The
true story of how the magic of The Beatles touched my soul at the
darkest time of my life, lifted me from darkness and showed me that
All You Need is Love
.
I
was nine years old. It was early 1980. At weekends, I would often
stay at my Grandparents. It was a large detached house with a spare
front room. It was a 'secret' place where I would sneak into an
explore, what to me where hidden and fascinating old family photos
and nick knacks. I was still coming to terms with my father walking
out on me and my family, so it was a dark and confusing time for
me.
One day, whilst my grandparents were preoccupied I took the
opportunity to sneak into the room again. I pulled open the lower
drawer in a large chest. There under some old bits and bobs were
these fantastically intriguing music albums...the covers were
enticing and held me in child like fascination with their artwork and
names: They looked to me, as a part of that room; lost secret
treasures, from a time long ago: 'Revolver', 'Rubber Soul', Magical
Mystery Tour', Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band'.,
'Help!', 'Beatles for Sale'. I had heard the name 'Beatles', and that
were a band from the old fashioned 'black and white days', and were
something, to my nine-year-old mind, ancient. The covers were
anything but: Odd, strange and enticing, each one so different from
the other. There in the corner of the room was an old record player.
I knew that my granddad held 'pop' music in the lowest regard
possible: How could I hear these records from these weird looking
records from the olden days? By some chance there was a pair of dusty
headphones on a table-top. I checked the corridor and hallway: All
was quiet: I can recall which record I chose: It was 'Revolver'. I
knew what I was doing would get me into trouble...if I was caught. My
experience with the music of the late 70's and early 80's was one of
disassociation. Then after setting the needle down, with a crackle,
'Taxman' hit my ears for the first time. I recall just being
mesmerised by the words, the melody, the structure as the album
unfolded into my consciousness. I can recall being stunned by
'Tomorrow Never Knows'. I knew then that The Beatles were something
special. I felt that I hadn't experienced music until that moment in
my life. I learned that the albums were my uncles, put away after he
went on to study art. And as I secretly and furtively discovered the
intricacy and beauty of the genius that is The Beatles over the next
couple of months, it lightened and lifted my soul, at what had been a
dark time.
A
few months later I went on a three-week holiday to Canada. I was
about to embark not only on a journey across the Atlantic to a
far-off country, but also to discover more about The Beatles.
My
mother had a friend on Ottawa and we got some tickets for her, me and
my brother and sister. We stayed in a proper Canadian suburban house,
oak and timber. Windows of sunshine, and three stories high…it
was the late Summer of 1980. We were staying with my mother’s
friend’s family. The weather was golden, and my mind and brain
soaked up the sights and experiences of this culture only seen before
in flickering TV images: Freeways, large wide giant ‘automobiles’,
endless open land and country, I learned about cheeseburgers,
multiple TV stations, (back home we only had three) and the intense
weirdness of a drink I had never seen before called ‘Dr
Pepper’. I Will never forget the look of bewilderment when I
asked for a packet of ‘crisps’ in a local store.
On
the second or third day, I found the families record collection. I
thrill of joy went through me when I saw there were Beatles Albums in
the record collection. I had thought the ones I had found back in my
grandparents’ home was the whole collection. However, these
were different albums to the ones I had furtively unearthed. A double
album in a plain white sleeve, with just ‘The Beatles’
printed on it a slightly off angle. Inside were loads of weird photos
of the Beatles. My imagination was fired up as I looked through the
images. Then another album of them, again looking totally different
to their pictures on the other albums. On this one they were looking
older, had long hair and were walking across a street on a zebra
crossing somewhere. I dug out more….again for some odd reason,
they were again new to me. All the ones in Canada turned out to be
the perfect supplement and compliment to the ones I had discovered in
that dusty front room. A red bordered album with them looking
young…and a blue bordered album with them looking older again,
all long hair and beards…it was almost as if they were
different people. I imagined that the Beatles must have been a group
for years and decades…from being young guys, to these old
world weary looking hairy men. So, one afternoon, I found myself
alone, in the large timbered room. I selected the album that was
white.
The
Beatles and their music are a intimately and intrinsically linked to
my memories of those long endless Canadian sunny days. Now, and for
the rest of my life, whenever I sit down and put on that eclectic
masterpiece that is the White Album, I am snapped back in time and
space to warm, yellow bronzed sunlit afternoons in Canada, listening
to ‘Dear Prudence’ and ‘While my Guitar Gently
weeps’ for the first time….the undulating music hitting
my mind and burning links of that time within me forever. I had my
tenth birthday towards the end of my stay. I received the ‘Red’
and ‘Blue’ Beatles albums. I still have them. That
evening my mother took me off to the cinema for a ‘surprise’.
What a joyous surprise it was. For some reason the 1968 Beatles
psycadellic cartoon marvel ‘Yellow Submarine’ was showing
in Ottawa. I spent the evening thrilling to ‘Blue Meanies’
and watching cartoon Beatles heroes, fighting to save Pepperland, all
the most amazing and beautiful soundtracks of Beatles music. In less
than a year I had gone from the dark, grey days of when my father
left, to knowing that joy and love existed in the World. I had gone
on journey. A journey that touched my soul.
The
love in the music brought joy into me. For that and to this day I am
thankful to the magic that is The Beatles.
Contact
Paul
