Ringo Starr

Welcome to the Beatles Rarity of the Week. With Ringo Starr’s new album Ringo 2012 hot off the presses, I thought it would be a good week to scrounge up a Ringo rarity. Has it really been 50 years since he first went on a record?!

Additionally, you can consider this a follow-up to an earlier article I made, back in April 2011, concerning the BBE disc (Best Buy Exclusive) that accompanied the first few copies of Ringo’s 1998 Vertical Man CD when bought from Best Buy (you can find that post here, if you like, but I’ll give the necessary details here too).

The BBE disc contained three tracks from the ‘Vertical Man’ sessions that were not included on the CD: Mr. Doubleitup, Sometimes and Good News. The single release from this CD, a track called “La-De-Da,” contained an alternate edit (for radio) of the title track, along with another non-album tune from the ‘VM’ sessions called “Everyday.” While both “Everyday” and “Mr. Doubleitup” ended up as bonus tracks on the Japanese issuance of the Vertical Man CD, “Sometimes” and “Good News” were never issued on anything official other than the very limited BBE disc. If you’d like to hear “Sometimes,” visit the link I listed above. As this week’s BROW, I’m offering up “Good News.” Both of these tracks give us Ringo back in that country vein he’s been known to be partial to over the years. “Good News,” in fact, is about as country as Ringo gets – complete with lyrics about his truck breaking down and even a mention of Johnny Cash. As the name implies, it’s also an uptempo feel-good type of song written by Ringo with bandmates Mark Hudson and Steve Dudas, along with collaborator Bruce Grakal. Ringo not only sings and plays drums but also strums rhythm guitar with Mark and Steve. Mark also plays lead guitar and garnishes the track with his ever-recognizable backing vocals. Lee Rocker is also on board playing an upright bass. Although not credited in the BBE liner notes, the piano is likely played by Jeff “Skunk” Baxter.

For a good sampling of Ringo’s new album, Ringo 2012, click here.

Cover art for Vertical Man BBE Bonus Disc, 1998

Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post:

1) Vertical Man – Original 1998 Vertical Man CD, 1998

2) Vertical Man (Japanese Import) – Japanese version of Vertical Man with bonus tracks “Everyday” and Mr. “Doubleitup”, 1998

3) Ringo 2012 – Ringo Starr’s latest CD, 2012.

4) Ringo Starr VH1 Storytellers – Live performances by Ringo Starr and the Roundheads, 1998

5) More Amazon links for any of your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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I’m hoping most of those reading this have had the opportunity to check out Martin Scorsese’s recent biographical documentary George Harrison: Living In The Material World by now. Back in October it made it’s debut in cinemas across the U.K. and was also released on home video. In the U.S., it made it’s first appearance on HBO, with the promise posted on GeorgeHarrison.com of a home video release in the Spring. The 3 1/2 hour feature is divided into two parts with the first part focusing on George’s “Beatle-years” and the second part mainly focusing on the time after The Beatles, up to George’s death in 2001. However, part two actually begins with a 1968 acoustic demo of George’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”. Since this demo is only presented as a 45 second edit containing one verse, and not available on any official releases anywhere else, I thought some of you out there might like to hear it in it’s entirety.

This demo of George’s White Album classic is the earliest known recorded account of the song. It was recorded in late May 1968, when The Beatles had recently returned from their time learning about Transcendental Meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, in Rishikesh, India. Since the band had written some 35 new songs while on the trip, they were eager to record some demos and make plans for the next album. They had decided to convene at George’s bungalow (named Kinfauns) in Esher Surrey, U.K. to do just that.

A tape of 23 demos from the recordings The Beatles did then has survived (known as the Kinfauns demos) and circulates among Beatles-collectors. The sound quality on the tape is far from superb, but yet good enough to get an idea of how developed many of the songs that ended up on the White Album were at this point. The tape concludes with five George Harrison demos, and only two of the five ended up making the final cut for the forthcoming 2-LP set. Specifically George’s 5 songs were: “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, “Circles”, “Sour Milk Sea”, “Not Guilty” & “Piggies”.

