and sang. He had a jukebox, like I
do, but I think he had all his hits on it. But if I'd made as many as him,
maybe I'd have all mine on.
Paul McCartney
: We met Elvis Presley at the end of our stay in L.A. We'd
tried for years to, but we could never get to him. He was our greatest
idol, but the styles were changing in favor of us. He was a pretty
powerful image to British people. You'd look at photos of him doing
American concerts, and the audience would not even be jumping up and down.
We used to be amazed, seeing them sitting in the front row - not even
dancing.
We played a bit of pool with a few of his motorcycle mates, and at about
ten o'clock, Priscilla was brought in. To demonstrate the respect that
country-and-western people have for their wives. Sometimes it's a bit on
the surface - as maybe their situation was shown to be later. It was like,
'Here's Priscilla'. She came in, and I got this picture of her as a sort
of a Barbie doll - with a purple gingham dress and a gingham bow in her
very beehive hair, with lots of makeup. We all said hello, and then it
was, 'Right, lads, hands off - she's going'. She didn't stay long.
That was the great thing for me, that he was into the bass, So there I
was, 'Well, let me show you a thing or two, El...' Suddenly he was a mate.
It was a great conversation piece for me. I could actually talk about the
bass, and we sat around and just enjoyed ourselves. He was great -
talkative and friendly and a little bit shy. But that was his image. We
expected that, we hoped for that.
It was one of the great meetings of my life. I think he liked us. I think
at that time, he may have felt a little bit threatened, but he didn't say
anything. We certainly didn't feel any antagonism.
These were great times, so even if you didn't enjoy all of the events that
much, you could still go home to Liverpool and say, 'Well, you know who I
met?' I mean, to meet Elvis, or anybody like that, or to say you've been
to Sunset Strip - it was very impressive