Mach Shau Part One

In case you're wondering, "Mach Shau" is something similar to "Make a Show" in German. The Beatles were indebted to Hamburg, Germany since this was their training groud and the long hours spent playing in the German clubs honed their musical diversity and eventual success.

In late 1963, the Beatles' European record label "Odeon" - specifically the German record executives - had asked that the Beatles sing and record a couple of their hits in German. The German execs figured that they couldn't sell large quantities of records unless they were sung in German - so goes the quote from George Martin.

I have a problem with this and with all due respect to Mr. Martin, someone is bullshitting somewhere. By late 1963, the Beatles were selling vast amounts of records in places like Sweden and France and other European countries so I don't believe that they weren't selling large quantities already in Germany. Secondly, when the Beatles had released a couple of singles with Tony Sheridan on Polydor (recorded in 1961 and 1962 ) the songs were sung in English and were successful in Germany. So....I dunno. I still don't know why The Beatles agreed to this exercise as it was rather pointless. I suppose Mr. Brian Epstein - their manager at this point - had agreed to it for who knows what and it basically forced the Beatles to do it.

Regardless, two songs exist in the Beatles catalogue with German language vocals. The first of these is "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" which is "I Want To Hold You Hand" in German. The song was recorded in Paris, France at the EMI Pathe Marconi Studios on January 29 1964. Eleven takes were required for the vocal part as the rhythm track and the instrumental part of the song was simply taken from the existing original four track. Only vocals and eventually handclaps were overdubbed to this original backing track. "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" was mixed for mono on March 10 1964 back at EMI Abbey Road in studio two. It was mixed for stereo two days later on March 12 1964 in the control room of studio three.

"Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" was released in Germany on a single by Odeon, of course. The song was also picked up by Capitol records in North America and strangely enough is available on the US/Canada Capitol LP/CD: "Something New". It's also available on the EMI UK version of the LP "The Beatles Rarities" and was included on the Apple 2-LP/ CD: "Past Masters Volunme 1" and the remastered series in mono and stereo both contain the track.

This Boy...Wouldn't Mind the Pain.

"This Boy" was an original Lennon/McCartney song recorded especially for the singles market and for the flip side of "I Want to Hold Your Hand". The song was written mainly by Lennon and the recording session was held the same day as "Hand". The three part harmonies and the passionate middle eight make it one of the best B-sides ever released by the Beatles. There would be more of those to come, of course. Although "This Boy" was of very high quality song-writing wise, I still find it strange that Capitol in the United States released the "I Want to Hold Your Hand" single with the flip side being "I Saw Her Standing There" which was recorded almost eight months apart. The "butchering" of the Beatles catalogue had started. I suppose it doesn't matter in the end as both versions of the single sold in astronomically high numbers as the quality of the Beatles music was (as is) always superb and as the famous quote goes: "Nothing is Beatle-Proof " (from the "Yellow Submarine" movie).

"This Boy" was recorded on Thursday October 17 1963 and it was done in 15 takes with two overdub takes which makes it 17 takes total. It was well worth the effort however as the song is simply exquisite. The song was mixed for mono only four days later on October 21 1963 and was released in mono on the single for November 29 1963 in time for the Christmas market. The song was mixed for stereo (by mistake) on November 10 1966 because someone from the head office had telephoned EMI Studios and had mistakenly mentioned "This Boy" for an upcoming LP rather than "Bad Boy" which WAS on the upcoming LP at the time.

As well as being available as the B-side to "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in the UK, "This Boy" is also available on the US Capitol LP/CD "Meet The Beatles", the Capitol of Canada 6000 series LP "Long Tall Sally", the EMI double LP "Love Songs" and the UK EMI LP version of "The Beatles' Rarities". An instrumental version by George Martin and his orchestra is available on the US United Artists soundtrack LP "A Hard Day's Night". Takes 12 and 13 from the original recording session is available on the Apple EP/CD "Free As a Bird".

"This Boy" was performed live on various television appearances of the day including "Sunday Night at the London Palladium" and the February 16 1964 Miami "Ed Sullivan Show".

"This Boy" was performed twice for BBC radio: Once on "Saturday club" and once on "From Us To You".

I Get High, I Get High (with apologies to Bob Dylan)

The "With The Beatles" LP was released on November 22 1963 in mono and stereo in which this LP replaced "Please Please Me" (the first LP) on the top of the British charts.

The single "She Loves You" had been a milestone in the sense that it was the top selling single EVER in British history at the time and it had broke the Beatles in the European market and the Australian and Canadian markets.

"I Want to Hold Your Hand" was the biggie in the sense that this song broke the US market and made the Beatles international sensations. Beatlemania flourished due to this song and the group would never look back. The song was written by Lennon/McCartney and is a true split contribution wide. All the previous hooks were there: the high octave in the chorus, the mellow middle eight. Very dynamic song for the time. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was written on a piano in the basement of the Asher home (Paul's girlfriend at the time was actress Jane Asher) in Wimpole street, Westminster, London. Both John and Paul share the vocal although John sings most of the lead with Paul harmonizing. I enjoy the performance on the Ed Sullivan show of February 09 1964 due to the fact that you can really hear the harmony because of the microphone balance that night. When Bob Dylan first heard this tune, he thought that the lyrics contained the words "I Get High, I Get High" when in actual fact the lyrics at this point in the song are : "I Can't Hide, I Can't Hide". Dylan would formally introduce Pot to the Beatles during their summer tour of the United States in late 64. Hee hee.

Another first for the Beatles at this point of their career was the advent from twin track (which the first two LPs were recorded) to four track. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was the first song recorded on four track. (Although other songs from the second LP were recorded ; namely a take of "You Really Got A Hold On Me" which was never used; "Hand" was the first started from scratch). The Beatles would from now on record exclusively on four track ( in EMI studios) for the next five years until half way through "The White Album" when eight track was introduced - more on this later.

