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Welcome to our Beatles Trivia pages.
At our performances, we will ask general trivia questions
from these pages. So, if you study hard, you just might
win some really cool BEATLEBOY stuff!
For Beatles/Ed Sullivan and 1960's Trivia, click
Page 2
For General Music Trivia (All Years), click Page 3
Beatles Trivia -
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1) What not famous yet rock star had his first on camera role as an
extra in “A Hard Day’s Night”? A) Phil Collins
2) John Lennon’s guitar changed colors in 1961. What color was it
changed to and who changed it? A) John himself painted it black. It
wasn’t a pro job.
3) At the height of Beatlemania George Harrison made it clear that this
was his favorite type of music. A) “Hillbilly” as they called it in
England and today best known as “Rockabilly.” George admired Carl
Perkins’ and Chet Atkins playing style.
4) As a young teenager, what was the first song that Paul ever sang
solo? A) Long Tall Sally
5) Which Beatle came from the poorest family background? A) Ringo
6) Which Beatle almost died as a sickly young boy? A) Ringo
7) Long before they became famous, there were 5 Beatles. Who was the
fifth? A) Stu Sutcliffe
8) After they were famous who became known as the 5th Beatle? A) New
York radio D.J. “Murray the K”. The Beatles liked him and invited him
along on their first US tour. He called himself the 5th Beatle and the
name was struck.
9) What brand of guitar did George favor in the early sixties? A)
Gretsch
10) What brand of guitar amplifier did the Beatles use predominantly? A)
Vox
11) Why did they use these “VOX” amps? A) Vox was the only decent
amplifier readily available in England because they were English made.
The Beatles had moved up to Vox amps in the early 60’s but their
equipment was very shoddy and beat up from use. In their first attempt
to record a demo with George Martin for Parlophone/EMI, their amps
hummed and buzzed so much as to make it impossible to record.
Embarrassed and also short on cash for new equipment, their manager
Brian Epstein made a handshake agreement with the owners of Vox
Amplification. Epstein agreed that the Beatles would only use Vox
amplifiers as long as he was their manager. For this Epstein was
delivered three brand new amplifiers for manufacturers cost. Vox was
unsure of the Beatles future success and would not give them free amps.
Despite this somewhat small consideration on Vox’s part, Epstein kept
his word and the Beatles made Vox amplification famous worldwide.
12) From where did the famous “Beatle Boot” originate? A) Cuba
13) What brand of drum kit did Ringo use? A) Ludwig
14) Why was” Ludwig” Ringo’s first and only choice? A) Coming from a
poorer “working class” family Ringo dreamed of one day being able to
afford an American made (made in Chicago) “Ludwig” drum set. Before
joining the Beatles he became one of Liverpool’s most noteworthy
drummers and was finally able to afford his first “Ludwig” drum kit.
Although it was stylish to place the name of the group on the bass drum,
Ringo made sure as a proud owner that even when he had “The Beatles”
placed on his drum head that it did not cover the Ludwig name.
15) The Beatles toured the world and practically played on stages
non-stop thru August 1966. Where was their last show? A) San Francisco’s
Candlestick Park.
16) How long was the typical live Beatles Show? A) 35 minutes
17) Yoko Ono eventually married John Lennon. What Beatle was she
originally interested in? A) Paul.
18) Who played the guitar solo in “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”? A)
Eric Clapton, who just happened to be visiting in the studio that day.
19) We remember the Beatles in the early days as always performing in a
suit and tie. What was their original choice for stage clothes? A)
Leather jackets and pants. Brian Epstein convinced them to drop the
leather jackets in favor of leather vests and eventually with a struggle
into the suits and ties which became standard apparel for the British
Invasion groups.
20) What was the original working title for the Beatles second film:
Help!?” A) Eight Arms to Hold You.
21) What was unusual about the label on the Beatles Capitol Records 45
rpm single Eight Days a Week? A) Two things actually. The first pressing
had the song noted as: From the Motion Picture “Eight Arms to Hold You”
The label was printed before the film changed names to HELP! and the
song was cut from the film.
22) What was one of John Lennon’s favorite Beatle songs? A) Help! He was
proud of it because it captured his feelings about himself at the time.
23) What did John most dislike about his song, Help!? A) He regretted
that the Beatles were forced to speed up the tempo in order to make the
song more commercial and suitable for the film’s title. It was
originally conceived as a much slower melody.
