The Beatles Decca sessions .......UGH!

They just had an off day, likely due to jitters and overcautiousness in the sterile studio atmosphere (which they had never seen before) and their tiredness and/or hungover condition from the night before. Their Hamburg/Tony Sheridan recordings (with "Ain't She Sweet" and "Cry For A Shadow") date from 6 months EARLIER, from June 1961, which are infinitely stronger performances. So they had the capacity to be great, but they faltered for once.

 

I had always heard the only reason Dick Rowe and Decca didn't sign them was because in having to choose between them and Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, they picked the group local to London, figuring it would be easier to work with them schedule wise than the long-distance Liverpudlians. Dick Rowe supposedly *liked* what he heard at the audition.

Or was that an after-the-fact, "C.Y.A." face saving explanation?

 

Dick Rowe wasn't exactly the man with the golden ear. He later turned down the Jimi Hendrix Experience as well

 

Pardon my ignorance... So you're telling me that when they did Anthology, they weren't using the correct tapes? Where did the source tapes for Anthology 1 come from? Or was it the post-processing that was done to Anthology that messed up the sound?

 

A few quick points (all of them of course, just my opinion);

If we are going to be fair about what many call a lackluster performance, then we have to remember that it occurred 1 day removed rom 1961. That's 19 freakin' 61!
I think the choice of songs was put together to show the breadth of their routine. Would they have been better served just rockin' it out? Probably, but they took a chance and missed the mark somewhat.
Take a look at the top 100 songs from 1961 or 1962 and honestly tell me this album isn't pretty close if not better than most of the stuff on those lists.
The difference in quality between Please, Please Me and Abbey Road is way bigger than the difference between The Decca Sessions and Please, Please Me.
This is a historical document, and as such I think it should be shared.
Would it sell if Apple made it a proper release? Dress it up and make it halfway special and I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

I think the Decca sessions are great!

 

I think people expect a sort of Please Please Me prequel.

It's a 1962 (barely, as someone else has said) audition tape. I don't know whether you can really compare it to anything else in the Beatles' canon. It sort of stands on its own.

Always thought Memphis had a certain crude charm.......

 

Yeah, what a tin-eared bum. All he did was sign the Rolling Stones, the Small Faces, the Moody Blues, Them, Tom Jones, the Zombies....

 

I recall you saying in a post that the best recordings of the Beatles were the Hamburg Kampfert sessions. Based on the Decca tape you heard this year, how does the recording quality compare with the Kampfert tape? How does it compare with their Abbey Road output?

 

Thin guitar sounds could be a combination of not using their usual amps and not being allowed to crank the amps they were provided loud enough to get a full warm sound.

 

Good point. Touche!

 

I strongly disagree. There is a big difference in styles between Abbey Road and Please Please Me. And there is a difference in the sophistication of some of the music/lyrics and the complexity of some of the arrangements. But I don't equate those things with quality. Both albums contain well-written songs that are extremely well-sung and played. Ignoring the stylistic differences, a fair argument can be made that they are roughly equal in quality. I myself prefer the PPM album.

By contrast, the Decca Audition features singing that is often tentative and weak, and instrumental performances that lack energy. Voices crack, and instrumental flubs are made. I'd argue that a lot of the material selected is below average too. The novelty songs are unexceptional, and the early Lennon-McCartney songs are far inferior to the stuff they wrote for PPM. I'd say the gulf in quality between Decca and PPM is huge. A key difference is that the Decca recordings are not representative of the best work the Beatles could do at the time, whereas PPM (and all their subsequent albums except maybe Let it Be) are.

I suspect that if the Beatles had faded into obscurity after recording the Decca sessions, and those tracks were the only material you'd ever heard by the band, you would not make that pronouncement.

 

Of course not. But they didn't (in fact, they achieved exactly the opposite, arguably the group upon which all groups would be compared). And because they didn't I can't listen to any of their releases in a vacuum. Everything else matters. Between the Decca session and PPM was about a year, with only the BBC tracks to use as a measure of growth. Between PPM and A Hard Days Night was again roughly a year. Those are two big, stepping stones. To me anyway, the Decca sessions are important to understand that leap.

