The Beatles Forever and Ever: Part 2

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“Brian Epstein said, ‘Look, if you really want to get in these bigger places, you’re going to have to change — stop eating on stage, stop swearing, stop smoking,” recalled John Lennon.

In his view surrendering a certain amount of control of the band to their new manager was a necessary evil if they wanted to reach out to a wider audience.

“It was a choice of making it or still eating chicken on stage,” said Lennon. “We respected his views (Brian Epstein’s). We stopped champing at cheese rolls and jam butties; we paid a lot more attention to what we were doing, did our best to be on time and we smartened up.” 

Even though outraged by Paul’s lateness, due to him dawdling in the bath at home, Epstein happily and enthusiastically presented the four boys with a five-year contract, which they dutifully signed without hesitation. This historic partnership became effective from the 1st of February 1962. Epstein’s assistant, Alistair Taylor remembered the uproar and excitement which filled the office as all the participants involved cheered and hugged each other, which was uncustomary with men in those days. 

“Well I think we are going to make it as a group,” said a gleeful young Paul McCartney at the time. “I certainly hope we make it as a group, but I tell you what—if we don’t I’m gonna be a star.”

Such audacious self belief would not only possess young McCartney, but also the entire band. It certainly rubbed off on Brian Epstein who, come hell or high water, was going to expose this hidden treasure trove of talent to the entire world. In his mind The Beatles were going to be bigger than Elvis. At the time this would have been considered laughable. The king of rock and roll’s mass fame and cultural influence upon the masses was seen as unassailable. In only two short years his place in popular music would be finally superseded by four unlikely lads from Liverpool.