On a Saturday night in October 1962 Pete Maclain and the Dakotas played at our dance hall in Cleethorpes. They did songs I'd never heard before. The supporting band, Dave Berry and the Cruisers were, at that time, my heroes doing Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker tunes to not much appreciation. Dave asked them about a couple of the songs and they wouldn't tell him who they were by. One of these was Richie Barret's "Some Other Guy". The Dakotas told me that we should see "The Beatles" from Liverpool. The following Wednesday on Granada TV's People and Places the compere simply said "And now after many requests.. the North's top group The Beatles. They played "SomeOther Guy" (which I assumed they'd written !) and "Love Me Do".
To a fifteen year old it was and still is ) a sort of magic. The following year I went to see them at the Lincoln Odeon. This was the start of "Beatlemania". Girls screaming and fainting, elderly St John's personnel carrying them on stretchers. The band were audible at that time and sounded great. I.. ahem... "got off" briefly with a girl from Gainsborough.
The Beatles ? bloody marvellous and still a prominent feature on my playlist.