24) Who came up with the title “A Hard Day’s Night” for the Beatles
first film? A) Ringo
25) How did Ringo come up with the title? A) After working all day on
the music for the film the Beatles were leaving the studio. Before Ringo
opened the door to exit he began saying “Well, it’s been a hard day’s”…and upon seeing that it was no longer daytime finished with…night.”
The other Beatles agreed right there, that would be the film's title.
26) After deciding that the film’s title would be A Hard Day’s Night,
the Beatles were informed that they would now have to write a song with
that title. How long did it take them to do it? A) Less than 24 hours.
John wrote the song overnight on a matchbook cover.
27) What two songs did the Beatles record singing in German? A) The
Beatles were extremely popular in Germany so they reluctantly agreed to
re-record I Want to Hold Your Hand and She Loves You. Both did not
translate well and the Beatles vowed never to do any more.
28) When Ringo had appendicitis during an Australian Tour in 1965, who
filled in for him? A) English drummer, Jimmy Nichols.
29) How did Paul and George meet? A) In 1957, they rode the same school
bus to the Liverpool Institute. They happened to meet when one of the
conversations on the bus turned to music and guitars. George was 14.
Paul was 15.
30) After Paul and George met how did George eventually get in the
group? A) Paul and John already had a group and Paul thought George’s
guitar playing was quite good so he brought George along to meet John.
John was 17 and thought George was just a kid and far too young to be in
their group. George was persistent and having not much else to do
musically, he hung around wherever John and Paul were playing or
practicing. George’s presence was more dependable at rehearsal and
performances than that of the other members. Truth be told, George was
definitely a better guitarist than either John or Paul and after a while
John said to George “You know, you’re just like our shadows and go
everywhere we go so you might as well be one of us. You’re in the
group!” It was 1958.
31) Who was the Beatles first bass guitar player? A) Stu Sutcliffe. Back
then nobody wanted to play bass because it was the guitar player that
got all of the attention in the Liverpool groups. Close friend and
fellow art student Stu Sutcliffe reluctantly joined the band as their
new bass player at John’s insistence even though he had no musical
experience. Stu was very cool in their eyes and did his best to fit in
but was never comfortable on bass. When Stu departed to further his
studies Paul volunteered to take over the bass assignment. He recognized
that George was a much better guitar player and that John would never
stand for playing the bass so in one of the greatest acts of
selflessness Paul picked up his first bass guitar.
32) What was Stu Sutcliffe’s greatest influence on the Beatles? A) He
introduced his girlfriend Astrid Kirchner to the group. Astrid, also an
art student had a major influence on what clothes the group wore and
took many of the group’s first striking and artistic photographs before
they reached stardom. One of her greatest influences was to introduce to
them and encourage them to wear what became the “Beatle” haircut.
33) Who was the Beatles original drummer? A) Pete Best
34) Who was the only Beatle to not wear a “Beatle” haircut? A) Pete Best
35) What happened to Pete? A) The record is unclear as to what exactly
happened to Pete and why he was replaced by Ringo just before they
became famous. Some say he was not a proficient enough drummer. This is
backed up by Beatles producer George Martin. Some say it was jealousy,
as he was the best looking Beatle and the girls all preferred him over
the others. This was backed up by Pete’s mom. Some say it was he was
unwilling to change his clothing and hairstyle and get with the
direction that the Beatles were heading. Either way there was a problem
within the group.
36) How did the Beatles find Ringo? A) Ringo was a well known drummer
with the very popular Liverpool group “Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.”
The Beatles had yet to reach the status of The Hurricanes but called
upon Ringo often to fill in for their own Pete Best on drums when he was
ill or unavailable. Ringo was always happy to do so. John Paul and
George took an instant liking to the easy going Ringo. When he agreed to
join The Beatles it was actually a step down on the success ladder for
Ringo. The rest of The Hurricanes were in shock and at the time many
others agreed.
37) When Ringo was asked to join the Beatles he was told that he would
have to do three things immediately. What were they? A) Shave his beard,
cut his sideburns and start growing his hair.
38) At the end of 1964 a poll was conducted to find out which Beatle was
the fans favorite. Which Beatle won the poll? A) George
Each Beatle was given a name by the press describing them in a word:
39) John was known as “The ____ Beatle” A) Smart
40) Paul was known as “The ____ Beatle.” A) Cute
41) George was known as “The ____ Beatle.” A) Quiet
42) Ringo was known as “The ____ Beatle.” A) Sad
43) After the filming of A Hard Day’s Night, which Beatle was thought to
have the best chance at stardom on film as an actor? A) Ringo
44) How was Ringo rewarded for receiving the most glowing reviews for
his acting in A Hard Day’s Night? A) He was given the lead role in Help!
