Pivot to fame

In the early days of the Beatles, the year 1962 turned out to be transformative for the group. That is when their final line-up was decided on and their first hits emerged. 

A significant but rather unobtrusive event took place surrounding the stellium of eight planets in Capricorn in early February 1962. It seems to have been the touchstone for their rise to fame. 

From August 1960, the Beatles with Pete Best on the drums had been plying their trade and honing their skills in Hamburg. However, by 1962, they were increasingly focused on being back in England. Their concert promotions there even stated "Direct from Hamburg". Their first record came out on January 5, 1962. It contained the song My Bonnie, which had been credited to Tony Sheridan. It had been recorded in Hamburg in June 1961 and was released by Polydor.

A few days earlier, on January 1, 1962, the Beatles had recorded "Like Dreamers Do", a song written by Paul McCartney in 1959, but later credited to Lennon-McCartney, at their unsuccessful audition for Decca Records.

However, the decisive event came a month later. Just hours before the Beatles were scheduled to play at the Cavern Club on February 5, 1962, Pete Best told his fellow musicians that he was ill and couldn’t appear with them. Determined not to cancel the show, the group called around for a replacement drummer and Ringo Starr, whose group had the day off, appeared in Best's place. 

Ringo says this was the first time he played for them. While they knew each other playing in their respective bands in Hamburg, Ringo never played with them there. Paul McCartney is said to have observed that the first time Ringo Starr played with them in the Cavern Club, he and John Lennon just looked at each other, like "What's this?" They instantly recognised how good Ringo was! Ringo has also said he went on to fill in a few more times for Pete Best in the weeks that followed, further cementing his image as a professional musician in the eyes of the other band members. In fact, he adds, the Beatles began that summer to drop hints to him about joining. He says he just mumbled back, ok.

While the Beatles went back to Hamburg during the early summer, things were heating up for them in England. EMI's Parlophone publishing arm, Ardmore & Beechwood, is reported to have supported signing the group to secure the rights to the song Like Dreamers Do. However, the decisive event was the meeting of George Martin, EMI's record producer, with Brian Epstein on May 6, 1962. After witnessing Brian's enthusiasm for The Beatles and hearing their Decca tapes, he decided to sign them.

As a result, in early June 1962, the Beatles, with Pete Best on drums, were hurriedly called back from Hamburg to play their first session at Abbey Road Studios. On June 6, with George Martin at the controls, they recorded Besame Mucho, Love Me Do, PS I Love You and Ask Me Why. Martin would soon alert Brian Epstein, the Beatles manager, that Pete was not a good enough drummer to be used in the studio. 

Back in Liverpool Epstein then called Pete into his office on August 16, 1962, where he informed him that the Beatles had decided to fire him as their drummer. At the same time, he told him he was being replaced by Ringo Starr.

Two days later, on August 18, 1962, Ringo Starr made his first appearance as a full member of the Beatles, at a Horticultural Society dance at Port Sunlight.

A few weeks later, on September 4, 1962, the Beatles, with Ringo as their new drummer headed into the  Abbey Road Studios to record Love Me Do. The song was issued by EMI Parlophone on October 5, 1962. It was the first single of the new and final line-up of the Beatles in their own right. On October 17, 1962, Love Me Do went to #17 on the UK charts, where it stayed on the charts for 18 weeks.

Love Me Do was followed by Please Please Me, which went to #2 on the UK charts on January 21, 1963, and on April 24, 1963, From Me To You went to #1 on the UK charts. The British Invasion took place in early February 1964 and the rest is music history. 

ASTROLOGY OF THE EVENTS

As the Beatles story transcends the lives of mere individuals, and has world-wide significance, we may consider the events in terms of the national chart of the United Kingdom. Indeed, when introducing this chart, the phenomenon of the Beatles was mentioned in relation to the natal Venus as ruler of the arts, and as 2nd lord of status, being in the 5th house of entertainment.  

On February 5, 1962, when Ringo first played with the other Beatles, the major period of Mercury and the sub-period of Saturn was operating. Of the eight planets in Capricorn, five were closely conjunct natal 2nd lord Venus. 

Transit 4th lord Jupiter was closely conjunct natal and transit 2nd lord Venus. Ketu was also conjunct these planets, signifying sudden change. Transit Ketu in the 1st house was aspecting these planets, including transit 12th lord Sun, closely conjunct tr 1L Mercury. 

Meanwhile, transit 6th lord Saturn, the sub period lord, and transit 8th lord Mars were mutually aspecting natal exalted 4L Jupiter in the 11H.

PETE BEST

The story of the Beatles is not complete without acknowledging the contribution of Pete Best. Indeed, he went all-in with them and devoted two years of his life to their intensive effort of honing their craft. The time of his birth is presently unknown. However, it is known that Pete Best was born on 24 November 1941 in Chennai, India. 

After he was dismissed from the group in 1962, he started his own band, the Pete Best Four, and later joined many other bands over the years. He is one of several people who have been referred to as the Fifth Beatle. After working in a number of commercially unsuccessful groups, Best gave up the music industry to work as a civil servant for 20 years before starting the Pete Best Band.

Here is a speculative Capricorn rising horoscope for him, with 8th lord Sun of obstacles and endings in the 11th house of friendship and 10th lord Venus, ruling career, in the 12th house of losses and foreign countries, under the aspect of functional malefic Rahu in the 8th house. Meanwhile, Ketu in the 2nd house aspects his 9th lord Mercury in the 10th house. Indeed, he was lucky to be drafted into the Beatles, because he had a drum kit. At the same time, a sudden explosive event disrupted his plans for the future. He was running Rahu/Ketu period, with Ketu ruling isolation and separation. It was a bitter fate to be fired as the band was on the cusp of fame, but his life turned out ok anyway. He gained fame as being part of the biggest music story of the of the 20th history. He had insights into the lives of the early Beatles and three decades later profited handsomely from the Beatles fame, when songs he played on were included in the Beatles Anthology albums. Even today, he performs and seems to enjoy it.