60 years Ago: BEATLES WELCOMED BACK FROM TOUR OF SWEDEN
The Beatles continued with their tour of Sweden during the week of October 28, 1963. On Monday, the group appeared at a record store in Boras for a 30-minute record signing. That evening they played a concert in the city at Borashallen. On Tuesday, the group played at the Sporthallen inEskilstuna. Meanwhile, back at Abbey Road Studios, George Martin oversaw the stereo mixing of the songs for the group’s second album. He also determined the running order of the songs and banded the tracks for the album. Martin made a minor tweak to the song Money on the following day. The album With The Beatles was then ready for mastering and manufacturing.
That Wednesday, the Beatles returned to Stockholm to tape an appearance on a Sveriges Television program that featured pop music. The show, which was broadcast on November 3, was taped before a live audience. The Beatles performed She Loves You, Twist And Shout, I Saw Her Standing There and Long Tall Sally. This exciting performance can be seen in excellent quality.
On Thursday, October 31, the Beatles flew from Stockholm to London. Thousands of fans were there to greet the band at London Airport, adding to the growing evidence that Beatlemania was going to be around for more than a few weeks.
The Beatles started the month of November with an autumn tour of England. The Beatles were the headline and final act of the 10-act program. The group’s set included I Saw Her Standing There, From Me To You, All My Loving, You Really Got A Hold On Me, Roll Over Beethoven, Boys, Till There Was You, She Loves You, Money and Twist And Shout. By this time the screaming was becoming so loud that those in attendance had trouble hearing the group. Opening night was Friday, November 1, at the Odeon Cinema in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. On Saturday, the tour played the City Hall at Sheffield. On Sunday, there were two shows at the Odeon Cinema in Leeds.
Today’s questions cover the conclusion to the Beatles October 1963 tour of Sweden.
- What was the name of the Swedish television show on which the Beatles performed four songs on October 30, 1963?
- What famous American television personality claimed to have seen the wildly enthusiastic reception given the Beatles upon their return from Sweden on October 31, 1963?
- What influential American newspaper ran a short article on the crowd greeting the Beatles upon their return from Sweden in its November 4, 1963 edition?
- The Beatles performed four songs before an enthusiastic audience for the Swedish television show Drop In.
- Ed Sullivan claimed to have been at London Airport on October 31, 1963, at the time the Beatles arrived from Sweden. According to the account of the event, over 1,500 youngsters lined the rooftop gardens of the Queen’s Building and others congregated on the ground. Sullivan asked what all the commotion was about and was informed it was the Beatles returning from a tour of Sweden. He replied, “Who the hell are the Beatles?” Sullivan was told that the Beatles were a well known pop group. His curiosity was aroused, but he wasn’t ready to book an unkown-in-America British band at that time.
- The New York Times ran a short article on the crowd greeting the Beatles upon their return from Sweden in its November 4, 1963 edition. The article, which drew little notice at the time, stated that the screams of fans drowned out the whine of taxiing jets.