1964 The Tribute captures a moment in time

Spencer Patterson

Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2002 | 8:32 a.m.

Generally speaking, The Beatles' post-1966 work is considered the band's most groundbreaking material.

"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "The Beatles" (White Album) and "Abbey Road" were all released during the period, as the Fab Four took rock music into uncharted territory before splitting up in 1970.

But as Mark Benson knows, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr stopped performing live together on Aug. 29, 1966, save for 1969's appearance on the Apple Studios rooftop.

That's why Benson's Beatles tribute group, known as 1964 The Tribute, sticks to tracks recorded up through 1966's "Revolver," fashioning its shows to come off like actual Beatles live dates.

"The idea behind it is to show people what it was like to go see The Beatles, and to that end we've tried to choose material from the time period that they were actually out touring," said Benson, who portrays 1964's John Lennon character, in a telephone interview from his home in Akron, Ohio.

"Certainly, we can't do a 30-minute show like they did and say, 'Good night everybody.' But after 'Revolver,' everything changed -- all the sounds, instruments, amps, guitars -- and they never actually played any of that stuff live."

That sets Benson's group apart from most other Beatles tributes and has helped 1964 carve out a niche, making it a successful touring act for the past 18 years.

The band's repertoire includes familiar early Beatles hits such as "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Twist and Shout," as well as lesser-known tracks such as "This Boy" and "And Your Bird Can Sing."

The quartet, which also includes Gary Grimes as Paul McCartney, Jimmy Pou as George Harrison and Greg George as Ringo Starr, performs Wednesday night at 10 at the Cabaret Theatre at New York-New York.

"Most (Beatles tribute) groups do the full show, pre-'66 and post-'66, which is more of The Beatles story than a Beatles concert," Benson said. "The whole purpose of what we're doing is to show people what it was really like live."

To that end, 1964 designs its stage setup to mirror elements utilized by The Beatles, from the musicians' mop-top haircuts, Nehru jackets and skinny ties right down to their replica instruments.

When members of 1964 address the audience, they speak in faux-British accents, sticking principally to phrasings and commentary used by The Beatles, such as McCartney's proper-sounding, "We'd like to carry on now with ..." between numbers.

"We try to fashion the banter after some of the things that they said," Benson said. "They could have come out and gone, 'Wahoo,' and everybody would have still screamed their heads off, and we can't with that. But they had a different way that they approached language, and that was another thing that made them unique."

One listen to 1964's latest live CD release, 2000's "All You Need is Love" (available on the band's website at 1964thetribute.com), and it's also apparent that the four members also feature singing voices quite similar to their Beatles counterparts.

"We're very lucky that our vocal ranges are very similar to what they had so we're able to have consistency," Benson said. "The guy who sings Paul sings Paul for all his songs, and you just get used to that sound in that range. We're just lucky that we're blessed with that vocal blend."

Initially conceived as a way to earn money while playing in other groups performing original material, 1964 quickly became a full-time project for Benson and his bandmates.

"We never really intended it to be a full-time thing, but by the second year it was," Benson said. "It's like having a really long run in 'Cats,' as far off Broadway as you can get."

A Beatles fan from an early age, Benson still enjoys the response he gets from audience members young and old who experience the tribute show for the first time.

"Even if you don't consider yourself a huge Beatle fan, you're just so familiar with this music after 30-some years of hearing it," Benson said.

"We get people that come up to us all the time and say, 'You know, it really wasn't my era. And I was surprised that not only did I know every song you played, but I knew every word to every song.' "

And as long as fans continue to respond that way, Benson -- closing in on 20 years as John -- doesn't see any reason to consider changing careers.

"It's great rock and roll, but it's good, clean fun," Benson said. "There's nobody getting hurt. There's nobody selling drugs in the bathroom and throwing up. It's something that kids, teenagers, parents and grandparents can all go to."