1964
EP
RELEASED
Great Britain: June 19, 1964 / No. 1 at the Record Retailer on July 11, 1964
Enotris Johnson–Robert Blackwell–Richard W. Penniman / 2:02
1964
MUSICIANS
Paul: vocals, bass
John: rhythm guitar and solo
George: rhythm guitar and solo
Ringo: drums
George Martin: piano
RECORDED
Abbey Road: March 1, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 1
MIXING
Abbey Road: March 10, 1964 (Studio Two) / June 4 and 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineer: Richard Langham
“Long Tall Sally,” originally released by Little Richard on February 10, 1956, is one of the most famous songs in rock ’n’ roll. Little Richard and his mentor, Robert “Bumps” Blackwell, undertook the challenge of writing a song in a tempo so fast that Pat Boone—who had just released a version of Richard’s “Tutti Frutti”—would not be able to handle it! It explained the song’s colossal success, since the single reached number 1 on Billboard’s Rhythm & Blues chart even before the song was covered by many other singers and groups. “We used to stand backstage at Hamburg’s Star-Club and watch Little Richard play.… It was Brian Epstein who brought him … I still love him, he’s one of the greatest,”1 John confessed in 1973. “Long Tall Sally” is one of the oldest songs in the Beatles’ repertoire. They played it from 1957 until their last concert in San Francisco’s Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966, where it was also the last piece performed onstage! “Long Tall Sally” was also one of the titles that Paul allegedly played at the piano during his meeting with John on July 6, 1957, at the festival of Woolton Village. John was so fond of Little Richard’s version that it featured prominently in his personal jukebox.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
When Little Richard played in Hamburg, none other than Billy Preston was at the keyboard. He had the honor of participating in two Beatles’ albums. Preston was the only artist to be credited as part of the group: the 1969 single “Get Back” (“Don’t Let Me Down” on the B side) was credited to “The Beatles with Billy Preston.”
On March 1, 1964, after having finished “I’m Happy Just to Dance with You” for the sound track of A Hard Day’s Night, the group tackled “Long Tall Sally.” They recorded it in one take, without overdubs, each playing his usual instrument, with George Martin at the piano. This dazzling recording certainly matches Little Richard’s recording. Paul delivered an exceptional vocal, equal to the one performed by the master—by the way, Little Richard said that he had revealed the secrets of how to sing it to Paul. The song featured two guitar solos. John played the first, and George the second. Ringo pushed forward on the drum, powerful and frantic, with some triplet breaks at the end of the song, which was technically quite difficult. Even George Martin provided a feverish part at the piano. The final mono mix is dated June 4. The stereo was made on June 22, three days after the release of the EP.
Two EPs with Unique Titles…
In the Beatles’ career, only two extended plays (EPs) came out with new titles unavailable on other British albums: “Long Tall Sally” in 1964 and “Magical Mystery Tour” in December 1967. In this book, we consider only the U.K. singles. A notable exception is “Long Tall Sally,” which was the fifth EP by the Beatles. It brought together four titles, not included on any other record, justifying our decision.
Lennon-McCartney / 2:07
1964
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: bass
George: lead guitar
Ringo: drums, cowbell
RECORDED
Abbey Road: March 1, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 7
MIXING
Abbey Road: March 3, 1964 (Studio Two) / March 4, 1964 (Studio Three) / March 10, 1964 (Studio Two) / June 4, 1964 (Studio Two) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Richard Langham, A. B. Lincoln
“I Call Your Name” is one of John’s first songs. “That was my song. When there was no Beatles and no group. I just had it around.… The first part had been written before Hamburg even.”1 John set out to compose a blues number: he added the bridge, probably in 1963. Paul remembered helping him and, years later, hearing these lyrics, he was surprised by the meaning of the words: “Wait a minute. What did he mean? ‘I call your name but you’re not there?’ Is it his mother? His father?”2 John often disguised his personal feelings in his songs, and it is only in hindsight that Paul grasped a hidden meaning in his partner’s words.
In 1963, John gave the song “I Call Your Name” to another Brian Epstein–managed act, Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas. The Dakotas had already covered “Do You Want to Know a Secret,” backed by John’s “Bad to Me,” and that single had topped the UK charts on August 24 of the same year. While filming A Hard Day’s Night. John thought again about this song and planned to include it in the film. Richard Lester preferred “A Hard Day’s Night.”
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
Between 0:47 and 0:51 (on the right channel in stereo), George has a memory lapse and forgets his guitar part!
The Beatles’ version of “I Call Your Name” is far more compelling than Billy J. Kramer’s. Recorded on March 1, just after “Long Tall Sally,” the song was completed in seven takes. John was the only one singing. Paul and Ringo provided a solid rhythm section, including a shuffle rhythm in the bridge—according to John it was an attempt at a ska beat. George played his Rickenbacker 360/12 twelve-string for the first time. John later doubled his vocal line and Ringo added a cowbell. “I Call Your Name” was always intended for the A Hard Day’s Night film sound track. A mono mix was made on March 3 for United Artists. The next day, George Martin attempted a first stereo mix, which was never used, and another on March 10. Meanwhile, John proposed the song “A Hard Day’s Night,” which took the place of “I Call Your Name.” The song was eventually remixed as a single on June 4 using take 7, to which the better solo from take 5 was added. There were a total of four different mixes for the same song, each appearing on different records: two in the United States and two in Britain!
