[www.newsweek.com]

Great stuff....

Awesome! Thanks!!

nice stuff, thanks! never enough of early photos

re: the pic of Mick watching a rebroadcast of a '64 Stones performance

The caption makes it seem like an entire concert was broadcast.
Anybody know more details?


IORR............but I like it!

Quote
sweet neo con
re: the pic of Mick watching a rebroadcast of a '64 Stones performance

The caption makes it seem like an entire concert was broadcast.
Anybody know more details?

This was a recording for 'Top of the Pops' & 'It's All Over Now' was the only song taped. Check out the headstock of Brian's Vox guitar, it seems bigger than his 6-string hence it's most probably his 'vox12string' (now you know).

He used the 6-string for the Ed Sullivan, easier to tune I suspect & no messing around having to change guitars.

Here's the original by The Valentinos & a link about them





[www.soulwalking.co.uk]

With Safari you can save the pix to your HD with the "Cmd+A" magic trick.

I'm absolutely loving the photos, especially Brian and Keith poolside in Clearwater, Fla. Anybody know the name of the motel? It looks very much like the Coral Reef Resort, which is still around thank heavens, but remodeled pretty extensively.

I found two names of the Clearwater Motel:
one is Gulf Motel; I found also Jak Tar Harrison Hotel.
Don't know which font is the correct one.

More of the Bob Bonis pix and a link to his website in this earlier thread:

[www.iorr.org]

This is one of the sources:


By THOMAS C. TOBINSt. Petersburg TimesJuly 23, 2000 Clearwater residents can be forgiven for not noticing -- much less commemorating -- the anniversary, distracted as everyone has been with the big summer election over the future of downtown. Thirty-five summers ago, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, possibly the greatest rock 'n' roll song of all time, was written here. The Rolling Stones had played to an estimated 3,000 teenagers at Jack Russell Stadium. They got in only four songs before the crowd turned rowdy (rolls of toilet paper were thrown) and the police stepped in, ending the show and hustling the Stones away. That night, Keith Richards awoke in his room at the Jack Tar Harrison Hotel (today it's the Fort Harrison) with Satisfaction's opening guitar riff in his head. Da, da, da-da-daaa da-da-da. He grabbed his guitar, got the notes on tape and went back to sleep. Several weeks later, the song became the British rock group's first No. 1 hit in the United States, supplanting Mr. Tambourine Man by the Byrds. It remained No. 1 for four weeks until it was knocked off by Herman's Hermits' I'm Henry VIII, I Am. This month, a group of 20 legendary pop songwriters, including Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson and Burt Bacharach, ranked it the second-best song ever, behind the Beatles' In My Life. Another recent poll asked 700 people in the music industry to rank the 100 greatest rock songs. Satisfaction was No. 1, followed by Aretha Franklin's Respect. Forever linked to the famous tune, Clearwater occupies a lofty place in rock 'n' roll lore -- the kind of distinction that, after 35 years, might warrant a plaque or a sign at the city's entrance. "Welcome to Satisfaction City." "Birthplace of Satisfaction." Or, keeping with the doldrums of a city that can't figure out what it wants of itself: "Clearwater: Can't Get No Satisfaction."

and this is another intersting document:

