 |
| The gates of the former Salvation Army orphanage Strawberry Field, immortalised by the Beatles song 'Strawberry Fields Forever', where John Lennon used to play as a child (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife) |
John, Paul, George, Ringo, and Stuart Sutcliffe were all members of the Beatles and they all came from Liverpool.
The city is a seaport in North West England; tough grimy and somewhat depressing in the fifties and sixties, today it is currently emerging as a new vibrant tourist location.
Much of this new tourist activity is due to the Beatles.
Liverpool is a city that is full of Beatles locations. There are several museums dedicated to the Fab Four, in the city.
Original Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe died in Hamburg just before they made national fame in the UK. One of Stuart's homes is now a hotel and there are three more Beatles related hotels in the city: The Brian Epstein Guest House, The Hard Days Night Hotel and The Eleanor Rigby Hotel, which has a statue of Eleanor on a bench nearby, many people sit next to her for a photo opportunity.
The childhood homes of the Beatles are still standing, almost; as Ringo's first house is in a street of boarded up houses that are pending upgrading or demolition. Beatles tourists can visit Paul McCartney's home and also the home of John Lennon's Aunty 'Mimi' where John was brought up: 1945 - 1963.
The very first location that the Beatles played at was not the Cavern Club but a coffee bar: The Casbah Coffee Club, its still there. The Beatles even decorated the place and it still has Beatles art on its walls: John's painted walls and you can appreciate their Beatly insects theme as a huge spiders web is painted at the back of the stage area.
There are lots of places in the city that have strong connections with the Beatles and inevitably lots of tours to take you there, from exclusive taxis, walking tours and a Magical Mystery Tour bus and some of the best are just walking about and bumping into locals who if the right age (no pensioners) they may tell you their stories of screaming at the Cavern.
The Cavern club has been re-built in the original Mathew Street where the Beatles appeared 282 times. The cavern was the fourth location that the Beatles played at after the Casbah they played at the Jacaranda and The Blue Angel clubs in the city, both locations were owned by their first manager, Alan Williams.
Two songs about places in Liverpool were written by Lennon and McCartney: 'Penny Lane' and 'Strawberry Fields For Ever'. 'In My Life': Places I Remember' is John's nostalgic song about his Liverpool home and Ringo did two: 'Snookeroo' and 'Liverpool 8'.
John called his home city 'LIDDYPOOL' in poems he wrote: 'A Spaniard In The Works' and 'In His Own Write'.
Liverpool is a great place to visit for any Beatles fan and also there is much more about the city that visitors are bound to love when they get there! More can be found at CityLeaves Liverpool for information when planning a trip to The Beatles Home town.
The influence that the city had on the Beatles was profound as any Scouser will tell you their city has a deep psychological link with its people that defies explanation. The places, the culture, the unique way of speaking and the humour all contributed into producing far more artists, musicians, playwrights and celebrities than any other provincial city in England.
John Lennon called it Liddypool and more about it can be found @ http://cityleaves.com/liverpool/content/liddypool and also @ http://www.squidoo.com/beatles-city
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Anthony_Phillips
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Beatles-Home-City&id=6861063
No comments:
Post a Comment