International
NEWS REPORTS
BRITAIN
There’s no stopping Britain’s hottest disk, stage and TV attraction, the Beatles. With their newly recorded single and LP, they’ve made record history here even before release. The group’s fifth single featuring two self-penned titles “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “This Boy” is not due for release until next Friday (29) but three days after it was announced to the trade the week before last, advance orders had snowballed to 700,000 virtually assuring the group of a second Gold Disk long before the release date. At the same time advance orders for their second LP, “With the Beatles,” had reached 280,000. Last Monday (18) the Beatles were due to receive presentations from EMI chairman Sir Joseph Lockwood for their record achievements (which one could list) so far this year.
excerpt from article in Billboard Nov 23, 1963, page 35 (By CHRIS HUTCHINS, News Editor, New Musical Express).
BBC, ATV Fight For Garland TV
By CHRIS HUTCHINS
News Editor
New Musical Express
There’s a major battle going on here for Judy Garland’s American TV series. Bidding against the BBC are ATV, Associated Rediffusion, and Granada—the main three independent companies. Thirty-two hour long shows are involved —11 of them have already been filmed by CBS and feature such artists as Lena Horne, Steve Lawrence, Count Basie and Vic Damone.
The Beatles will make thier (sic) first film early in the new year—for United Artists. The picture goes into production next February and author Alun Owen has been signed to write the screen play. The group’s recording manager George Martin will supervise the music and the Beatles themselves are composing songs and incidental tunes.
The Beatles will receive awards from EMI chairman Sir Joseph Lockwood — a silver disk for sales in excess of 250,000 of their first album “Please Please Me” (which has now been at No. 1 in the LP chart for more than half a year) and a silver
EP for the fastest-ever selling British EP and also for topping the singles, LP and EP charts at the same time. He might just as well give them two silver albums for advance orders on their new LP “With The Beatles” (released this week), total well over a quarter of a million.
excerpt from article in Billboard Nov 16, 1963, page 39