It was a Thursday night in Clearwater -- May 6, 1965 -- when the Stones rolled into Jack Russell Stadium, which had long been the spring home of the Phillies, and still is. The group had yet to hit its prime. (Remember, Satisfaction wasn't out yet.) But they already were huge. That spring in England, fans were selling the band's used cigarette butts and trying to buy water the group had washed in. Four nights before they came to Clearwater, the Stones appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show for the second time. The city and WLCY radio dubbed the Clearwater show the "Star Spectacular." Four local groups were warming up the crowd when word spread that the Stones had arrived. Scores of fans rushed to the railings, some of them climbing on top of the dugouts. The announcer urged everyone back to their seats before the show would start. On stage, the Stones made it through four numbers, including Time Is On My Side and Little Red Rooster. Then, about 200 high school-age boys tried to crash a line of 18 Clearwater police officers. They dumped chairs onto the field and taunted the officers. They threw rolls of toilet paper and cups of dirt. All available police units were dispatched to the stadium, and three teenagers were arrested. The Stones were hustled to a white station wagon and chased by scores of fans, some of them falling dangerously close to the moving car. Later, some fans tried to sneak into the Jack Tar Harrison Hotel by lowering the fire escape ladder. It was a classic 1960s affair: kids running amok, adults trying to restore order. Even Clearwater was not immune to the wild winds of social unrest. "This is it," proclaimed Gary Garretson, then head of the city recreation department. "There will never be another show like this as long as I am here." The City Commission called a special meeting the next day to hear police Chief Willis D. Booth complain: "They were running around like they were in some kind of frenzy." Willis barred any future concerts, saying his officers were "vilified in a way that was most uncomplimentary, and I would not subject them to this again." News reports from back then sound genteel in light of all that has happened in the 31/2 decades since. The youths were referred to as "boys and girls." The Clearwater Sun ran a photo of an officer wagging his finger in the face of one youth. "Take it easy," he warned. Times reporter Frances Brush got close enough to the Stones in the hotel garage to ask a few quick questions -- a level of access that never would be possible with today's superstars. In her report, Brush expressed surprise that "The boys are not smart alecky . . . are a likable, polite group" and "are reasonably well dressed." That night, Richards began plucking out the notes that would one day be heard in just about every documentary ever made about the 1960s. "You can do some of your best writing in hotel rooms," Richards once said. "I woke up with the riff in my head and the basic refrain and wrote it down." According to several accounts, Richards also came up with the lyrics "I can't get no satisfaction" the next morning, but never thought the song was particularly good. He wanted it done with a horn section instead of the fuzzy-sounding guitar. "The record still sounded like a dub to me," he once said. "I couldn't see getting excited about it. I'd really dug it that night in the hotel, but I'd gone past it." Had someone thought to save a memento from the group's stay in Clearwater -- the sheets from their beds or their room records, perhaps -- the city might have the makings of a proper exhibit. But Wallace Lee, the Jack Tar's manager that year, says he has no memory of the Stones even staying there. The hotel's place in rock 'n' roll history also was news to the Church of Scientology, which bought the building in 1975, after the name changed to the Fort Harrison Hotel. One of the first Scientologists in Clearwater was Mike Rinder, now a church spokesman, who says he never knew. When Satisfaction was released, Clearwater Mayor Brian Aungst was a fifth-grader living in England, where his father was on a teaching exchange. He said it was all anyone played over the air and in juke boxes. "It's still one of my favorite songs," he said, laughing. "I can relate to it sometimes." The mayor, a big supporter of downtown redevelopment, was referring to his dashed hopes after the recent election. He'd have no problem with an official city tribute to the song, he said, "But I'm not so sure how the people who voted against the referendum would feel about it." The election, it appears, will be a sore point for years to come. A day after the vote, Tampa Mayor Dick Greco offered solace, saying Clearwater's role in Tampa Bay may not be as the bigger, more vibrant city some want it to be. In other words, the alien mayor was saying, maybe Clearwater is reaching too high. And if that's the case, it will never get no satisfaction. Maybe what Clearwater needs is a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T. But that's a song for another day.

This one of Bob Bonis is my favorite.


[www.bobbonis.com]

Gary James' Interview With The Beatles' Road Manager
Bob Bonis

It was the hottest ticket in the Summer of 1964 - if you could get it! We're speaking of course about a ticket to a Beatles concert in the U.S. That summer found The Beatles at the height of their popularity. Backstage and traveling with The Beatles was Bob Bonis, their road manager.

Q - Wasn't Mal Evans The Beatles road manager?

A - He was the British road manager. He was the equipment guy, not the road manager. His job was to set up equipment and sort of like a security guy. Neil Aspinall was the very British road manager. In the U.S. he did very little road managing. He couldn't. His job was to hang out with The Beatles and make sure everything was cool with them. Malcolm was a roadie. He set up all the equipment.

Q - We know you did the '64 tour, but how many tours and how many years were you associated with The Beatles?

A - '64, '65, '66. Only the American tours. The Stones were the ones I went to Europe with. The Stones had first crack at me. According to the press, The Stones and Beatles were supposed to be bitter enemies, whereas they were quite friendly. They made sure that they never toured roughly at the same time, or if they did, they were continents apart.

Q - It was on the recommendation of The Rolling Stones that Brian Epstein hired you to be the road manager for The Beatles?

A - Kind of. I was the road manager for The Beatles.

Q - Who in The Beatles organization recommended you to Brian Epstein?

A - Well, it was partially The Stones. The Stones had just won the Melody Maker poll for the Best New Group in England. The Beatles won Best in World category because The Beatles had been formed a couple of years earlier. I took the Stones on their first American tour, which was June of '64, before the big Beatles tour. They sent a Melody Maker reporter with us for two weeks. You know. The Stones had a terrible reputation which they worked very hard to get. They were no problem at all actually. The point was, if The Beatles were the goody two shoes, The Stones were like the horrible kids. They went out of their way to make sure that's the reputation they got, as did their manager, publicist Andy Oldham. So, in other words, the guy from Melody Maker was sending back reports saying, "You're not going to believe this, but there's a guy named Mike Douglas, in Cleveland who has a show in the morning, and this guy Bob Bonis has 'em down there at 7 A.M. on time. Or, this guy Bob Bonis did such and such. They were really great. They were no problem. The point is, all we had to do was go over what the agency wanted, what their management wanted, and if there was something they were really dead set against, we didn't do it. That's all. So, all of that stuff was going back to England, and so Brian saw some of that and called The Stones management office, who gave me a hearty recommendation. And of course the other thing was, there was only myself and another guy who did the Dave Clark stuff. Dave Clark was very big at that time. Those were the only two guys who had the kind of experience necessary to do The Beatles tours. So, that was it. And, they got both of us. Does that answer your question?

Q - Part of it. Now, how did you get your job with The Stones?

A - A guy named Norman Weiss who was an agent at GAC (General Artists Corp.) who I worked with before when I was an agent at an old company, MCA, which the government broke up, at least the agency part of it. You still have MCA Records and films. Norman remembered that I always had a reputation for handling tough, wise-guys and I was the logical choice as far as Norman was concerned. I was running a management firm for Jazz people. I had left being an agent and was doing that. Norman had recommended me and that was it.

Q - How tough was it for a "groupie" to get past The Beatles security?

A - Almost impossible. In '65, and '66, we carried ex-F.B.I. guys to stay by the elevator. Brian (Epstein - Beatles manager) was super, super worried about their image. You couldn't get in, unless it was something like Seattle, where girls were hiding in the bathroom.

Q - What about the stories of orgies taking place on the tour, and hookers being brought back to the hotel rooms after the concerts?

A - One disc jockey, thinking he'd do a favor, did bring a bunch back in Atlantic City, and The Beatles wouldn't touch them. So what happened is, the press and the disc jockeys took care of the young ladies. Brian was super conscious of anything the press would love to grab, and it would be that of course.

Q - So what would The Beatles do after a concert, when they were back in their hotel rooms?

A - In Atlantic City we saw a couple of movies, or we'd play cards. In Atlantic City I went out and got a Monopoly set. We'd play that for hours.

Q - Did The Beatles get on each other's nerves a lot? They were always so closely confined in their hotel rooms?

A - No. It was surprising. They always had a suite. George and Ringo stayed together in one room, and John and Paul in the other bedroom, and a big, big room in between. That's an interesting point, because I was shocked that everything went so well, unlike The Stones and the scenes with Brian (Jones).

Q - He was trouble?

A - Well, they were trouble to him. He was trouble to them. It was one of those things. And that went back a long way from when they were paid, and he would disappear with the money, when he was sort of the leader. But that's another chapter.

Q - Were you there when Elvis and The Beatles met each other?

A - I was there in LA., yes, but I did not go. I mean it was just a very private situation. Malcom went, because oddly enough, he was an Elvis freak. But, that was about it. There was no problem. I didn't have to go everywhere with them, especially in places like LA. I was the one who went with George to The Whiskey A Go Go when we had that big scene.

Q - Why didn't The Beatles like disc jockey Murray The K?

A - Because he kept calling himself The Fifth Beatle. That was the only thing. It got to them after awhile. They kept reading about The Fifth Beatle and they knew how hard they worked to get there.

Q - You've said The Beatles would tell the most far-fetched stories about themselves, and the press would believe it. Can you give me an example?

A - I don't even remember anymore. Did I say that? (Laughs). They were far-fetched. I mean it was just jokes. The press was so serious. Every word was like a gem.

Q - Some of the questions asked of The Beatles at Press Conferences were absolutely ridiculous. They were beyond stupid.

