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“The result wasn’t a bit like ‘Apache’” —
THE EARLY BEATLES
P aul McCartney and John Lennon began writing songs when they were young teenagers, before they met each other. Soon after they met, on July 6, 1957 (John was sixteen, Paul was fifteen), they began writing together “eyeball to eyeball,” creating songs from scratch, completing songs that one or the other had started, or adding minor edits to songs the other had written. Some songs that later entered the Beatles canon, such as “Love Me Do,” “When I’m 64,” and “One After 909,” date from this era. Many other songs fell by the wayside, and have never been heard again. The Beatles would sing snippets of some of the obscure early songs in the Get Back rehearsals in 1969. They had a certain affection for them, but knew that most of them were very much apprenticeship work.
Paul and John wrote many unreleased songs during the Beatles period, both individually and together, that have been mentioned in interviews, have been played live, played in rehearsals, or recorded as demos. I am intentionally excluding such unreleased Lennon-McCartney and Harrison or Starr songs from the overview of Beatle songs that I make in this book. In theory, there was a valid winnowing process that kept these songs from being released, or that kept the Beatles from even giving them away to other groups. I believe the Beatles should be judged primarily on the songs they thought were worthy of release.
I say in theory. In reality, sometimes this process was not at all straightforward. For example, some songs from the McCartney album, from Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band and Imagine , and from Harrison’s All Things Must Pass (including the title cut), albums I regard very highly, were written long before the Beatles breakup, were played in Beatle rehearsals, and somehow never made it onto a Beatles record, while lesser songs did achieve release. (For example, Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass,” played during the Get Back rehearsals, entirely overshadows his “For You Blue,” which was released on Let It Be .) So I will look at songs that were released after the Beatles period if it is well documented that they were written before the breakup. I will treat them formally at the time of their release, though sometimes I will refer to early songs briefly at the time of their creation or early performance. Thus I will formally look at some of the Decca audition songs, recorded on January 1, 1962, at the time a few of them were finally released, on Anthology 1 in 1995. However, I’ll refer briefly to the Decca audition at the time it occurred.
On July 12, 1958, the proto-Beatles (at the time, The Quarrymen) recorded a demo single, “That’ll Be the Day,” a Buddy Holly cover with John singing lead, and “In Spite of All the Danger,” a Paul song attributed to McCartney-Harrison, again with John singing lead. (Paul sings harmony and melodic embellishments.) These songs show up on Anthology 1. The Beatles era in modern recorded music begins here.
Buddy Holly was one of the Beatles’ great inspirations. John once said that most of the early Beatle songs were “Buddy Holly rip-offs.” [1] Paul remembered that in the early songwriting sessions he and John would listen to a Holly song over and over, then try to write something like it. [2] “That’ll Be the Day” had been the first song John had learned on guitar.
We have a tape of a home rehearsal of the Beatles, without drummer, from spring-summer 1960. It has historical interest and little musical value. Three of these songs can be found on Anthology 1 .
The first professional recordings of the Beatles are the Hamburg sessions with Tony Sheridan in June 1961, during which they recorded nine songs. According to Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn, at these sessions the Beatles recorded, with Sheridan on lead vocal, “My Bonnie,” “The Saints,” “Why (Can’t You Love Me Again),” “Nobody’s Child,” and “Take Out Some Insurance on Me Baby.” [3] Without Sheridan, the Beatles recorded “Ain’t She Sweet” and “Cry for a Shadow.” All of these have been commercially released. At a later date, May 24, 1962, the Beatles and Sheridan recorded “Swanee River” and “Sweet Georgia Brown.” [4]
These recordings have limited musical value, except for completists. First, the great majority of the seven songs had Sheridan singing lead, and the Beatles were merely playing backup. John correctly said: “It’s just us banging about in the background as an accompaniment to Tony. I wish they’d shut up about it. It’s terrible. It could be anybody and we think it’s unfair on the fans to put it out as a genuine release by us.” [5] Second, Pete Best, not Ringo, played drums. Third, with one exception, “Cry for a Shadow,” the songs were not written by the Beatles.
Nevertheless, the “My Bonnie” single attracted the interest of Brian Epstein, an important milestone in the Beatles’ career. As John said, in 1964, “We’d already made ‘My Bonnie,’ and all those other rubbishy records for Polydor. And kids from the Cavern, ’round about Liverpool, were going into his record shop and saying ‘Have you got ‘My Bonnie’ by The Beatles?’ So he [Brian Epstein] got interested and he asked one of the kids who we were. He thought we were German. And he came ’round when we were playing at the Cavern.” [6]
“Ain’t She Sweet,” with Lennon, not Sheridan, on vocals, is the earliest commercial recording of the near-standard lineup Beatles. And “Cry for a Shadow” is the first commercial recording of a song written by the Beatles, though it is rather atypical, an improvised instrumental.
Someone walked into Brian Epstein’s record store and asked for this record on October 28, 1961. The rest is history. After this German release, the song was also released as a single in the U.K. on January 5, 1962.