"I Want to Hold Your Hand" was recorded on Thursday October 17 1963 in the evening. 17 takes were required. The song was mixed for mono and for stereo three days later in Studio One on October 21 1963. The song was released as a single on November 29 1963 in the UK on Parlophone (mono only),

Curiously, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" was re-mixed for stereo on June 08 1965 for no apparent reason. Finally, the song was re-mixed for stereo once again on November 07 1966 which meant disregarding the two previous attempts. This mix was eventually released in the UK on the stereo version of "A Collection of Beatles Oldies..." (Parlophone PCS 7016).

The UK version had "This Boy" as the B-side, the US had "I Saw Her Standing There" as the B-side; the song is also available on the Capitol US LP/CD "Meet The Beatles", the Capitol of Canada 6000 series LP "Long Tall Sally", the aforementioned Parlophone UK LP "A Collection of Beatles Oldies...", the Apple 2-LP/ 2-CD set "The Beatles 1962-1966", the EMI version of the LP "20 Greatest Hits" (US and UK), the Apple LP/CD "1".

"I Want to Hold Your Hand" was played in concert during most of the television and personal performances of 1964 and a version of a live performance is available on the EMI LP: "The Beatles Live At the Hollywood Bowl".

"I Want to Hold Your Hand" was performed live three times for BBC radio: Twice on "Saturday Club" and once on "From Us to You". And When I Touch you I Feel Happy Inside. Yes, indeed.

I Wanna Be Free !!

The last song on the Parlophone UK LP/CD is entitled "Money (That's What I Want)". This cover song was originally written by Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford. Another Motown cover that was originally performed by Barrett Strong for the Tamla label. The Beatles' version has John singing the lead.

A very powerful performance and a great way to end the album. "Money" was recorded on Thursday July 18 1963 and seven takes were required. A piano edit piece was included. The song was picked up again almost two weeks later on July 30 1963. Once again, the piano was played by George Martin. "Money" was edited and mixed for mono on August 21 1963. Strangely, two more piano overdubs were performed by George Martin on September 30 1963. I don't believe the September 30th overdubs were ever used as the song was not mixed for mono after this session. BUT...the song was mixed for stereo on October 30 1963 and is the only song from the "With The Beatles" LP to be mixed in stereo on this day as all of the other tracks were mixed for stereo the previous day (oct 29/63).

"Money" was also recorded for the Beatles' January 01 1962 audition for Decca Records. This version is available on certain quasi-legal LPs and/or CDs of questionable origin.

"Money (That's What I Want)" is available on the following: the Parlophone UK LP/CD "With The Beatles", the Capitol of Canada 6000 series LP/CD "Beatlemania:With The Beatles", the US Capitol LP/CD "The Beatles' Second Album" and the EMI 2 LP set "Rock and Roll".

"Money (That's What I Want)" was performed live for the BBC six times: Three times on "Saturday club", twice on "Pop Go The Beatles" episodes 3 and 12; and once on "From Us to You".

And Now You've Changed Your Mind

The next entry is the sixth song on side two of the "With the Beatles" LP OR track 13 on the CD of the same name. The song is entitled "Not A Second Time". This is an original Lennon/McCartney composition although it's mainly written by John. It has a very original instrumentation as piano, acoustic guitar, bass and drums seem to drive it. John's vocal is very obviously double-tracked (as are most of the vocals on this particular LP). A very original song and very pretty. One of my favourite "deep tracks" from the second LP.

"Not A Second Time" was first attempted on Wednesday September 11 1963 in EMI Studio two during the evening. There were nine takes recorded, takes one to five were the basic bedrock while the six to nine were overdubs of the double-tracked vocals and piano which was played by George Martin.

The song was mixed for mono in the control room of studio two on September 30 1963. The song was mixed for stereo at the same time as all the others: October 29 1963 in studio three.

"Not A Second Time" is available on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "With The Beatles", also on Capitol of Canada 6000 series LP: "Beatlemania: With the Beatles" and on the US Capitol LP/CD "Meet the Beatles".

"Not A Second Time" was never performed live in concert or for BBC radio. A shame. If you get a chance, listen to the cover version by the Pretenders. It's pretty good.

Nay, Will She Deceive.

The next song up for the "With The Beatles" Parlophone LP/CD is a cover tune entitled "Devil In Her Heart". This constitutes the third vocal number by George Harrison. With the call-and-response background vocals, it would have been nice to have a stereo spread of all vocals on this song. But, since this was done on twin track, mono is still preferable as far as balance goes.

"Devil In Her Heart" is probably one of the more obscure choices for a cover by the Beatles. It was originally done by the Donays ( a girl group ) and the original title for the song was "Devil In His Heart". The tune was originally written by Richard B. Drapkin.

"Devil In Her Heart" was recorded by The Beatles at EMI studio two on Thursday July 18 1963. It was captured in three takes with three additional overdubs (vocals, percussion). The song was mixed for mono on August 21 1963 in Studio three. The stereo mix was done October 29 1963 also in Studio three.

"Devil In Her Heart" is available on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "With The Beatles" as well as the Capitol of Canada 6000 series LP "Beatlemania: With the Beatles" and the US Capitol LP/CD "The Beatles' Second Album".

"Devil In Her Heart" was performed twice for BBC radio. Both times were on the "Pop Go The Beatles" programme: episodes 10 and 15.

I Wanna Be Your Lover, Baby !

The next tune up on the turntable: "I Wanna Be Your Man". This song was written by Lennon/McCartney although from what I've seen, I think it's mainly a Paul song due to the fact that this song was performed by McCartney in the early 90s on some television appearances. Anyhoo, the version on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "With the Beatles" was originally written with the Rolling Stones in mind when Mick and Keith and company were looking for material. The Stones recorded the tune and it was released as a single.

The Beatles used "I Wanna Be Your Man" as a vehicle for a Ringo vocal. Ringo does a fine job but admittedly he doesn't have much to work with. The lyrics are repetitive and bland, the verse is basically a one and a minor five over and over, but the chorus uplifts it a little.