“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” has George adding to his guitar and vocal track with an organ on the bridges and ending. The lyrics are yet to modified to the version we are accustomed to now. This earliest known demo of the song pre-dates the demo heard on the Beatles Anthology 3 CD set by two months. The electric version we hear on the White Album was recorded during the first week of September 1968 and features Eric Clapton on lead guitar and Paul McCartney on fuzz bass.

George Harrison at his Kinfauns home in Esher, circa 1968

Extra info: Of George’s 5 offerings on the Kinfauns demos, only “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Piggies” ended up on the “White Album”. “Not Guilty” and “Circles” were both recorded later by George on solo albums (George Harrison and Gone Troppo, respectively). “Sour Milk Sea” was covered by Apple artist Jackie Lomax and released as a single in 1968 (with George, Paul, Ringo and Eric Clapton backing Jackie up on the recording – see this post for more info on that). In addition to the 23 demos recorded at Kinfauns, four additional demos from this period were recorded at John Lennon’s home (Kenwood) and appear on the Beatles Anthology 3 CD set. They are “Happiness Is A Warm Gun”, “Mean Mr. Mustard”, “Polythene Pam” and “Glass Onion”.

Links to Amazon.com items in The Beatles catalog related to this post are listed below. Click for further info or, if you like, to purchase the music:

1) The Beatles (White Album) (Remastered) – 2009 2-CD remaster of original 1968 stereo double LP. Contains the stereo master of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (electric version).

2) Beatles Anthology 3 1996 2-CD collection of out-takes and alternate versions of Beatles tracks in their final two years 1968-1969. Includes an acoustic demo from July 1968 of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (not the same demo featured here). Also includes Beatles studio version of “Not Guilty” – a White Album out-take mentioned above.

3) Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison – 2009 remastered collection of George Harrison’s best, including a live version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” from the Concert For Bangla Desh (1971).

4) George Harrison – 2004 remaster of original 1979 LP featuring George Harrison’s solo version of “Not Guilty”.

5) Gone Troppo – 2004 remaster of original 1982 LP. Contains George Harrison’s solo version of “Circles”.

6) Ringo 2012 – Ringo Starr’s new album, pre-order only until Jan. 24, 2012.

7) Find more Beatles-related music on Amazon: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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Welcome back for yet another Beatles Rarity Of The Week. “Something” was a song written by George Harrison in January 1969 and later featured, not only on the Abbey Road album later in the year, but also on the A-side of a single coupled with John Lennon’s “Come Together” on the B-side. This was George’s first composition (and last) to be issued on the top side of a Beatles single. It was a good pick too because it topped the U.S. charts (Billboard) and reached number 4 on the U.K (Melody Maker) charts. It is second only to Yesterday as being the most covered Beatles song of all time. Both John Lennon and Paul McCartney praised “Something” as among the best songs written by George, or that the group had to offer.

For this week’s BROW, I’m sharing a recording of the song while still a work in progress. This is a mono mix of “Something” that’s basic track was laid down on May 2, 1969. Billy Preston, who had recently worked with The Beatles during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions, played organ, while Paul played bass. George Harrison played rhythm guitar through a Leslie speaker and John played a second rhythm guitar. Ringo Starr, of course, manned the drum kit. At this point the song was 7:48 due to a extended jam at the conclusion (some of which I’ve included here) and labeled as take 36.

On May 5th, The Beatles upgraded take 36 with the following changes: Paul redid his bass track and George added the lead guitar parts, including his fantastic solo. Billy Preston added more organ overdubs sometime before July 11th, which was the date George recorded his first lead vocal for the track. The extended jam at the end was also shortened. The end result, take 37, would receive further improvements later in the week, when George would return to the studio to redo the vocal track, with some assistance from Paul. With the new vocal track, a stereo mix was created for the master we hear on Abbey Road.

Here now, with the original vocal track, is take 37, complete with sound engineer Phil McDonald’s take announcement.

The Beatles have a break on the set of the Abbey Road photo shoot, 1969

Links to Amazon.com items in The Beatles catalog related to this post are listed below. Click for further info or, if you like, to purchase the music:

1) Abbey Road (Remastered) 2009 remaster of original 1969 smash album tat was to be the last recorded by The Beatles. Includes the finalized master of “Something”.

2) Anthology 3 1996 2-CD set containing out-takes and special versions of Beatles recordings from the final 2 years before the broke up. Includes a demo version of “Something” recorded on George Harrison’s 26th birthday (Feb. 25, 1969).

