In 1963-1964, I was in graduate school at Stanford studying political science. In early 1964, not long after President John F. Kennedy’s assasination, I heard something that changed my life, and the lives of millions of others.
One night my buddies and I were hanging out at our favorite bar along University Avenue in Palo Alto. It was called St. Michael’s Alley. We always sat upstairs by a small bar with a dozen bar stools. There were four or five small tables. There was a small jukebox attached to the wall. The main jukebox was downstairs.
Ed asked if any of us had heard of the Beatles. None of us had. “I’ll play a couple of sides. See if you like them!” he said.
In a few minutes, we heard the Beatles singing for the very first time. The song: “I Wanna Hold Your Hand.” We all thought they were terrific!
I still have their LP’s I bought in the 1960’s (”Revolver” and “Sgt. Pepper’s” are my favorites), a few cassettes, and a couple of CD’s. The good news today is that on 09/09/09, the remastered Beatles catalogue will be released. Click here for details.
I can’t wait!
George Spink
Los Angeles
