Isle Of Man

September 8 – Isles Of Man
 
Here, There & Everywhere.

For those of us in the United States we became aware of the four lads from Liverpool in early 1964. 

They had a major impact on music, culture, fashion, language and young people.
Their style was unique between their lyrics, harmony and musical instruments. They had three remarkable song writers in John, Paul and George. They harmonized on many songs. They didn't overpower you with singing nor playing their instruments all at once. There were iconic moments when you would hear one chord of the guitar, and you knew what the name of the song was.
 

Ringo brought a unique style to drumming. Although Ringo was a lefty he actually played a right-handed drum kit. His voice was not remarkable but he was given prime time on songs that worked for him such as Yellow Submarine and With A Little Help From My Friends. He even penned a song called Octopus’s which he also sung.
 
George is recognized as one of the top guitarists.  He evolved becoming a great song writer and brought other instruments such as the sitar to the band.
Paul evolved into a very strong bass player, and played other instruments including the piano and drums on certain Beatles Recordings. Ringo Starr says if not for Paul's determination The Beatles would have produced far less songs than they did.


John was the leader of The Beatles and before that the Quarymen. His songs were full of emotion and covered many issues of the day. He is one who said it as it is and sometimes that got him into trouble.

The Beatles were not stagnant. With each album they brought unique approaches to their songs. When they stopped touring, they pioneered new recording techniques which revolutionized the music industry. They incorporated rock, pop, folk and classical into their music.

Even today Beatles music seems fresh inspiring many people to enter the industry. It's amazing that Paul and Ringo released what may be the final Beatles song Now and Then which was an instant hit.

I’ve included a final video related to Liverpool and those young lads from Liverpool, The Beatles
 
 
We thoroughly enjoyed yesterday’s tour with Jackie Spencer. We revisited sites and went to other for the first time.
 
We spent the first portion of the tour in North Liverpool. We passed by areas where the container ships come and places where there is scrap metals and learned about the history of this area.
 
Stopped by a flat where Bob Dylan appears in a photograph with young children. Bob Dylan has ties to the Beatles.
 
Stopped at a mural featuring John Lennon and The Beatles. 
 
Returned to Strawberry Fields focusing on the many items found inside about the song, the area and John Lennon.
 
Returned to the Casbah whose inside we visited twice before. Discussed the changes made to it. Including the addition of five suites for those who would like to spend a night and appropriately named after John, Paul, George, Ringo and Pete Best.
 
Stopped by Hom Hall where the Beatles performed several times.
 
We spent a lot of time in the White Cottage which was a special treat where John Lennon lived as a child and returned when he was famous where people would not bother him. Jackie was instrumental in encouraging her friend to purchase the cottage and to restore it and her friend got lots of input in the restoration from a family member of John.
 
Spent one hour with Freda Kelly who we last saw in 2015. Freda was Brian Epstein’s secretary and would become the head of The Beatle’s Club until 1972. She had lots of interaction with the four lads and with Pete Best before Ringo replaced him as the drummer. She answered all our questions and added lots of information on her own. 
While Freda saw The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club several times, she said the best performances were in the Movies A Hard Day’s Night. Why? Because in the Cavern Club as was the case for most live performances there was so much screaming you couldn’t appreciate all their music but when she watched the movie you could hear the music quite well. 
 
All in all, it was a wonderful day. We had some rain but we know this is Liverpool.
 
We thank Jackie for being an exceptional tour guide. She appears on the Beatles Radio station, will appear on an upcoming podcast with Rick Steves, and on other podcasts about Liverpool and The Beatles.  

A final video related to Liverpool and those young lads from Liverpool, The Beatles

Waterside Dinner Menu from last evening which we enjoyed in our suite which Senior Head Waiter organized for us.

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Today's Daily Reflections program.

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​Today Crystal Serenity arrived to Douglas – Isle of Man, UK.
 
Situated between Ireland and England is the Isle of Man. This little island is home to 85,000 people.
It appears that human beings lived here for more than 6,000 years. 
The Gibb brothers who later formed the Bee Gees (Barry, Robin and Maurice Bibb were born on this island. Younger brother Andy Gibb was born years later in Manchester, England.
 
Major attractions include the Manx and National Folk Museums, Douglas Bay Horse Tramway, medieval castle called Castle Rushen, the wooded area of Summerhill Glen and a Stream Train to Port Erin.

​First photo collage of the full moon this morning as we were getting close to the Isle of Man.
 
 
 
 
 

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith