Tune In (The Beatles: All These Years, #1)

by Mark Lewisohn

Brian had invested extraordinary energy in the Beatles these twelve months, fast-tracking their rise from rough local heroes to the brink of (and it really did seem due) national stardom. They’d matched his commitment and gone along with his plans all the way, their talents blending tremendously well. To coincide with the second Mersey Beat poll win, Brian put together a full-page ad titled 1962—the Beatles Year of Achievement; never one to miss a beat, he also had it printed as giveaway publicity posters on eye-catching colored paper (the Beatles signed them). Here are four of Astrid’s arty new photos together with a long itemized list of Beatles accomplishments since the turn of the year: the EMI contract, the chart position, the ten TV and radio broadcasts, the poll successes, the trips to Hamburg, the big-name stars they’d appeared with, and some of the towns and cities they’d played. Underneath this was an impressive contact list, five people working to make them a success.§ But this wasn’t only a list of Beatles achievements, it was an audit of Brian’s first year in management, a statement of account that was nothing short of sensational—because 1962 was a year in which the Beatles had been managed quite brilliantly by Brian Epstein.