THE MUSIC BEAT ..... ASSOCIATED PRESS INTERNATIONAL ..... JUNE 1966
THE HIGH-RIDING BRITISH BEATLES MAY HAVE HAD A CLOSE CALL WITH
ECONOMIC DISASTER...THE LOSS OF POPULARITY IN THE UNITED STATES,
WHERE THEY MAKE MOST OF THEIR MONEY.
NOT BECAUSE OF THEIR VOCAL TALENTS...WHICH IS ANOTHER QUESTION....
BUT BECAUSE OF THEIR SAD TASTE IN ALBUM JACKET ART.
THE NARROW SQUEAK CAME WHEN CAPITOL DISTRIBUTED TO AMERICAN DISK
JOCKEYS A NEW BEATLE ALBUM CALLED "YESTERDAY" AND TODAY." THE JACKET
WAS A BIZARRE, GRISLY PICTURE OF THE BIG-BEAT GROUP WEARING WHITE
BUTCHERS' SMOCKS AND SADISTIC GRINS.
EACH OF THE SHAGGY-HAIRED BEATLES HELD PARTS OF A DOLL WHOSE HEAD
HAD BEEN CUT OFF AND ITS BODY DISMEMBERED. IT WAS A GORY SCENE.
THE BEATLES APPEARED TO BE AMUSED BY THE CHUNKS OF MEAT AND BONE.
DISK JOCKEYS WHO RECEIVED THE ALBUM...FORTUNATELY BEFORE IT WAS
PUT ON SALE...WERE SHOCKED BY THE GROTESQUE JACKET PICTURE AND SOME
EVEN REFUSED TO PLAY THE RECORD.
A CAPITOL SPOKESMAN IN CHICAGO SAID THE PROTESTS REACHED
"RATHER LOUD" PROPORTIONS NATIONWIDE...AND AT THIS POINT THE RECORD
COMPANY STARTED CORRECTING WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A BAD BEATLEMANIA
BLOOPER.
A COMPANY SPOKESMAN IN LOS ANGELES HAD THIS TO SAY: "THROUGH
A SAMPLING OF PUBLIC OPINION WE DISCOVERED THE ALBUM PICTURE WAS
MISINTERPRETED...SO IT HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN IN FAVOR OF A MORE
CONVENTIONAL COVER."
THE ALBUM IS THE TENTH THE BEATLES HAVE MADE FOR CAPITOL.
THE PREVIOUS NINE RECORDINGS HAVE MADE THE BRITISH GROUP
MILLIONAIRES...SELLING MORE THAN 35 MILLION COPIES IN THE UNITED
STATES.
CAPITOL SAYS THE GORY ALBUM PICTURE WAS TAKEN IN LONDON AND
WAS THE BEATLES' OWN IDEA OF POP ART SATIRE.
OTHERS REGARDED THE ABBATOIR EFFECT AS RESEMBLING HUMAN CARNAGE.
THERE IS AN OLD SAYING THAT "YOU CAN'T TELL A BOOK BY ITS
COVER"...AND PERHAPS IT MIGHT BE APPLIED TO LONG-PLAYING
RECORD ALBUMS.
BUT MAYBE NOT.
(END LIGHTER SIDE)
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