45) When the music soundtrack was released for the film Help!, it marked
the end of what for the Beatles? A) The end of their teen-romance type
of songs.
46) What was the Beatles favorite soft drink each time they toured
America? A) Pepsi-Cola
47) What Beatle song had the first time ever use of guitar feedback? A)
I Feel Fine. It was an accident but they liked it and decided to keep in
the song.
48) What was the first recorded song in which John played piano? A)
Paul’s “The Night Before”
49) What was the origin of the title of the song Ticket to Ride? A) In
the early days in Hamburg, Germany, prostitutes were required to have
regular medical checkups. As a result each girl upon receiving this
clean bill of health was given a card to carry, attesting that they were
medically fine. John thought up the phrase “Ticket to Ride” to describe
the girls and their respective “cards.” The song itself describes where
a girl has taken a “ride” out of his life. At one point John considered
changing the title to ‘Ticket to Rye” Rye, being a city in Great
Britain.
50) Around 1967, in an interview John was asked which of his recent
Beatle songs did he like least. He named two. What were they? A) Run for
Your Life and the lyrics for Its Only Love. He did say that he liked the
melody of the latter song.
51) Paul wrote an unrecorded song that became his Aunt’s favorite. He
played it at every family gathering and it became known as Auntie Gin’s
Theme. The Beatles eventually did record this song. What was it? A) I’ve
Just Seen A Face
52) The melody for Paul’s masterpiece “Yesterday” came to him while
asleep. He awoke and went straight to the piano. The melody came to him
so easily that he feared that he had heard it somewhere else. For about
a month he played the tune over for many people asking them if they had
ever heard it. Consequently Yesterday was born. What was the working
title for Yesterday…before he wrote the actual words? A) Scrambled
Eggs
53) The Beatles first album was released in England as “Please, Please
Me.” It contained 14 songs. How long did it take to record all 14 songs?
A) 15 hours
54) The final track to be recorded at the end of the session was “Twist
and Shout.” What was unique about how this song came together? A) John’s
singing style in Twist and Shout was tough on his vocal cords. At the
end of the day a hoarse John warned producer George Martin that his
voice was just about shot and at best he would only be able to attempt
this song one time. They all agreed that this song had to be included on
the album. It was recorded in only one take and became Johns best ever
rock and roll song. On par with Paul’s Long Tall Sally.
55) What Beatle song began with “1-2-3-4”? A) I Saw Here Standing There.
The Beatles recorded many of their songs with a similar countdown which
was edited from the final master by George Martin. They decided to keep
this one because it gave a “live” feel to the recording. They never did
it again.
56) The Beatles released “With the Beatles” in England on November 22,
1963. What other history shaping event occurred on this day? A)
President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.
57) John wrote Please, Please Me with Roy Orbison in mind. What did
George Martin suggest the Beatles do in order to make this song a hit?
A) Increase the tempo. Martin felt that the song was much too slow and
dragged on. He was right
58) Who played the drums on “Love Me Do”? A) In the recording studio
George Martin was basically satisfied after 15 takes. When the Beatles
arrived back at the studio a week later Martin had Andy White, a session
drummer on hand to play the drums on a retake of Love Me Do. Ringo was
devastated and was handed a tambourine for the recording. He felt that
his days with the Beatles were numbered. The Beatles were concerned
because Martin didn’t like their original drummer, Pete Best and now
they felt they already had the best drummer in Liverpool with Ringo. As
it turned out, the original single was released with Ringo on drums but
Andy White played drums on the album version and all future single
releases.
59) Paul wrote the song PS I Love You for his then girlfriend Dot Rhone.
At the time the Beatles were performing regularly in Hamburg Germany and
Paul missed his girlfriend back in Liverpool. In the song he declared
how much he missed her and that he would be home soon. After writing
this song how much longer would Dot be Paul’s sweetheart? A) Two weeks.
60) John wrote the song Do You Want to Know a Secret for his then
pregnant wife Cynthia. He eventually gave it to George to sing “Because
it only had three notes and George wasn’t the best singer.” Another band
also recorded this song and had a #2 hit in England making it the first
time a Beatle song by another artist made the Hit Parade. Who were they?
A) Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas
61) The Beatle's first single released in the U.S., Please, Please, Me
was on George’s Birthday, February 25, 1963. It sent a few small ripples
in the industry but didn’t set fire to their careers. On what record
label did it appear? A) Vee-Jay Records
62) She Loves You was released in the U.S. on September 16th 1963 on
what record label? A) Swan Records
63) In late 1963, the Beatles had been reluctantly signed by Capitol
Records. Capitol was the U.S. subsidiary of the English Parlophone/EMI
recording company which had already signed the Beatles and obviously was
having good success with them in England. The heads at Capitol were far
from convinced that the Beatles would sell well in the U.S. and were
crossing fingers that this was not a huge mistake. On December 26, 1963
Capitol released I Want to Hold Your Hand and also released the American
album version of “With the Beatles” which was “Meet The Beatles.” I Want
to Hold Your Hand went quickly to #1 but what well timed event actually
started Beatlemania? A) The Beatles live appearance on The Ed Sullivan
Show, February 9th 1964.
64) What R&B group did John have in mind and fashion many of his earlier
songs around? A) Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
65) When the Beatles hit in 1964 what was most amazing about their
records and also forever changed the way records were made? A) They were
the first artist to put more than one or two hit songs on an album.
Until then most artists that had a hit record would record an album
featuring their hit and the rest of the songs would be fillers. Buyers
were expected to by an album solely on the strength of that one hit
song. The Beatles did away with such low expectations.
66) Who was the Walrus? A) Paul
67) In the late 60's the rumor that Paul McCartney was dead traveled
quickly around the globe. On what day did Paul die according to the
“Paul is dead” rumors? A) November 9, 1966
68) How did he die? A) Car crash
69) How did The Beatles supposedly replace Paul? A) With Ringo's sister.
Okay ... just foolin' It was supposedly an unannounced look-alike
contest with the winner receiving plastic surgery to complete the look.
70) What was the real name of the “new” Paul? A) William Campbell
71) How many original single 45 rpm records The Beatles release in the
U.S.? A) 32
72) During the time they were together, how many U.S. albums did the
Beatles release? A) 21
73) What was the major label under which the Beatles Album were
released? A) Capitol
74) Of those 21 albums how many weren’t on Capitol records? A) 1
75) Which album wasn’t on Capitol? A) The first, “Introducing The
Beatles”
76) What Label was it on? A) Vee-Jay Records.
77) Where was Vee-Jay Records located? A) Chicago
78) When was the first U.S. Beatles album released by Vee-Jay? A) July
22, 1963
79) What was officially The Beatles last album? A) Abbey Road. Oct 1
1970
80) What song did The Beatles save for last on their final recording
session? A) The End, the last song on side two of Abbey Road. The
completion of that song was the last time all four Beatles would stand
together in a recording studio.
81) Which album was released last? A) Let It Be on May 18th 1970
82) How many 45 rpm singles did The Beatles release in England? A) 22
83) What is an EP record? A) Extended play 45 rpm record, usually four
to six songs and not much more expensive than a regular 45 rpm single.
Popular in Britain.
84) How many extended play or EP records did The Beatles release? A) 14
85) What two songs are considered to be The Beatles crowning achievement
in the Rock and Roll category? A) Twist and Shout and Long Tall Sally
86) What recording studio facts do they both share? A) Both recorded in
one take.
87) United Artists produced the film A Hard Day’s Night with a budget of
_____? A) $175,000 pounds (about $325,000 dollars). They wanted the film
made quickly and released as soon as possible because they were
concerned that the Beatles popularity might be nothing more than a flash
in the pan.
88) What is the reason A Hard Day’s Night was filmed in Black and White?
A) The director, Richard Lester might say that they wanted to give the
film a documentary look and feel but the real reason was United Artists
was too cheap to spend anything over the minimum cost. In retrospect,
the film has become a classic and is used as a model in schools in the
areas of style, direction and production techniques.
89) How much time did the Beatles have to write and record all of the
songs in A Hard Day’s Night? A) Less than two weeks.
90) What was unusual about the script for A Hard Day’s Night? A) The
Beatles were young and had no acting experience thus no Beatle had more
than six words at a time in the original script.
91) Who was the first Beatle to break the six word rule? A) John began
to ad lib frequently. The rest tended to stay with the script which in
the end had most experts believing that the whole script was ad-libbed
anyway.
