Beatles First Listen - "Please Please Me" and "Love Me Do"

[@larryweekley1796]

I remember saying People will be listening to the Beatles a hundred years from now back in the 70s. Here we are 60 years later and people are still listening.😮

[@vicprovost2561]

Forever Music!

[@beatlesgirl2782]

I was born just outside Liverpool the year Sgt Pepper was released. My Mum used to go and see The Beatles at the Cavern. I don’t remember a time when they weren’t part of my life. My children are now in their late 20’s and they are also fans.

[@johannesvalterdivizzini1523]

As a boy in the 1960's I had the great luck to grow up with great music. Saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan (2/9/64)---even my parents liked them. Then live at Shea Stadium, and every song as it was released was playing in my house.

[@jeffmartin1026]

You may be surprised to find that some of these early songs do creep into your play lists. There is just something so beautiful about the harmonies The Boys could do.

[@stevewebster973]

Their first hit. First time most of us heard of them. Never heard anything like it before, because we hadn’t heard the music they’d heard. Liverpool was one of the places blues records came in with the ships.

[@DawnSuttonfabfour]

Cunard Yanks.

[@ricardo_miguel13]

which one? ^^

[@DawnSuttonfabfour]

@@ricardo_miguel13 Which one what?

[@ricardo_miguel13]

@@DawnSuttonfabfour well there were two songs in this video and both were hits, but Please Please Me their first big hit with numer one in the UK charts.

[@DawnSuttonfabfour]

@@ricardo_miguel13 Um yes I know. Err, wee you replying to me? Cos you lost me now. I truly know about The Beatles, I mean, like really. I was referring to Cunard Yanks... um nope you lost me. ;)

[@bob-mt6fs]

This was a hit. In England. It fell flat with most American kids when first released in the US. It wasn't until almost a year later that they had their had their first American hit, "I want to hold your hand." And it was a monster. That was the song that I and most Americans remember. "Please, please me" was rereleased shortly after and it took went to number one. Between the two I have always thought this was a much, much better song, even as a little kid😊

[@thomastimlin1724]

I can see what your saying here...but I don't see how kids could reject the Beatles if very few heard them in 1963. I think the reason was really the idiotic record execs who kept rejecting releasing the Beatles' material here, which a year later they were regretting. Other labels like Tollie, VeeJay, and Swan, small labels, tried but the music business is fickle, there was still some form of payola going on and they couldn't get airplay without a massive campaign by the record companies which they were not willing to spend on, or didn't have the" capitol" to, lol. Capital Records was part of EMI who owned them and Parlophone label on which the Beatles were released in Britain. There were other factors as well...execs didn't like the looks, like the long hair, the guitar bands thing etc. Decca record label in England rejected them flat out saying "Guitar Bands were out." We were in a phase of teen idle pop singers like Bobby Vinton, surf and car bands like the Beach Boys, Vocal groups like the Four Seasons and girl groups.... the record companies, run by adults in suits and ties [and probably tight underwear] were making money off of them and dance crazes.

[@tomroome4118]

Syed, even though this is not your cup of tea, I love that you still appreciate the historical significance of their early stuff. I grew up with the Beatles, so I guess you had to be there.

[@vicprovost2561]

I was and I sure understand it, I remember their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, as a 9 year old, it was life altering. I knew right then and their what kind of music I would be listening to the rest of my life! 🎵

[@suzanneprock7286]

I can remember listening to these songs when I was a young girl. The Beattles were awesome, i loved the majority of their songs.

[@robabiera733]

To this day I think "Love Me Do" - as early as it is - is still one of the most distinctive songs The Beatles ever made. The bluesy harmonica that just saturates the track, the laconic mid-tempo beat, the famous harmonies, everything! This song has its own "feel". And it definitely pointed the way to their future development.

[@loisrogers9042]

One of my elementary teachers brought her guitar to school, and sang "Love Me Do" with the class.

[@sarahfullerton6894]

I agree. It sounds very unique. I don't think anybody else was doing that sound at that time. Very inventive, and John's wonderful harmonica playing really seals it for me.

[@DerekDerekDerekDerekDerekDerek]

Why is the harmonica bluesy?

[@stevedahlberg8680]

Wow, focusing on Please Please Me and Love Me Do so specifically like this really helps me remember the first time I heard these. I was in junior high in the mid-1970s when I started working my way back through the Beatles catalog to their early stuff. I mostly knew their later stuff and I absolutely loved it. And I was also listening to really hard rock at the time. So when I first heard the early stuff, I almost didn't give it a second listen; it just seemed weak and just not very hard for my tastes, and not very mind-bending like the Beatles I was used to. But I bought the first few albums just to add to my collection and it didn't take long. Something just clicked in my brain and I suddenly loved the early stuff. And then I started reading more about it and I ultimately got every album and I listened to every song on them. There had been an article about the entire Beatles catalog and their evolution in our local newspaper in the Entertainment section at the time, and so I clipped it out and stuck it on my bulletin board near where my records and the record player were. And so in that way, when I put on a certain early album, I would look up and see where it was in the chronology and then read a few comments about why it was important and what was happening on it and how it was received. This helped an awful lot to quickly develop that schema or context. And with a record player, I would sometimes just put it on repeat and let it play a side over and over, and then flip it at some point and I would hear that in the background as I did stuff. And when I hear it now? It feels so good to me! It seems so revolutionary for the time now that I have a much better understanding of the evolution of popular music going all the way back through even decades before the Beatles. I can't say enough about how amazing they were. It was considered quite a coup when The Beatles got Ringo to replace Pete Best. Ringo was already a popular drummer and highly sought-after. What a perfect match! I just had a strange thought. As a musician and having played in bands that were mostly bands that played live venues where people would dance to the music, I feel I can dance any sort of dance to these two songs for example. But I'm talking about stuff from this era and early Beatles in particular. However, I would suggest a fun experiment for you which would maybe help you intuitively understand this music better. Not only do you need to listen to other music at the time and leading up to as others have said, but you should try doing the Twist to these two songs. And they have distinctly different feels. And it's not the ONLY way that people danced to these songs, but it was a big part of the dance scene at the time, and there are all kinds of variations that you can do on the Twist, depending upon the feel of a particular song. Assuming that you don't know how to do the Twist, just watch a KZbin video on how to do it; it takes a little getting used to but once you do it, it feels natural and it's really easy, and you can mix it up however you want. Do it to these two songs and some of the other early Beatles songs and you will have a more visceral feeling of at least one major aspect of why people loved their music so much. Do it with a girlfriend or for a date night and you guys would probably have a ball, laugh.

[@debjorgo]

Love Me Do has Paul rocking it up on the last run of the chorus. Something he does a lot, even in his solo career.

[@terenzo50]

If you play some of the songs on US radio in the pre-Beatles years after 1958, you'll understand why their sound made such an immense impact.

[@emilyblinder2557]

We listened to Elvis and The Beach Boys among others so when The Beatles hit the scene their sound was so different and new. It was like a revelation.

[@lesmowatt3563]

there was half a dozen guys named bobby singing forgettable songs that someone else wrote for them . then came The Beatles

[@papercup2517]

In the UK too... all pretty bland. I was 10 I think when LMD came out and I didn't really know what it was or how to hear it. It was just so different from the regular anodyne pop songs we heard on the (very limited) Saturday morning BBC radio Top Twenty coverage. It must be hard for people nowadays to imagine, but even back in their early days, the Beatles' sound and style were revolutionary!

[@stevedahlberg8680]

​@@papercup2517 Well said!

[@DandyLion662a]

I recently saw a list of all the Billboard #1's from 1963. Not an electric guitar in any of them.

[@sqonk21]

I love you are diving into The Beatles...don't stop...there's so much more...❤

[@michaeldezego340]

When you mentioned the “rain in my heart” line, I realized that they probably got that from the Buddy Holly song “Raining In My Heart”. The Beatles were huge Buddy Holly fans. Their cover of the Holly song “Words Of Love” was great.

[@damonhines8187]

"Serving the song." Nails it again! 👏👏👏 'Love Me Do' was their first sort of hit of their own, maybe after becoming something of a phenom in Britain and yes, it's extremely simple, yet it incorporated much of what we'd come to love about them. 'Please Please Me', on the other hand couldn't fail to excite the fanbase, with its sure eye on the charts, propulsive riffage and soaring harmonies. A delightful recap of a long-ago journey, mate, cheers and please please continue 🙏 😉👍

[@jasonremy1627]

I love that you're doing the entire Beatles catalog from beginning to end. You'll really appreciate their growth!

[@ArniePorter]

The early Beatles are definitely of their period but listening to them this way demonstrates their amazing progression musically and lyrically. I have read that Ringo’s style is to play just behind the beat which is perfect for their music because it is still the backbeat but takes a backseat to their incredible tunes and vocals. Great analysis by the way.

[@Peter23980]

The early Beatles albums sound so much more fresh and dynamic in their mono versions. Not sure if they're out there on streaming though. The hard stereo separation makes it a tough listen, especially on headphones. The mono single version of Please Please Me absolutely soars!

[@jnagarya519]

The intent from the outset was that the final release would be MONO, because the MARKET wa MONO, and the promotional medium -- radio -- was MONO. The standard was to record all the music on one track, all the vocals on the other track -- that's why the "hole in the middle" -- so if there were errors in either then only the track with the error need be recorded, then mix the two tracks to MONO. George Martin explains that in his _All You Need is Ears._

[@vicprovost2561]

A long way from these innocent tracks to Helter Skelter and Happiness is a Warm Gun. I prevented growth, from basic brilliance to overwhelming intensity and innovation, no one else changed the course of music, fashion and pop culture in the 1960s and beyond like them. Great to see how they evolved, it sure freaked us out for those who grew up as their career unfolded. More Beatles! Enjoy. 🎶🎸🎤🎹🎸🎶

[@Blue-qr7qe]

Both of these songs are so thoroughly saturated with Everly Brothers harmonies. The influence in undeniable.

[@jamessweet5341]

Blue eyed soul was certainly around.

[@dustinboucher8102]

John Lennon’s harp on Love Me Do is unparalleled. Top 5 Beatles song for me 🙏

[@the_tone7167]

John Lennon wrote Please Please Me. He was trying to write a Roy Orbison style track and was fascinated with the double meaning of the word "please." Their producer George Martin suggested they speed it up and the rest is history I suppose.

[@jnagarya519]

Lennon was inspired by a line in a Bing Crosby song, and wrote it "for" Roy Orbison.

[@johnturner170]

John was a big Bing Crosby fan and loved his song 'Please' which went 'Please, lend a little ear to my pleas.' He said in an interview that that was when he realised you could repeat words that sounded the same in a song.

[@jnagarya519]

@@johnturner170 " He said in an interview that that was when he realised you could repeat words that sounded the same in a song." I don't know that he was a fan of Bing Crosby. And he said he liked the repetition of the sound, not that he'd learned it from that instance.

[@debjorgo]

Love Me Do and the b-side, PS I Love You was the first single. They were recorded back in Sept 1962. George Martin had hired a drummer for the session. Both drummers showed up for the session. Andy White was the drummer on these songs. Oddly enough, there was a version with Ringo on drums and it, accidently, got released as the single. Ringo was the drummer from then on. Well, Paul stepped in as drummer a few times later on.

[@buddyhassell6989]

This is Ringo on the drums, when Andy White played the drums you can hear Ringo on the tambourine

[@debjorgo]

@@buddyhassell6989 I hear what you are saying but I've listened to every version of Love Me Do that I have, Please Please Me album, Past Masters, The Early Beatles US Albums, 1..., I can't hear a tambourine on any of them. Everything I've ever read or heard, has Andy White on the album for Love Me Do. Maybe someone else can shed some light.

[@debjorgo]

Listening again to the version here, I do hear the tambourine. It's just tied so close to the drumbeat, it's hard to make out.

[@labajadaman]

@@buddyhassell6989 This one does have Ringo playing tambourine…Andy White is on drums.

[@mgonzales56]

Amazing song. You can't help but love this song. High energy. Great song!

[@a2zme]

Most ppl don't realize that Lennon & MCartney were 'hit single' scientists .. they knew EXACTLY what they were doing & what ppl wanted to hear at that time .. thankfully, they quickly got bored of these kind of 'catchy' songs cause once again they KNEW that ppl would also get bored w/ that style: absolute LEGENDS! #theMasters

[@kikovazquez7277]

So true. If they had not evolved rapidly they would have been has beens within a couple of years. They released several albums and 2 hit-laden feature films in that short time. After that initial phase, they were ready to blast off into a galaxy of ever evolving musical ideas.

[@DawnSuttonfabfour]

Ringo is a left handed drummer who plays right handed! He was their backbeat.

[@thomasreyes2432]

Ringo did not play the drums on this recording

[@moonlightmile70s96]

their song NO REPLY is a short song but worth a listen

[@clivevanleeve7481]

CAN YOU IMAGINE WHEN WE LISTEN TO THE BEATLES IN THE 60'S FOR THE FIRST TIME THE SOUND THE BEAT THE BAND EVERYTHING NEW EXCITING WE WERE BLOWN AWAY BEATLEMANIA TOOK OFF

[@jamespopeko9557]

Thank you for coming back to the Beatles.

[@johnpbh]

That's exactly the way to take it man.... A piece of history for you... But for me, it was on the radio when I was 10... I've been a Beatles fan ever since.... I love the way you appreciate that people that came after stood on their shoulders. Exceptional understanding. I know it's not your style of music but I appreciate the way you appreciate their class as musicians. In reality this could be considered a "live" album... okay I know it wasn't recorded live but basically all the songs on this album they had been playing on stage a week earlier and for months and sometimes, for some of them, years... Keep on Rocking and I'm going to love your journey through the 7 shorts years of The Beatles becoming the most influential band in the world.

[@Bekka_Noyb]

great early songs! ♥ Love Me do!

[@jamesdignanmusic2765]

Their first hit, followed by their first single. Very early Beatles, raw and lively, and all recorded in one take straight to two-track*. In an early 60s pop world that was becoming formulaic with soft ballads, this was a breath of fresh air. And yes, George Martin was as much a legend as the Beatles themselves. (*you can even hear John fluff the lyrics on the last refrain of "Please Please Me")

[@Dudlow]

The version of Love Me Do you listened to has Andy White on the drums. The giveaway is the tambourine : without tambourine = Ringo on drums, recorded 4 Sept 62, released as a single & available on Pastmasters Vol.1 album ; with tambourine = Andy White on drums, Ringo on tambourine, recorded 11 Sept 62, available on the Please Please Me album.

[@godot-whatyouvebeenwaitingfor]

The Beatles were SO lucky there was a postal system in those days.. "Sent my love an email" and "Wait a minute. Mr SMS MAN, doesnt really do it...😂

[@gdmyers47]

Someone alluded to it earlier in the comments; but on "Love Me Do," I believe, John was to sing that low part, but, since he was playing harmonica, Paul had to sing the low part, straining his lower register singing voice (in my opinion).

[@v.2080]

I think this is the first one that hit number one in the U.S., as I recall. It was so different from all the other music out there back then. It was an exciting time to be alive! ❤

[@jonathanmurphy3141]

The Beatles had been support on recent UK tour with Roy Orbison, in 1962. That's how George could call Roy in 1988 and ask him to join in on some recording, that became The Traveling Wilbury's. The young Beatles had also met, and played after-hours with Gene Vincent, and Little Richard, and saw Ray Charles on a European tour -how they met one of his band members, Billy Preston, whom George would also call on to help play keyboard, in 1969 on a group of famous songs. John admitted that the vocals were influenced by Roy Orbison, but not in his range. Your comment on Ringo's drumming as "idiosyncratic" keeping the beat creatively -wonderful!!! A lot of folks used to give Ringo grief for appearing to be the dopey , or less educated one of the group. Richard Starkey did receive less education than like Paul. Richard nearly died of Scarlet Fever, and ruptured-Appendix as a youth, and didn't make up the missed education. He got a job out of school, and started drumming. The tale in a through researched book by Mark Lewishom, that Ringo saw a Hollywood film with a Big Band at the cinema, where Gene Kruppa did an awesome solo. Richard sought out lessons for drums, and the only ones who would teach were ex-Military Band. Doing only a snare beat, or whomping a bass drum, was not what young Richard wanted,...listen to records, and learn by hearing. All the Beatles could not read music -Paul learned to later. If another could show them what a G-chord, or an F7, or what, they said they'd take a bus across town to be shown to play. Or by listening to records, and figuring our by audio. A number of drummers today, admire the usual beats that Ringo played, because they were him working out the best sound. And others tales where the three songwriter/Guitar Beatles would teach their new song -and then ask Ringo, "What do you have" -and he'd play, and rarely did they not say "That really works" or such.

[@mikeyg3202]

ringo is left handed but plays a right handed kit so his fills are lead with the “wrong” hand. that being said he was the perfect fit for the beatles he’s exactly what they needed.

[@AliasMark69]

Thanks, saved me from writing this info.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

I thought please please me was a not so subtle innuendo. Love do was Almost country western like Buck Owens, this song shows their versatility

[@1967PONTIACGTO]

Please Please Me is a favourite of mine... and that's Paul singing Love Me Do.... this album is the start of an incredible outpouring of music that lasted 7 years... prepare to be amazed at the sheer number of inventive musical moments the Beatles are about to create and that you are about to enjoy....

[@bobguitarlearner8007]

remember, every song recorded in one day! one day. so tight, so harmonious.

[@supafrogg258]

This is the recording of Love Me Do from the Beatles first album, Please Please Me. Producer, George Martin, had already booked session drummer, Andy White, and used him on the album's track of Love Me Do. But, since Ringo, had arrived at the studio to record tracks for the album, George Martin had Ringo play tambourine on the album track of Love Me Do.

[@BengtLofqvist]

It was released in March1963 i was ten years old. I really liked Please please me not so much Love me do. It was released in Sweden where i live in July the same year. Things did not move as fast as it does today. Paul has a great live version of Please please me from 2006 ( The Space Within Us ) on You tube I recommend that, it is worth the effort. Thank you for your nuanced reviews and your curious mind.

[@325diane]

I remember hearing this for the first time in early 1964. It was so unlike anything else we were hearing in the US at that time. The "rain in my heart" was probably a nod to Buddy Holly and his record "Raining In My Heart".

[@jamessweet5341]

There was a point around the release of these two songs that the Beatles literally occupied place 1 to place 10 in the hit singles list. I remember the American Bandstand list was all Beatles for a couple weeks.

[@keithbrown7685]

That's just in the US, that was later. What we're talking about here, is the Beatles in 62 and 3.

[@louiseasmith1336]

Ahhhh..... the soundtrack of my teens.😍

[@phillipharrison7283]

'Love Me Do' was their first single which reached the top 20, then 'Please Please Me' hit No 1. Syed this is a request to slot in the none album singles into your journey through the catalogue. You'll also note too that the icon showing the single has a B side 'From Me to You' which is well known but not on this album. Ringo is on one version between the single and the album track. They recorded it twice. Thanks Syed ✌

[@benhinds2971]

I knew there had to be a reason for Ringo other than drumming. Any one of them could have done that. After watching Get Back (Peter Jackson), I realize what he did for them as a band and individuals that you rarely find in a band member. He was there. At every moment. He sat there for hours on end, and DID NOT PLAY. Find a drummer that can pull that off. When Paul was just brainstorming a lyric or piano riff, Ringo was sitting right next to him listening. Those moments that nobody wants to listen to or is too wrapped up in themselves, or just doesn't care, Ringo was there listening and commenting optimistically. How many bands have that guy.

[@benhinds2971]

And because of that, He was sort of their Consigliere. If Ringo wasn't into it, they didn't do it. Not because Ringo demanded, but because the others respected him. At least that's my theory.

[@patticrichton1135]

"WOAH, LOVE ME DO" is NOT Lennon, that is McCARTNEY singing that. Paul is the lead singer on this, John is playing Harmonica and back up singing.

[@PeterBuwen]

The version (Love me do) with Pete Best as drummer can be heared on the anthology album.

[@sharonsnail2954]

Syed: "Love Me Do" is October 1962, "Please, Please Me" January 1963. I remember thinking "Love Me Do" was OK but "Please, Please Me" was SO much better. As you say, the harmonies are great. I was looking forward to the next single. Then came "From Me To You" (April 1963). What a let down!! Then the lads become an also ran until "Paperback Writer" Aside: IIRC Ringo is left handed but plays the drums in a right handed configuration. Norman Smith is the engineer for these early tracks. (I note you're listening to the inferior stereo mixes)

[@AliasMark69]

My Mother Dorothy Jean Tandle…“Dotty” worked at Electro-Strings Rickenbacker Guitars “RIC” in early 1964. She did the work on the Beatles guitars. George’s 360-12...(first real production model) John’s 325 - 6 string (first with five tone/vol knobs) John’s 325-12 (first ever)…. Paul’s Left handed 4001 Bass (first ever) .…Ten years later…..In the 1974, I worked for “Fender Musical Instruments” in Fullerton California. I made two Fender Rhodes Electric Pianos for John Lennon/Apple Studios. The one used on “Walls and Bridges” “Well if they’re gonna send one, send two cause I’d like one as well” John Lennon ordering a Fender Rhodes Electric Piano at the Apple studios. (Elton John recorded “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” with the same piano) My mother and myself are the only mother/son that both built an instrument for John Lennon. My mother made guitars for many famous Rockers, including the red guitar that was smashed by Peter Townsend of the WHO and is in the Rock HOF. Chris Squire, Roger Waters, Paul McCartney (left-handed 1964 4001S FG Rickenbacker bass) , John Entwistle, George Harrison’s 12 String. Roger McGuinn 12 string and many others. I have built pianos for “You name it” just about everyone IE: “Pink Floyd” on “Dark Side Of The Moon” It is our little contribution to Classic Rock. I’m very proud of that fact.

[@ceedoubleyou]

someone else has already pointed it out, but it needs to be repeated, Paul sings lead on LMD, while John plays harmonica.

[@jnagarya519]

There weere two recordings of "Love Me Do". The first with a studio musician, the second with Ringo. The LP and single versions of the song are different. McCartney is singing the lead.

[@waynemoon5359]

Great reaction. Very much on point. Pay attention to George's lead so you can follow the evolution of his sound and style as the Beatles moved forward.

[@SpaceCattttt]

Most people seem to prefer the Beatles' later career. I like the early years better. Not to say that the early songs are necessarily better, but there's a completely different vibe with the early stuff. Essentially, the Beatles started out sounding like they believed every song they performed was the greatest ever and they were going to give it their all, goddammit! Later on, they sounded like: "This is MY song. I'm the boss. You do yours."

[@johnturner170]

Please Please Me is such a strong song. Harmonicas were the in sound of the early 60s, hence why early Beatles' songs use the instrument a lot. The band used three part harmonies: John, Paul and George. Most groups only had two part harmonies, with the exception of The Hollies and a handful of others.

[@danielk2829]

This album is 1963, 4 years later they are doing Stg Pepper and a day in a life! So that 5 albums, 2 movies and many non album singles! So don’t forget to listen to the singles……. “From me to you”. She loves you” and “I want to hold you hand” .

[@79BlackRose]

You are wrong. That is McCartney on that vocal line you liked, not Lennon.

[@debjorgo]

Yeah, Martin suggested Paul sing it to give John an easier run at the harmonica.

[@SK-lk3iu]

Yes, McCartney has quite a range!

[@sallybannister6224]

Wrong is a bit harsh. !! Just heard in a different way .. All that being said our host really has a musicians ear for music.Aleays great reactions. Intelligent and articulate . Cheers

[@79BlackRose]

@@sallybannister6224 It is not harsh. Twice he said it was Lennon. He may not be able to tell the difference in their vocals but it says in the text that the italicised lines are sung by McCartney.

[@debjorgo]

@@79BlackRose I agree with Sally. We are trying to enjoy ourselves here, not trying to catch somebody who's said something incorrect. But I'm the last person to talk. I've read some of my old comments here and there and I sound pretty snotty sometimes. But YOU are right, in that the record should be set straight. One thing I've been trying to do lately is sort of put a fact out that corrects the statement. Like I did above with the 'Martin suggesting Paul sing that part' line. It takes some of the bluntness away. But hey, you do what you want. We're Beatle people. We can take a little shoving back and forth.

[@jnagarya519]

The original arrangement of "Please Please Me" was slow and bluesy. But this recording -- George Martin said: "You've just made your first #1."

[@patticrichton1135]

George Martin was the one that told them to speed up the tempo, instead of trying to do it in a Roy Orbison style, which they were originally trying to achieve. After they sped it up, George said to them from the control room, "Congratulations boys, you just recorded your first No.!" and he was RIGHT!

[@jnagarya519]

@@patticrichton1135 "Please Please Me" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" are two of the greatest recordings IN HISTORY. The sustained energy and complexity of "Please Please Me" still astonishes.

[@loisrogers9042]

The very first album I was ever given was "Rubber Soul. 😊 I believe I still know every word to every song.

[@cazgerald9471]

I know a number of people in my parents' generation (teens in the 50s) who loved the early Beatles but not their later years.

[@janhanchenmichelsen2627]

Tip: These early songs were recorded on two track for mono end result and imo they sound better in mono. So please check the original mono version of "Please Please Me", not the later "fake stereo" version . ;-)

[@keithbrown7685]

This is not "fake stereo" here. There are two tracks in play, twin track they were called sometimes. "Fake stereo" is when someone takes a mono recording and makes it so that it (hopefully) sounds better and more spatial. Usually it failed. I heard a version of 'Hold Your Hand' that was mutilated in this way. They (reprocessed) the song so that it sounded like more of the highs were in one ear than in the other.

[@jamesscanlan6240]

As soon as they finished recording Please Please Me George Martin said "you've got your first number one boys. Well done" He knew before it was even released. After this there was no stopping them.

[@godot-whatyouvebeenwaitingfor]

6 shilling and eight pence a seven inch single. Or three for a pound (240 pence/20 shillings).

