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Two Remarkable Beatles Recording Sessions
John, Paul and George had now worked together for 5 years, with Ringo joining the band line up 6 months previously. It was early 1963 and in the UK, interest in the band was climbing steadily after their first single release of “Love Me Do” in October of 1962, which peaked at No17 and subsequently with their January release of “Please Please Me”, which reached No1 or No2, depending on which chart you chose. To capitalize on their momentum, it was decided that they urgently needed an album. Their producer, George Martin, asked them “what they had which could be recorded quickly and their answer was their stage act”.
The plan was to release a 14-track album containing 4 previously recorded Lennon-McCartney songs including “Love Me Do” and the B-side “P.S. I Love You” plus “Please, Please Me” and the B-side “Ask Me Why”. So, they needed to record 10 new songs. The finished album would contain 8 Lennon-McCartney originals and 6 cover songs. This much original music on a debut album was highly unusual and was a bold decision by both George Martin and EMI, who owned the Parlophone record label. They clearly recognized this band’s embryonic talent for which they had contracted in Summer of 1962.
It was not unusual for pop groups to record an album in 1 day, but the quality and originality of the work set it apart. Two recording sessions were originally…
