Rock 'n' Roll history was well and truly made today in 1963, with the release of The Beatles first-ever album, Please Please Me.
Thanks to the success of the album's title track as a single, the album was rush-released by record label Parlophone to stoke the flames of Beatlemania.
It's easy to forget just how innovative The Beatles were. Rock magazine Rolling Stone has since described the LP as "[their invention of] the idea of the self-contained rock band, writing their own hits and playing their own instruments."
The historical significance of Please Please Me makes the emergence of a letter written and signed by Paul McCartney during the album sessions, to a female friend, all the more exciting...
To Liz, he writes: "Thanks for your letter. Great to hear from you again. And how were your exam results??? I hope you passed everything with flying colours. (Fran too, as I wrote.)."
 A letter to a female friend, written by the young McCartney |
"Well, 'Taste of Honey' is on the L.P., also 'Chains', 'Anna', and quite a few of our own compositions. (cough cough)..."
The "compositions" which McCartney self-deprecatingly alludes to in his letter later emerged as Love Me Do and I Saw Her Standing There, two of the best-known tunes of their era.
The note ends with McCartney's signature: "Lots of love, Paul xxxx."
Signed and one-of-a-kind, this letter is currently held by Paul Fraser Collectibles and for sale to collectors priced £8,500 ($14,025).
Meanwhile, following the album's release, it would remain at the top of the Hit Parade for 30 weeks - before being replaced by the second Beatles album, With The Beatles.
Recorded in three hour sessions, each Beatle reportedly received £7.50 each, per session through their employment via the Musician's Union.
The four Beatles would each receive MBEs from Queen Elizabeth II just two years later.
- More news on Autographs and Memorabilia
- Enjoy the read? Don't forget to sign up for your free newsletter with exclusive content