During this time period, British groups often played older, traditional songs in rock style. “The group also derive a great deal of pleasure from re-arranging old favourites (‘Ain’t She Sweet’ . . .),” Paul wrote in about 1959. [7] Apparently, producer Bert Kaempfert had heard the Beatles perform this song, and thought a version with Sheridan singing lead would work well. [8] This is available on Anthology 1 .
Another traditional song (“When the Saints Come Marching In”) in rock style.
“Cry for a Shadow,” originally called “Beatle Bop,” an instrumental, was the first song attributed to the Beatles as songwriters that was released commercially. However, it was more an improvisation than a real act of songwriting. In fact, the song allegedly derived from a failed attempt to play someone else’s song, the instrumental, “Apache,” by the Shadows. [10] The Shadows, often with lead singer Cliff Richards, were probably the major British rock group in the years before the Beatles; “Apache,” written by British songwriter Jerry Lordan, and released in July 1960, was the Shadows’ first major hit.
“Cry” was “written” in this manner. In Hamburg, Rory Storm, the band leader of Ringo’s group at the time, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, asked the Beatles if they knew the recently released “Apache.” [11] They didn’t, but just “to take the mickey out of” Storm, [12] John began playing something that sounded like the song on a new guitar he’d bought, a Rickenbacker with “a funny kind of wobble bar on it,” and George added the lead guitar part, making it up on the spot. “The result wasn’t a bit like ‘Apache,’” George said in 1963, “but we liked it and we used it in the act for a while.” [13]
The attribution “Harrison-Lennon” is thus correct. In the 1963 interview, George said, “I did actually write one number, if you could call it ‘writing.’” So he definitely dominated, though Lennon was part of the original improvisation. In 1987, George told the story again, and said that the song was “really a joke.” [14] Paul, in 1962, agreed the song was one that “George and John wrote themselves.” [15]
After the Beatles made their first big splash, “Cry for a Shadow” was released as a single in England, in March 1964. It is now available on Anthology 1 .
“Ain’t She Sweet” was a pop standard, first published in 1927. Gene Vincent had recorded a fairly slow version in 1956, which John had originally followed, but the pressure for more rhythmic performances in Germany had caused the Beatles to quicken the tempo. [16]
This recording has historical importance, as the first all-Beatles recording (pre-Ringo) with vocals. And it was a staple of the early Beatles’ live shows. [17] It was not released until May 29, 1964, in England. It is available on Anthology 1 , while another version of the song, recorded in 1969 in the Get Back sessions, is on Anthology 3 .
Other songs from the Hamburg sessions, all with Sheridan singing lead and the Beatles as backing band, were:
About half a year after the Hamburg sessions, Brian Epstein got the Beatles an audition with Decca. It was recorded, and represents another important historical record of the early Beatles. This audition included twelve covers and, most importantly, three songs written by Paul and/or John (though none of these are top-drawer Lennon-McCartney songs). The Decca audition is inferior to the recordings that the Beatles would make at EMI, but is nevertheless a fascinating recording. [18] The songs recorded were:
“Like Dreamers Do ” (Lennon–McCartney). Paul sings lead. The song was first released by the Applejacks in 1964, see below. The Decca performance can be found on Anthology 1 .
“Money (That’s What I Want) ” (Berry Gordy, Janie Bradford). John sings lead. See With the Beatles , below.
“Till There Was You ” (Meredith Willson), from the musical, The Music Man . Paul sings lead. See With the Beatles , below.
“The Sheik of Araby ” (Harry B. Smith, Francis Wheeler, Ted Snyder). George sings lead. The song, written in 1921 as a tribute to Rudolph Valentino, became a jazz standard. This can be found on Anthology 1 .
“To Know Her Is to Love Her ” (Phil Spector). John sings lead. This was released in 1958 (as “To Know Him Is to Love Him”) by Phil Spector’s group, the Teddy Bears. Another version of this by the Beatles is on Live at the BBC .
“Take Good Care of My Baby ” (Gerry Goffin, Carole King). George sings lead on this song, which was a hit for Bobby Vee in 1961. No Beatle version of it has been released. John and Paul revered Goffin and King as songwriters, and John once said, “When Paul and I first got together, we wanted to be the British Goffin and King.” [19]
“Memphis, Tennessee ” (Chuck Berry). John sings lead. Chuck Berry was another leading inspiration of the early Beatles. John usually sang lead vocals on Berry songs, but Paul was also a committed fan. [20] Other versions of this are on the Live at the BBC compilations.
“Sure to Fall (In Love with You) ” (Carl Perkins, Bill Cantrell, Quinton Claunch). Paul sings lead. Perkins, representing the rockabilly genre, was another major inspiration for the early Beatles. Other versions of this are on the Live at the BBC collections.
“Hello Little Girl ” (Lennon–McCartney). John sings lead. This song was first released by the Fourmost in 1963, see below. The Decca performance can be found on Anthology 1 .
“Three Cool Cats ” (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller). George sings lead. The Coasters released this as the B-side of their single “Charlie Brown” in 1959. The Decca version can be found on Anthology 1 .
“Crying, Waiting, Hoping ” (Buddy Holly). George sings lead. This Buddy Holly song was released in 1959 as the B-side to “Peggy Sue Got Married.” A different Beatle version is on Live at the BBC .
