Description
April of 1964 was a really good month for The Beatles. Having ‘conquered America’ just two months prior, by he end of April they had already filmed the entirety of their first feature film entitled “A Hard Day’s Night”. At the beginning of the month, they held the Top 5 spots on the Billboard charts with “Can’t Buy Me Love”, “Twist And Shout”, “She Loves You”, “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “Please Please Me” – a feat that has never been accomplished since. Towards the very end of the month The Beatles did a few live shows on the Spring 1964 U.K. Tour. April 29th and 30th saw them in Scotland – Edinburg and Glasgow respectively. For this 2 day only engagement, a super rare concert program was produced.
The program, which measures 8” x 10 ½”, is 16 pages long cover to in total and features a blue paper outer cover which depicts four separate drawings of ‘Beatle hair’, each one representing a band member. Within the program there are individual and group biographies, as well as information related to the opening acts, which included among others Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers and also The Remo Four. This is an extremely rare Beatles tour program in unsigned form – worth over $400 without ink in today’s market. All four have autographed this rarity within, on their bio spread beautifully in blue ballpoint pen near their respective image, with John Lennon signing in the text below his likeness. The photo of the band here was taken by quintessential Beatles photographer Dezo Hoffmann during the session that produced some of the most iconic and recognizable shots of The Beatles ever taken, wearing their grey collarless suits and to have a Dezo image from that significant photo session signed by the Beatles is a major achievement for any collector. In addition to the signed bio spread, George Harrison has autographed the first inside page, a page that states in big block letters below a smiling pose of the band: “THE BEATLES SHOW”. This program was signed by The Beatles on April 30th, the day they played The Odeon Cinema in Glasgow.
Beatles autographed concert programs have become incredibly scarce in recent years, as most are now firmly rooted in collections. The vast majority of Beatles signed programs in existence were from the year 1963, when they were more accessible in the U.K. than they were in later years….especially after achieving the fame that they did after their first U.S. visit in early 1964. For any collector looking for a significant signed Beatles display piece with strong visual appeal that is a cut above an album page, without breaking the bank, this one is for you……SOLD