Beatles Sites Further Afield, Part III
Last Update: 1 July 1993
Copyright 1993 by saki (saki@evolution.bchs.uh.edu)
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In London...
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The legacy of the Beatles is not all locked neatly away in Liverpool.
There's a fair bit of it in London too---after all, when they left
obscurity behind, they necessarily left their home town too. Although
each of the Beatles has been back a few times over the years, those
native teens were right, in a sense. Maybe if they *had* refrained
from buying Beatles records, the Boys would have remained small-town
lads forever. And today we'd be writing fiercely about the genius of
Bobby Vinton and The Singing Nun, instead of the Fabs.

There are more Beatle-places in London than I can adequately cover. David
Bacon and Norman Maslov's book "The Beatles England" will give you a menu
of places to go, and you can tailor it to your whim. Without knowing it,
you'll probably happen upon many hot spots, almost subconsciously.

Just an ordinary tube-stop can set you spinning. In London the subway
system is called the underground, or the "tube". If you exit at, say,
Picadilly Circus, a famous square in its own right (not unlike Times
Square at night), you'll be facing the London Pavilion.
 
Seeing it, I caught my breath in wonderment. The building was the
site of premieres for all the Beatles' cinematic greats, and I was
actually transported into the past, to 1964, when "A Hard Day's Night"
had just opened. I could see the night sky, even though it was noon;
I could see the banners and lights, feel the crowds of that night,
all without having been there. Is it this elusive, indefinable magic?
Or just an indefatigable case of lingering Beatlemania?

But there's a lot to see, no matter where you are. I can think of
a few highlights, of course. As long as you're so close (and, I presume,
have a music budget?), you can go record shopping on Tottenham Court Road
nearby, where the Virgin Megastore (three storeys) and the HMV Record
Shop (same) are located. As my guides, Steve Carter and Andy Clews,
were careful to caution, it's *not* quite the same HMV store where
Brian Epstein was introduced to Syd Coleman, a music publisher, which
led to the Beatles' demo tape being submitted to EMI and George Martin...
that's further down. But if you have interests in British and/or Merseybeat
artists, there are records and CDs here that you'll never find in the
States. Despite the cost (about double the cost of vinyl and discs 
domestically...but then everything is expensive in London these days,
thanks to Mrs. Thatcher), snap 'em up. You'll probably never see them
again.

Macca is close by in Soho Square; use your London A to Zed and you'll
find you can walk easily to 1 Soho Square, where the offices of MPL
are located. Of course, the Grand Master Himself may be in residence,
or he may not. It's a tall, thin red building with artwork hanging in 
the lobby from various Macca solo albums (the "Tug of War" cover is
nice). If Paul is there, you can hang around and eventually (so the
theory goes) he'll have to leave, and you can wave to him. *If*
you're on speaking terms with him. In the winding streets around
Soho Square are also a passel of fascinating import/used record
stores, some with real rarities. Try to spend a little time exploring.

There are probably some sights you'd want to hit, even if there were
no Beatles connection...but of course there is. Foyles Bookstore is
at 119 Charing Cross Road (you can walk from MPL, or use the Tottenham
Court Road or Leicester Square tube stop). Foyles handed out a book
award to John in 1964 for "In His Own Write"; now you can pick up a
new Penguin edition of that and "A Spaniard in the Works", with nicely
re-set type. And at Harrods in Knightsbridge, this immense department
store (a full city block in size) used to close to regular customers
to let the Boys do their holiday shopping. You can't find many bargains
here, but you can surely find anything else (except records, I think),
from foodhalls to furniture. 

How about some film sites? My favorite, among many, is Paddington
Train Station; you can take the Circle or District lines on the
underground to the immense structure from which a special train
car carried the Fabs in "A Hard Day's Night." It's so similar you
could almost see the frenzied fans running rampant across the
platform...though I notice the photo booth has been moved elsewhere.

Take the tube to Marble Arch and travel several blocks east to
20 Manchester Square if you'd like to see EMI House, Parlophone's
parent company and the site of two important photo shoots: the
"Please Please Me" cover and the "Get Back" session six years
later (seen on the Red and Blue albums, for those familiar with
these domestic packages).

The only rooftop concert in London proper was given by the Beatles
at 3 Saville Row, the former site of Apple Studios. It's near Oxford
and Picadilly Circuses, and it's a very run-down building today, alas.
You'll find a little graffiti on the door and carved into the walls;
it's the closest you'll get to the late-period essence of the Beatles,
who used it from 1968 to 1972. If you stand quietly, you can probably
still hear the echoes of their music wafting down from above.

The big pilgrimage should be saved for last, I'll suggest, just so
it has the impact it deserves. Abbey Road is waiting. Take the
Jubilee line to St. John's Wood. For some reason the London A to Zed
index doesn't list the right map to help you find your way (probably
a test to see if you're a true fan), so I'll save you the trouble: it's
map 60. As you walk out of the underground station, you'll notice a
sense of suburban peacefulness; it's quite different from the bright
lights of London proper, even though London has now somewhat engulfed this
formerly remote sanctuary.

Walk down Grove End Road; it's very pleasant. It's especially nice
early in the morning; there are expensive apartments and homes here,
and Paul's old mansion (7 Cavendish Avenue) is just around the corner.
Grove End runs into Abbey Road; and you've suddenly arrived. Walk
right to 3 Abbey Road, and behold the studios from which so much
music emanated. It's fenced but the fenceposts are painted white---
apparently only once a year, to preserve a year's worth of graffiti---
and you can spend awhile reading what people have scrawled there
("Paul! You're so sexy! --Edwina xxx", "The Beatles: Here, There and
Everywhere", "One sweet dream came true...---Rick, 1990", "All you
need is love and give peace a chance, 29.3.1990..." "Cliff, you are
the best!" [who let that person in here?], "'Cause I'm happy just to 
dance 4-ever with the Beatles!!!..."). All languages, all levels of 
literacy.

While you're here, you can watch other fans converge. It's the one
spot I noticed in London where you're likely to see more Beatlemaniacs
per square inch than anywhere else. Some just stand. Some take pictures,
either of the plain white building or the famous "zebra" crossing just
down the street, where you can still cross (but watch the traffic.) In
1983, to celebrate their anniversary, Abbey Road opened up their studio
for a limited tour. Nothing like this is available today, unfortunately,
but we can still dream.

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In Scotland....
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There's a particularly remote spot in Scotland, where Dr.
McCartney, MBE, has been known to retire to get away from the
highlife on London and its environs. Frankly, this journey is
not for the faint of heart. If you're wealthy you can fly into
Campbeltown (pronounced "Campbel*ton*" by the locals) via the
Machrinahish Air Strip on the west coast of the Kintyre peninsula,
but do it the hard way---drive. The scenery on the way to Paul's
hideaway is stunning, and worth every minute of the three-to-four
hour drive from Glasgow. You'll pass castles, villages, lochs,
rivers; stop for afternoon tea along the way if you need a rest.

All down Kintyre to the west are the western islands---Mull ("mull"
in Gaelic means "promontory"), Iona, Islay, Gigha---which you can
see lounging in the sparkling waters off the coast (or won't see
at all if it's raining. :-) As you turn inward on the A83 road,
eastward toward the town, look for Gobagrennan Road just west of
Campbeltown, and make a left turn; travel a way till you see a
sign that says "High Park". It's private property, mind you; it's
meant to be. Jane Asher picked out the property for Paul in 1966,
and it's continued to be the McCartney get-away ever since. You've
seen photos of Paul, Jane, and Martha the sheepdog on its hills; and
since then Linda has done some photography of the farm, which is in
good working order. Try not to intrude, if possible, even if Paul's
not in residence.

Campbeltown is small (pop. 6100) and unbesmirched by tourism. The
people are earnest, hardworking, and quietly friendly. One of the
local hotels, The White Hart, has its walls decorated with Ordnance
Survey maps of the region, which are very helpful if you're trying
to reach the famed Mull of Kintyre, subject of Paul's huge British
hit (November 1977), which was the second-biggest-selling single in
British chart history (it went nowhere in the States, probably
because of its Gaelic sentimentality and its bagpipe accompaniment).
In current non-U.S. tour dates (Australia for now, probably the
UK when they're set up), Macca closed his show not with "Hey Jude"
but with "Mull of Kintyre".

The actual point that inspired Macca is located about a half-hour's
drive south of Campbeltown; take the road to Southend, and at the fork,
for a real visual treat, veer right on the Dalsmearan Road, a single-
lane passage that takes you through treeless hills and dales, past
old bridges and nameless streams. You'll eventually come to a large
gate; it's kept closed but you can go through if you make sure to
close it after you. If it's lambing season (Spring) watch out for the
new lambs crossing the asphalt. It's another seven miles from this
point, and the road climbs and becomes more treacherous. Wind whips 
along even on sunny days. The hills are covered by yellow scotch broom
and hardy grasses, little else other than the sheep which graze on them.

The road ends about 300 ft. above the Mull's lighthouse, which you
can reach on foot. But the view from this southernmost point of
Kintyre is extraordinary: up the hill it's dense and green, over
the grey-blue water is the island of Islay (to the north) and 
twelve miles away to the south are the cliffs of Ireland, stark
and silent. It's not so much an embracing visage as it is one
of relentless calm, despite the gusts that take away your breath.

All conflicts are gone; all politics silenced; all words nonsense.
I'm surprised Paul had the wits to express its beauty in lyrics we can
comprehend. The Mull of Kintyre was locally famous before Macca wrote 
his song, but now you'll be joined by other occasional adventurers,
walking back up the hill from the Lighthouse or about to start their
tentative way downward, and like all Beatles fans the world over
you need exchange no words with these multi-cultural pilgrims to
know what draws them there. And like those who have had the fortune
to view Penny Lane and Strawberry Field with their own eyes, you will
pass through your own world transformed for the better for what you
have just seen.

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In Europe....
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If you're of a mind to cross the channel, there are a few places
I'll mention briefly. 

Germany has its points. By train, you can go to Hamburg, where the
Reeperbahn is still as sleazy as it was when the Beatles played
here in 1960-1962; keep in mind that Hamburg is approximately a
long day's journey from major cities such as Amsterdam or Cologne,
and even longer from Paris. My itinerary took me to Berlin, where
I was convinced I'd find no trace of the Beatles. But wonder of
wonders: in "East" Berlin on the subway a busker (street musician)
got on the train with his companion; with guitar (the companion played
a Coke-can filled with sand, for percussion), the busker sang a
meltingly-sweet version of "All My Loving", sounding appealingly
like Gerry Marsden as a matter of fact; and finished the mini-concert
with "Let It Be". No need to seach for synchrony; it'll find *you*. :-)

For you curious record shoppers: yes, the records we would normally
consider "bootlegs" in the United States are sold freely in Germany, 
especially in the record stores on the Kufurstendamm ("Ku-Damm"),
a major shopping boulevard in Berlin. Not only were there excellent
legitimate releases (a CD single of the Wilburys, for instance, that
I've seen nowhere else, with an instrumental "New Blue Moon" and an
unreelased track, a cover of Del Shannon's "Runaway"); there were also
a plethora of Japanese repackages (I picked up a collection of various
Beatles' solo works, nicely mastered). There is actually a separate
bin-marker for "Ultra Rare Tracks", and the CDs are priced from about
DM 29,90---close to $20 American. I've seen these going for $100 per
disc in the US, so it's quite a bargain. But remember that they're
legal only if you keep them in Germany. If you bring them back to
any country that has copyright laws protecting such material (the
US is one), they're illegal.

The only thing I really wanted to do in Paris (yes, I admit it's a
nice city for other reasons, but let's keep our priorities straight :-)
was see the George V Hotel, near the Arche d'Triomphe. Why? Foolish
question: because the Beatles stayed here in 1964, when they had a
brief concert tour in Paris, and it was here that the Boys, Brian and
George Martin first heard that "I Want To Hold Your Hand" had gone to
Number One in America...unheard-of for a British group! Is this place
posh? It is, indeed. So posh that you can do little more than walk
through the lobby without going into debt. You have to admire Brian's
taste in putting the Boys up here, but whom was he trying to impress?
I decided against a commemorative drink in the bar when I discovered
that a mixed drink cost the equivalent of $18 per shot, and a Coke
was about $9. I seriously considered swiping an ashtray with the
hotel name on it, but couldn't figure out a neat or elegant way to
do it. So much for Beatlesesque atmosphere.

But Amsterdam is well worth a visit. Particularly if you're of a
mind to see the Amsterdam Hilton. On the day in question my entourage
included my host and r.m.b. reader (he's too shy to post), Nick Todd.
Our group of three traipsed in and I asked the hotel desk clerks
about Room 1902, the famous room in which John&Yoko spent part of
their honeymoon. After politely answering my questions, the concierge
said, "Would you like to see it?" She explained that they don't usually
do this, but they'd just finished rennovating the room, and as there
was no one staying there.... I found my voice and thanked her profusely.

We were led up to a room with a small plaque on the door, sporting
a copy of the lithograph John drew of himself and Yoko, stylistically
(if suggestively) intertwined (don't worry...it's very clean) 
and the title "John and Yoko Honeymoon Suite". The expansive, spare
room has been completely done over in white; the bedspread has a
print of the lithograph as well; the windows have been repainted with
Yoko's calligraphic "Bed Peace" and "Hair Peace". There was a state-of-the-
art Sony sound system with Beatles/Lennon-related CDs; several videos
similary related; a good collection of books that any Beatlemaniac
would enjoy (*not* one by an author named Moe)...though if this is
really supposed to be a honeymoon suite, why all this paraphernalia,
I couldn't help wondering?

The concierge was very proud of it. "Yoko and Sean were here last
week at the hotel," she said, "but Yoko didn't want to stay in here,
naturally." Not because of the price, of course; too many memories.
Just for fun, though, I asked the daily rate. It's a mere 1,500 guilders
($900). You'd think that would be beyond most people's budget, but
the white guest book had many names of people, obviously drawn to the
mystique of the room. If you run into money, you might consider it.

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saki (saki@evolution.bchs.uh.edu)