One take of "I Wanna Be Your Man" was recorded in Studio Two on Wednesday September 11 but more takes were attempted the next day September 12 1963. After six takes of the song, the tune was left unfinished for another time. The Beatles picked up the tune again on October 03 1963 overdubbing maracas to the tune. The song was finally finished on Wednesday October 23 1963 and mixed for mono on the same day. The song was mixed for stereo six days later in studio three.

"I Wanna Be Your Man" was performed live several times including the 1965 and 1966 tours. A performance of the song can be heard on the EMI LP "The Beatles Live At the Hollywood Bowl".

"I Wanna Be Your Man" is available on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "With The Beatles", the Capitol of Canada 6000 series LP "Beatlemania: With The Beatles", also the US Capitol LP/CD "Meet The Beatles".

The Beatles performed "I Wanna Be Your Man" twice on BBC radio: once on "Saturday club" and the second time on "From Us to You".

Seems That I'm Always Thinking Of You

The third song on side two of "With The Beatles" on LP and the tenth song on the CD is a cover song entitled "You Really Got A Hold On Me". The original song was released by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. The composer is William Robinson. This Motown song was recorded on July 18 1963 and was the first song recorded for the "With The Beatles" LP/CD.

"You Really Got A Hold On Me" was recorded in Studio Two and it took seven takes with four edit pieces. This song features John Lennon on vocal and George Martin plays the piano on this one. The song was edited and mixed for mono in Studio Three on August 21 1963. It was mixed for stereo in Studio Three on October 29 1963.

"You Really Got A Hold On Me" was also recorded by the Beatles later in their career at the Apple Studios located at 3 Savile Row in London. It was recorded for the "Get Back" project on Sunday January 26 1969. This version was later mixed for stereo at Olympic Sound Studios in London by Glyn Johns with the express purpose of releasing it on the "Get Back" LP (which was later renamed "Let It Be" once Phil Spector got his greasy little hands on it). This particular performance can be seen in the movie "Let It Be". The song is obviously just being jammed around with and it's played in a very high key as John Lennon has a hard time singing it (he's also trying to remember the words...hahaha). Although recorded and mixed, this audio version remains unreleased (although it can be found on bootlegs containing the "Let It Be" soundtrack).

The 1963 commercial version of the song can be found on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "With The Beatles", the Capitol of Canada 6000 series LP "Beatlemania: With The Beatles" and the US Capitol LP/CD "The Beatles' Second Album".

A live version of "You Really Got A Hold On Me" from a performance in Sweden can be heard on the 3-LP/ 2 CD Apple release: "Anthology 1".

"You Really Got A Hold On Me" was performed four times for BBC radio. There were three performances on "Pop Go The Beatles" episodes 1 and 9 and 14. There was also a performance for "Saturday Club".

It Feels So Right Now

The second song on the second side of the second LP/CD was entitled "Hold Me Tight". This particular track first saw the light of day earlier in the year 1963 - in fact it was properly recorded for the "Please Please Me" LP and several takes (13 all together) were attempted including edit pieces. The song was complete and ready to be contained on the first LP/CD until the track list was put together and it was decided that "Hold Me Tight" would be surplus and it never appeared in this version. The original February 11 1963 recording of "Hold Me Tight" has never been released. Supposedly, the tape of this version has disappeared.

So, the song was re-recorded for the second LP/CD "With The Beatles". The entire song was once again attempted on Thursday September 12 1963. It took nine takes to perfect the song (takes 20-29) and the officially released version is an edit of takes 26 and 29.

"Hold Me Tight" was another original Lennon/McCartney composition mainly written by Paul. I like the chromatic aspect of the guitars and it a nice rocker. I've read several books on the Beatles and most critics will see this song as one of the weaker tracks from the second LP/CD although I find the song quite attractive. It's very "punky" in a way - very aggresive and the guitars chug along quite nicely. The harmonies could have used a bit of improvement and I would have liked to have heard the song played slightly faster. BUT...who am I to criticize such a successful musical act? Just minor quibbles on my part.

"Hold Me Tight" was edited and mixed for mono on September 30 1963 and mixed for stereo on October 29 1963. There are a few outtakes of this recording as well as another song "Dont' Bother Me" recorded on the same reel and on the same day.

"Hold Me Tight" is available on the UK Parlophone LP/CD "With The Beatles"; the Capitol of Canada 6000 series LP "Beatlemania: With The Beatles" as well as the US Capitol LP/CD "Meet The Beatles".

Sadly, the song was never performed live nor was it ever performed for BBC radio.

I'm Gonna Write A Little Letter Gonna Send It To My Local DJ

The next song heard on the "With The Beatles" LP/CD was the second George Harrison vocal feature entitled "Roll Over Beethoven". This was a cover song written and performed in it's original state by the great Chuck Berry who had his birthday not too long ago. This is a great addition to the Beatles' canon as it features wonderful guitar work from George. Several Chuck Berry compositions were featured in the Beatles' live show (especially on BBC) that were sung mainly by John - who was a huge fan of Berry - but I love this George vocal and it's interesting that three of the tunes from this LP featured George Harrison. This is the second one besides his first composition early on the LP and a later cover.

The song was recorded at EMI Studio Two on Tuesday July 30 1963 in fives takes with three overdub takes. You can actually hear the end chord being edited on in take eight.

"Roll Over Beethoven" was mixed for mono on Wednesday August 21 1963 in Studio Three with a combination of takes seven and the edit piece of take eight. The stereo mix was done at the same time as most of the stereo mixes were done (basically, the stereo mixes were an afterthought at this stage; you can read my entries showing that most of the LP stereo mixes were all done within a day as well as being all done in three hours !!!) on Tuesday October 29 1963 in Studio Three.

"Roll Over Beethoven" has been a staple of the Beatles' live shows for years and was still featured during the early Beatlemania years. The song was obviously performed in Hamburg and Liverpool, and was performed during the 1964 American tour.

"Roll Over Beethoven" can be found on the Parlophone LP/CD "With The Beatles", the Capitol US "The Beatles Second Album" LP/CD where the song title can be prominently seen on the front cover due to it's popularity. In fact, there was a Canadian single released with "Roll Over Beethoven" as the main side and it sold considerably well in Canada and the USA (as an import). The song was on the Capitol of Canada 6000 series LP "Beatlemania: With The Bealtes". The song was also on the Capitol/ EMI 2-LP set "Rock and Roll Music". There are live versions of the song on the EMI/Capitol LP "The Beatles Live at the Hollywood Bowl" and an early live version can be found on the Lingasong double LP "The Beatles Live at The Star Club".

"Roll Over Beethoven" was performed an astounishing seven times live on BBC radio: The first time on "Steppin' Out", three times on "Saturday Club", once on "Pop Go the Beatles" episode 12 and twice on "From Us to You".

"I wanna hear it again today" WHOOOO!

Deliver The Letter, The Sooner The Better

The next cover on the "With The Beatles" closes Side One on the LP. This was a motown cover that was originally performed by The Marvelettes entitled "Please Mister Postman". A very smooth, sould vocal by John Lennon and a call-and-response type backing vocals from Paul and George. The song was originally written by Berry Gordy, Brian Holland and Robin Bateman.

"Please Mister Postman" was recorded on Tuesday July 30 1963 in EMI Studio Two. There were nine takes including vocal overdubs. The song was mixed for mono on August 21 1963 in Studio Three/ it was mixed for stereo on October 29 1963 in Studio Three as well.

"Please Mister Postman" is available on the UK Parlophone "With The Beatles" LP/CD as well as the Capitol of Canada 6000 series LP "Beatlemania: With The Beatles", it is also on the US Capitol LP/CD "The Beatles Second Album".

"Please Mister Postman" was performed three times on BBC radio; once on "Here We Go", the second time on "Pop Go the Beatles" episode 7 and finally on "From Us to You".

Sweet Fragrant Meadows of Dawn and Dew

"Till There Was You" is the first cover song to appear on "With The Beatles" LP/CD. It's a very, very syrupy song and very cheeseball sounding in my opinion. The song was written for a musical entitled "The Music Man". I think the version heard by the Beatles was sung by Peggy Lee in the musical. The song was composed by Meredith Wilson.

The Beatles were very familiar with this song as they performed it in Germany and Liverpool long before they had their recording contract. In fact, it was one of the tunes performed for the Decca audition and can be heard on various semi-legitimate recordings of the audition of various formats.

The final recording features The Beatles pulling out their acoustic guitars and Ringo playing bongos. Paul plays bass and sings lead. The first attempt at the song was recorded on July 18 1963 in Studio Two: Three takes were recorded but it was decided to "re-make" the song at a later date. Therefore, a week and half later on July 30 1963 the Beatles re-recorded the song with five more takes and it was completed at this session. The song was mixed for mono a month later on August 21 1963 in Studio Three and mixed for stereo on October 29 1963 in Studio Three.

"Till There Was You" was performed live and became a staple of the Beatles' live repertoire. The main purpose that I think it was performed live so much was to show a versatility to the "older generation" of the day. It was a showcase to ensure that adults would accept the Beatles as "all around entertainers". Of course, this is all speculation but watching the first live broadcast of the Ed Sullivan show , for example, shows "Till There Was You" as being performed as the second song in the list. I like George Harrison's lead, by the way. Very classy. Some examples of the live version include the Royal Variety performance in November 1963, the aforementioned Ed Sullivan show, and the Big Night Out variety show in 1964. It was the LPs power ballad !!

"Till There Was You" appears on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "With The Beatles", the Capitol of Canada 6000 series LP "Beatlemania: With the Beatles" and the US Capitol "Meet the Beatles" LP/CD. A live version appears on the Lingasong 2-LP: "The Beatles Live at the Star Club".

"Till There Was You" was performed eight time for BBC radio: "Pop Go the Beatles" episodes 2, 7 and 13. Twice on "Saturday Club", once on the "Variety Performance" and twice on "From Us to You".

Won't You Dance With Me?

The next song featured on the second Parlophone LP "With The Beatles" was a rock and roll number written by Lennon/McCartney but mainly by John was/is entitled "Little Child". It features lots of harmonica (mouth organ) and was/is a true rocker. Lots of energy and lots of double tracking, in fact sorta sloppy at parts. Lennon has said that he hated double tracking his vocals and since most of this LP was double-tracked, well....it must have been a chore. The harmonica solo is also by Lennon.

The track was first recorded on a Wednesday September 11 1963 ( two takes ) in studio two at EMI but was abandoned and re-recorded the next day September 12 where tracks 3 to 18 were finalized. The overdubs include Lennon's harmonia part - quite blistering - and Paul adding piano.

"Little Child" was mixed for mono on October 23 1963 in Studio Two and mixed for stereo almost a week later on October 29 1963 in Studio Three. The mono mix is preferable as the Beatles were still basically twin track on these recordings.

There's not much else to say about this one as it's a great rocker and sadly...once again...not performed live or otherwise featured apart from the LP. Another "deep track".

"Little Child" is available on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "With the Beatles", the Capitol of Canada 6000 series LP "Beatlemania: With The Beatles" and of course, the US Capitol LP/CD "Meet The Beatles". I have not heard any outtakes of this recording as of yet.

The song was never performed live at the BBC. A real shame. Great tune.

I've Got No Time For You Right Now

"Don't Bother Me" was the first wholly composed George Harrison composition to be recorded by the Beatles. (Both "In Spite of All the Danger" and "Cry For a Shadow" were co-written - the former is available on the Apple 3-LP/2 CD "Anthology 1" while the latter is availabe on various Polydor vinyl recordings. More on this in another blog topic to be discussed in the future).

"Don't Bother Me" was the fourth song released on the "With The Beatles" LP/CD and coming from George, a kinda negative subject and very minor chords incorporated in the song. It has a very "Beatley" favour if I must say so myself. I find it one of the more interesting original songs on the LP and I've always enjoyed it. A nice guitar part by Lennon and lots of percussion.

"Don't Bother Me" was first recorded in EMI studio Two on Wednesday September 11 1963. There were seven takes and they all seems unsatisfactory, so a "re-make" or a "re-structure" of the song was once again attempted the next day - September 12 - and nine more takes were recorded. The overdubs included a vocal by George and added percussion.

Some of the studio reels from September 12 exist and there are a few outtakes available of this session. They can be found on "Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 01" although I don't know if I should be telling you that. It's very interesting to listen to George lay down some guide vocals as he sounds very shaky and nervous. The end result, though, is really worth it as this turned out to be such a superb track. It's been written that George was never really happy with this song. A shame really.

"Don't Bother Me" is considered a "deep track" and was sadly never performed live nor was it ever played for BBC radio.

The song is available on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "With The Beatles", the Capitol of Canada 6000 series LP "Beatlemania: With The Beatles" and the US Capitol LP "Meet The Beatles".

Close Your Eyes

It's OK. You can open them up now.

The third song on the "With The Beatles" LP/CD is probably one of the best and certainly has turned into a "classic" or "standard". The song is entitled "All My Loving" and it's another original Lennon/McCartney song mainly written by Paul. The tale is that the lyrics were written first and the idea came to Paul while he was shaving (??). This is an absolute gem and it shows off the musicianship of each individual Beatle during their early days. Listen to the amazing walking bass line by Paul, the triplet type rhythm guitar by John, the shuffle drumming by Ringo and the impeccable country style guitar solo by George. On the studio recording, Paul's harmony is overdubbed but in concert George sang the last verse while Paul sang the harmony.

"All My Loving" was the last song recorded in EMI studio number two on July 30 1963. It was recorded in 13 takes. The song was mixed in mono on August 21 1963 in studio three. The song was mixed in stereo two months later on October 29 1963 also in studio three. I've not heard any studio outtakes and I doubt they exist.

"All My Loving" was a concert stable and was performed live several times. Some examples include "Sunday Night at the London Palladium" on October 1963, the "Ed Sullivan" show - including being the very first song performed live to a television audience in the US, the 1964 American Tours and the recording was also featured (albiet only a section) in the Beatles' first movie "A Hard Day's Night".

"All My Loving" can be found on the Parlophone UK "With the Beatles" LP/CD, the Capitol of Canada 6000 series LP "Beatlemania: With the Beatles", the US Capitol LP/CD "Meet the Beatles", the Apple 2-LP/2-CD "The Beatles 1962-1966", a live concert recording can be heard on the EMI LP "The Beatles Live at the Hollywood Bowl" and the first "Ed Sullivan" performance can be heard on the Apple 3-LP/ 2 CD "Anthology 1".

"All My Loving" was performed live on BBC radio four times: twice on "From Us to You" and twice on "Saturday Club".

All I Gotta Do is Call You On the Phone and You'll Come Runnin' Home

The second song on the second LP by the Beatles is entitled "All I've Got To Do" and is the second "Lennon/McCartney" composition although mainly by John. This song is a mid tempo beautiful melody and very original.

The recording of this song was very simple. Fifteen takes were recorded at Abbey Road Studio Two on Wednesday September 11 1963. It was mixed for mono on Monday September 30 1963 and mixed for stereo on October 29 1963. The mono mix was done in Studio Two and the stereo mix was completed in Studio Three.

"All I've Got To Do" was released on the Parlophone UK LP/CD "With The Beatles" and also available on the Capitol of Canada 6000 series LP "Beatlemania: With The Beatles" and the US Capitol LP/CD "Meet The Beatles".

"All I've Got To Do" was never performed live on the BBC (unfortunately).

Til I Belong To You

"It Won't Be Long" opens up side one of the LP/CD "With The Beatles". Mainly a John song and a great , exciting opening. Very powerful. Everything is in there: once again, the third song in a row to feature the "Yeahs", the call-and-response idea, the E to C chords in the verse. Very catchy and very good.

This was the first LP to feature the songwriting credits as they would be for the rest of the Beatles' career: "Lennon-McCartney" rather than "McCartney-Lennon" on the first LP/CD.

The song was recorded at EMI Studio Number Two in 17 takes with an combination of an edit piece from take 21. The first ten takes were recorded in the late morning and early afternoon, after which the Beatles had to leave the studio in order to attend a BBC radio rehearsal and then play at a London theatre for a taping of the BBC "Saturday Club" show. Once that was over, the Beatles then went BACK to the studio to complete the recording. Amazing! Oh yeah...I forgot to mention...four other songs were also recorded this day. How's that for prolific?

"It Won't Be Long" was released on the Parlophone LP/CD "With The Beatles" as well as the Canada of Capitol 600 series LP "Beatlemania: With the Beatles" and the US Capitol LP/CD "Meet The Beatles".

"It Won't Be Long" was never performed live on the BBC.

With The Beatles

"With The Beatles" was the second LP released in the UK on the Parlophone label. The whole LP was recorded at EMI studio between mid July (a few weeks after the recording of the "She Loves You" single) and the third week in October 1963.

The release of this record in mono (PMC 1206) and stereo (PCS 3045) was on November 22 1963. Most of you may remember another event that occurred on this day that changed the world (It happened in Dallas).

The first thing that strikes you is the cover. This cover was shot by Robert Freeman. The technique of half-shadow was not new for the Beatles as they had been photographed in Hamburg Germany by their friend Astird Kirchnerr this way also.

This is a great Beatles albums and has often been citied as one of their best. Lots of motown covers and a very energetic and rock and roll album, for sure. Tons and tons of double tracking and sadly, it is one of the worst "sounding" LPs the Beatles released (in my opinion). The bulk of the LP was still recorded using twin track and so the best sounding version is still the mono version. The stereo mix consists mainly of the instruments on one side and the vocals on the other. Of course, the single from the LP was recorded on four track but everything else pre-mid October was recorded on twin track.

