Paul McCartney acts as compère for Gene Pitney

A Beatle in the house – and 2,000 fans didn’t know

Not one of the 2,000 people who sat expectantly in the Adelphi on Tuesday night realised whose voice it was that announced over the loudspeaker: “Arthur Howse presents… the Gene Pitney show! And to start the show in swinging style — the Mike Cotton Sound!“

Chuckling wickedly in the wings, Beatle Paul McCartney put down the mike, turned his Liverpool accent back on for a stage-whisper of “More — more!”, and beat out the opening bars of the first number with a Chelsea-booted toe.

Earlier, writes Chris Dunkley, when I poked my head round the door of the dressing room where he was having a quiet coke with Peter (of Peter and Gordon) he invited “Come in,” from behind a couple of days’ growth of beard.

“Take a seat,” he added expansively waving a hand round the chairless room! What was he doing here? I asked. “I just came along with Peter and Gordon to see the show. It’s a long time since I’ve been able to watch a show instead of taking part in one.”

And how did he get in? “Drove up to the stage door in Peter and Gordon’s car and whipped straight inside. I’m getting to know this stage door now — we’ve been through it at least twice before.”

Where were the other Beatles? “Oh just beetling around somewhere, eating, drinking, smoking, sleeping — who knows?” I asked him what the Beatles had been doing with themselves recently. “We’ve just finished making an L.P.,” he said. “It was meant to come out on December 3, but it won’t. There’s some holdup.”

What would they be doing next — another American tour?

“No — we’re over here for the next one, starting in December in Scotland.”

Then, saying “I’ve got to go and do me little piece” he grabbed a large sheet of paper and rushed out, looking like a scene from “Help!”

“What’s all that about?” I asked Peter, whose sister — Jane Asher — is frequently seen with Paul. “He’s decided to introduce the show — just for a giggle. Haven’t you ever heard Paul’s supah English accent? No one’ll ever recognise him.”

And sure enough, nobody did.

But if the curtain had gone up on the second house a couple of minutes early there would have been a riot.

For there in the middle of the stage, in an open-necked black and white check shirt and a black cord jacket with a big floppy collar was Paul — all on his own in the floodlights — knocking out a quiet rhythm on the drums!

Tuesday was pop-night extraordinary at the Adelphi. Everywhere you went there were little cliques of pop singers having quiet drinks incognito. I spotted two members of the Honeycombs (without Honey), and Herman and a couple of his Hermits. I also had a word with Gene Pitney, who said that this was his second appearance in Slough, that the audience was great and that he was looking forward to a good rest when the tour ends on Sunday.

From Slough Observer, November 19, 1965