I thought I'd post this clip, because it encapsulates what was a transitional phase between the first wave of rock n' roll and the arrival of the Beatles. I'm old enough to remember that pop music had become quite dull by 1962. It had degenerated into "easy listening" - mostly ballads and novelty numbers. It was as if we were waiting for something to happen. One of the best singers around in the UK at that time was Helen Shapiro, who'd had several No 1 hits in the previous two years. It's hard to believe now that she was actually younger than all the Beatles, because she seems to belong to the previous generation. But she was still only 14 when she had her first hit in 1961. She toured in early 1963 with the Beatles as one of her supporting acts, and shortly after that they wrote the first version of "Misery" for her. But she never heard about it until years later. EMI turned it down without consulting her, something she's furious about to this day.
This clip is from a little later in the year, at a time when the balance had already swung the other way. Beatlemania was gathering pace, and acts like hers were already considered too old-fashioned to appeal to the new generation. This song wasn't a hit, and she never got near the top 20 again. But she was a great singer, with a really powerful voice. And the clip is amusing for showing the Fabs as spectators for a change. It also shows how informal things could be back then, with the audience apparently mixing freely with the performers.
DEtdnex1M-A
many thanks for posting that, really enjoyed it.
