The Beatles UK singles: A sides v B Sides

I always thought it odd how their first single was such a McCartney showcase, given John's dominance of the group early on. In facet, it's their most mcCarntye heavy single ever (with the top being mostly penned and sung by McCartney, and the B entirely): it' only competition being Eleanor Rigby/Yellow Sub, but Ringo's vocals dilute that one's claim.

 

I always thought it odd how their first single was such a McCartney showcase, given John's dominance of the group early on. In fact, it's their most McCartney-heavy single ever (with the top being mostly penned and sung by McCartney, and the B entirely): it' only competition being Eleanor Rigby/Yellow Sub, but Ringo's vocals dilute that one's claim.

 

This release should be considered in the context of it's time. No one knew then what we know now. And as someone already wrote, "Love me do" would probably be forgotten today without all the songs that were to follow.
I prefer the A-Side to the B-Side.
Interestingly a harp player once told me, that "Love me do" is not that easy to play as most people think. You actually need two different harps. Any other harp player can confirm this?

 

I think you have to use a chromatic harmonica, not a blues harp. There's a note which is played straight AND flat (F and F#?) in the solo, more tricky with a blues harp (unless you use two, as you say).

 

Nice info. I guess it was also lucky that Dutch music shop had it in stock at the time (when John nicked it en route to Hamburg)

 

Love Me Do for me. PS I Love You is a good song, but I think that's the one that would have got lost if it had been the A side. Love Me Do was somewhat different from other songs around at the time, therefore more memorable.

 

The first Beatles LP I owned was the despised by many compilation double album Love songs...since then I'm in love with this compilation and for me every track on it is a treasure. So P.S. I love you is my totally biased choice. But even when I try to be objective, it's still the better song - better composition, better performance, better lyrics - may be Love me do was more hip 50 years ago, but today doesn't sound very good to my ears.

 

"P.S. I Love You"

... "Love Me Do" is good in it's own way, but the flip side is more tolerable to me.

 

I vote for P.S. I Love You. Not a great song, but I was never a fan of Love Me Do.

 

When I hear "Love Me Do" I tend to think "Oh no, not that one again". I'm not much of a fan of the B-side either. I think that they were the weakest tracks on the first album and poorly represented such a great little band as a single.

 

Wasn't the story, though, that John was originally supposed to sing the title phrase, until it was realized that he couldn't do this and also come in with the harp part at the same time?

One thing I've always found fascinating about "Love Me Do" is that you can't really pick out what the "melody" is as opposed to the harmony part. Listen to the Hollyridge Strings version of it: they make Paul's high part the melody (carried by the violins) and don't play John's lower part at all. It sounds positively weird, almost like a different song.

It would sound just as weird if only John's part were used for an instrumental version. The two parts are completely integral to one another.

 

Yes thats right - it was because of the harmonica part. John couldn't sing and play it at the same time so Macca had to do it - he was totally unready for doing any lead vocals - you can hear the quaver in his voice.

 

Ok time for the follow-up.

Please Please Me b/w Ask Me Why

The A-Side this time for me - Ask Me Why is a decent pop song but Please Please Me is a great one. Plus it gave The Beatles their first big hit single (#2 or #1 depending on the chart)

 

Easier choice this time: the song that started Beatlemania. As you note, "Ask" is a very nice song, but "PPM" hints at the greatness soon to come...

 

Everything about Please Please Me is a winner; Vocals, Middle 8, Drums, Guitars and Pounding Bass. The perfect pop song.

 

Please Please Me

 

Please Please Me easily.....do like Ask Me Why as well.

 

Well, not any lead vocals, as he would have been doing a great many of them live by this time. But perhaps this was somehow thrown at him at the last minute.

In any case, the quaver in his voice is much more apparent on the UK single version with Ringo on drums than it is on the version with Andy White that everybody knows.

 

The greatness of "Please Please Me" means this will never be a fair fight, but once again, the B-side should be given its proper place as another song with sophistication both in the chord progression and the lyrics.

I think "Ask Me Why" is quite lovely, and the first indication on record that John can handle a sensitive ballad vocally just as well as he can a rocker.

 

I love the sense of excitement that "Love Me Do" has despite being a slower tempo song. The b-side is passable and enjoyable but there is nothing that really distinguishes it.

 

I think they should have released a single like this from the album to follow up "Love Me Do" b/w "P.S. I Love You"...(before "Please Please Me" b/w "Ask Me Why":

"Twist and Shout" b/w "There's A Place"

One of the greatest covers of all time paired with one of Lennon's most underrated compositions. Missed opportunity here IMO!

 

For single number 2, the disparity is huge. "Please Please Me" is their first real breakout single (for a reason) and "Ask Me Why" is one of the few times when the Beatles sound cheap and a product of their times with their lyrics and their (typical of the time) non-words.

 

But it would have ruined the startling achievement, not just for their time, that every true single they released (at least in the UK) was an original composition.

 

Good thought. Still think "There's A Place" should have been on a single, at least.

 

Oh yes sorry thats what I meant.

From Macca himself about the session:

George Martin said, 'Can anyone play harmonica? It would be rather nice. Couldn't think of some sort of bluesy thing, could you, John?' John played a chromatic harmonica, not a Sonny Boy Williamson blues harmonica, more Max Geldray from the Goon Show...

The lyrics crossed over the harmonica solo so I suddenly got thrown the big open line, 'Love me do', where everything stopped. Until that session John had always done it; I didn't even know how to sing it. I'd never done it before. George Martin just said, 'You take that line, John take the harmonica, you cross over, we'll do it live'...
I can still hear the nervousness in my voice! We were downstairs in number two studio and I remember looking up to the big window afterwards and George Martin was saying, 'Jolly good.'
Paul McCartney
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles