Every member of The Beatles looks shockingly young in the early photographs of their first recording session as the official Fab Four lineup, but none looked younger or scrappier than George Harrison, who was sporting a noticeable black eye that day. The shiner was a testament to Harrison’s fierce loyalty, foreshadowing a lifelong friendship between him and his new bandmate, Ringo Starr.
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The fact that his black eye played further into the band’s image as a group of charming ne’er-do-wells from Liverpool was just a bonus.
Why George Harrison Showed up to the Studio With a Black Eye
Photographs of The Beatles working in the studio in early September 1962 feature the four young men, clad in collared shirts, ties, and slacks, their hair not quite the shaggy mop it would be in two years’ time. George Harrison broke up this clean-cut aesthetic with a large bruise under his left eye, which he got while defending his new drummer from Liverpudlian critics. Starr famously replaced Pete Best, and the transition didn’t go over well in the city at the time. Best was an incredibly popular musician in Liverpool, and his dismissal came as an affront to all the rock ‘n’ roll fans who adored him.
Mersey Beat released a statement from The Beatles regarding Best’s departure, which read, “Pete left the group by mutual agreement. There were no arguments or difficulties, and this has been an entirely amicable decision.” Best openly disagreed, saying the band fired him before he even had a chance to defend his case or stake his claim in the band. Best’s fans accused The Beatles of jealousy. When Liverpudlians saw the three original members in public, they would often chant and jeer that Best was better than Starr.
Just before The Beatles went to EMI Studios for their first recording session as their final lineup, Harrison got in a fight with someone who was angry about Starr’s arrival. Despite being the youngest musician in the group, Harrison clearly wasn’t afraid of defending his friend—even if that meant walking away with a shiner. The experience was a testament to the young guitarist’s tenacity and the strong friendship he and Starr were in the process of forming.
Their “First” Recording Session Was Technically Their Second
The recording session where George Harrison sported a massive black eye wasn’t the first time The Beatles worked at EMI Studios. But it was the first time Ringo Starr was with them. The first recording session took place in June of that year with the band’s original drummer, Pete Best. The band returned on September 4, 1962, rehearsing soon-to-be classics like “Love Me Do”, “How Do You Do It”, “P.S. I Love You”, and “Please Please Me”.
The Beatles firing Pete Best proved to be one of the band’s earliest controversies. Unsurprisingly, it was a rather difficult pill for Best to swallow, too. “I wouldn’t rate Ringo as a better drummer than me,” Best later said. “I’m adamant about that. And when it happened, I felt like putting a stone around my neck and jumping off the Pier Head.”
Photo by Mark and Colleen Hayward/Redferns
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