John, Paul, George et al.

October 10, 2005 8:05 PM

The Savage Young Beatles. Photos of the boys from the 1950s and early 1960s. An early color photo. The first photo as the Beatles. All from The Beatle Source, a collection of photos, music and acetates. via the Presurfer.
posted by caddis (44 comments total)

fantastic. the Beatles were the greatest band ever.
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 8:15 PM on October 10, 2005

That 1st colour photo is great... hadn't seen it before. They look like they're no older than 15!
posted by Robot Johnny at 8:26 PM on October 10, 2005

very excellent indeed!
posted by brandz at 8:34 PM on October 10, 2005

very nice. thank you. i love the beatles.
posted by nickerbocker at 8:35 PM on October 10, 2005

Wow, it's hard to reconcile early John with the later bed-in John.
posted by scheptech at 8:35 PM on October 10, 2005

Good lord, George looks about twelve. Thank you, caddis!

/fangirl squeal
posted by Space Kitty at 8:37 PM on October 10, 2005

Where's that guy that John Lennon kicked to death?
posted by interrobang at 8:39 PM on October 10, 2005

whoa!

.
posted by punkbitch at 8:49 PM on October 10, 2005

Great link, thanks!
It's always a treat to see the real Paul.
posted by numlok at 8:51 PM on October 10, 2005

Very cool. Several photos I had not seen, and all the test pressings and demos...I would like to own just one of those.
(on preview: awesome link, numlok)
posted by HSWilson at 9:01 PM on October 10, 2005

George was 15 when he joined the Beatles, so you're not far off, Space Kitty.
posted by keswick at 9:01 PM on October 10, 2005

Poor Stu.
posted by bobo123 at 9:02 PM on October 10, 2005

Wow, wow, wow! I'm not a huge Beatles fan but I can respect their body of work. Just getting such an in-depth peek into their past is scuh a thrill. Thanks Caddis.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 9:05 PM on October 10, 2005

Hey, thanks a lot. Those are some great pictures. Someone keep an eye on that site, too - it says audio is on the way for some of their early shows. That would be another worthy FPP.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 9:33 PM on October 10, 2005

this s awesome. God, Stu Sutcliffe was a short 'un.
posted by shmegegge at 9:39 PM on October 10, 2005

numlok, that site is pure, unadulterated GENIUS!
and the truth, of course.
posted by punkbitch at 9:52 PM on October 10, 2005

Great pics!

Backbeat is a pretty good movie about this era.
posted by mkultra at 10:25 PM on October 10, 2005

Oh yeah, they's savage, alright. Grrr.
posted by squirrel at 10:40 PM on October 10, 2005

HSWilson and punk bitch: Glad you enjoy it... Just be careful, this kind of stuff can drive you crazy.
posted by numlok at 10:44 PM on October 10, 2005

Why do these pictures quicken my pulse?
posted by sourwookie at 11:31 PM on October 10, 2005

man were they good looking or what.
posted by timory at 11:46 PM on October 10, 2005

More kids these days listen to The Beatles than Coldplay, if you're worried about it ever dying out. Count me in the minority. They sound like Franz Ferdinand, only worse.
posted by Mach3avelli at 12:12 AM on October 11, 2005

Who? The Beatles or Coldplay?
posted by the cuban at 1:54 AM on October 11, 2005

toppermost of the poppermost, caddis!
posted by kimota at 1:55 AM on October 11, 2005

Great post. I just looked at all the photos and listened to the first radio interview by Monty Lister in Sept. 62. The Beatles were the acme of rock music.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 2:02 AM on October 11, 2005

I'm not the fanboy I was when I was a youngster but like KevinSkomsvold et al, I can appreciate a blast from the past. Great site, great find. Thanks caddis.
posted by peacay at 2:44 AM on October 11, 2005

Funny ... all these years ... all those hours upon hours I listened to Beatle music. I never realized McCartney was left-handed.

/Ya learn somethin' every day. STOP IT!!
posted by RavinDave at 2:45 AM on October 11, 2005

That's funny. I have him strongly mentally classified as a "left-hander". Which is probably stupid of me.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 2:52 AM on October 11, 2005

George, John, Paul and...Dennis.

Excellent post. I was really into the Beatles at one point and have seen most of these before, but it's great to see them laid out with commentary like this.
posted by fire&wings at 3:34 AM on October 11, 2005

I never realized McCartney was left-handed.

That's one of the first things you learn when you start playing guitar. I don't know why. They give you a sheet of guitar facts at the door, and the first bullet point is "John was left handed." Second bullet point? "So was Jimi."
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:51 AM on October 11, 2005

Paul, Paul was left-handed. Doh.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:52 AM on October 11, 2005

Third bullet point: Ringo played two fingered.
No wait... I'm thinking of Django.
posted by Decani at 5:34 AM on October 11, 2005

I saw Sir Paul this weekend and he really blew me away. I was expecting some cheesy arena-rock show (and he delivered), but the phenomenal music made everything else irrelevant.
posted by grateful at 6:37 AM on October 11, 2005

The Beatles are dying in the wrong order.
posted by dydecker at 6:47 AM on October 11, 2005

Mark my words, Ringo will be the last one to go. Cosmic recompensation for the lack of respect.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:18 AM on October 11, 2005

Mark my words, Ringo will be the last one to go.

I agree. Paul's got another ten years left in him, fifteen tops. Ringo will live to a hundred and twenty.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:25 AM on October 11, 2005

I love it here at People Magazine!!1!
posted by davy at 7:26 AM on October 11, 2005

So who's going to do an FPP about Blue öyster Cult?
posted by davy at 7:29 AM on October 11, 2005

My, Ringo has aged poorly ;)
posted by Peter H at 7:32 AM on October 11, 2005

I'm delighted to be the one who got to make that joke. I was sure it would have been taken this late in the thread.
posted by Peter H at 7:36 AM on October 11, 2005

t'anks mate, I wuz lookin' fer them.

nice FPP too!
posted by petebest at 8:08 AM on October 11, 2005

I am a huge Beatles fan, I have read many coffee-table Beatles books, and this is the most comprehensive collection of Beatles photos I have ever seen. I have seen only a handful of these photos before. What makes them even better is the strict attention to details (places, dates, names).

Paul's too rich (about $1,000,000,000) to die. His head will be in a jar with a robotic body attached, a la Futurama, before he'll croak.
posted by Lord Kinbote at 8:38 AM on October 11, 2005

Ringo is left-handed too.
posted by marxchivist at 2:56 PM on October 11, 2005

> It has been reported that some of these recordings were done in the McCartney home bathroom. While this seems like an odd location, here's a contemporary photo.

I love the internets.
posted by dhartung at 10:19 PM on October 11, 2005