PLAYLIST OCT. 21st 2012 The Beatles - COVERS ONLY!!!! Hear The Beatles sing songs they didn't write...hear Beatles songs from people who didn't write `em!!! FUN! FUN! FUN! HR 1 The Beatles – Please Mr. Postman - With The Beatles (William Garrett - Robert Bateman -Georgia Dobbins - Brian Holland and Freddy Goreman) Recorded July 30th 1963 Originally by the Marvelettes Their version released August 1961 became a number one hit. Musicians: John Lennon – double-tracked lead vocal, rhythm guitar; Paul McCartney – backing vocal, bass guitar; George Harrison – backing vocal, lead guitar; Ringo Starr – drums This was a cover-version of Motown’s first-ever hit, by The Marvelettes. Paul said that we got it from our fans, who would write ‘Please Mr. Postman’ on the back of envelopes. ‘Posty, Posty, don’t be slow, be like the Beatles and go, man, go!’ That sort of stuff. John decided to double-track his vocal against the better advice of George Martin, who hoped for the powerhouse sound of Twist And Shout. But he’d become self-conscious about the way his voice sounded on tape, and insisted that he fill it out Lead vocal John US - Capitol LP The Beatles' Second Album The Supremes - You Can't Do That - A LITTLE BIT OF LIVERPOOL. 1964 The Beatles – Anna (Go To Him) (Arthur Alexander) Please Please Me Alexander’s original recording was released as a single in Sept. of 1962 on Dot Records. Did not crack the Top 40. Beatles played it live in `62 and `63. Musicians: John Lennon – lead vocal, acoustic rhythm guitar; Paul McCartney – backing vocal, bass guitar; George Harrison – backing vocal, lead guitar; Ringo Starr – drums This only took three takes. John made a half-hearted attempt to toughen up Arthur Alexander’s lyrics by omitting the word darling. Lead vocal John US – Vee-Jay LP Introducing the Beatles US – The Early Beatles Stevie Wonder- We Can Work It Out - Signed Sealed Delivered The Beatles – Boys (Luther Dixon / Wes Farrell) Please Please Me Originally recorded by The Shirelles as a B-side to their big hit “ Will You Love Me Tomorrow?”. Recorded 11th February 1963 in just 1 take. Musicians: Ringo Starr – lead vocal, drums; John Lennon – backing vocal, rhythm guitar; Paul McCartney – backing vocal, bass guitar; George Harrison – backing vocal, lead guitar You couldn’t get away with singing this these days, because the lyrics make you sound queer. Paul remembered that they did it for a laugh (but whether Ringo found it funny is another matter!) Lead vocal Ringo US - Vee-Jay LP Introducing the Beatles US – The Early Beatles Todd – Hold Me Tight – WMMR 1970 The Beatles – Leave My Kitten Alone - Beatles For Sale sessions (Little Willie John-Titus Turner- James McDougal) – Anthology I/ Beatles For Sale sessions Recorded Aug. 14th 1964 around 10PM when they should have been ending the days sessions (Abbey Road Studio regulations) Musicians: John Lennon – double-tracked lead vocal; Paul McCartney – bass guitar, piano; George Harrison – double-tracked lead guitar; Ringo Starr – drums, tambourine This was recorded at the Beatles For Sale sessions, but was left to rot in the stores for thirty years. It has now been made available on Anthology 1. Lead vocal John The Jam – And Yer Bird Can Sing – Extras The Beatles – Twist And Shout (Phil Medley & Bert Berns) – Please Please Me Feb. 11th 1963. Original recorded by The Isley Brothers in May of 1962. The Beatles performed it regularly between 1962 and 1965 Musicians: John Lennon – lead vocal, rhythm guitar; Paul McCartney – backing vocal, bass guitar; George Harrison – backing vocal, lead guitar; Ringo Starr – drums This was the last song to be recorded at the marathon Please Please Me session. They’d been singing non-stop for twelve hours and it was already past ten at night, but George Martin still needed a big finish, so they gathered in the canteen to gee themselves up. John was suffering from a cold at the time, and was drinking warm milk to stop his voice giving out. Then he sang it in a single take, with his top stripped off. By the end he said: I couldn’t sing the damn thing, I was just screaming. My voice wasn’t the same for a long time after. Every time I swallowed, it was like sandpaper. George Martin said: God alone knows what he did to his larynx each time he performed it, because he made a sound rather like tearing flesh. That had to be right on the first take, because I knew perfectly well that if we had to do it a second time it would never be as good. John later explained: The more interesting songs to me were the black ones because they were more simple. They sort of