Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

January 24, 1962

The Beatles finally sign a management contract with Brian Epstein.  He has certainly been proving his worth to the band.  I think it says a lot about his deep belief in them and his almost naive sense of decency that he did so much for them before he had any official relationship with them.  After all, he got them into a London recording studio and has been beating the bushes for opportunities for them to play and record both in Liverpool and down in London.  He has given the band a new sense of direction (even if it wasn't always universally appreciated by the band members themselves.)

Another indication that his heart was in the right place, he has them sign the contract, has it witnessed by his assistant at NEMS, Alistair Taylor, but leaves the space for his own signature blank, assuming this would give them a way out of the contract if they became unsatisfied.  Not sure what the lawyers would have said about that, but I truly believe Brian is really demonstrating that he didn't want them to be dissatisfied with his management.  No doubt, Brian made some mistakes with royalties and so forth later on, but I think his actions prove they were certainly not motivated by selfishness.

The signature page of the first Epstein contract (from A Cellar Full of Noise by Brian Epstein)

It's not exactly a hard hitting account and was actually ghost written by press officer Derek Taylor, but it has a sweetness like the man himself and if you get a chance, "A Cellar Full of Noise" is certainly worth a look to any Beatle fan.

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