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1962 June 06 - 1963 February 11
| About This Volume | About The Album | |
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Book review Period overview Book overview Table of contents Front cover Ordering information |
This page is about the book Songs of The Beatles' Please Please Me Period and the Period it covers. |
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| Volume | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | - |
| Period | PPM | WTB | HDN | BFS | HLP | RS | REV | SGT | MMT | WA | LIB | AR | OVW |
At the time the Beatles got their Parlophone/EMI recording contract, the band consisted of:
John Lennon (rhythm guitar),
Paul McCartney (bass guitar),
George Harrison (lead guitar), and
Pete Best (drummer).
The Beatles' manager was Brian Epstein, and it was Brian who brought the Beatles to the attention of George Martin at Parlophone.
Parlophone was a British record label owned by EMI (a large corporation in the UK). George Martin was the head of Parlophone who ultimately decided which acts got a recording contract on the Parlophone label. Martin was also a record producer, among others at Parlophone.That first session went well except for drummer Pete Best, who Martin said would not be used on studio recordings because Best's drumming didn't meet Martin's standards. Examples of Pete's drumming can be heard on 'Besame Mucho' and 'Love Me Do'. (Session details and where to hear these recordings are listed in the book.)
Though Best was instrumental in the Beatles success to this point, his personality was not a good match with John, Paul, and George. Epstein was directed to replace Pete Best with Ringo Starr, who was then drumming with another popular Liverpool band.
As a goodwill gesture, Martin let the Beatles use the remaining studio time to record their original, 'Love Me Do'. This second recording of the song has Ringo playing drums. (Session details and where to hear these recordings are listed in the book.)
(for a detailed look at the overall book format, see the Series Overview)
The book starts with an overview of the Beatle Periods, showing where Please Please Me fits in their career. It then shows chronological lists of songs recorded and released during this period.
The "Releases" section shows records that were released containing songs recorded during the PPM Period. Details are provided about the UK records. (Details about the US records are included with The Songs section.)
A "Hearing The Music" section gives some orientation and history about the vinyl records and how they were intended to be heard.
The bulk of the book details the 18 songs of the Please Please Me Period:
| Side A | Side B | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st single | Love Me Do | P.S. I Love You | ||
| 2nd single | Please Please Me | Ask Me Why | ||
| Side 1 | Side 2 | |||
| 1st UK LP: Please Please Me | I Saw Her Standing There | Love Me Do | ||
| Misery | P.S. I Love You | |||
| Anna (Go To Him) | Baby It's You | |||
| Chains | Do You Want To Know A Secret | |||
| Boys | A Taste Of Honey | |||
| Ask Me Why | There's A Place | |||
| Please Please Me | Twist And Shout | |||
| unreleased songs: | Besame Mucho | |||
| How Do You Do It | ||||
| Tip Of My Tongue | ||||
| Hold Me Tight |
(excerpt from review of 1st Edition by Archer, host of Breakfast With The Beatles on KQMT, "The Mountain", 99.5 FM Denver, Colorado.)
A Front Range man has published the first in a series of definitive reference works on the Beatles' recordings, titled Songs Of The Beatles' 'Please Please Me' Period.
Ken Westover's book - unobstructed by photos or illustrations - meticulously collects previously scattered information on 17 of the Beatles' songs from their earliest EMI recording sessions, including the 14 cuts on "Please Please Me," plus singles and unreleased recordings from the same era. It's published by Cliff Canyon of Boulder.
The ultimate research work for Beatleologists, the book includes studio production details, histories behind each recording, copious US/UK commercial release details and insight into the musical instruments and techniques applied to each song.
Easy-to-read tables and charts also track each song's performances on radio and TV and show chart positions. A "Where To Hear It" table for each song tracks dozens of subsequent releases, authorized or not, with keys to different variations of the song.
An "Origins" section for each song explains the reasons behind the Beatles chosing to record it, revealing such facts as why the Beatles covered show tunes like "A Taste Of Honey."
Westover tells 99.5 The Mountain that he is currently nearing completion of the second book in the series.
The entire review is near the bottom of web page http://archer2000.tripod.com/beatles/beatlesnews08.html. (This review is copied at http://beatles.ncf.ca/archived_news_p5.html.)| Contents | Page |
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Preface Book Format Introduction Beatle Records Beatle Periods Period Overview |
9 10 13 13 14 15 |
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Releases Release 1, 45-1: 'Love Me Do'/'P.S. I Love You' (62Oct05) Release 2, 45-2: 'Please Please Me'/'Ask Me Why' (63Jan11) Release 3, LP-1: Please Please Me (63Mar22) Please Please Me songs in the US Please Please Me Fan-outs Please Please Me Period related releases Hearing the Music: Album Analysis and Song Details Listening to the Album Speaker Placement - The Magic Triangle Tempos & Times Primer Playing The CD |
19 21 22 24 26 27 33 37 38 39 40 42 |
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The Songs Using This Section Single (UK-1) Love Me Do P.S. I Love You Single (UK-2) Please Please Me Ask Me Why Please Please Me (LP-1) I Saw Her Standing There Misery Anna (Go To Him) Chains Boys Ask Me Why Please Please Me Love Me Do P.S. I Love You Baby It's You Do You Want To Know A Secret A Taste Of Honey There's A Place Twist And Shout Unreleased Songs Besame Mucho How Do You Do It Tip Of My Tongue Hold Me Tight |
45 46 51 67 73 83 89 99 107 113 119 (83) (73) (51) (67) 129 135 143 151 159 177 181 185 187 |
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Appendix Glossary References Index |
191 209 211 213 |
| Pages | Size | Binding | Price & Availability | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| about 224 | 8.5" x 11" | Perfect (glue) | see current price list | 2nd Edition |