said shake your arse, or your prick, which was an innovation really… The blacks were singing directly and immediately about their pain and also about sex which is why I like it. But I hate singing Twist And Shout when there’s a coloured artist on the bill. It doesn’t seem right, you know. It seems to be their music, and I feel sort of embarrassed. Makes me curl up… They can do these songs much better than us. [I can’t let the moment pass without giving an honourary mention to Brian Poole and the Tremeloes’ version of Twist And Shout, which was released on the 28th June. They were the band that Decca signed instead of the Beatles. And poor old Dick Rowe had to sit and suffer while the Beatles’ Twist And Shout EP made it past them in the singles chart!] Lead vocal John US - Vee- Jay LP Introducing the Beatles US – The Early Beatles The Tubes – I Saw Her Standing There – What Do You Want From Live? Paul – Matchbox – Live 93 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – I Need You – Concert For George 2.43 BREAK The Beatles – Roll Over Beethoven (Chuck Berry) - With The Beatles Released as a Chuck Berry single May 1956 on Chess records peaking at #29. A song performed in the very early day when John sang lead. Musicians: George Harrison – double-tracked lead vocal, lead guitar; John Lennon – rhythm guitar; Paul McCartney – bass guitar; Ringo Starr – drums The Beatles had always been big Berry fans, and between 1957 (when The Quarrymen started out) and their last gig in ‘66, they played more songs by him than by anybody else. Berry explained that he aimed the lyrics at his big sis, telling her to get off the piano so he could have a go: Roll Over Beethoven was written based on the feelings I had when my sister would monopolise the piano at home during our youthful school years. In fact most of the words were aimed at Lucy instead of the Maestro Ludwig Van Beethoven. Thelma also took piano lessons in classical music but Lucy was the culprit that delayed rock ‘n’ roll music twenty years. John always used to sing it in their Hamburg days, but he gave it to George for the LP – and a very credible job he does too. You can hear an amazingly good live version on Anthology 1. Lead vocal George US - Capitol LP The Beatles' Second Album The Cryin Shames – If I Need Someone – Single The Beatles – Baby It’s You – Please Please Me (Mack David-Barney Williams-Burt Bacharach) Originally recorded by The Shirells in Dec. 1961 on Scepter Records. Recorded Feb. 11th 1963 Musicians: John Lennon – lead vocal, rhythm guitar; Paul McCartney – backing vocal, bass guitar; George Harrison – backing vocal, lead guitar; Ringo Starr – drums; George Martin – celesta This only took three takes. A week later George Martin over-dubbed a celeste and a piano, but they didn’t like it, so they wiped it off Lead vocal John US - Vee-Jay LP Introducing the Beatles (both) US- Capitol LP The Early Beatles The Donnas – Drive My Car – This Bird Has Flown Paul McCartney – I Got Stung (Schroeder-Hill) – Run Devil Run ‘99 This was a 1959 No.1 single for Elvis. Paul: "It wasn't my favorite Elvis song, but I kept hearing 'Holy smoke landsakes alive, I never thought this would happen to me'. That intro kept grabbing me. I thought I'll do it a bit more raucous than Elvis." Aerosmith - I’m Down – Permanent Vacation The Beatles - Dizzy Miss Lizzy - Help! (Williams) Lead vocal: John Recorded specifically for the American market at the urgent request of Capitol Records executives, who needed two songs to fill out their upcoming “Beatles VI” album. Of course, Capitol had four songs in its possession it could have included (“From Me To You,” “Misery,” “There’s A Place” and the German-language version of “She Loves You,” had all yet to appear on an LP in America), but they went to the Beatles and asked for something new ASAP. With no new material ready to go the band pulled two Larry Williams’ songs from their pre-fame club repertoire, “Bad Boy” and “Dizzy Miss Lizzy,” that could be recorded in one day and then the tapes would be air-freighted to Capitol Records in Los Angeles. “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” was added as the album closer on the UK “Help!” LP when several songs earmarked for the project fell through (“That Means A Lot” and “Wait”) and they decided against including the two most recent B-sides. On U.S. album: Beatles VI - Capitol LP 2.34 BREAK HR 2 Sandi Shaw – Love Me Do - 1969 album, Reviewing the Situation The Beatles – Chains (Gerry Goffin /Carole King) Please Please Me Feb.11th 1963 / Top 20 hit for The Cookies in 1962.