Well, they’re not 20 yet, but it doesn’t take a lot.
I met the Beatles at about eleven years old. I used to say I liked them, but the thruth was I had never listened to nothing but Let it be and Imagine. But I was amused by John Lennon’s image. Those little glasses, that long hair, and all that attitude which seemed so intellectual to me.

So I received a birthday present from a cousin of mine: The Beatles - 20 Greatest Hits, on tape.

A collection nowadays I’d have something to complain about (there’s not I Am the Warlus!!!), but it was enough at that time to change my life.

So many things happened from that day on. I started saving money to buy all albums on lp. I payed them - I remember - 15.000 lire (about 7 euros). At the music store they knew me as an old buddy, they knew one day or another I would come in asking to read the catalogue and make my choise. One day they gave me an advice: they were about to switch completely to cds, so it was better to hurry up if I wanted to complete my collection. That day I bought the last two albums: Beatles for sale and With the Beatles.

Second change: I wanted to learn to play guitar. So one pretty day (another birthday) I received a spanish style one and started spending the whole day with it. First song learned: My Bonnie, not to honour irish traditions, but cause of Beatles’ cover with Tony Sheridan. I spent years and broke my fingers trying to find out the chords of their songs, not successfully every time.

And I was often forced to… re-write lyrics. There was no internet at that time, folks, and it was not so easy to find which words were exactly sung. So a great day when they gave me (another birthday!) a book with all Beatles’ lyrics.

Third change, some years later: I had to lennonize myself! So lennon-style glasses (which my parents liked) and long hair (which they liked a bit less…). Being a fatty guy I was more similar to Klaus Voorman, but what to do.

Years passed then, preferences changed and I left the Beatles for a bit, anaware of listening to music made by people wich were in love with their records.

But such things stuck so much with your life that they must come back to you. Nowaday not only lps are dead, ma cds also are on the way to cemetery, but what do you think it was the first thing I’ve made with my iPod? Uploaded all Beatles’ records, of course…

And you? How was your first meeting?