Beatles forever

Take a stroll down "Penny Lane" and you’ll discover "Strawberry Fields Forever" when you visit the Beatles Exhibit on the fifth level of the Shangri-La Plaza EDSA Mall in Mandaluyong.

Before you wonder what this is all about, let me explain. Aside from being a super sports buff, I’m a serious collector of British pop music with roots in the ’60s. So please excuse this digression.

My collection covers CDs, books, and videos–mostly of the obscure and rare variety. For instance, my pile lists 36 CDs of the Zombies and Zombies-related musicians (including every Colin "Miles Away" Blunstone solo recording and a 23-track opus by Blunstone and keyboards artist Rod Argent with narration, exclusively recorded for KLM Airlines last year–special thanks to KLM’s Joey Laurente for my copy), 12 CDs of the Dave Clark Five and related musicians (including a rare Mike Smith solo CD and a Japanese CD of a 1976 album by Smith and former Manfred Mann lead singer Mike D’Abo), 34 CDs of the Searchers (including the ultra rare 1988 CD "Hungry Hearts," a solo album of Tony Jackson and concert bootlegs from the Star Club in Hamburg to the Nashville in London), 66 CDs of the Hollies and Hollies-related musicians (including Graham Nash’s "Songs for Survivors" released only a few months ago, solo albums of Allan Clarke and Terry Sylvester, and concert bootlegs featuring songs like the Beatles’ "Let It Be" and the Four Tops’ "Reach Out I’ll Be There"), and CDs from the vaults of groups like Manfred Mann (including six solo albums of lead singer Paul Jones), Rockin’ Berries, the Fortunes, the Merseybeats, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, Cat Stevens, the Flying Machine, the Honeybus, Julie Driscoll and the Brian Auger Trinity, the Moody Blues, the Move, Electric Light Orchestra, the Four Pennies, the Honeycombs, Adrian Gurvitz, Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Cream, the Yardbirds, the Animals (with and without Eric Burdon), the Alan Price Set, Small Faces, the Kinks, Procol Harum, Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers, Swinging Blue Jeans, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Herman’s Hermits (with and without Peter Noone), Cliff Richard, Peter and Gordon, Chad and Jeremy, Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Rolling Stones, the Bee Gees, Eric Clapton, the Beatles and lots, lots more.

So when DZRJ’s Danee Samonte, also known as Steve O’Neal, invited me to check out the Beatles Exhibit he put up with 10 other collectors, led by Louie Roncal, I was thrilled to go.

Danee, 51, has been a disc jockey for over 30 years and knows his music like a master. He sang with the late Henry Toribio in a popular ’70s duo called Dan Henry which did school tours and took the self-composed "20 Minutes Before Takeoff" to the charts in 1978. Today, Danee continues to spin at DZRJ, from 5 to 9 pm, Sundays, with the first hour devoted exclusively to the Beatles.

Danee’s got the most extensive Beatles collection in the country. He’s gone all over the world to build a huge treasure chest, buying from second-hand dealers, bidding in auctions, and tracing the Beatles’ footprints for leads on items of interest. Of course, Danee’s favorite treasures are on display at the Exhibit where 90 percent of the items are his. One is a sealed LP of the Beatles and Frank Ifield on stage (with a market value of six figures). Another is the rare "butcher" album which was recalled after a few days on the shelves because of public outcry over a "distasteful" cover showing the Beatles in smocks with slabs of raw meat and chopped-up baby dolls. The 1966 album was called "Yesterday and Today."

Other Exhibit nuggets are an autographed picture of original drummer Pete Best with the Beatles minus Ringo Starr, certified true copies of the birth certificates of each Beatle, 12 certified lithographs of John Lennon’s artwork, an autographed picture of Lennon and Yoko Ono, an autographed "Abbey Road" album, an authentic Beatles tour jacket, original Beatles T-shirts, the complete 8-part Beatles comic book series, a Rickenbacker guitar supposedly left here by Lennon in 1966, hundreds of Beatles trading cards, metallic Beatle toys (including a replica of the "Yellow Submarine"), rare discs of Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, original Beatles concert programs, magazines and music newspapers featuring the Beatles dating back to the 1960s, movie stills of "A Hard Day’s Night" and "Help," and tons of publications from "Paperback Writers" on the Mersey band.

Danee used up over 300 square meters of space for the Exhibit which had its soft opening a few weeks ago (you can visit now at P100 for a "Ticket To Ride") and will be formally inaugurated by the British Ambassador with celebrities like Ramon Jacinto, Joe Mari Chan, and Willie Nepomuceno on Wednesday afternoon. The Exhibit is open "Eight Days A Week" until May 15.

Believe me, it’s "Something" to "Get Back" to the Beatles’ "Yesterday" roots because those four mop-haired Liverpudlians undoubtedly made a major impact on humanity with their music. They delivered a strong message to mankind that in this world, "All You Need Is Love."

As you enter the Exhibit’s "Long and Winding Road," you’ll be treated to a presentation by the British Council on the history and worldwide relevance of the Beatles. You move on to view a wide assortment of memorabilia, including golden records, and wind up tempted to try out the Ludwig set on display with the Beatles logo emblazoned on the bass drum.

For added ambiance, there are TV monitors showing the Beatles in action and piped-in music of their hits.

A subject of particular interest in the Exhibit is the section on the Beatles in Manila. There’s a description of what the Beatles remember of the 1966 tour, lifted from their "Anthology" book, and it isn’t flattering. The Beatles were mauled by roughhousers at the airport terminal on their departure for apparently snobbing First Lady Imelda Marcos’ invitation to attend a Malacanang function the day before. The section includes a copy of the concert program which lists the Downbeats, Dale Adriatico, the Wing Duo, Reycard Duet, the Lemons Three, and Pilita Corrales in the front act of the Rizal Baseball Stadium concert.

Roncal said he bought 20 copies of the 1966 Manila concert program from a Quiapo junk shop dealer for P100. He’s disposed of five so far–one fetched $500 in the internet market–and he’s holding on to the 15 others for better offers.

Before you leave the Exhibit, check out the souvenirs for sale near the exit door. The Beatles pins, T-shirts, and posters are sure to be collectors’ items in the future.

Roncal, 35, started his Beatles collection in 1997 and has assembled a haul that includes a rare Apple Records misprint of the "Imagine" 45 attributed to the Beatles instead of just Lennon. Roncal said he’s organizing a Beatles Forever club for fans and collectors to "Come Together." Interested Beatlemaniacs may contact Roncal at Tel. 935-7552 or talk to him when you visit the Beatles Exhibit.

"From Me To You," here’s a invitation to appreciate the Beatles in an Exhibit that pays tribute not only to the four Englishmen but also to their fans whose lives they influenced with their message of love, peace, and harmony.