How many 'fifth' Beatles are there?
I was sad to read about the death of Neil Aspinall, as reported elsewhere on this site.
http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/neil-aspinall-gatekeeper-beatles-h...
But the one thing that made me stop was the description of him as the 'fifth Beatle'.
Now I'm not an expert on the Fab Four (let's leave that to Mark Ellen, shall we?), but this is not the first time I've heard that expression used to describe someone close to John, Paul, George and Ringo.
Brian Epstein was often referred to as the same, as were Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe in their various guises as early members.
And of course there's George Martin... now that, by my rudimentary arithmetic, makes 10 Beatles already!
How many 'Beatles' were there, for goodness sake?
Update: Blimey, The Sun must read this blog... look what's in today's paper
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article959869.ece
Not sure about Heather Mills, though!
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And why is Berry Gordy. . .
. . . so seldom referred to as "the fourth Supreme"?
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Weren't Derek Taylor and Billy Preston also fifth Beatles?
Wasn't Billy Preston. . .
. . .the sixth Stone?
My head hurts
Wasn't Ian Stewart the Sixth Stone? Perhaps Billy was the Seventh Stone as well as the Fifth Beatle...
What about...
Bobby Keys?
You're right
But Ronnie Wood is the Third Fifth Stone, or perhaps he was promoted to the Second Fourth Stone after Bill Wyman left.
Thank you...
that makes everything crystal clear!
I think that accolade must surely go to...
George Martin. He had the capacity to translate their abstract, poetic visions into something concrete. Want to sound like the Dalai Lama and thousands of tibetan monks chanting on a mountain top? George was your man!
s'funny you mention that very sound, Patrick...
but i'm presently reading Here, There and Everywhere by Geoff Emerick and in it he claims that Revolver was the first album on which he worked as engineer, and that it was he that devised the sounds for Tomorrow Never Knows.
Oh God...does that make Geoff a candidate for fifth Beatle candidacy?
OK...
the fifth Beatle is a hybrid creature called George-Geoff Emerickmartin who produced and engineered the records! It's confusing, this, isn't it?!
Geoff Emerick...
...is interviewed in The Sound Makers. A Radio 4 programme available from Speechification.
Jimmy Nicol
Noel Gallagher
Isn't Noel Gallagher the 5th Beatle?
Noel Galla,gggg, gghher (forces out name)
isn't fit to be a fifth of a Beatle.
or
a fifth of a beetle - or is that Liam
That would be me.
That would be me.
Johnny Morris
Isn't Johnny Morris the 5th Beatle?
Him and McCartney used to play for the 'John Thomas Rangers'' with that brown, furry chap.
Mum's always right..
One of our family stories is that my mum used to describe my dad as the "fifth Beatle", which confusded the hell out of me as a kid (children being so trusting and literal minded). In her defence he was handsome, dark haired and called George but it was confusing.
I think it was trait inherit from her Mum, my Nan who also confused me and brother by announcing during "the Guns of Navarone" that Anthony Quinn was "her boyfriend". Do Mums nowadays do this?
My oldest recently told me that
my wife's boyfriend is Robbie Willims. I haven't caught the bugger yet but when I do...............!
No but it seems dads do accidentally
My frequent singing of 'I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar when I met you' to my missus led my daughter to some serious confusion when she was young. I didn't realise until she said this when I led the dancing (and singing) to this song during my son's wedding reception!
first belly laugh of the day..
thank you very much, sir!
I...
...am the fifth Beatle and so is my wife.
The Fab Eight
John, Paul, George & Ringo
Brian Epstein, George Martin, Neil & Mal.
That was The Beatles.
JPG&R, Eppy, GMartin, Neil&Mal. That was The Beatles.
ABSOLUTELY!
All else be merely wankery and detail. :)
everyone knows
there was only one Beatles.
Murray the K
US DJ Murray the K made claims on the 5th seat as well, mainly on the basis that he played lots of their records prior to their first tour. He had of course never met them. However McCartney put him right on this, telling him to cut the crap.
2 + 3/5
I was fortunate enough to be at The Concert For George, at which event 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' featured Paul, Ringo, Billy Preston, Eric Clapton and Klaus Voorman. (Clapton of course being the original guitarist and Klaus at one point being John's (?) suggested replacement for Paul in 1970 - the Klaus Voorman line up features on Ringo's 'I'm The Greatest' trivia fans). That's two Beatles and three 'Fifth Beatles' by my reckoning.
George Best used to get it didn't he?
And Yoko...
of course Ian Stewart was the sixth stone
Is Ronaldo
the second George Best?
Neil fills in for George at the Ed Sullivan Show
Nice picture with the Telegraph obituary today of Neil Aspinsall filling in for a flu-ridden George during rehearsals for the Ed Sullivan Show that broke them overnight in America.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=A1YourView&...
Great name for a band....
...The Fifth Beatles
Radio series from the 80's - History of Rock
...A spoof history of rock, either on R4 or R2 - done by Nigel Planer's brother I think, along with Steve Brown and Phil Pope.
Anyway, the reason I mention this is the one line that I will always remember. "Yoko Ono, now known as the ninth Beatle..."
Apparently I was a Beatle.
Unbeknownst to me, I was in The Beatles...despite the fact they disbanded in 1970, and I was forced into the world 19 years later. Still, was quite a turn up for the books.
as told to Eric Manchester
Leppo?
Without You
Has everyone forgotten that John Lennon once never said to Harry Nilsson, 'Without you, pussycat, there would be no Beatles'?
Or maybe I was thinking of Daniel Johnston? I think he was once keen on being in The Beatles.