[@dalejohnson4256]

Did you catch Lennon's 'flub up' in the last refrain? Instead of "I know you never even try, love" he started with "Why" then switched quickly back to "... know,", then said "I" instead of "you" and then finally got back on track. Obviously they didn't think it was that big a deal because they left the mistake in. Kind of cheeky and endearing at the same time. ;-)

[@ittamandarano8262]

was their first number 1 hit

[@MarkChappell1]

I'm sure someone has pointed this out, but this was their "Everly Brothers" influenced song.

[@derraumdeuter3671]

Hay I've noticed this isn't the song you use at the end of all your videos is the samurai champloo OST and you today used feathers by nujabes at the start? Are you a nujabes and samurai champloo fan?

[@Uetti]

Paul McCartney is the lead singer in the chorus of Love Me Do

[@runningsuperska]

The Beatles started off great and got better.

[@darthwarren4599]

Actually on this version ur listening to ringo is on tabureune. Andy white a session drummer. To here ringo on drums play the single version found on past masters album

[@vincentvancraig]

Lennon said when he wrote “please, please me” that he wanted a big high note like the ones that were in roy orbison’s songs.

[@vincentvancraig]

Please, pleeeease, me whoa, yeah...that pleeeease

[@DawnSuttonfabfour]

I think they overdubbed Pete's drums with a session guy. John played a mean harmonica. I cannot wait till you get to tracks like "Girl" "Norwegian Wood" and "Hide your Love away". You will be blown away by how far they went and so very quickly.

[@russallert]

The overdubbing of Pete's drum tracks was actually done for the Polydor sessions in Hamburg. The original Polydor releases had Pete on it, but when an American company was preparing to release them at the height of Beatlemania, Brian Epstein made them overdub the drum tracks (Bernard Purdie was the drummer who did it) to avoid paying royalties to Pete - rather mean-spirited of Epstein to do that. Meanwhile, Bernard Purdie started claiming that he was the real drummer on most of The Beatles' records, which of course was ridiculous. For his part, The Beatles finally settled with Pete Best around the time of the Anthology so that he would get royalties, and his drum tracks were restored.

[@deborahbarchard5957]

Brings back memories of being in the lunchroom in Junior High with all the girls spreading their Beatles cards across the tables and swooning over them. (But not me. I refused to be one of the crowd....until Rubber Soul arrived).

[@jnagarya519]

_ENERGY!_

[@peterbaruxis2511]

I like your take on "Please please me", when you say she isn't recriprocating, but I think reading between the lines he's saying she doesn't recriprocate certain physical acts. "Why do you make me blue?" Blue? ;-

[@jnagarya519]

Ringo was left-handed playing on a right-hand drum set.

[@jnagarya519]

The highest note in the recording is McCartney's voice; the lowest is his bass. Everything else happens between those.

[@claymmore]

They said that metronomes set their timing off of Ringo's drumming.

[@russallert]

The drum tracks on the various versions of Love Me Do is always a bit confusing - so much that even Ringo gets confused telling the story. 1) Pete Best played on the first session for the song in June 1962. His playing was noticeably erratic, and George Martin told Brian Epstein that he would hire a session drummer for all future Beatles sessions. 2) New drummer Ringo Starr turned up at the re-make session for Love Me Do in September 1962. He played on several takes, but George Martin wasn't pleased with Ringo's drumming either. 3) Session drummer Andy White was called in to play on Love Me Do, with Ringo relegated to tambourine - Ringo held a grudge against George Martin for decades over this. 4) Love Me Do was released as a single in October 1962 - with the Ringo drum track! Martin seems to have decided that Ringo's drumming wasn't so bad after all. 5) The Please Please Me album was released in March 1963, with the Andy White version of Love Me Do included - this is the version you reacted to. In his re-telling of the story, Ringo always gets confused and says that the Andy White version was on the single and that his version was on the album (wrong). Quite simply, if you hear a tambourine on the track, then White is playing drums. No tambourine = Ringo on drums. Which version is better is strictly personal taste. As a drummer, I prefer the Ringo version because it's a tad slower and it has a bit of a country feel to it. Andy White plays it a bit faster and has a stronger right foot on the bass drum, which makes it more commercial.

[@russallert]

By the way, your feeling about Please Please Me as a hit song is in line with George Martin. When they finished the take that's on the album (and was initially released as a single), Martin got on the studio intercom and said "Gentlemen, you've just made your first Number One".

[@jnagarya519]

Buddy Holly wrote a song titled, "Raining in My Heart".

[@keithbrown7685]

"..the sun is out, the sky is blue there's not a cloud to spoil the view but it's raining... raining in my heart..." later, in the bridge, iirc "..o misery, o misery what's gonna become of me?.." To me, it speaks of a kind of sorrow, one that won't be reasoned with or thought or wished away. I've been to places like that, where a person is feeling down, despite the bright things all around.