3) Find more Beatles-related music on Amazon: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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Welcome back for another Beatles Rarity Of The Week. From 1963 through 1965, The Beatles had a new album ready to go in time for the end-of-year holiday season. When it became apparent that this was not in the cards for 1966, EMI personnel hastily assembled a greatest hits album for the U.K. market only. The album was titled A Collection Of Beatles Oldies (But Goodies), and it was a good way for the English album buyers to pick up several tracks that had only been issued on EPs and singles beforehand in the U.K. Furthermore, if you were one of the “earlybirds” that was into stereo sound, you could get the stereo issue of the album, since the singles and EPs in those days were only issued in mono. Many of the songs featured on this disc were making their stereo debut.

On November 10, 1966, while the album was being prepared, it was discovered that there was one Beatles track that had not appeared on any U.K. release to date. The song was the Larry Williams rocker “Bad Boy,” which The Beatles covered during the Help! sessions of the previous year. When Capitol Records in the U.S. needed two more songs to complete their Beatles VI album, The Beatles recorded “Bad Boy” along with another Larry Williams cover, “Dizzy Miss Lizzy,” specifically for the U.S. album. It was later decided to use the latter track on side 2 of the Help! album, but “Bad Boy” was yet to be used. It was a “no-brainer” to feature it on the new compilation, and it was called up from the vault so that balance engineer Peter Brown could remix it into stereo. This is where the mix up occurred.

Instead of the tape for “Bad Boy,” the tape for the 1963 recording of “This Boy” was sent up instead. Peter was none the wiser and promptly created a stereo mix of “This Boy.” After all, there was no stereo mix of it prepared earlier, as it was also a non-album track used as the U.K. b-side to the “I Want To Hold Your Hand” single. Later, when Peter discovered that he mixed the wrong track, the stereo mix of “This Boy” was shelved. “Bad Boy” ended up on “Collection,” as planned, but was never re-mixed by Peter, because it turned out there was already an adequate stereo mix of it available. It had been created on May 10, 1965, for the stereo Beatles VI album.

Years later, in 1976, by which time singles were issued in stereo, the stereo mix of “This Boy” that Peter created in 1966 was rediscovered and issued as the b-side of a Capitol of Canada single, accompanying “All My Loving” on the a-side. However, this single was only issued in Canada. Curiously, in 1977, when Capitol Records in the U.S. released their Love Songs compilation, they created a new fake (rechannelled) stereo version of “This Boy” for the album, instead of using Peter’s real stereo mix that had been rediscovered just one year earlier. My guess is this was simply an oversight, and perhaps they were completely unaware that the real stereo mix even existed. By the way, an earlier “fake stereo” mix of “This Boy” had also been used on the stereo edition of Capitol’s Meet The Beatles! album in January 1964.

Fortunately, there is no need to track down a 36-year-old Canadian single to hear the real stereo account of “This Boy.” It now appears on the 2009 remastered Past Masters CD (along with “Bad Boy”). Seventeen takes were recorded by The Beatles on October 17, 1963, and take 15 was used to create the master. For this week’s BROW, I have an untrimmed version of the recording that still includes Peter Brown’s opening slate announcement for “RS15″ (sound engineer lingo for stereo remix of take 15).

Final comments: Although I am of the opinion that many Beatles songs sound punchier in mono, the separation in the real stereo mix of “This Boy” perfectly accentuates John, Paul and George’s three-part harmonies. Turn up your speakers a notch when you play it and see what I mean. Thanks for stopping by this week.

The Beatles, 1963

The U.K. compilation discussed here, A Collection Of Beatles Oldies (But Goodies), is now obsolete and replaced in The Beatles catalog by either of the releases I’ve listed below, along with their links to Amazon for further info or, if you like, to purchase:

1) Past Masters (Remastered) – 2009 remastered 2-CD set containing stereo mixes of The Beatles non-album tracks, including “This Boy” and “Bad Boy”.

2) 1962-1966 (Red) Remastered – 2010 2-CD compilation of the 1962-1966 Beatles hits using the recently remastered versions of The Beatles catalog. A great collection of early material (originally compiled in 1973) but does not include “This Boy” or “Bad Boy”.

3) Find more Beatles-related music on Amazon: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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Happy New Year and welcome, once again, to the Beatles Rarity Of The Week! One of the songs The Beatles worked on during the first week of February 1968 was John Lennon’s “Across The Universe.” It would be nearly two years before the song would see a release, and then it would only be on a charity LP called No One’s Gonna Change Our World, compiled in 1969 to benefit the World Wildlife Fund. John originally wanted the song to be a single, but when “Lady Madonna” was chosen instead, John agreed to contribute it to the charity LP. Later in the year, bird sound effects were mixed into take eight in order to make it fit in thematically with the album.

During the sessions, The Beatles experimented heavily with the recording by adding in overdubs of guitar, harp, bass and drums, all played backwards. Paul McCartney recruited two teenage female fans (Lizzie Bravo and Gayleen Pease), who were standing outside the studio, to come in to the session and sing backing vocals on the song’s “nothing’s gonna change my world” phrases. Four tracks of humming were also piled onto the already complicated mix before take eight was considered complete.

The particular account of the song I’ve featured here comes from a rough take-home mix given to John of take seven. It doesn’t include the backwards bass or drums but does incorporate the backwards guitar and harp as well as humming during the “om” chants and near the ending. This mix of the song has been bootlegged and is known among collector’s circles as the “Hums Wild” version.

The Beatles, circa February 1968

Extra info: On April 1st 1970, producer Phil Spector modified take eight of the song for inclusion on the Let It Be album. He removed the bird sound effects and backing vocals (from both The Beatles and two female fans). He also added the overdubbed cellos, violas, violins, harp, trumpets, trombone, choir and additional drums by Ringo Starr. This final mix was slowed down from the key of D to C-sharp.

Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post:

1) Let It Be (Remastered) – 2009 remastered CD of original 1970 Beatles album featuring “Across The Universe”.

2) 1967-1970 (Blue) Remastered – 2010 remastered 2-CD set containing original 1973 hits compilation of Beatles tracks from 1967-1970 and featuring Let It Be album version of “Across The Universe”.

3) Let It Be… Naked – 2003 CD featuring a stripped down version of Let It Be album containing a ‘naked’ version of “Across The Universe” without the overdubs added later by producer Phil Spector.

4) The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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I hope everyone celebrating had a great holiday weekend, and I thought what better way to begin the last week of the year than with another installment of the BROW? “BROW” stands for Beatles Rarity Of The Week, and my name is Happy Nat. Each week on Mondays, I try to serve up a rare Beatles-related track for you to listen to and read about, and if you happen to have stumbled upon this post on some other day of the year, well that’s fine too. I’m glad you’re here, and I hope it goes down well.

In the early days of Paul McCartney and Wings, right around December of 1971, the band convened for some sessions just after the release of their first album, Wild Life. The testy little instrumental that’s the subject of this week’s post was recorded at this time, and at one point was to be a b-side to the next (and first) Wings single, which turned out to be the BBC-banned protest track “Give Ireland Back To The Irish.” Plans changed, however, and the b-side to “Irish” became an instrumental version of the a-side, leaving this week’s BROW shelved in the vaults. I’m using the name “Rooster” for the track, though I am aware of two other names for it: “The Great Cock and Seagull Race” and “Breakfast Blues.”

The original line up of Wings was still intact at this point and included:

Paul McCartney – Vocals, guitar, bass, piano, keyboards
Linda McCartney – Vocals, keyboards
Denny Laine – Guitar, vocals, bass
Denny Seiwell – Drums, percussion

So now you know that Alice In Chains are not the only band with a song called “Rooster.” For a track that never made it to final production, it came together well, and I love Paul’s Jerry Lee Lewis style banging on the keys. Enjoy…

Wings, 1971 (very possibly first group photo)

Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post:

1) Wild Life 1993 CD remaster of original 1971 album, includes “Give Ireland Back To The Irish” as one of three bonus tracks

2) The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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Welcome to your 2011 Holiday-week BROW!

As most fans are aware, each year from 1963 through 1969, The Beatles recorded a special Christmas greeting for their fans. The Official Beatles Fan Club in England sent flexi-discs containing the Christmas messages to its members each holiday season. Last year, I featured the 1965 message, so this year, I move one year ahead to the 1966 message, simply titled “Pantomime: Everywhere It’s Christmas.” It was recorded on November 25, 1966, at Dick James Music, only one day after recording take one of John Lennon’s newest composition, “Strawberry Fields Forever.”

Of course a newsletter was issued with the flexi-disc. It was written by fan club secretary Freda Kelly and signed by Freda, with a second signature for Anne Collingham. Anne Collingham was actually a fictitious entity made up by Beatles public relations man Tony Barrow, to serve as the head of the northern and southern U.K. branches of the fan club.

Instead of a typical script-driven Christmas greeting, as had been done on the previous three Christmas messages, The Beatles came up with a pantomime idea and acted out different humorous skits in a wide array of voices. There are also two songs: “Everywhere It’s Christmas” (the title theme) and “Please Don’t Bring your Banjo Back.” A reprise of “Everywhere It’s Christmas” is presented at the end of the record, which immediately follows a short statement from Beatles assistant Mal Evans.

If you want to follow along while it plays, here is a track listing for the record (although the flexi-disc has no banding between each track):

Song: Everywhere It’s Christmas
Orowayna (Corsican Choir and Small Choir)
A Rare Cheese (Two Elderly Scotsmen)
The Feast
The Loyal Toast
Podgy The Bear and Jasper
Felpin Mansions: Part One (Count Balder and Butler)
Felpin Mansions: Part Two: (The Count and the Pianist)
Song: Please Don’t Bring Your Banjo Back
Mal: Everywhere It’s Christmas
Reprise: Everywhere It’s Christmas

The Beatles Fourth Christmas Record, issued Dec. 16, 1966

It’s been an absolute blast bringing you the BROWs, VOWs, interviews and the newest addition to the site – Collector’s Corners – along with all the other extras this year. I thank each and every one of you for being a part of my web site home for these tributary posts about the world’s best band. Fab holiday wishes go out to you all from me to you.

Yours truly,
Happy Nat

And I still say, Beatles music makes great gifts over the holidays. Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post, for your favorite Beatlemaniac: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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Welcome to the Beatles Rarity Of The Week. Forty three years ago on Dec. 11, 1968, The Rolling Stones recorded a television special to promote their Beggar’s Banquet LP. Similar to the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour theme from the previous year, the Stones went for a circus atmosphere with plenty of musical guests and circus acts, to include clowns, flying trapeze acts and even elephants. The name of the special was to be the Rolling Stones Rock And Roll Circus, and along with the Stones the line-up planned included Jethro Tull, The Who, Marianne Faithful, classical pianist Julius Katchen, Taj Mahal and Traffic. Just before filming was to begin, multi-instrumentalist Steve Winwood quit Traffic, leaving them understaffed. To counter the crisis, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger talked John Lennon into attending for a performance or two instead.

John agreed, and along with Yoko Ono, put together his own supergroup of Eric Clapton on guitar, Rolling Stone Keith Richards on bass, and Mitch Mitchell from the Jimi Hendrix Experience on drums. He dubbed the line-up as ‘The Dirty Mac’ and chose The Beatles’ White Album track “Yer Blues” as the number to perform, reasoning that it would be relatively easy for everyone to learn.

The film was roughly one hour long with each of the guest bands performing during the first half, with circus performance shorts in between bands. The second half of the show was Rolling Stones performances. The filming actually took place during an all-night party that did not end until after the Stones performed “Salt Of The Earth” at around 6:30am on December 12th. By that time, John and Yoko had left and the enthusiasm of the other guests had lost ground. Furthermore, many were of the opinion that The Who’s performance of “A Quick One While He’s Away” stole the show. For these reasons, it was never aired on television or released on home video until 1996.

For the BROW I’m featuring a Dirty Mac rehearsal performance of “Yer Blues” played sometime on December 11th before filming began. Although John is singing a guide vocal, it is barely audible and completely absent in spots. However, the guitars are loud and gritty, and the band sounds like they are ready to go.

The Dirty Mac, Dec. 1968

Extra info:

1) Steve Winwood went on to form the band Blind Faith with Eric Clapton shortly after this was filmed.

2) Nine months after the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus was filmed, Eric Clapton played “Yer Blues” again with John as part of The Plastic Ono Band. This performance can be heard on the first Plastic Ono Band album Live Peace In Toronto 1969.

Beatles music makes great gifts over the holidays. Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post, for your favorite Beatlemaniac:

1) Rock & Roll Circus – 1996 CD release of the entire show, featuring all of the bands mentioned above and The Dirty Mac’s live performance of “Yer Blues.

2) The Rolling Stones – Rock and Roll Circus 2004 DVD release of the entire show, featuring all of the bands mentioned above and a couple versions of The Dirty Mac’s live performance of “Yer Blues.

3) Live Peace in Toronto 1969 – 1995 CD remaster of original 1969 album featuring The Plastic Ono Band (John Lennon, Eric Clapton) performing “Yer Blues” live.

4) Additional Amazon links for your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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Welcome to the Beatles Rarity Of The Week. Back in September, The Beatles 1 CD, originally released in 2000, was reissued using the recently completed 2009 remastered versions of each track. With 27 number one singles all on the same disc, it is quite an impressive collection. There are articles on various websites (including Wikipedia) that explain that all of the Beatles singles that reached the coveted top spot on the charts, in the U.S. or the U.K., are on the disc. But now, looking over the track listing, I notice that “Please Please Me” is not there.

There are countless Beatles books and video documentaries that explain the story of how “Love Me Do” was the first single and it made it into the top 20, but then, as predicted by producer George Martin, the follow-up break-through song, “Please Please Me,” was a number one hit in the U.K., and just like that, “Beatlemania” was born. John Lennon even references “Please Please Me” reaching number one in the first Beatles Christmas record that came out at the end of 1963. Other references, such as The Beatles Anthology film and book (pg. 92 in the hardback version), all refer to “Please Please Me” as a number one record.

I want to set the record straight. Here are the facts: In the U.K., “Please Please Me” reached number one on the Melody Maker singles chart on March 2, 1963, after spending the previous two weeks at number two. It remained at number one for two weeks, before dropping back to number two on March 16. The song also topped the charts on the Disc singles chart, as well as on the NME (New Musical Express) singles chart, where it was number one for two weeks beginning February 22, 1963. The Record Mirror also reported “Please Please Me” at number one. All four of these publications were reputable sources reflecting singles sales and radio airplay in the U.K., and all four of them reported “Please Please Me” as topping the charts.

A trade newspaper known as Record Retailer maintained a singles chart in the U.K. as well, and reported “Please Please Me” as peaking at number two on March 2, 1963, unable to get past Frank Ifield’s “Wayward Wind.” So in four out of five publications of equal notoriety in the U.K., “Please Please Me” was a number one single. Of these, Melody Maker may have been considered more of a standard by comparison, due to the fact that it had been around the longest (since 1926).

Things changed over the years, however, and by the 1990′s the Official Chart Company and British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) established the guideline that named the chart from Record Retailer as the official standard for dates prior to February 15, 1969. From that point forward, the BMRB would compile the chart. This decision was questioned by many in the U.K. but is still in use today.

I should also mention that “Please Please Me” failed to reach number one in the U.S. at all, but only because it was blocked out of the top spot by two other Beatles singles: “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You.” The source for the U.S. is Billboard magazine.

So regardless of what is considered the standard “these days,” “Please Please Me” was number one in 4 out of 5 of the U.K.’s singles charts back in “those days,” and it is also a number one in my book. I think the two minute song would’ve fit just fine on Beatles 1, right in between “Love Me Do” and “From Me To You” making the disc 81 minutes long instead of 79 (Sony DADC now accepts masters of CD’s for up to 82 minutes).

And now, to drive the point home even further… Here are The Beatles being congratulated by radio host Ray Peters for topping the charts with their NUMBER ONE HIT “Please Please Me.” This live performance was recorded at the Playhouse Theatre in Manchester, U.K. on March 6, 1963, and broadcast on the BBC program Here We Go six days later. This broadcast version has never seen an official release, but you can still listen to it right here.

"Please Please Me" is # 1!

Extra info: I thought “Please Please Me” a fitting choice for BROW for a couple additional reasons:

1) The Beatles 1 CD was not the only Apple release to omit the song from its tracklisting. The 1994 Apple 2-CD compilation Live At The BBC features no recordings of this first number one either, even though there are seven BBC recordings of it in existence to choose from.

