Capitol Gains: The Beatles' Records in America, with Author Andrew Cook (Part 2)

Today we’re bringing you part two of our interview with Andrew Cook, author of the new book Capitol Gains: Exposing the Conflict between the Beatles and the Record Label that Made Them.

In part one, we dug into the many myths surrounding the Beatles signing to Capitol Records, and Andrew walked us through the new information he uncovered about how that historic deal actually came together. We also talked about Dave Dexter, the Capitol A&R man with the dubious distinction of rejecting the Beatles four separate times before the label finally said yes. And we explored the massive marketing campaign Capitol launched to turn Beatlemania into an American phenomenon ahead of those first appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.

So if you haven’t heard part one yet, you may want to go back and start there for the full story.

Today we pick up where that conversation left off — with the Beatles’ relationship with Capitol after the breakthrough. We talk about Dave Dexter’s continuing role at the label, the infamous Butcher Cover, and how things evolved in the later years as the band renegotiated their contract. We also look at how Capitol’s relationship with the Beatles changed after Brian Epstein’s death, when the notoriously controversial Allan Klein stepped in as manager.

Capitol Gains is out now, wherever you get your books.

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