Well-heeled fans of the Fab Four are currently involved in a real bidding war for an almost 62-year-old Beatles single at the American auction house RR Auction. The Object of Desire is an English first pressing, signed by all four members of the band. On Monday evening (from 8 p.m.) the highest bid was 24,760 dollars (almost 23,000 euros)…
The single is the first Beatles single, “Love Me Do/PS I Love You”, which was released in England on October 5, 1962 on the German-British Parlophone label. What makes them particularly rare and valuable is the fact that each of the four members of the legendary Liverpool band is signed on the B-side label.
This happened – just one day after the single’s release – at Dawson’s Music Shop in the small town of Widnes, Cheshire, during a half-hour autograph session. On this occasion, the mushroom heads – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr – signed the record with a ballpoint pen.
Single only reached number 17 in the UK charts
Although sales were rather slow at the time – the record only reached number 17 in the English charts – it vindicates the imminent success of the four Mushroom Heads from Liverpool, who at the time were known only to a few Britons outside their hometown and in nearby Manchester.
The Beatles recorded the song on September 4 and 11, 1962 with producer George Martin, also known as the ‘fifth Beatle’, at the now legendary Abbey Road Studios in northwest London. Because Ringo Starr, who only joined the band in mid-August, was still an unknown quantity for Martin, he hired experienced session drummer Andy White, who stood behind the drums on all 18 recordings for “Love Me Do” on the second day. of the two days of recording while Ringo just hit the tambourine.
Four versions of the song with three drummers
Starr can still be heard on the September 11 recording playing the tambourine. However, record company EMI initially released the version with Starr on drums on October 5, 1962. It was not until the single was re-released in April that the September 11 recording featuring White was used, which – much to Starr’s chagrin – can also be heard on the debut album “Please Please Me”.
In 1995, the Beatles even released a long-lost third version on the album “Anthology 1” with their former drummer Pete Best. Things turned out much worse for him than for Starr. In the summer of 1962, Best played drums during the test recordings of “Love Me Do”. A little later the Beatles said goodbye to him. In the fall of 2023, on the occasion of the release of the song “Now And Then”, a stereo version of “Love Me Do” (with Ringo on drums) was released, created with the help of AI.
The greatest pop phenomenon of all time
The rest is history: The Beatles broke through with their second single ‘Please Please Me’, which was released on January 11, 1963. The album of the same name, recorded a month later in just one day, stormed to the top of the charts a few weeks later. After that there is no stopping. Singles and albums were released almost every week and the Liverpool quartet grew into the biggest pop phenomenon of their time.
Interesting detail: In Germany and Austria the debut single “Love Me Do” was not released until March 4, 1963, five months later than in Great Britain, home of the Beatles – completely unthinkable today…
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