92) What song and performance was cut from the film? A) “You Can’t Do
That” was originally included in the final concert sequence, however it
was cut out to shorten the footage.
93) What was John and Paul as songwriters most proud of regarding the
album released for A Hard Day’s Night? A) It was the first time that
every song on the album was written by Lennon and McCartney.
94) The song A Hard Day’s Night was written in part for whom? A) John’s
son, Julian. According to John, Paul had to sing the chorus because he
couldn’t hit the notes.
95) Which song of Paul’s was one of John’s favorites? A) And I Love Her.
John referred to it as Paul’s first “Yesterday.”
96) Fact: Can’t Buy Me Love was the first record in history to pre-sell
not one but over two million records before it was even released.
97) Paul wrote and sang Can’t Buy Me Love but who suggested that the
song begin with the chorus rather than the verse? A) The janitor…nah...just kidding! It was George Martin’s idea!
98) On which song did George Harrison for the first time play his new
Rickenbacker 12 string? A) You Can’t Do That.
99) Which Beatle plays lead guitar in You Can’t Do That? A) John. George
was busy playing his 12 string Rickenbacker riff throughout the song.
100) How did George Harrison acquire his first Rickenbacker guitar? A)
The Beatles were in New York for the Ed Sullivan Show and George was in
bed in his hotel room feeling ill. The others were out and about town
for publicity purposes. The president of the Rickenbacker guitar company
F.C. Hall, personally flew from California with the second 12 string
electric guitar ever made by his company. The first was kept at the
factory as a prototype. He was aware that John played an older 1958
model 6 string electric Rickenbacker (quite honestly it was a well used
beat up instrument) and had also planned to present John with a brand
new model but it unfortunately wasn’t ready in time for the New York
trip. It was however, flown the following week to the Deauville Hotel in
Miami where the Beatles were televising their second Ed Sullivan Show
appearance by satellite. John used his new guitar for the first time on
that show and it became his main guitar for nearly two more years. (I
was told this story personally by Mr. F. C. Hall himself when I ordered
my first Rickenbacker 12 string guitar in 1980. Ray)
101) Fact: Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, another famous 12 string
Rickenbacker guitarist recounted sitting in the theater back then
watching A Hard Day’s Night and marveling at the sound of George’s
Rickenbacker which began with the very first chiming chord of A Hard
Day's Night. Probably the most recognized single guitar chord in musical
history. George used his distinctive new Rickenbacker throughout the
film. (Smart move, Mr. Hall!) McGuinn recalled that at the time he
didn’t know the guitar was a 12 string and since it was so new, no one
else did either. As soon as he figured out that George was playing the
new Rickenbacker 12 string model he immediately ordered one for himself.
The Byrd’s distinctive guitar sound was soon to be born. By the time the
Byrds began using the 12 string, George had already become bored with it
and was on to something else. Unfortunately it was probably the Sitar.
(Wink!)
102) What was the last Beatle song to feature George’s famous
Rickenbacker 12 string? A) Ticket to Ride
103) How did George meet his wife Patti Boyd? A) Patti was an extra in A
Hard Day’s Night. She was featured as one of the girls on the train
104) Years later, whom did Patti leave George for? A) Eric Clapton
105) What song did Eric write for Patti? A) Layla
106) What did George do when he found out that Eric had stolen his wife?
A) He wrote a song for Patti too…“Piggies.” OK, I’m just kidding…Eric
and Patti didn’t last long as a couple but George remained close with
Eric. But what was George thinking…Piggies?!!
107) If Ringo hadn’t become famous as a Beatle what were his long term
plans? A) He fancied himself as a hairdresser and wanted to own his own
salon.
108) On April 4th 1964 what happened on Billboard’s singles chart that
will most likely never happen again? A) The Beatles occupied the top
five spots on the chart!
109) What was Ringo Starr’s real name? A) Richard Starkey
110) How did he get the name “Ringo?” A) As a member of his former group
Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, Ringo was fond of rings and sometimes
wore two or three on each hand. Rory Storm began calling him “Rings” and
before long it became “Ringo.” Ringo preferred the latter name because
it sounded like a cowboy name.
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More Useless Trivia to Follow Soon!
If you have any corrections or would like to add your
own trivia feel free to email us. We’ll check it out and even give you
credit for your addition! SEND US YOUR TRIVIA!
We Love Beatles and 1960’s Trivia!
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