Larry Williams / 2:54
1964
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: bass
George: lead guitar
Ringo: drums
George Martin: piano
RECORDED
Abbey Road: June 1, 1964 (Studio Two) / June 4, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 6
MIXING
Abbey Road: June 4, 1964 (Studio Two) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Ken Scott, Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick
Singer, pianist, and songwriter Larry Williams contributed to the fame of Art Rupe’s Specialty Records by offering him a selection of rock ’n’ roll classics: “Dizzy Miss Lizzy,” “Bad Boy,” “She Said Yeah,” and “Slow Down,” a twenty-four-bar blues with a Deep South feeling, which he recorded in 1958. Like Carl Perkins, the Beatles adapted three of Williams’s titles: “Dizzy Miss Lizzy,” “Bad Boy,” and “Slow Down.”
“Slow Down,” which the Beatles had sung since 1960, was a highlight of their repertoire. John and his bandmates played with a groove, infusing the song with energy and allowing it to soar. John’s excellent interpretation revealed his admiration for Larry Williams. At a low point in his career, Williams sought to benefit from this publicity by trying to make a comeback with Johnny “Guitar” Watson. However, drugs and violence stalled any chance for success.
“Slow Down” was recorded on June 1. The rhythm track took three takes, and three others were added for John’s vocal, and probably also George’s solo. The rhythm section is solid—Paul and Ringo provided the pulse to the piece, while John and George played their guitars and John performed a superb vocal. All together, the result was quite close to the original version. Unfortunately, the Beatles and George Martin gave little time to the production of this title, probably considering it unimportant. George’s solo is somewhat embarrassing (his poor performance can be heard clearly between 2:14 and 2:17) as is the poor doubling of John’s vocal (1:15, on the line But now you got a boyfriend down the street. Some words were replaced by others, such as changing boyfriend to girlfriend).
On June 4, while the Beatles flew to Copenhagen without Ringo (he had been replaced by the session drummer Jimmy Nicol so that he could undergo a tonsillectomy), George Martin decided to add a piano part. Probably pressed for time, he gave a very pedestrian performance, lacking precision, as can be noted around 1:20 and 2:28. In addition, the piano momentarily is silent between 1:14 and 1:17 for no apparent reason, as if to hide a mistake. The mono mix was made during the same session, the stereo on June 22.
Carl Perkins / 1:57
1964
MUSICIANS
Ringo: vocal, drums
John: lead guitar (?), rhythm guitar (?)
Paul: bass
George: lead guitar (?), rhythm guitar (?)
George Martin: piano
RECORDED
Abbey Road: June 1, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 5
MIXING
Abbey Road: June 4, 1964 (Studio Two) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Ken Scott, Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick
The origins of “Matchbox” are lost in the history of the blues. As early as 1923, Ma Rainey evokes “Matchbox” in the recording of “Lost Wandering Blues,” four years before Blind Lemon Jefferson recorded the first version, “Match Box Blues.” In December 1956, Carl Perkins recorded “Matchbox” at Sun Records, accompanied by Jerry Lee Lewis at the piano. The release of his single in February 1957 influenced an impressive number of singers and musicians, notably the Beatles: the title became one of the first great rockabilly songs. Perkins maintained that he had never heard Jefferson’s “Match Box Blues.”
The song entered the Beatles’ repertoire early on during the heyday of concerts in Hamburg and Liverpool. Pete Best was the first to sing the song between 1960 and 1962. After Best was kicked out of the group, John appropriated the vocal. When the Beatles decided to record “Matchbox,” Ringo took over, all too happy to lead the song. On the day of recording, Carl Perkins, who was touring England with Chuck Berry, made a courtesy visit to the Abbey Road Studios at the request of the group. In an interview in 1964, Ringo confessed his discomfort at performing in front of the master: “Oh! Carl came to the session. I felt terribly embarrassed. I did it just two days before I went into the hospital for a tonsillectomy, so please forgive my throat!” With “Honey Don’t” and “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby,” this was the third Perkins song covered by the Beatles—so much did they admire him! Their friendship endured long after the breakup of the group in 1970. Today, Paul administers the rights to these three titles through his company MPL Communications Ltd.
On June 1, the Beatles decided to start the session with “Matchbox” under the watchful eye of Carl Perkins. After five takes, the song was recorded. Ringo simultaneously sang and played drums, despite his stage fright. His voice was not perfect, but he gave a good performance and kept the tempo firmly on track, backed by Paul on bass. The guitar solo was, in all likelihood, played by John and not by George—in fact, on the CD Live at the BBC we can hear Ringo start the solo with a friendly “All right John!” The solo was doubled, as was Ringo’s vocal (which he struggled with). George Martin added piano. Beatles historians believe that Perkins and the Beatles played together before recording the song, but no official recordings confirm it. As with other titles on the EP, the mono mix was made on June 4 and the stereo came from the session on June 22.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
During the first seconds of the song, we hear a quick sniff. Is Ringo trying to justify his impending tonsillectomy?