The Beatles’ first contract with manager Brian Epstein is expected to sell for about £300,000 at auction.
Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and their first drummer Pete Best signed the document on 24 January 1962, before achieving worldwide fame.
“[Epstein] stopped them eating on stage,” Gabriel Heaton, a specialist at the Sotheby’s auction house, said.
“He made sure they played the songs properly and coherently, and he got them bowing at the end of a set.”
The document, said to have been signed by the band in the front room of Best’s mother’s house, was the first of two contracts drawn up between Epstein and The Beatles.
It gave Epstein responsibility for finding the band work, and managing their schedule and publicity.
He was also to oversee “all matters concerning clothes, make-up and the presentation and construction of the artists’ acts and also on all music to be performed”.
Mr Heaton said: “He was just blown away by the passion, the energy, the charisma, the raw sexuality on stage.
“They had the stage energy but he instilled a sense of professionalism in them.”
The band’s previous manager, Allan Williams, had warned Epstein “they’ll let you down”.
Brian Epstein
- The Liverpool-born manager was in charge of the record section of his family’s shop, North End Music Stores, when he first saw The Beatles at the city’s Cavern Club
- After signing the band, he changed their image from leather jackets and jeans to suit and ties
- Epstein managed other Merseyside acts, including Cilla Black, and Gerry and The Pacemakers
- He died in 1967, aged 32, following a drug overdose – the inquest ruled it as an accidental death
However, Epstein did not sign the contract himself, saying “even though I knew I would keep the contract in every clause, I had not 100% faith in myself to help The Beatles adequately”.
“I wanted to free The Beatles of their obligations if I felt they would be better off,” he said.
The contract outlines that Epstein’s fee would be 10%, rising to 15% if their earnings should exceed £120 a week – McCartney had negotiated the maximum limit down from 20%.
Following Best’s departure from the band, another contract was signed on 1 October 1962 with Ringo Starr as drummer – and Epstein’s cut at a higher percentage.
The original contract, from the collection of Epstein’s publisher Ernest Hecht, is being auctioned for the first time next month.
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- The Beatles - Revolver - 1st - Mix 11 - Factory Sample - UK - vinyl LP - £1,295.00, $1,774.15, €1,528.10 (New Item) (arrived 18-Oct-2021 16:56)on October 18, 2021 at 6:12 pm
THE BEATLES Revolver (Ultra rare 1966 UK factory sample stickered 1st pressing black/yellow Parlophone 14-track mono LP with 'Sold in U.K.' and 'Gramophone Co' label credits & XEX 606-1 matrix on Side 2 indicating the original 'Mix 11'of Tomorrow Never Knows, only EVER on THIS pressing [see more info for how this recording differs to the standard mix]. The vinyl is in fantastic condition with just a tiny spot of spindle wear and the vinyl itself easily achieving an Excellent grade. The sleeve is also Excellent with crisp clean laminate, just a thin band of discolouration to the opening edge & secure undamaged edges & flipbacks. A great copy of this exclusive and super rare factory sample pressing!! PMC7009)
- The Beatles - The U.S. Albums - EX - US - cd album box set - £125.00, $171.25, €147.50 (New Item) (arrived 15-Oct-2021 11:33)on October 18, 2021 at 6:12 pm
THE BEATLES The U.S. Albums (2014 US remastered THIRTEEN CD Album box set, adding the last piece to the complex jigsaw that was The Beatles and their releases in both the United States and the UK. From 'Please Please Me' [which was light years ahead of almost everything else released in 1963] to their US Swansong LP 'Hey Jude'. The UK Mono & Stereo mixes were remastered and released in 2009, but the US releases remained absent apart from 'The Capitol Albums' box sets from several years before that, which only contained eight of the releases in their pre-remastered form. This set contains ALL the US album releases from 'Meet The Beatles!' through to 'Hey Jude', with each album replicating the original album art and catalogue inners where appropriate, even to the extent of providing a textured 'slick' sticker for you to create your own pasteover 'Butcher' sleeve on 'Yesterday And Today'. The attention to detail is what we'd always hoped for with The Beatles' catalogue, and the discs each contain the mono & stereo mixes on a label replica design CD. Topped off by a sixty four page illustrated booklet. It rivals the 'The Beatles In Mono' set of faithful reproductions of the original issue formats. The box is in Excellent condition [tiny 1.2" hairline crack in the top left corner of the back panel] & all contents are near 'as new')
- The Beatles - The Beatles Collection - 14 Albums + Poster - UK - vinyl box set - £995.00, $1,363.15, €1,174.10 (New Item) (arrived 13-Oct-2021 10:21)on October 18, 2021 at 6:12 pm
THE BEATLES The Beatles Collection (Superb 1978 UK FOURTEEN LP box set comprising all the band's studio LPs from Please Please Me through to Let It Be as well as the addition of the Hey Jude compilation, plus the 17-track 'Rarities' collection. Each disc is housed in its original picture sleeve which aside from 'Rarities' are front laminated, with Sgt Pepper and the White Album including the relevant inserts. All housed in a textured flip-top box with gold embossed facsimilesignatures and titles, complete with the 33" x 22" colour fold-out poster featuring John Kelley's iconic photo portraits. The box has just a little wear [small paper chip to the top], the sleeves show just light wear and the vinyl is near 'as new' BC13)
- The Beatles - Revolver - 1st - VG / WOL - UK - vinyl LP - £125.00, $171.25, €147.50 (New Item) (arrived 13-Oct-2021 16:16)on October 18, 2021 at 6:12 pm
THE BEATLES Revolver (1966 UK first press 14-track mono LP on the black & yellow Parlophone label, with the label & sleeve both listing 'Dr. Robert' as opposed to later pressings which credit 'Doctor Robert', housed in a Garrod & Lofthouse front laminated flipback picture sleeve. This copy is graded VG PMC7009) See 'more info' for further details ...
- The Beatles - All This And World War II + Poster - UK - 2-LP vinyl set - £18.00, $24.66, €21.24 (New Item) (arrived 14-Oct-2021 13:36)on October 18, 2021 at 6:12 pm
VARIOUS All This & World War II (1976 UK 28-track double LP, featuring the songs from the Lou Reisner production, with versions of classic Lennon & McCartney songs, including The Bee Gees performing Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight, Sun Kingand She Came In Through The Bathroom Window, & covers by Elton John, David Essex, Status Quo & Tina Turner amongst others. Housed in a gatefold picture sleeve complete with lyric inners & 17" x 24" fold-out poster. The sleeve shows some lightspine scuffing, whilst the vinyl looks barely played RVLP2)
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