A - Those press conferences were fixed. Brian allowed roughly l or 2 press people on the plane that paid usually by the week. Brian made them pay to be on the plane. They didn't just come on, the way the press does now. He made them pay I think, $1,000 a week. Those people got the stories. The press conferences were a total bore. Questions like, 'Do you sleep in your pajamas'? and a lot of that junk. So what happened is, the plane people, or someone like myself would scream from the back, a pre-arranged question that would at least make it a little more interesting. And, we'd wait for some kind of funny answer. The guys were unaware of what our questions were, but they knew they'd get some different questions from us, just to make it more interesting for them. Otherwise, they'd be bored to tears. Same question, city after city.

Q - Were The Beatles as funny off camera, as they were in A Hard Days Night?

A - Frankly, I found them even funnier. You know, they would do a show that would have me on the floor. They would do a whole Palladium show for you - Beatles at The Palladium, with the old time comics, and the songs, and the movement up and down before them in the hotel suite with acoustic guitars. Never in the dressing room or anything like that with other people around. It was hilarious. It would've been classic if it had been filmed. They were all funny. Maybe John a little deeper and more biting then the others, but they were all funny - even Ringo and quiet George.




© Gary James. All rights reserved.

Great pictures, thanks

-------------------
Keep On Rolling

the colured pix during the US show is Fresno or Sacramento? I thought the Fresno show was indoor and Sacramento open-air. There are also footages of these two shows.

Everyone go to his website, tons of amazing shots:

[www.bobbonis.com]

Straycat, you're a superstah! Thank you so much. I'm not finding any of the motel names, but I shall keep looking.

Dang, I never heard that Satisfaction was written in Florida. Very cool.

IORR............but I like it!

>> I never heard that Satisfaction was written in Florida <<

the song was indeed completed in Clearwater, but that's not where the riff woke Keith up in the middle of the night.
as Keith tells it, it was in London a few weeks prior earlier that he dreamed the riff & made that cassette.

back to the photos ... it's sweet that Mr Bonis thinks the Stones toured the States before the Beatles did :E
most of the shots of the Stones look like 1965, but ... [scratching head] ... but i wonder which tour(s) he really was on.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-02-27 21:31 by with sssoul.

Quote
straycat58
I found two names of the Clearwater Motel:
one is Gulf Motel; I found also Jak Tar Harrison Hotel.
Don't know which font is the correct one.

Pay dirt! It still exists. I found a recent article:

Warmth, golf, baseball: That's Clearwater
By Frank Fitzpatrick
25 January 2009
The Philadelphia Inquirer
(c) Copyright 2009, Philadelphia Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - It's hardly startling to learn that the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards composed the iconic guitar riff that so memorably opens "Satisfaction" while a guest at the old Jack Tar Harrison Hotel.

If you can't get no satisfaction in this sunset-rich Gulf Coast beach resort, 15 miles west of Tampa, then you must really be on a losing streak, hey, hey, hey.

>> It's hardly startling to learn that the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards composed the iconic guitar riff
that so memorably opens "Satisfaction" while a guest at the old Jack Tar Harrison Hotel. <<

right: hardly startling, but not quite true.

... maybe I was not clear. The hotel still exists and is this one:

[en.wikipedia.org]

It was my misunderstanding. Thanks for the link.

Whatta bummer though, the Scientologists have creeped up the place. I would have liked to visit.

Sssoul, please explain why it isn't quite true that Keith wrote part of Satisfaction in Clearwater.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-02-27 23:36 by Claire_M.

GREAT shots--i did a then/now of one

[www.iorr.org]

Thanks for posting these great photos, but now i am confused about the origins of Satisfaction.

nice!

>> Sssoul, please explain why it isn't quite true that Keith wrote part of Satisfaction in Clearwater. <<

i didn't say "he didn't write part of it in Clearwater" - i said he didn't compose the riff in Clearwater.
in one of my posts above i explained what i meant, but here it is again for your convenience:
everyone knows the story that the riff came to Keith in his sleep. the way Keith tells it,
that didn't happen in Clearwater; that happened in London some weeks earlier.
the Glimmer Twins did apparently finish writing the song in Clearwater, but
that's not where Keith dreamed of the riff.

Quote
straycat58
the colured pix during the US show is Fresno or Sacramento? I thought the Fresno show was indoor and Sacramento open-air. There are also footages of these two shows.

Do you think it could be this show in Fresno?





Motels are just looking the same but....

Exactly: I thought this was Sacramento.
Well, of course I was wrong: Fresno was in the afternoon of May 22 and Sacramento the same day, but night-time.

Therefore, this footage is Fresno May 22 afternoon.