"With The Beatles" was released exactly eight months to the day after "Please Please Me". Both LPs were number 1 in the UK.

Next, I'll be reviewing the 14 tracks recorded for "With The Beatles".

Get You in The End

The second song recorded on July 01 1963 in studio two was the B-side of the previous song. The original title was "Get You in The End" and released as "I'll Get You".

"I'll Get you" also featured the "yeah" theme with it's opening lyrics: "Oh Yeah...oh yeah..." The song is a mid tempo groove and I love the way Ringo steadies himself of the high-hat until the build up to the title words where he opens up with the ride and then gently goes back to the high-hat.

Like the previous song recorded on July 01 1963, there are no take numbers therefore I'm assuming that this particular reel has been lost. It's a shame really. The only thing we know is that the mono mixing ( and supposed editing of the "A" side) was done three days later on July 04 1963 in the control room of Studio Two.

"I'll Get You" first appeared an a small Philly label called "Swan" and was the B side to both "She Loves You" and "Sie Liebt Dich". The song also appears on the Capitol of Canada 6000 series LP "Long Tall Sally", The US Capitol LP/CD "The Beatles Second Album" and the Parlophone UK LP "Rarities".

"I'll Get You" was performed live on BBC radio five times: "Pop Go the Beatles" editions 9 , 12 and 13, and twice on "Saturday Club".

Happy Birthday Johnny.

John Winston Ono Lennon would have been 69 years old today had his short life not been inturrupted by that piece of shit.

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

On Friday March 22, the Beatles' debut LP was released to the public in England (mono only). It had a black and gold label which was eventually discarded for the common Yellow/black label. This LP was the only LP to have the black and gold label. The stereo version was released over a month later on April 26 1963 which makes this the only Beatles LP not to be released in mono and stereo simultaneously.

Also released on April 11 was the new single "From Me to You/ Thank you Girl" which shot up to number 1. In fact, all Beatles singles up to February 1967 would be number 1. The Beatles would remain the most popular and successful band throughout the remainder of time as we know it.

Whenever I review the Beatles' schedule, I'm always amazed at how hard and prolific and efficent the Beatles were in those early days. It was expected (by Brian Epstein) that two LPs and four singles be released in only twelve months. They actually DID IT! And they also produced such original and good music that it still astounds me to this day. If any other band ever tried to produce to many song/recordings today, it would be ludicrous to expect the quality that the Beatles offered. Live gigs, BBC recordings, composing, personal appearances, studio recordings. It was just breathtaking to see how quick and proficient this band was. It's almost as if they had a mission to accomplish and they were certainly unstoppable.

For example: The debut was out, the new single was out and not even four months later the Beatles were in the recording studio again churning out the latest Lennon/McCartney original.

This is where "Beatlemania" starts: the new song was entitled "She Loves You". This new song was written in a hotel room on June 26 with John and Paul literally sitting across from each other and strumming their guitars.

"She Loves You" was recorded in Studio Two of Abbey Road (called EMI studios in those days) on July 01 1963 and unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any tape left of the session so there are unknown takes of the song and it was mixed in mono and never mixed in stereo. I wonder if they misplaced or lost this tape or what, but it seems weird that one of the most successful Beatles' songs in history has been literally "lost" - studio documentation wise.

Of course, the song instantly made it to number 01 (another hit - in fact the biggest selling Beatles single in Britain at the time) and it's such an exciting song with the answering "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" in the chorus. It's alledged that Paul McCartney's father had asked him to keep the chorus but use the words "Yes, Yes, Yes". Obviously, Paul had other plans...hahaha.

A huge and catchy song that was included on: The Capitol of Canada 6000 series LP "Twist and Shout", the US Capitol LP/CD "The Beatles' Second Album", the Apple double LP/CD "The Beatles 1962-1966" the UK Parlophone LP "A Collection of Beatles Oldies", the EMI LP "20 Greatest Hits", a live version on the Capitol/EMI LP "The Beatles Live at the Hollywood Bowl", The EMI LP/CD "1", the EMI double LP/CD "Past Masters Volume 1" and the remastered "Past Masters" and "Mono Masters" CDs.

"She Loves You" was performed at the Royal Variety show in 1963, the Ed Sullivan show in 1964, the North American Tour of 1964, the Summer world Tour of 1964 and a live excerpt was shown on the "Around the Beatles' TV show.

"She Loves You" was performed live on BBC radio 10 times: "Pop Go the Beatles" episodes 9, 10, 11, 13 and 15, three times on "Saturday Club", once on the "Ken Dodd" show, once on "Easy Beat" and once more on "From Us to You". Episodes 9 and 10 of "Pop Go the Beatles" featured the same live recording.

Move Over Once, Move Over Twice.

On March 05 1963, The Beatles had completed two tracks for the upcoming single, "From Me to You" and "Thank You Girl". Another song was attempted in the evening session. This was an early Lennon/McCartney song entitled "The One After 909".

There were five takes of the song and the feel and tempo of the song are entirely different than the later version that appeared on "Let It Be" when it was recorded on the rooftop of the Apple building (3 Savile Row, London) on January 30 1969.

This 1963 version is slower and has more of a Rock and Roll feel similar to the previously recorded "Thank You Girl".

Most of the takes are incomplete and the track breaks down. The song was never used and was never released in this arrangement during the Beatles' active career.

"The One After 909" (1963) only saw the light of day during the 1980's on bootlegs such as "Sessions" and a lot of Beatles fans were not even aware of it until then.

It was finally released on the Apple LP/CD "Anthology 1" and this version is a combination of takes 4 and 5. I don't know the purpose of the song as it could have maybe been used as an alternate "B" side and/or an upcoming EP or LP track.

Thank you...thankyouverymuch...

I would like to thank the Beatles, God and the academy..oh yeah, and my mother. The Beatles would like to "Thank You, Little Girl".

The working title for the B side of "From Me to You" was a ditty written by Lennon/McCartney that started life as "Thank You Little Girl" and changed to "Thank You Girl". A very exciting number with great work from both Paul on bass and Ringo on drums. I've always liked this number, I find it has a great groove and although the lyrics are a little trite, the musical backing is tight and uplifting.

