DM's Beatles forums

Beatles forums => Songs => Topic started by: adamzero on February 04, 2006, 10:38:54 PM

Title: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: adamzero on February 04, 2006, 10:38:54 PM
I've never been a big fan of "Love Me Do."   I'm wondering why the Beatles and/or George Martin didn't push for something like "I Saw Her Standing There" as the first single.  I think it's a great song (was never a single, I think) and it just kicks ass, compared to LMD.

I'm pretty sure the Beatles were playing ISHST before they went into the recording studio to do LMD.

Any thoughts?

Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: raxo on February 06, 2006, 09:59:54 PM
I Saw Her Standing There would have been a number 1 ...
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: thefadedline on February 08, 2006, 12:18:04 AM
Yeah, I've got a recording of them playing ISHST from either the Cavern days or the Hamburg days, I don't quite remember, but I know it's from some time before they released their first LP.
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: Mean_Mr_Mustard on February 11, 2006, 02:10:37 PM
Ask Me Why, one of my favs from PPM.

I should never never never be blueeeeeeee oo. greatness :D
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: raxo on February 15, 2006, 03:50:26 PM
What about Hello Little Girl? I think it could have been a number one in October 62.
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: Bobber on February 15, 2006, 06:24:53 PM
Twist And Shout would have been a great one to start with. I'm not too sure about Hello Little Girl, they rejected it themselves later.
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: The End on February 17, 2006, 12:51:41 PM
I believe the early versions of I Saw Her Standing There, recorded at the Cavern in late September, were rehearsals in preperation for a return trip to EMI recording studios -  Besame Mucho and a version of Love Me Do (both with Pete Best on drums) had already been recorded on 6 June 1962, and an early version of Please Please Me was recorded on 11 September 1962. Their next visit to the studios was on 26 November 1962 when they recorded Ask Me Why and re-recorded Please Please Me.

I suppose the only other completed song they could possibly have released is One After 909, which was also rehearsed at the Cavern in late September.
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: The End on February 17, 2006, 01:02:52 PM
Twist and Shout would have been great and a definite hit - but it would have gone against their policy of only releasing their own self-written numbers. It was released on the Twist and Shout EP though and got very high in the UK charts despite Brian Poole and the Tremeloes dreadful version, which was out at the same time and reached number 4!
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: zipp on February 17, 2006, 01:14:43 PM
The only reasonable asumption is that ISHST wasn't written  before the end of 62, otherwise I'm sure the fabs would have proposed it to Martin.
I know it's on the Hamburg Star Club record but that's from the right at the end of 62.
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: Bobber on February 17, 2006, 01:37:14 PM
So we know Love Of The Loved, Like Dreamers Do and Hello Little Girl as self-written songs they performed before June 1962. Together with Love Me Do. They had a couple of more (I'll Follow The Sun for instance), but those were obviously not ready for recording at the particular moment. Well, guess you are George Martin and have to make a choice between these four... I might still choose Love Me Do.
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: raxo on February 25, 2006, 02:12:04 AM
Quote from: Bobber
So we know Love Of The Loved, Like Dreamers Do and Hello Little Girl as self-written songs they performed before June 1962. Together with Love Me Do. They had a couple of more (I'll Follow The Sun for instance), but those were obviously not ready for recording at the particular moment. Well, guess you are George Martin and have to make a choice between these four... I might still choose Love Me Do.

Sorry if I'm boring you, Bobber ... but IF I were Sir George and the songs were:

Love Of The Loved
Like Dreamers Do
Hello Little Girl and
Love Me Do

... the single would have been Hello Little Girl with Love Me Do as the B-side ... I still think that Hello Little Girl is more uptempo and fits beter with the kind of pop music in 1962, at least in Britland.

If I were thinking of two singles:
Hello Little Girl/Love Of The Loved
and Love Me Do/Like Dreamers Do

'cos my ranking would be:

Hello Little Girl
Love Me Do and Like Dreamers Do (these two very close)
Love Of The Loved

P.S. If I Saw Her Standing There was written when Paul was 17 and the famous line changed by John was already done I'm sure that the song was composed and arranged by that time tho there are some very little differences between Star Club  and Please Please Me LP versions (the chorus for example) the main theme was there for sure ... a mystery for me is why they didn't recorded it for the single ... but they didn't make good decisions at the begining of their career ... Hello Little Girl and some others were rejected but how many mediocre covers they choosed instead of them and how many of the songs they gave away were hits in 1963 and specially 1964? Then we say that they'd not got enough material to record but that's not exactly true ... and the Anthologies and the songs they gave away prove this.
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: Lostio on April 07, 2006, 01:38:30 PM
Heck, why NOT Love Me Do? They had a sack full of excellent songs, they only needed to randomly select one. It turned out to be Love Me Do.
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: on April 08, 2006, 08:16:12 AM
Quote from: Lostio
Heck, why NOT Love Me Do? They had a sack full of excellent songs, they only needed to randomly select one. It turned out to be Love Me Do.

Absolutely. 'Love Me Do' fit the bill, it was a reasonable choice for a first single, and then to follow it up with 'Please Please Me' was a great one-two punch and well thought out. Just imagine if they'd released 'How Do You Do It' like GM wanted to? They'd have just been another Liverpool band. And even though they hated that song, they still made it sound great. I'll never understand why people want to change the history of the band and the songs they released. "I Saw Her Standing There", if memory serves, was the one of the last songs recorded for 'Please Please Me', if not the last, and it ended up being the first song on the album, and what a kick ass choice for an opener, but as a first single--nope.
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: The End on April 12, 2006, 12:12:42 PM
Did ISHST hit number one in the US? I'll have to check.
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: adamzero on April 29, 2006, 02:34:01 AM
I appreciate the discussion.  I guess I just hear ISHST alot on radio these days (compared to LMD); it seems to have stood the test of time better.  At least for CLear Channel.

But of course that's hindsight and LMD does have the melding of country and blues that would have been a little more unusual or innovative for 1962.
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: raxo on April 29, 2006, 02:40:47 AM
I Saw Her Standing There was their first classic ... their Twist And Shout is famous too but they wanted to released original stuff for singles so  ::) ... I listen to it quite often too on the radio ... is it strange that I can't remember when was the last time I listened to Love Me Do on the radio?

Hello Little Girl was more similar to How Do You Do It ... and the later was going to be a clear number one ... its harmonies are more Guysh and at least it's not as sad as Love Me Do (this one, without harmonica, sounds embarrasing and too simple ... almost silly  :-/ ) ...
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: Bobber on May 07, 2006, 11:33:28 AM
Still, Love Me Do was chosen best from the available material to be their first single. By experts.
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: on May 07, 2006, 02:39:17 PM
Love Me Do was loaded into the Beatle gun and shot straight at the hit parade. It made rather a large hole.

Anyways back to the topic:

Hows about "There's A Place" the first song recorded for the album if memory serves and the best bit of song writing at that point. Not even Dylan was writing songs like that.

Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: Bobber on May 08, 2006, 09:19:03 AM
I'm not sure if There's A Place was written before September 1962. If so, I can't imagine it being a single, although I agree it's a great piece of songwriting at that point.
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: raxo on November 13, 2013, 04:48:52 PM
I believe the early versions of I Saw Her Standing There, recorded at the Cavern in late September, were rehearsals in preperation for a return trip to EMI recording studios -  Besame Mucho and a version of Love Me Do (both with Pete Best on drums) had already been recorded on 6 June 1962, and an early version of Please Please Me was recorded on 11 September 1962. Their next visit to the studios was on 26 November 1962 when they recorded Ask Me Why and re-recorded Please Please Me.

I suppose the only other completed song they could possibly have released is One After 909, which was also rehearsed at the Cavern in late September.


It seems that Mean_Mr_Mustard was right ...

Ask Me Why, one of my favs from PPM.

I should never never never be blueeeeeeee oo. greatness :D


Achording to this: http://www.beatlesbible.com/features/beatles-bbc-radio-recordings/ (http://www.beatlesbible.com/features/beatles-bbc-radio-recordings/)

Ask Me Why
Teenager's Turn - Here We Go
Recorded: 11 June 1962
Broadcast: 15 June 1962


And Here We Go (with Pete on drums):
The Beatles - "Ask Me Why" (BBC Radio, "Here We Go" June 15, 1962) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbUoSKC5xjk#ws)

Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: Hello Goodbye on November 14, 2013, 02:57:01 AM
It seems that Mean_Mr_Mustard was right ...

Achording to this: [url]http://www.beatlesbible.com/features/beatles-bbc-radio-recordings/[/url] ([url]http://www.beatlesbible.com/features/beatles-bbc-radio-recordings/[/url])

Ask Me Why
Teenager's Turn - Here We Go
Recorded: 11 June 1962
Broadcast: 15 June 1962


And Here We Go (with Pete on drums):
The Beatles - "Ask Me Why" (BBC Radio, "Here We Go" June 15, 1962) ([url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbUoSKC5xjk#ws[/url])




Classic early Beatles.  They sound so good!

This is one of the first threads I read when I joined this Forum. Thanks, amigo.
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: raxo on December 24, 2013, 08:50:15 AM
It seems that Mean_Mr_Mustard was right ...

Achording to this: [url]http://www.beatlesbible.com/features/beatles-bbc-radio-recordings/[/url] ([url]http://www.beatlesbible.com/features/beatles-bbc-radio-recordings/[/url])

Ask Me Why
Teenager's Turn - Here We Go
Recorded: 11 June 1962
Broadcast: 15 June 1962


And Here We Go (with Pete on drums):
The Beatles - "Ask Me Why" (BBC Radio, "Here We Go" June 15, 1962) ([url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbUoSKC5xjk#ws[/url])




(http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/9131/x2gl.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/546/x2gl.jpg/)

The Beatles Complete Recording Sessions, Mark Lewisohn, Harmony Books, 1988, p. 23 (26 November).

Songs (June 1962): Besame Mucho, Love Me Do, P.S. I Love You and Ask Me Why.
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: nimrod on December 26, 2013, 02:08:54 AM
Well I mentioned this to my mate from The Searchers and he confirmed what I have always thought to be the reason why ISHST wasn't their first single

George Martin and Epstein both knew it was a re-write of a very famous song that everyone knows so they deferred it to an album track and released an original melody ie Love Me Do.

A wise decision.
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: Brynjar on December 26, 2013, 11:29:26 AM
Well I mentioned this to my mate from The Searchers and he confirmed what I have always thought to be the reason why ISHST wasn't their first single

George Martin and Epstein both knew it was a re-write of a very famous song that everyone knows so they deferred it to an album track and released an original melody ie Love Me Do.

A wise decision.

Sorry but which song is that?
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: Moogmodule on December 26, 2013, 11:55:44 AM
Sorry but which song is that?

It's harmonic structure is pretty much identical to When the Saints Go Marching In ( that's Allan Pollack's analysis not mine). The melody has more than a few similarities too.
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: nimrod on December 26, 2013, 12:28:30 PM
It's harmonic structure is pretty much identical to When the Saints Go Marching In ( that's Allan Pollack's analysis not mine). The melody has more than a few similarities too.


They used to play "Saints' backing T Sheridan and a quick change of lyrics and emphasis on some words gives you a new song :D

we used to play it in a band I was in and sometimes the singer would sing 'saints' lyrics on a verse just to vary things !

I never read that by Pollack, so I went to his site and found this by Ian Hammond ?

http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/VOLUME05/Oldsweetsongs.shtml (http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/VOLUME05/Oldsweetsongs.shtml)
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: Klang on December 26, 2013, 01:08:03 PM

Yea. Maybe. Kinda. It's a stretch for me, but I won't wrestle anyone over it.

 :P

Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: KelMar on December 26, 2013, 06:39:09 PM
They used to play "Saints' backing T Sheridan and a quick change of lyrics and emphasis on some words gives you a new song :D

we used to play it in a band I was in and sometimes the singer would sing 'saints' lyrics on a verse just to vary things !


Interesting. I think I'd have to have an audio demonstration of this to really get it though!
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: Moogmodule on December 26, 2013, 09:24:30 PM


I never read that by Pollack, so I went to his site and found this by Ian Hammond ?

[url]http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/VOLUME05/Oldsweetsongs.shtml[/url] ([url]http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/VOLUME05/Oldsweetsongs.shtml[/url])


Yep Nimrod that's it. Read it on Pollack's site and mistook him for the author.

It's a bit like those two in one picture illusions. Once you're attention is drawn to the second picture you can't not see it. 
Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: Moogmodule on December 27, 2013, 08:32:30 AM
I suppose a possible alternative could have been One After 909. While a bit livelier than Love Me Do also was pretty basic blues style.

I think in the end it worked out ok for them as it was.

Title: Re: Alternative Beatles First Single
Post by: Klang on December 27, 2013, 10:51:11 AM

That's been my thought. Who can second guess the brilliant success that followed?

 :)