THIS IS THE REASON WHY BEATLEMANIA WAS READY TO SERVE TO THE WORLD. INTO THE MUSICAL LIVERPOOL CAULDRON WERE THE BASIC BEATLE INGREDIENTS OF EXCITEMENT, SOUND, MOVEMENT, FRESHNESS, COOKED OVER THE BUBBLING WATERS OF THE 'MERSEY RIVER', IT WAS BRIAN EPSTEIN, STIRRING THE BREW, ADDING FROM TIME TO TIME THE DASH OF PROFESSIONAL SEASONING. DRAWING ON HIS THEATRICAL EDUCATION, EPSTEIN, THE BEATLE MANAGER WAS ABLE TO TAKE THE ADMITTEDLY SCRUFFY QUARTET AND ACT AS BOTH OBJECTIVE MIRROR AND BUSINESS GUIDE. HOW EPSTEIN AND THE BEATLES JOINED FORCES IS ANOTHER CHAPTER IN THIS LIVING LEGEND.EPSTEIN, AT THE YOUTHFUL AGE OF 27, HAD REJECTED THE TEMPTATIONS OF A CAREER IN THEATRE TO ENTER THE FAMILY BUSINESS IN LIVERPOOL. DESPITE AN ALMOST LIFELONG YEARNING FOR THEATRE AND A FORMAL EDUCATION WHICH INCLUDED STUDY AT THE 'ROYAL ACADEMY OF DRAMATIC ART' IN LONDON, HE DECIDED TO EMPLOY HIS CREATIVE TALENTS AND BOUNDLESS ENERGY IN THE BUSINESS WORLD WHERE THE CHANCES OF FINANCIAL SECURITY WERE CONSIDERABLY GREATER THAN THEATRE. ALTHOUGH HIS PERSONAL TASTES WERE SOMEWHAT SOPHISTICATED, BRIAN EPSTEIN FOUND THE BUSINESS OF SELLING POP MUSIC RECORDS SO FINANCIALLY REWARDING THAT HE DECIDED HE'D BETTER EMERGE HIMSELF IN THE POP MUSIC WORLD WHICH STRANGELY ENOUGH WAS FOCUSING ITS BEAMS ON LIVERPOOL AND THE 'MERSEY BEAT', SUCCESSOR TO BOTH THE EUROPEAN 'SKIFFLE' AND AMERICAN 'ROCK' WERE POPULAR.SO DOWN THE COBBLE-STONED STREETS OF LIVERPOOL'S STORIED BEAT GENERATION SECTION WENT EPSTEIN WITH DRESS AND MANNER GENTEEL. HE REPORTEDLY PROJECTED A FEELING OF CONFUSION THE FIRST TIME HE WAS CONFRONTED BY THE BEATLES. BUT IN SUBSEQUENT TRIPS HIS DEMEANOUR CHANGED AND WHEN BRIAN EPSTEIN FINALLY MADE A PERSONAL DECISION TO MANAGE THE BEATLES, IT WAS A DECISION WHICH WOULD AFFECT THE MUSICAL HISTORY OF THE WORLD.

SLOW DOWN
By Larry Williams

WELL, COME ON, PRETTY BABY WON'T YOU WALK WITH ME?
COME ON, PRETTY BABY WON'T YOU TALK WITH ME?
COME ON, PRETTY BABY, GIVE ME ONE MORE CHANCE.
TRY TO SAVE OUR ROMANCE!
SLOW DOWN!
BABY, NOW YOU'RE MOVIN' WAY TO FAST.
FROM THE ROUGH AND ROWDY STREETS OF HAMBURG, TO THE CELLARS OF LIVERPOOL'S
ANCIENT AND NOT-SO-HONOURABLE ALLEYS, THE BEATLES WERE ALREADY LEGEND. AND
LIKE MUSICAL BOULDERS DROPPED INTO STILL WATER, THE STORY OF THAT STRANGE
OVER-POWERING AUDIENCE REACTION RIPPLED ACROSS THE CONTINENT. PERHAPS
ROGER CHRISTIAN CAN EXPLAIN A FEW REASONS FOR THIS BEATLEMANIA.

Credits

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