The Underwhelming Boys from Liverpool
After their long drive through a snowstorm just to reach Decca Records on time, the members of Brian Epstein’s group were understandably annoyed when the man who had invited them, Mike Smith, showed up late. Smith, who had apparently partied hard the night before, unnerved the young musicians even more when he refused to let the group use their own amplifiers. Instead, he demanded that they use Decca’s amplifiers, which he deemed to be superior to those used by Epstein’s charges.
The group performed about fifteen songs for Smith and his boss Dick Rowe. They were nervous, what with the drive through a snow storm, the late arrival of their host, and the use of different amplifiers, and were not at their best. Nonetheless, they felt confident that had done well enough to secure a contract. Rowe, however, was underwhelmed. He passed on the group, with the airy remark that “guitar groups are on the way out, Mister Epstein“. As seen below, that forever marked Rowe as the biggest loser in the music business.