Was There A Carl Perkins Recording Session With The Beatles in 1964?

Yes, after reading various accounts and listening to/watching a lot of interviews on youtube, I'm afraid that my theory of Carl playing on the released take of Matchbox cannot be substantiated (but was that really George Martin playing piano on the cut?).

I do think that once the boys had him in the studio, with a guitar in his hands, that they may have quizzed him about his songs and gotten some pointers from him about his hot guitar licks. It seems entirely possible that they may have run through all of those Perkins songs in the studio (maybe after George Martin left for the night?) but that no recordings were made. Or else they all had a jam session "party" somewhere else that night, possibly at a hotel.

I was really hoping that a June '64 Beatles studio version of Your True Love was sitting in the vault somewhere, but it may have never been recorded. My search will continue, though.

 

Well, it has to be an overdub because of Ringo's three vocals. So GM seems likely to be the piano player.

(IIRC, the track layout is something like:
1. Band track (drums, bass, 2 guitars)
2. Ringo live vocal (with band leakage)
3. Overdubs - Ringo vocal 2, plus piano and guitar solo
4. Overdubs - Ringo vocal 3, plus handclaps and alternate guitar solo
Note: IIRC, there are 2 different guitar solos recorded, as they vary slightly on the mono and stereo mixes.)

Though according to Lewisohn's account, Carl visited the afternoon session (where they recorded 'Matchbox' and 2 originals).

 

Was George Martin really a rock n' roll piano player? I'm still holding out hope that maybe it was Lennon on piano on Matchbox (although those hopes are fading fast). I know Mr. Martin played the piano on Rock and Roll Music (right?) but on Matchbox the piano (fairly quiet in the stereo mix) reminds me of John's keyboard stylings on I'm Down.

 

Whoever played the piano part, it was an overdub. The only live instruments were bass, drums and 2 guitars (plus Ringo's original live vocal). It has to be that way because of the track layout and their positioning in the stereo mix. So my money's on George Martin (who also played piano on 'Kansas City' and 'Long Tall Sally', among others).

 

Too bad Jerry Lee wasn't in England that same week, maybe he could have sat in and replicated his part from the original Sun version (IIRC, recorded the same day as the Million Dollar Quartet.)

Here's a cool alternate Sun version:

 

Update of the track layout for 'Matchbox', having just listened to the stereo mix again:

1. Band track (drums, bass, two guitars) - Mixed LEFT
2. Ringo live vocal (with band leakage) - Mixed CENTRE
3. Overdubs - Ringo vocal 2, plus guitar solo 1 - Mixed CENTRE
4. Overdubs - Ringo vocal 3, plus piano, handclaps and guitar solo 2 - Mixed RIGHT

Still doesn't make any difference though.

 

I found this interview with Stan Perkins, Carl's son. If you listen to the first five minutes or so, he talks about his dad's first meeting with the Beatles, at a party in a "house" or a "castle." He said Chuck Berry was invited, but didn't come. Stan's chronology is a little off -- he times this meeting in late 1963 -- but his account is interesting.

http://kasu.org/term/stan-perkins

 

The final version:

 

Reportedly, when Carl heard the playback of the Beatles' "Matchbox", he said, "That SOB sounds just like that old Sun record."

 

It is really good. Ringo did a terrific job on the vocal, and the whole thing swings like a mofo.

I'm sure the sudden infusion of cash from Beatles royalties helped Carl a lot in those days.