[@chitownlee]

That's Lennon on harmonica. Ringo is much older then Bonham and Moon and played older style of drums.

[@Ms.swiftieschannel]

They totally emulated the vocals of the Everly Brothers on their earlier tracks.

[@keithbrown7685]

If so, it stands to reason, they were fans of the Everlys.

[@mararundell2500]

[@johndavids4780]

Listen to how Ringo plays Please Please Me. So many drummers would have played this as a straight 4/4 time. Ringo pushed the melody forward with his style. Don't forget George. He had a solid harmony between John and Paul.

[@danmason5550]

Paul sings lead on this!

[@wayneroberts4320]

Every American teenager were sitting in their rooms with their record player cranked up. Every American parent was having a cow. All these years later, you have to wonder what all the fuss was about!

[@DawnSuttonfabfour]

Fab.

[@jeanmyers1787]

John & Paul had just finished She Loves You & sang it to Paul’s father. He said it’s very good son but can’t you sing She Loves You yes, yes, not yea, yea, yea!!!!

[@alpetrocelli4465]

When it came out, I thought it was a subtle request from a date to reciprocate his, ahem, digitally tactile pleasuring of her. Just our ‘60’s mentality, I guess. ❤️✌️🎶

[@peterbaruxis2511]

You could be right, I hadn't thought of, ahem, digitalia- I was thinking, ahem, oral.

[@korybeavers6528]

Do you understand middle America, you should look up Pat Boone's version of Tooty Fruity by Little Richard... It will give you a better understanding of the American mindset

[@MarioPetrinovich]

Following the exact Beatles discography is excellent idea. It would be nice to mix it with two other most important bands, the Rolling Stones and, later, Pink Floyd? You, simply, follow the exact release dates of the records of those three bands. That way you'll get the exact picture of the whole situation, and you'll listen to the best music there is, in regards to classic rock of the 60s. And we, the fans of classic rock, will re-live it all over again, :) . And please, re-listen to the songs you've already listened to, it is important for us to follow the order, to not miss anything, :) .

[@thomastimlin1724]

You stopped after the first verse and chorus and said "this is a hit, this is a hit." George Martin, producer, said after the recording was finished "Congratulations boys, you've got your first number one." He was right...in Britain....this is the single that catapulted them into nationwide fame in Britain and consequently it took them almost a year to get a record on the charts in the USA. the record execs kept rejecting them, even EMI's own Capitol Records label! Then they wrote I Want to Hold Your Hand and the execs, in their "infinite wisdom" lol, couldn't deny the Beatles any longer [pulled head out of ass syndrome]. I Want to Hold Your Hand immediately went to Number One before the Beatles EVER set foot [as a group] in the States [except George had visited his sister here before he was famous].

[@cliffhughes6010]

Sounds far better in the original mono.

[@jnagarya519]

Listen to the bass line.

[@beatlesgirl2782]

Ringo played a right handed drum set, left handed. That’s why it sounds off in a good way

[@wallypeake6579]

I can't wait for you to hear Abbey Road and specifically, the Medley songs.

[@TheNoladrummer]

If there’s tambourine, Andy White is the drummer. No tambourine, that’s Ringo on drums.

[@stevewebster973]

Sure, but this came after She loves you & I wanna hold your hand, and I remember agreeing with a girl in primary school the Beatles were getting past their peak ~

[@mgonzales56]

Love Me Do was their very first release, and got to number 17 in the British charts. Please, Please Me was their first number one hit. She Loves You, and I Wanna Hold Your Hand came later.

[@snakelite61]

​@@mgonzales56 I remember I Wanna Hold your Hand coming out first too, just because it's the first Beatles song I heard when I was 15. Maybe it was the first to get airplay in the US, or it was the first released here.

[@mgonzales56]

@@snakelite61 Could be. By the time we heard about The Beatles here in the U.S. they had already been recording two years in Britain. We had a lot of catching up to do.

[@richarddefortuna2252]

Pete Best had nothing to do with session drummer Andy White's use on the album version of Love Me Do (the one you're listening to; that's Ringo on the tambourine - there's no tambourine in the Ringo version). George Martin did not like Ringo's playing: he couldn't play a proper roll, among other issues.

[@lineygoblue4252]

Ringo sounds unique because, by his own admission, he is a right handed drummer playing on a left handed kit. His style wasn't deliberate. He had to play that way because that is what was normal for him.