"Thank you Girl" was recorded on the same day as it's flip side - March 05 1963. The song was completed in six takes, with Ringo's added "drum flourishes" on the last 11 bars recorded as edit pieces. The outtakes available are nothing short of astounding. There are various experiments conducted by Ringo to try and uplift the song to it's natural conclusion. I think George Martin and the Beatles finally chose the best ending that shows not only Ringo's technical skills but also the subtle way in which he played and enhanced the song. Great stuff !! The commercial release was an edit of take six and edit piece thirteen.

The early takes of the song show the Beatles playing around with the lyrics - placing "All I gotta Do" and "All I Wanna Do" in alternate verses. Lennon's harmonica overdub was recorded at a later date: March 13 1963. There are variances with the UK and North American mixes in some cases where the harmonica is concerned. ( Check the Past Masters with the Beatles Capitol release of "Second Album" for example ). You can also hear the difference on the bootleg "Turn Me On, Deadman". The entire session (well, most of it, anyway) can be heard on "March 05 1963").

"Thank You Girl" is available on: the US Vee Jay LP "Jolly What! The Beatles and Frank Ifield On Stage", the North American version of the Capitol LP/ CD "The Beatles' Second Album" as well as the Parlophone UK LP "The Beatles Rarities", the EMI LP/CD "Past Masters Volume 1" and the remastered "Past Masters" and the remastered "Mono Masters".

"Thank You Girl" was performed three times live on BBC radio: Once on "Side by Side"; once on "Steppin' Out" and the final time on "Easy Beat"

I've Got Arms That Long to Hold You

So the debut LP was finally finished...almost. A little over a week had passed and George Martin had overdubbed a piano bit on "Misery" and also added celeste (keyboard) on "Baby It's you". Both overdubs were conducted on February 20 1963. Five days later the "Please Please Me" LP was mixed in mono and stereo. The mono LP was released on March 22 1963 and the stereo LP would be released over a month later on April 26 1963.

Amazingly, before the LP was released, in fact...three weeks after recording a whole album...the Beatles were brought back into the studio for a follow up single to "Please Please Me". So they strode back in and started on a new song entitled "From Me To You" ostensibly as a single. The date was March 05 1963.

"From Me to You" was another one of their "pronoun" song whereby the Me, You, She, He, Us, I and Me thing had been the norm for the last six months or so. The Beatles stuck to the "formula" of having the incredible harmonies, the instrumental harmonica, and the hook that stayed in your head for decades down pat. A great single. The song was written by John and Paul (mainly John) on February 28 while riding on the tour bus from York to Shrewsbury during the Helen Shapiro tour whereby they were one of the opening acts. In those days, if the Beatles weren't writing, they were performing. The span of time recording these early gems is greatly astounding. During this recording session, for example, not only was the title track for the single recording, but two other songs were also recorded all in one day !!

The song was recorded in seven takes with six takes overdubbing various harmonicas and vocals and even having time to experiment with different effects on the voices to try and find a suitable intro. The guitar solo was also overdubbed.

Paul McCartney has said that the middle eight provided a different shade of harmony when they discovered the minor fifth in the form of a D minor seventh (the song is in G).

Most of the session exists and is available as a bootleg recording - usually entitled "March 05 1963". It makes for interesting listening although the song's arrangement is pretty well down pat for most of the takes. The later edit pieces are very memorable as the experimentation with the voices makes for enjoyable listening.

"From Me to You" was eventually released as the third Beatles single and was not available on LP until 1966 when it was released on "A Collection of Beatles Oldies...but Goldies" LP in the UK.

The song also appeared on the US Vee Jay "Jolly What! The Beatles and Frank Ifield On Stage" LP, the Canadian Capitol 6000 series LP "Twist and Shout", "The Beatles 1962-1966" Apple LP/CD, the EMI "20 Greatest Hits" LP, the Apple "1" LP/CD and of course, the Apple "Past Masters Volume one" LP/CD and the recent remasters "Past Masters" collection.

The Beatles performed "From Me to You" an incredible 16 times on BBC radio: three times on "Side by Side", three times on "Easy Beat", once on "Swinging Sound '63", twice on "Saturday Club", once on "Steppin' Out", four times on "Pop Go the Beatles" editions 1, 3, 12 and 14, once on "Beat Show" and once on "Variety Performance" Whew !!

Once the Beatles developed their own BBC show, the musical there was a variation of the song entitled "From Us to You" . Same melody but slightly modified lyrics. There are two versions of this recording that were used on the show.

When Apple released the Beatles Fan Club "Christmas Album" in the UK in 1970 (Apple LYN 2154); the title was "From Then to you".

Shake It Up

And now we get to the last song released on the debut LP. "Twist and Shout" was also the last song recorded on February 11 1963. There were actually two complete takes performed, but the released, official version is take one. This is probably the best known cover song The Beatles ever performed. A lot of people did (and still do) think that "Twist and Shout" was/is a Beatles original. Not so. This was a cover tune that was written by Bert Russell and Phil Medley. The energy in this song is "way beyone compare". It was sung by a very, very hoarse John Lennon who had come to the end of his rope with his voice. You can hear his voice being torn to shreds. The reason a second take wasn't used was simply because John's voice had vanished (according to George Martin).

"Twist and Shout" was performed live by the Beatles on a number of occasions and was also one of the staples of their shows. It usually opened the live performance and it was the first song sung in concert (although it was shortened in concert ). The song was also performed live during a number of important live televised or recorded broadcasts including "Sunday Night at the London Palladium" October 63, The "Royal Variety Performance" November 63, "The Ed Sullivan show" February 64. Both the 1964 and 1965 tours included this song in their respective repertoires.

