McCartney Times

FIFTY years after his death, Brian Epstein is still known as the man who made the Liverpool band a phenomenon but he often fell short when it came to business deal.By Dominic Utton On August 27, 1967, Brian Epstein, the man who had guided The Beatles from scruffy-haired likely lads to the most successful band in the history of the world, died.He was found in his London flat after taking an overdose of barbiturates.He was just 32. Fifty years on Epstein is still remembered as a legend in the music business.Related articles John Lennon open letter to ex-wife after marriage breakdown unearthed Beatles auction: Eleanor Rigby score expected to fetch £20,000The Beatles heydayThe Beatles John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr pictured in their heyday during the early 1960’s Play slideshow the beetles mania legends america pop band paul mccartney ring starr george harrison john lennon the beetles mania legends america pop band paul mccartney ring starr george harrison john lennon Wearing policeman’s helmets The Beatles salute the press as they are escorted from the back of a black Austin police van by police officers at the stage door before a performance at the Hippodrome in 1963 The Beatles pictured together rehearsing songs in their hotel room in Stockholm during their autumn tour of Sweden in 1963 The Beatles pose with their instruments as they meet the press during rehearsals for their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show at CBS’s Studio 50 in New York City in 1964 The Beatles pictured together in their dressing room backstage at a venue during their autumn tour of the United Kingdom in 1963 The Beatles board the rear steps of an SAS airlines plane at Stockholm airport in Sweden for their return journey back to London on 31st October 1963 The Beatles pictured together on a horse and carriage in Central Park, New York during a sightseeing tour on 10th February 1964Despite his troubles with alcohol, gambling, drugs and homosexuality when it was still illegal, he will never be forgotten. If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian Sir Paul McCartney As Sir Paul McCartney said, “If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian.”But while Epstein has long been lionised as the Fab Four’s master manipulator, the man who turned them into a global phenomenon, an alternative narrative has it that he might actually have been a second-rate businessman.In the 1995 documentary The Beatles Anthology, George Harrison expressed doubts over just how effective Epstein really was.Epstein with Starr, Harrison, McCartney and Lennon. Allan Williams on The Beatles’ early formation“Brian didn’t get very good deals on anything,” he said. “For years EMI were giving us one old penny between us for every single and two shillings for every album.If we had known in 1962/3 what we know now, or even what we knew in 1967, it would have made a real difference.”When Epstein first saw The Beatles in November 1961 he was running a record store in Liverpool. The story goes that after several customers had asked for a single the band had recorded in Germany he popped into The Cavern one lunchtime to see them for himself.Entranced, he returned every day for the next three weeks… and on December 3 he offered to manage them.First, however, he sought out The Beatles’ former promoter, Allan Williams, to ask his advice. Perhaps stung by a bad deal he had signed in Hamburg, Williams told him: “They’re a fantastic group but they’ll let you down.”My advice is, don’t touch them with a f****** bargepole. They’re ruthless. Be careful what you’re signing.”The following month Epstein and The Beatles signed their first management contract. The terms – giving Epstein up to 25 per cent of their earnings – were almost comically skewed in the manager’s favour but at that time the band were simply happy to have somebody looking out for their interests. ‘If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian’ says Paul McCartney As John Lennon later said: “He wanted to manage us and we had nobody better so we said, all right, you can do it.”And at first, it seemed that 25 per cent cut was worth it. Epstein secured them a deal with George Martin at EMI, convinced them to drop the leathers and old jeans in favour of sharp suits and mop-tops, brought Ringo into the fold and channelled their creativity into a format that would not only chime with the kids but also allow them to break into the mainstream.But even as The Beatles set about conquering the world, he was also signing a succession of what are now recognised as terrible – or terribly naive – deals.Their original EMI contract gave The

Source: The Beatles lost millions because of manager Brian Epstein’s blunders | Life | Life & Style | Express.co.uk