This Day in Beatle History

February 28

1967 (Feb 28) - Work Begins on 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds'

On the last day of February, work begins on the song ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’

1987 (Feb 28) - First Five Beatles Album Released on CD

The first five Beatles albums, Please Please Me, With the Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, Beatles for Sale and Help! were released on Compact disc. Capitol Records decided to release the original UK mixes of the Beatles albums, (the first four CDs were released in mono). This marked the first time that many of these mono mixes were available in the US.

2008 (Feb 20) - Beatles' Autographed Rolling Stones Album Auctioned

A 1976 Rolling Stones album bought for £2 at a car boot sale sold for £4,000 at an auction. The ‘Black and Blue’ LP was signed by John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Paul and Linda McCartney and George Harrison as well as members of the Rolling Stones. The seller obtained the album after haggling the cost down from £3.

March 1

1966 (Feb 18) - Brian Wilson Finishes 'Good Vibrations'

Beach Boy Brian Wilson finished recording the future classic song ‘Good Vibrations’, which went on to become the band’s third US number-one hit. As a child, his mother told him that dogs could pick up “vibrations” from people, so that the dog would bark at “bad vibrations” Wilson turned this into the general idea for the song.

1966 (Mar 1) -Cavern Club The Site of a 'Sit In'

A hundred Beatles fans stage a sit-in at Liverpool’s Cavern Club. It is the first live home for the band and it is closing due to bankruptcy.

1967 (Feb 29) - John's US Visa Expires

John Lennon’s US Visa expires. He now begins a four year fight for immigrant status.

1967 (Mar 1) - Beatles Working on 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds'

Working at Abbey Road studios, London, The Beatles started recording a new John Lennon song ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’. Despite the supposed drug references, John always insited the song was inspired by a drawing his 3 year-old son Julian returned home from school with one day. The picture, which was of a little girl with lots of stars, was his classmate – Lucy O’Donnell, who also lived in Weybridge, and attended the same school as Julian. When John asked what the picture was, Julian replied “Lucy in the sky with diamonds”.