Apart from the UK Parlophone debut LP/CD "Please Please Me", the song was also featured on the Capitol of Canada 6000 series LP "Twist and Shout", the US Vee Jay LP "Introducing The Beatles", the US Capitol LP/CD "The Early Beatles", the Capitol/EMI double LP "Rock and Roll Music", the Lingasong double LP "The Beatles Live at the Star Club"(European version), a live snippet can be heard on the Capitol double LP "The Beatles Story" and finally the song is also available on the Capitol /EMI LP "The Beatles Live at the Hollywood Bowl". The song was also so very popular that a UK EP (extended play) was named after this song.

The Beatles performed "Twist and Shout" ten times on BBC radio - It was performed on "Talent Spot", "Swinging Sound 63" in front of a live audience, "Pop Go the Beatles" edition 4, "Beat Show", "Saturday Club", "Pop Go the Beatles" editions 11 and 15, and also during the Variety performance with the famous "rattle your jewellery" comment.

In My Mind There's no Sorrow

"It's All in the Mind" so the quote is attributed to George Harrison on the "Yellow Submarine" movie poster.

The next song on the debut LP/CD was an original "McCartney-Lennon" entitled "There's a Place". It's a vocal duet between John and Paul although the song was mainly written by John. The lyrics are fantastic. The best on the LP in my opinion. There'll be so "sad tomorrow" indeed.

"There's A Place" was the first song recorded on February 11 1963 for the "Please Please Me" LP/CD. It was recorded in 10 takes with an overdub of harmonica attempted later in the day. These were called takes 11 to 13.

Almost a decade after the recording, John Lennon later accused Todd Rungren of using the basis of "There's a Place" for Todd's early seventies hit "I Saw the Light" - you know, the "In Your Eyes" part with sounds like the bridge to "There's a Place".

Apart from appearing on the Parlophone "Please Please Me" LP/CD, the song also appeared on the Canadian 6000 series "Twist and Shout" LP, the Vee Jay US "Introducing the Beatles" LP, and the US Capitol "The Beatles Rarities" LP.

"There's a Place" was performed live on BBC radio three times: the first time on "Pop Go the Beatles" edition 5, the second time on "Easy Beat" and the third and final time on "Pop Go the Beatles" edition 12.

Tasting Much Sweeter Than Wine

The next song on the debut LP is a cover that features Paul on vocals. On the first two LPs in the Beatles career, I've noticed that they placed a "standard" in the musical sense somewhere on the LP in order to broaden their appeal. I think this was a very, very smart and wise business choice in order to have the Beatles appeal not only to their current fans and their current generation, but also to appeal to the older generation and to show the listening audience that here was a band that not only knew how to rock, but also how to mellow out and actually be able to cover older songs that might be of interest to other parties. Now..having said that...I have no idea. Maybe they just liked the song..hahaha.

Paul McCartney has sometimes been criticized for covering such "musak", but the music hall influence was prelevent through his whole career and I think it was a very positive influence because it showed a versitility in the band and gave the band better options as far a musical styles are concerned. The vaudeville/ show band influence continued througout their career and even into the Wings/ solo McCartney LPs and sound fine. It enriched the composer's vast array of ideas and it helped develop his writing style.

"A Taste of Honey" was originally written by Rich Marlow and Bobby Scott and was featured in a movie of the same name. The Beatles' version was recorded in the afternoon and completed in five takes. Paul's vocal was double-tracked and it is the only song on the LP where this was done with the vocal. Every effective back-up vocals and the switch from three-four into four-four (on the middle eight) makes this a very interesting track. It sounds absolutely fantastic on the mono remasters as you practically "feel" the brushes in the percussion as played by Ringo.

Besides appearing on the debut UK Parlophone "Please Please Me" LP/CD, the track also appeared on the Canadian Capitol 6000 series "Twist and Shout" LP, the US Vee Jay "Introducing the Beatles" LP, the US Capitol "The Early Beatles" LP/CD and a live version appeared on the Lingasong "The Beatles Live at the Star Club" LP.

the Beatles performed "A Taste of Hony" live on BBC radio seven times: The first time on "Here We Go", the second time on "Side by Side", the third time on "Pop Go the Beatles" edition 3, the fourth time on "Easy Beat", the fifth time on "Beat Show" and the sixth and seventh time on "Pop Go the Beatles" editions 6 and 13 respectively.

Wishing Well

The next song on the debut LP was a ditty written mainly by John Lennon. The song was inspired by "Wishing Well" from the Disney movie: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

I really don't know what John thought of the song, but it must have seemed a lower priority and the only reason I'm saying this is because it was "given" to George Harrison to sing. George's vocal is perfect for this song yet again I sense a sort of nervousness in his voice similar to the earlier "Chains" performance. Both songs were recorded on the same day (as was most of the LP) so maybe this is just a natural thing.

The song was also "given" to another of Brian Epstein's artists who went by the name Billy J. Kramer. Billy J. Kramer's cover actually made it to number one on the British hit parade.

The song is entitled "Do you Want to Know a Secret?" The song was recorded on February 11 1963 (along with all of the non-single tracks) during the afternoon. A great song and nice structure with the semi-tone downfalls of the guitars. The song took eight takes to perfect and the overdubs included the back up vocals and the tapping of drum sticks. Take six was the keeper.

There are outtakes of "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" available ( 2 of them actually) and the main difference is in the vocal arrangement. They show that originally the back up vocals were added from the very first verse whereby the actual commercial version eliminated these back up vocals until the second verse. Already, the Beatles were experimenting in the studio.

Interestingly, to put things in perspective, George Harrison was only 19 years old when this debut LP was recorded.

"Do You Want to Know A Secret?" was performed six times live on BBC radio. The first time on "Here We Go" , the second time on "On the Scene", the third time on "Side by Side", the fourth time on "Saturday Club", the fifth and sixth time on "Pop Go the Beatles" editions 1 and 7.

Apart from appearing on the debut LP/CD "Please Please Me", the song also appeared on the Canadian 6000 series LP "Twist and Shout", the US Vee Jay LP "Introducing the Beatles" and the Capitol LP/CD "The Early Beatles".