WHY ANOTHER
WEBSITE ABOUT BEATLES ?
I discovered the Beatles when I was
13, in the 1970s.The Beatles had split up three years before and I had the
feeling that I had missed the adventure. My friends’ elder brothers had
several records (LP and EP) by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. We listened
to them as well as to “The Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd which had just come out, “Stairway to
Heaven” by Led Zeppelin,”Who’s Next” an “Live at Leeds” by the Who. We used
their parents’ Teppaz record-player (see the picture to get an idea). We also
listened to “Made in Japan” by Deep Purple and especially “Highway Star” whose
guitar solos we simulated on a tennis racket. In fact, we mainly listened to
English Rock music.
But to the question: “Are you Beatles or Rolling
Stones ?”, my answer is undoubtedly
“Beatles !”Of course there was nothing wrong with the Rolling Stones.
Some songs like “Lady Jane”, “Brown Sugar”, “It’s Only Rock’n Roll” and “Let’s
Spend the Night Together” are highly exciting. But the Beatles were different.
One day I broke my piggy
box and I bought “Sergeant Pepper” the LP.Listening to the album from the
beginning to the end , I made up my mind. My passion for the Beatles was born
on that day. Then, I bought other records like “Abbey Road”, “The White Album”,
“Let it be” when I could afford them, depending on the pocket money I could
save.I kept listening to these records again and again. Then I heard “Band on
the Run” and “Venus and March”by Paul Mac Cartney and the Wings. After these
came other solo albums by the ex Beatles, and a bit later the first efforts by
the Beatles.
At
that time, the albums which came out in France and in Britain had a different
cover.My friends and I, as young fans, did our best to find the British albums,
the French press being suspect by nature.
Time
has passed and I have piled up lots of
records, magazines, books about the Beatles. I suppose this is the way
to start a collection !
Creating this website gives me the opportunity to organize all these
documents. And even if some websites like “Yellow Sub” in France are really
rich and exceptionnally documented, I have never found any website devoted to
the impact of the Beatles in France.
In
this website, you will find French
magazine covers, books in French, records by French artists singing the
Beatles, sometimes in English or in French. You will also find some pages on
the French pressings of the Beatles records.
A great thanks
to Josée for his help to this english text.