2) After over 4 years of BROWs, I have never featured a version of “Please Please Me.” I am pleased to do that now.

I hope you’re pleased too.

Beatles music makes great gifts over the holidays. Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post, for your favorite Beatlemaniac:

1) 1 – compilation of 27 number one Beatles hits, but MISSING “Please Please Me”.

2) Please Please Me (Remastered) 2009 remaster of original 1963 album including “Please Please Me” (stereo mix).

3) 1962-1966 (The Red Album) – 2-CD collection of 2009 remastered version of Beatles hits from 1962-1966, including “Please Please Me” (mono mix).

4) The Love We Make 2011 Blu-ray or DVD that chronicles Paul McCartney’s cathartic journey through New York City in the aftermath of 9/11.

5) Additional Amazon links for your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

Related posts:

1. Collector’s Corner – The “Love Me Do” single on Parlophone – The Beatles begin an incredible recording career Excluding the January 5, 1962, Polydor “My Bonnie” single release...
2. Collector’s Corner – The first U.S. single to bear “The Beatles” name…and the name wasn’t even spelled correctly Background Information When The Beatles follow-up single to Love Me...

Welcome to the Beatles Rarity Of The Week. In the summer of 1986, Paul McCartney returned to the EMI label after a six year stint with Columbia records and released Press To Play, an album he hoped would be a change of pace and update his image after the somewhat disappointing response to his 1984 Give My Regards To Broad Street film and soundtrack album. Bands like The Police and XTC had recently put out some music that Paul admired, and so he decided to team up with producer Hugh Padgham, who had worked with both of those bands, along with Genesis members Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins. Paul had recently written a few songs with 10cc member Eric Stewart and was ready to record in March of 1985. The sessions took place for about two months, and after a lot of post production work, additional sessions were held from October up to the first week of December 1985.

Paul & Linda McCartney portrait on Press To Play LP jacket, 1986

Paul brought in a wide host of musicians to play on the album, including Pete Townshend, Eddie Rayner (Split Enz), Ray Cooper, Phil Collins and Eric Stewart. By the end of the year the album was basically finished, but the only track released from the sessions was for a non-album single you’ll remember as the title number for the Dan Aykroyd/Chevy Chase comedy film Spies Like Us. After the lead-off single, “Press,” was released in July, Press To Play was finally issued on August 22, 1986. Although the sales were somewhat disappointing, the music on the album was solid, even according to most of the critics of the day.

In addition to “Press,” three other singles were released from the album (“Pretty Little Head,” “Stranglehold” and “Only Remains”). A few of the singles tracks had different edits and mixes than the album versions. There were also three special 12 inch (maxi) single releases from Press To Play with several more alternate mixes and extended versions.

This week’s BROW, a fast paced rocker Paul wrote with Eric Stewart titled “Angry,” includes Pete Townshend on guitar, Phil Collins on drums, and is mixed for the album by Hugh Padgham. However, the version that appears on the Pretty Little Head maxi single is a mix by Larry Alexander that features additional horns and a punchier sound than the album version. Those of you only familiar with the standard version on Press To Play will likely find this ‘angrier’ version quite interesting. The Pretty Little Head maxi single was released on October 27, 1986 on vinyl only, and has never been made available on an official CD or authorized download media.

Pretty Little Head 12 in. maxi single, 1986 (w/"Angry" (Larry Alexander mix)

Extra info: A second issuance of the Press To Play vinyl album in the UK contained the original Hugh Padgham mix of “Press” instead of the Bevans/Forward mix issued on the CD and everywhere else in the world. See more info here.

Special thanks go out to Mike Ray who requested this track for this week’s BROW. Thanks Mike for the idea and my apologies for not getting to it right away.

Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post:

1) Press to Play – 1990 CD remaster of original 1986 LP including original Hugh Padgham mix of “Angry”. Note: Out-of-print CD but collectible condition and lower are available at this link for purchase.

2) Additional Amazon links for your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

Related posts:

1. Beatles Rarity Of The Week – Press (original mix) This week’s Beatles Rarity of the Week ties up another...
2. Only Love Remains – promo video (1986) This week’s VOW is related to the BROW from earlier...