The Beatles in 1966 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Maureen Cleave

Maureen Cleave worked as a correspondent for the London "Evening Standard" and often conducted interviews with members of the Beatles. Her most famous interview occurred when she spoke with John Lennon in early March 1966. During the course of the conversation, Lennon told Cleave, "Christianity will go.

It will vanish and shrink...We're (the Beatles) more popular than Jesus now." According to Cleave, Lennon wasn't being arrogant while he was making the statement. When the interview was published in the UK, most readers didn't react very strongly.

However, when Lennon's quote was published in a U.S. teeny-bopper magazine a few months later, a firestorm was created in the American press. Several Southern "Bible Belt" ministers called for teenagers to boycott the Beatles.

The group's albums were burned in many cities throughout the South. When the Beatles began their U.S. tour in August 1966, Lennon issued an impromptu statement of apology for the "Jesus" remark during a press conference in Chicago. Tony Barrow, Dick James, and Derek Taylor were all members of the Beatles "family."

Answer: Butcher

On March 25, 1966, veteran photographer Robert Freeman conducted a London photo shoot with the Beatles in order to publicize the upcoming release of the band's "Yesterday...and Today" album in the United States. The most noteworthy of the pictures came to be known as the "Butcher Baby", or "Butcher Cover" photo.

In this picture, the four Beatles were shown sitting with white smocks covered by pieces of raw meat and the limbs of dismembered plastic dolls. The Beatles were wearing sardonic grins in this gruesome photo.

In the USA, horrified Capitol Records executives rushed to halt the release of this photo on the album cover. However, about 750,000 copies of the "Butcher Baby" album cover were printed. A few copies with this album cover were distributed to retail stores, but most of the "Butcher Baby" records were destroyed.

In some cases, Capitol executives ordered a non-threatening photo of the Beatles (the "Steamer Trunk" photo) to be pasted over the "Butcher Baby" photo. In the USA, a "Butcher Baby" copy of the "Yesterday...and Today" album is a highly prized collector's item.

Answer: London

On May 1, 1966, the Beatles performed at the New Musical Express Poll Winner's Concert. Other featured artists included the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, Roy Orbison, and the Spencer Davis Group. The concert was held at Empire Pool, an indoor arena in Wembley, London.

The Empire Pool is called "Wembley Arena" today, with seating for about 12,500 patrons. In 1969, the Beatles would give an impromptu "rooftop" concert in London during the filming of the "Let It Be" movie.

Answer: They believed that the Beatles were desecrating a national shrine.

The Beatles started their final world tour in West Germany and then flew to Tokyo, Japan. The group was forced to spend several hours in Anchorage, Alaska, on their way to Tokyo because a typhoon was threatening Japan. The Beatles' entourage finally arrived in Tokyo on June 28, 1966.

The Beatles were scheduled to play three concerts at the Budokan Hall (Martial Arts Hall) in the center of the city. Some government officials and judo aficianados became incensed at the Beatles because the Budokan was considered to be a "sacred hall" for martial arts.

The atmosphere during the Beatles' stay in Japan was tense. The group members were not allowed to leave their hotel without permission, and there were several signs from protesters on the street which read, "Beatles Go Home." The Budokan concerts, however, went on without incident, and the Beatles left Tokyo in early July.

Answer: Manila

The Beatles had a terrifying experience during the few days which they spent in Manila, Philippines. They arrived in Manila on July 3, 1966, and were scheduled to meet with First Lady Imelda Marcos at Malacanang Palace on July 4. Manager Brian Epstein politely declined the invitation, feeling that the band members needed some rest. Marcos was reportedly furious when the Beatles didn't show up, and the state-run television network showed images of heartbroken children crying in front of the palace. Epstein realized that the situation was potentially dangerous when he saw Manila newspaper headlines: "Beatles Snub President." The Beatles played at Rizal Memorial Football Stadium without incident on July 4, but the following day the band members were assaulted at the Manila airport as they were attempting to leave the country. Angry mobs of people punched, kicked, and shoved members of the Beatles' entourage. Ringo Starr reportedly suffered a sprained ankle; Mal Evans and Epstein were also injured. Beatles' assistant Neil Aspinall later said, "This (Filipino experience) might have been one of the last nails in the touring coffin."

Answer: Revolver

"Revolver" was released in early August 1966. Some music critics have labeled "Revolver" as the Beatles' finest album. These people claim that Paul McCartney's songs such as "For No One", "Eleanor Rigby", and "Here, There and Everywhere" represent Sir Paul's peak performance with the band.

The album was recorded at Abbey Road Studio between April and June 1966. In December 1966, a greatest hits album of the Beatles entitled "A Collection of Beatles Oldies (But Goodies)" was released in the UK. This album featured several singles which had not appeared on previous LPs. "Help!" and "Rubber Soul" were released in 1965.

Answer: Candlestick Park

The Beatles gave their last official concert at San Francisco's Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966. This ballpark was the home field of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants. Approximately 25,000 fans attended the show which featured warm-up appearances by Bobby Hebb ("Sunny"), the Remains, the Cyrkle and the Ronettes.

The Beatles sensed that this would be their last concert; therefore, they took many photographs of the event for posterity. Kezar Stadium once hosted the NFL San Francisco 49ers, Golden Gate Park is a large urban recreational area in San Francisco, and the Rose Bowl is located in Pasadena, California.

Answer: Indica Gallery, London

According to legend, John Lennon first met Yoko Ono at the Indica Gallery. The Indica was an avant garde art gallery located in St. James, London. A mutual friend of Lennon and Ono named John Dunbar arranged for Lennon to visit the Indica. Some people claim that this meeting took place on November 9, 1966. Ono was presenting an exhibit at the Indica which was supposedly titled "Unfinished Paintings and Objects." As the story goes, Lennon was intrigued by both the art being shown and by Ono's mysterious attitude.

The couple began to see more of each other after this first meeting, and eventually a full-fledged romance would bloom.

Answer: The Family Way

Hayley Mills and Hywel Bennett starred in the movie "The Family Way", a comedy which debuted in December 1966. Paul McCartney, with assistance from Beatles' producer George Martin, composed the soundtrack for the film; the soundtrack album was released in January 1967. McCartney and girlfriend Jane Asher attended the movie's premiere on December 18, 1966.

Some music critics believe that "The Family Way" soundtrack was the Beatles' first solo album. John Lennon played Private Gripweed in the movie "How I Won the War." The movie "Alfie" starred Michael Caine and was released in August 1966. "Cul-de-sac", directed by Roman Polanski, appeared in November 1966.

Answer: When I'm Sixty-Four

In December 1966, the Beatles began preliminary work on the "Sgt. Pepper" album. During this period, they recorded the songs "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane"- these songs would constitute a double-sided single which would be released in early 1967.

In addition, the Beatles did some recording work on Paul McCartney's "When I'm Sixty-Four", a song which mentioned the fictitious grandchildren "Vera, Chuck and Dave."