 

A lot of that was to save face after the Beatles took off. It's been documented in several places that he took the Stones almost sight-unseen because he didn't want to be wrong twice after whiffing on the Beatles.

 

I certainly wouldn't disagree with that. They are fascinating to listen to because of what the band became, as a historical document. And even if they aren't that good objectively, they are enjoyable to hear from the perspective of a fan. But I can understand why the Beatles would not want to release the remaining 10 tracks, and particularly why they wouldn't want to release the entire session as a standalone title that would draw excess attention to it. The performances are weak, and aren't even representative of how good the band sounded at the time they were recorded, much less up to the standards of what they would do later.

 

Interesting thoughts and opinions you have there.
But I disagree with a lot of it.
I personally like the Lennon-McCartney songs, especially Hello Little Girl. A great little song.
I really like some other Decca songs too, although Take Good Care of My Baby and Memphis are absolutely anemic in my opinion.
And while you may prefer listening to PPM, I am with those people who hold Abbey Road up as one of their best albums.
Remember, the Decca Audition was an audition, and likely one take of each song.
How many voice cracks and instrumental flubs might Abbey Road have if it was all one take? Listen to the January 1969 Get Back sessions as an indication.

 

Yeah, but do you think it's as good as the Lennon songs on the PPM album?

I was trying to draw a distinction between quality and personal preference for a certain type of material. I like Rubber Soul better than PPM. But I'd rank them roughly equal in quality. They both feature well-crafted songs that are performed with enthusiasm, energy, and creativity, and they both exemplify the best work the Beatles were capable of at the time they were recorded. My preference for Rubber Soul is based on a greater liking for the genre of music/lyrics on that album, not because I think Rubber Soul is greater in quality. I would guess that's the same reason you prefer Abbey Road over PPM. For what it is (basic, straightforward rock-n-roll) PPM is a high quality album.

By contrast, the Decca recordings are not high quality, and are not the best the band was capable of at the time. The difference between PPM and Abbey Road is due to evolution in the band's style and musical interests. The difference between Decca and PPM is due to a lack of performance quality (and in some cases, material quality) in the former.

Yes, the fact that the performances were done in one take is one of the reasons for their low quality. Why they are low in quality doesn't change my overall point that they are low in quality.

 

They clearly sound a whole lot better on their first BBC recording,Please Mr Postman sounds like our Beatles

 

Consider that it was their first time in a real studio and so much was riding on it, I don't think it's that bad of a collection.

 

The Beatles official Twitter account sent this out today as an "On This Day" post. So this is 26 days after the Decca audition. Hard to believe 2 years later these guys were ready to conquer America.


27th Jan 1962 - the last concert the band played at the Aintree Institute - they were paid £15 in loose change

 

Conveniently found a photo (or cropped a photo, I don't know which) which does NOT have their drummer Pete in it.

 

You can definitely tell that the group, especially John and Paul, were very nervous. It comes across in their playing and singing. The choice of songs wasn't the best. But if they hadn't had been nervous and had the energy and confidence they showed at the Cavern, I think that would have made up for some of those novelty song choices. If you listen to "Besame Mucho" from the Decca audition and then the version from their EMI audtion that's on "Anthology 1," you can hear what I mean. Heck, Pete's drumming on that EMI audition is so good, you might think it's Ringo!

 

It is really amazing to think about that. In two years this scruffy lot would be known all over the world. Stu Sutcliffe was still alive when it was taken.

 

Delete the 2 tracks they reprised later in their career, bung on 'Ain't She Sweet':

Perfectly respectable 14 track pre-debut. And more money for Pete.

 

This sort of thing would make the perfect RSD/Black Friday type release. done in the style of the mono remasters, with download code. Apple pls.

 

It's my fave track! Not sure what Mr Best is doing on the drums, but it kind of adds to the charm.