The world has an abiding fascination with the Beatles. And when you want to know something about the band, especially the early days, you can do a lot worse than turn to Eric Krasker. And why not? The first name has an Anglo-Saxon feel, the surname gives little away. But Eric is French. I first interviewed him in Paris five years ago but he's been hard at it, as a recognised authority on the Beatles, for a lot longer. On the publication, in English, of The Beatles – Fact and Fiction 1960-1962, an updated, extended version of his first book, which originally appeared only in French, Salut! decided to fire some questions at him ...Remind me of how you managed to find time to research and write the book
When I was still a student preparing my master diploma in history, I decided that my future research would be a combination of my two interests in life: music and history. And as the Beatles were my favorite band since 1972, it was natural that I would go in for this particular subject, especially because up to a recent time, there were very few academic studies dealing with the Fab Four. And now that the Beatles’ career belongs more to history than to present, I thought it was time to go to the nitty gritty and debunk some old legends and myths once and for all. So, in the early Nineties, as a father of five children and thanks to the French system of les familles nombreuses (big families), I had the possibility to take a long off-work period (twelve years) during which I made a thorough research dedicated to the beginnings of the Beatles in Hamburg (1960-1962). Of course, during this special time off I had a family allowance of around £457 per month, but the main income was provided from my wife who is a scientific researcher in philosophy.
What does it mean to you, as a Frenchman, to have written what others see as a definitive work on the Beatles?
And which, if any, disappointed you?
Well, I wouldn’t say that it is a “definitive work” because a research like that is always “opened” and in an ongoing way, but it is true that it was a kind of challenge for me, especially because this challenge was double. Firstly the Beatles are an English group, and so logically almost all experts are English speaking people. So how a Frenchman could find a room in this very closed club? Secondly I also had to deal with the German side of their career, which means I had to get in touch with many people there and find enough previously unpublished documents and information in order to significantly improve the knowledge on that subject, and that was not always an easy job, you know. But well, the book The Beatles: Fact and Fiction 1960-1962 seems to be also appreciated in Germany as on 16 March 2010 it was voted “Book of the year 2009” (Buch des Jahres) in the “Import category” by the specialised website “German Beat.com”.And why has the band been so important to you?
Well, maybe because in my opinion the Beatles always seemed to have something more than any other act. Maybe a “Soul supplement”, or something like that. Their music, their sound, their look, their personalities, their lives and their story are all exceptional, in many respects. Of course, other fantastic groups, such as the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Yardbirds, the Who, the Beach Boys, the Byrds, emerged in the Sixties, but, in my opinion, none of them had this charisma and this capacity to generate such fascination as the Beatles did.What are the Beatles performances you have liked most - live/album/single/film .
Although the Live! At The Star-Club, Hamburg, December 1962 (released in 1977) is my all-time favourite live performance because of its authentic rock ’n’ roll ambience, the Live At The Hollywood Bowl (which was also released in 1977) is a very important record too, because it accurately reflects what Beatlemania was in 1964-65: an incredible moment of positive energy captured on tape. And the Beatles’ music was literally transcended by this very special atmosphere. Besides, many second generation fans started to love the Beatles from the moment on this record came out, which is rather revealing of its appeal capacity. My favourite album is Rubber Soul, because it shows the group at its height as a whole entity, and there is a strong cohesion in the sound of instruments and vocals. It’s like a bunch of red roses! I Feel Fine (a Lennon composition) is according to me the archetypal pop song, but my favourite single is Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever, as it perfectly shows how versatile Lennon and McCartney were. As for the films, Hard Day’s Night; both with its black and white atmosphere and freshness is also a nice testimony of Beatlemania at its height.
And which, if any, disappointed you?
It’s difficult to be disappointed when you like the Beatles, because their capacity of creation was so high and diversified. So, there is always something interesting in their music, even if it may appear weak at first glance. Admittedly, there are things I prefer to others and, for instance, I would really have loved them to officially release during the Sixties some wonderful tracks they used to play live at the Cavern or at the BBC. Of course, many of these tracks were eventually released in 1994 on the Live At The BBC, and I was delighted to get them, but he sound quality was inferior to the one it would have been in the Abbey Road recording studios. Songs such as A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues, Some Other Guy, Soldier Of Love, Where have You Been All My Life?, Keep Your Hands Off My Baby, Too Much Monkey Business, I Just Don’t Understand, I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You) or Glad All Over were top quality and would have fitted well in the first four Beatles albums (up to Beatles For Sale) in replacement of Anna, Chains or Mr Moonlight for instance.
*TO BE CONTINUED: in part two, discover who is Eric's favourite Beatle, what he has up his sleeve to do next and whether his wife still prefers the Stones
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