“Love of the Loved ” (Lennon–McCartney). Paul sings lead. The Beatles gave this to Cilla Black, who released it in 1963, see below. The Decca audition version has never been released.
“September in the Rain ” (Harry Warren, Al Dubin). Paul sings lead. This song was a standard, first published in 1937. No Beatle version of this has been released.
“Bésame Mucho ” (Consuelo Velázquez). Paul sings lead. The Beatles followed the Coasters’ version of the song. Other Beatle versions can be found in the Let It Be movie and on Anthology 1 .
“Searchin ’” (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller). Paul sings lead. A Coasters single, released in 1957, this was another key rock song for the Beatles. [21] The Decca version can be found on Anthology 1 .
The Decca Audition has been released, without the three Beatle-written songs. Five of the songs performed at the audition can be found on Anthology 1 , including two of the Beatle songs.
The contrast between this and the next major Beatle recording — the album Please Please Me , recorded only about a year later — is remarkable. The Lennon-McCartney originals in the later recording are mature and substantial, in contrast to the three lesser Lennon-McCartneys here. The performance of a cover song such as “Money” — later the final cut on With the Beatles , the Beatles’ second album — is also startlingly different and more powerful in the later recording.
Some blame the selection of songs for the Decca audition’s weakness. By some accounts, Brian Epstein chose the songs, [22] and he highlighted ballads and novelty songs rather than American rhythm and blues numbers more characteristic of the early Beatles. Nevertheless, there were some hard rockers included (“Money” and “Searchin’”) along with Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and Motown songs. And all of these songs were in the Beatles’ live repertoire. In addition, George Harrison remembered that each Beatle chose a number he wanted to do. [23]
John Lennon, in 1972, said, “When you hear the tape, it’s pretty good. It’s not great, but it’s good and it’s certainly good for then, when you consider that all that was going on was The Shadows — especially in England.” [24] That’s about right.
[1] Beatles interview, Jerry G. Bishop, Aug. 13 to Sept. 1, 1965, in Winn, Way Beyond Compare , 359. See also Chris Roberts, “John Lennon,” Melody Maker 39 (April 4, 1964) (Sandercombe, The Beatles: Press Reports , 57); Lewisohn, Tune In , 11. Du Noyer, Conversations , 33.
[2] Elson, McCartney — Songwriter , 24.
[3] Lewisohn, The Complete Beatles Chronicle , 42.
[4] Lewisohn, Tune In , 629. “Swanee River” has been lost.
[5] Lennon in 1963, see Shepherd and Dean, “Behind the Spotlight,” The Beatles Book Monthly 24 (July 1965): 24. See also Paul’s comments in Anthology , 59.
[6] Beatles, Press Conference, Adelaide, Australia, June 12, 1964. See also Epstein, A Cellarful of Noise , 40-42; Anthology , 66. When “My Bonnie” was first released, the Beatles were much more enthusiastic about it, Lewisohn, Tune In , 493.
[7] Paul to Mr. Low, in Davies, The Beatles , 63.
[8] Lewisohn, Tune In , 447. Ray Charles and Gene Vincent had recorded it earlier.
[9] January 1962, Polydor no. 21914, according to Stormo, “Lennon's first published song.” “A copy of the EP was officially given to the ‘Bibliothèque nationale de France’ on January 26th, 1962, and the receival date was stamped on the record’s back.” Some sources give April 1962 as the release date.
[10] According to Harrison in 1963, Smith, “Close-up on a Beatle: George Harrison.” Pete Best, in 1985, remembered the Shadows’ 1961 hit “Frightened City” as the source. Beatle! The Pete Best Story, 104-5. Or the Shadows tune was the November 1960 single “Man of Mystery,” Lewisohn, Tune In , 381.
[11] George remembered “someone” asking; Pete Best said it was Storm.
[12] According to Best.
[13] Smith, “Close-up on a Beatle: George Harrison.” Best remembered that George started playing and John joined in.
[14] Forte, “George Harrison,” 107.
[15] Beatles, Radio Interview, October 28, 1962.
[16] According to John, as quoted in Lewisohn, Tune In , 449.
[17] Lewisohn, Tune In , 237, 440, 449.
[18] For the Decca sessions, see Unterberger, Unreleased Beatles , 18-25; Lewisohn, Tune In , 539-42.
[19] Interview with Raoul Pantin, Trinidad Express , May 4, 1971, as quoted in Lewisohn, Tune In , extended, 2:1344. Wenner, Lennon Remembers , 47.
[20] For example, on January 20, 1982, on the BBC Desert Island Discs program, Paul picked Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen” as one of his ten favorite songs. See also “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” below.
[21] Anthology , 22. Another pick for Paul’s Desert Island Discs.
[22] Best, Beatle! The Pete Best Story , 144. According to Best, “Eppy and Mike Smith chose a mixture of songs that they calculated would have the Decca bigwigs standing on their heads.” The emphasis on standards was “I remember, . . . mainly at Brian’s insistence.”
[23] Anthology , 67.
[24] Ibid., 68.