The name's funny, they look peculiar & they won't sell

How the Fab Four came so close to never making it big in América...

- BY MATT ROPER

THEY conquered the world in the 1960s and are still the biggest band in music history. Yet behind the seamless story of Beatlemania, the Fab Four's rise to global fame was a lot more complex and fraught.

In fact, despite their talent and charisma, John, Paul, George and Ringo's story could have been very different indeed.

Up until now, rock'n'roll history accounts tell how in 1964, during the Beatles' first trip to the US, American teens inevitably fell in love with the band who had taken the UK by storm.

But investigative historian Andrew Cook, whose new book, Capitol Gains, examines previously unknown documents and archives, says that story must be retold.

In fact, many around the Beatles doubted they would ever break America, after every major US record label rejected them.

In Britain, the Fab Four were signed to EMI, on a contract which paid them just one penny per record sold - split four ways, of course.

Without the American market, the group would never make their fortunes or achieve worldwide fame.

But even Capitol, the US label owned by the EMI group, turned down the chance to sign the band four times.

Eventually, Beatles manager Brian Epstein persuaded small Philadelphiabased label Swan to take 1963 song She Loves You.

But the record was released with no great enthusiasm and sold sparingly. The Beatles looked like they were going in the same direction as Cliff Richard and the Shadows, who had little impact across the Atlantic at that time, despite a huge following here.

Andrew, who was given exclusive access to Capitol's longforgotten company files, says: "The response from US labels was generally that the name 'The Beatles" sounded funny.

They looked peculiar and the market for this kind of thing in the United States just did not exist."