A first-time encounter between John Lennon and Paul McCartney left the former impressed with the latter’s musical talents.
The two would go on to found The Beatles with George Harrison and Pete Best, later replaced by Ringo Starr, and the rest is history. But even from their first meeting, it appeared the two were destined for greatness thanks to a mutual respect for one another’s abilities. The pair would recall this meeting in the Anthology documentary, with McCartney saying he figured out what had really impressed Lennon during the initial encounter. The meeting would come at a church fete in Woolton, Liverpool. McCartney and Lennon were both impressed with one another’s musical talents, with Lennon inviting McCartney to join what was, at the time, The Quarrymen.
Lennon’s reason for doing so was relatively simple. Lennon said: “We met and talked after the show, and I saw he had talent and he was playing guitar backstage and he was doing Twenty Flight Rock by Eddie Cochran.” McCartney’s impressive guitar playing would be enough to seal his spot in The Quarrymen, which eventually evolved into The Beatles.
A shared interest in Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly helped, but McCartney believes it’s the Woolton performance which proved crucial in forming their friendship. Ultimately, it came down to what McCartney perceived as better playing than was expected at the time. Lennon saw McCartney performing the Cochran hit, but it was more than just a cover.
McCartney did not dismiss his guitar-playing skills but did suggest there was a more important reason at play for his invitation to join The Quarrymen. He said: “But the thing that I think impressed him most was that I knew all the words.”
It makes a remarkable difference in how Lennon and McCartney would play together during their debut down south. Pete Best recalled: “Halfway through one number, George and Paul put on their overcoats and took to the floor to dance a foxtrot together, while the rest of us struggled along, making enough music for them and the handful of spectators.
“We clowned our way through the whole of the second half. John and Paul deliberately played wrong chords and notes and added words to the songs that were never in the original lyrics.” Why one half of the Fab Four began playing the wrong notes is not known, as Best did not explain any further.
But the set was filled with covers of Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis, and left the few attendees wondering what they had just witnessed. Organiser Sam Leach would suggest the occasion of The Beatles appearing in Aldershot for their first-ever performance is more an event than what the band actually played.
He said: “I often wonder what happens when those youngsters now talk about the night the Beatles came to Aldershot and hardly anyone turned up to see them. I can just hear it. ‘Oh, there we were, all 18 of us, watching the Beatles on stage… and they did an encore.”
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