The Beatles’ first performances of 1965 were a continuation of The Beatles’ Christmas Show, the variety night which ran from 24 December 1964 until 16 January 1965.
The shows took place at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. The Beatles normally did two performances on each night, to cope with popular demand for tickets.
The guest performers included Freddie And The Dreamers, Sounds Incorporated, Elkie Brooks, The Yardbirds, Michael Haslam, The Mike Cotton Sound and Ray Fell. The compère was Jimmy Savile.
The Beatles appeared in two sketches, one with Freddie Garrity of Freddie And The Dreamers, and another with Jimmy Savile. They closed the shows with an 11-song set: ‘Twist And Shout’, ‘I’m A Loser’, ‘Baby’s In Black’, ‘Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby’, ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’, ‘Honey Don’t’, ‘I Feel Fine’, ‘She’s A Woman’, ‘A Hard Day’s Night’, ‘Rock And Roll Music’ and ‘Long Tall Sally’.
Also on this date, Radio Luxembourg began a weekly series dedicated entirely to The Beatles, with music and interviews. The series, called simply The Beatles, ran from this date until 17 October 1965, every Sunday from 8.45-9pm, and was presented by Chris Denning.
The episodes contained snippets of interviews, recorded during Another Beatles Christmas Show, and on 20 March, 29 April and 20 June 1965, along with news items, request dedications and studio recordings of The Beatles’ songs.
Also on this day...
- 1964: Live: The Beatles’ Christmas Show
- 1963: Travel: Hamburg to London
- 1962: The Beatles audition for Decca Records
- 1959: The Quarrymen live: Wilson Hall, Liverpool
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
1965, IMO, was one of the best years for The Beatles:
They were getting on a treat and working very well together.
They made their second feature film “Help!”.
They released two albums “Help!” and their seminal classic “Rubber Soul”, three singles
George took up the sitar and started to take an interest in Indian music.
Paul bought 7 Cavendish Avenue in London, conveniently a short distance from Abbey Road Studios.
John, Paul and George began to take their songwriting in new directions on “Rubber Soul”.
Ringo married his first wife Maureen and they moved into a beautiful home in Weybridge, Surrey called Sunny Heights, so conveniently, they weren’t too far away from the Lennons.
John bought his Aunt Mimi a lovely home in Poole, Dorset.
George bought his parents a nice home in Warrington.
John and George bought a supermarket on Hayling Island and gave it to Pete Shotton, a friend of John’s, to manage.
They toured America, Canada, Spain, Italy, France and the UK.
They played their historic concert at Shea Stadium in New York City.
They met Elvis during a day off.
They received their MBE’s from Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace in London.
Paul and George attended a Byrds recording session.