To See The Beatles' London, You Can Get By With A Little Help From The Guides

The Beatles left their birthrights in Liverpool, but their hearts and souls - and their careers - belong to London. And for Beatlemaniacs past and present, who cannot get enough of the Fab Four, a tour of the Beatles' London of the Swinging '60s is more than enough to tweak memories and ignite new cravings for their music.

From 1963 until 1970, the year the band essentially ceased to exist, a major chunk of the Western world's popular culture revolved around Paul, John, George and Ringo and their talented countrymen.

Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr worked in London's studios and offices, drank and negotiated business in its pubs and restaurants. They performed in London's clubs, recorded in its studios, filmed their movies on its streets.

For visitors who care to relive those times, the task can be daunting - unless you're prepared.

Three options present themselves . . .

A spur-of-the-moment tour to Abbey Road and the famous "zebra crossing" (crosswalk) where the album cover was photographed, combined with a quick spin past the London Palladium, where the Beatles premiered "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!" Plus a stop at 3 Savile Row, former headquarters of Apple Corp. Ltd., parent of their record company. It's now the home of the Building Societies Association, so a casual passerby might miss it.

Which brings us to options two and three: Get help!

Do-it-yourselfers should pick up a Travelcard - a day's worth of unlimited transport on London's subways and buses - and a copy of "The Beatles London."

The guidebook describes more than 400 historic (including some very trivial) Beatles locations from Soho to St. James, Earls' Court to East Ham, Wapping to Tooting. One of the three authors is Mark Lewisohn, reputedly the world's leading authority on the group.

The third choice, especially relevant if time is limited, is a merry two- to three-hour guided walk around a Beatles-esque neighborhood or two, led by the knowledgeable and talkative Richard Porter.

"I formed my fan club in 1988, after the official club disbanded in 1972," says the toothy, effervescent Porter.

I combined a Porter tour with a bit of exploring on my own with the guidebook in hand (turns out Porter received an authors' thank you in the book). By the end of a full day, I was so inspired that I stopped in a record shop and bought "Abbey Road" on compact disc to replace my well-worn LP.

Porter was easy to find just before 11 a.m. on a Saturday near the Baker Street tube station. Instead of a placard, he carried a boom box blaring "With a Little Help From My Friends." About three dozen participants - many of whom hadn't been born when that tune from "Sgt. Pepper" was recorded - paid about $6 each for this walk, billed as "The Beatles in My Life." While much of the time was spent walking (and in one case, riding the Underground), much information was revealed:

-- Next to the Marylebone train station, Porter pointed out Boston Place, the location of the opening scene in "Hard Day's Night," where the lads, pursued by crazed fans, scrambled down the pavement in April 1964, and George tripped (unintentionally) and hurt himself.

-- At the nearby Marylebone Register Office, we were told, Paul married Linda Eastman in 1969 and 12 years later Ringo, born Richard Starkey, was wed to Barbara Bach. At both events fans gathered on the street and screamed.

-- The pied-a-terre at 34 Montagu Square has a fascinating history, as related by Porter: Ringo leased it in 1965, later sublet it to a visiting guitarist named Jimi Hendrix and still later gave the key to John and Yoko. The famous nude portrait of the couple that appeared on the album "Two Virgins" was photographed here. Police raided the flat in 1968 and found a small amount of cannabis, which led to John's controversial conviction.

-- The former Apple Boutique on Baker Street, now an employment agency, used to wear a grand colored mural and stock the psychedelia of the day. "It was so badly lit that it was a shoplifter's paradise," Porter said. The store closed soon after it opened, precipitating a near-riot in a massive giveaway of goods.

Onward to Abbey Road

Passing the nearby Devonshire Arms on Duke Street, a pub haunt frequented by the boys, and humming "Something" or other, Porter led us to the Bond Street underground station and then on a short tube ride to St. John's Wood and the piece de resistance: Abbey Road Studios on Abbey Road and the famous zebra-striped street crossing.

Of all the sites in the Beatles' London, the Abbey Road Studios - originally EMI Studios but renamed after the smash album - is the most evocative.

Here in 1962 the group recorded its first single, "Love Me Do"; here the band gave birth in early '67 to "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

And for six minutes in June 1967, an estimated worldwide audience of 350 million people watched and listened as the Beatles at Abbey Road performed one of their most lasting anthems, "All You Need Is Love."

The pedestrian crossing, which was the Beatles' stage for the cover of "Abbey Road," probably ranks with Big Ben and Buckingham Palace among London's most photographed spots. ----------------------------------------------------------------- IF YOU GO

-- The "Beatles London" guidebook, by Piet Schreuders, Mark Lewisohn and Adam Smith (St. Martin's Press, $10.95), includes detailed maps and is easy to use.

-- For more information on Beatles walking tours, contact London Walks at P.O. Box 1708, London NW6 4LW, England; phone 011-44-171-624-3978.

Through October, Richard Porter leads two tours, "The Beatles in My Life" on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 11 a.m. from the Baker Street underground exit, and "The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour," Sundays and Thursday at 11 from the Tottenham Court Road tube, Dominion Theater exit.

No need to book, just show up. Fee is about $6. Kids under 15 are free with an adult.

-- For general information on visiting London, contact the British Tourist Authority, (800) 462-2748.