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1 May 2011
Reading the introduction to the 2014 ebook update of ‘The Unreleased Beatles’ by Richie Unterberger where he writes… “i’ve come across new information … as when Peter Doggett, another author of Beatles books, told me about a pre-Please Please Me recording of ‘Misery ‘ at a non-EMI studio in early 1963.“
Does anyone know or heard anything about this?
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Joe"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
I’ve no idea about that. It’s intriguing and confusing, and I’d love to know more.
The story goes that the song was written on the Helen Shapiro tour. They started composing it in Stoke-on-Trent on 26 January 1963, and finished it off in Liverpool. They then recorded it for PPM on 11 February, two weeks later.
26: Live: King’s Hall, Stoke-on-Trent
27: Live: Three Coins Club, Manchester
28: Live: Majestic Ballroom, Newcastle
30: Live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (lunchtime)
31: Live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (lunchtime)
31: Live: Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead
February 1963
01: Live: Maney Hall, Sutton Coldfield
01: Live: Assembly Rooms, Tamworth
02: Live: Gaumont Cinema, Bradford
03: Live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (evening)
04: Live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (lunchtime)
05: Live: Gaumont Cinema, Doncaster
06: Live: Granada Cinema, Bedford
07: Live: ABC Cinema, Wakefield
08: Live: ABC Cinema, Carlisle
09: Live: Empire Theatre, Sunderland
11: Recording: Please Please Me album
There were no radio or TV sessions between those dates, though a few took place after PPM was recorded. They were pretty solidly on tour in early 1963 so wouldn’t have had much opportunity to go into studios, EMI or otherwise, but maybe there’s a booking that isn’t generally known. The Liverpool dates would be possible contenders, but they went nowhere near London where most of the studios were located.
Kenny Lynch, who was also on the tour, did his own cover of Misery in 1963, becoming the first non-Beatle to record a Lennon-McCartney song. I can’t find the date he recorded or released it, but I suppose it’s possible that it took place prior to the PPM session, and that The Beatles dropped by and did their own (demo?) version while he was there. That’s all guesswork though.
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@Joe, dont know if you visit the Bootleg Zone forum as i posted the question there and got a few replies. Someone posted a link to Beatles Source and pictures of the Beatles rehearsing in the Cavern at the end of January 1963 as well as taping ‘Misery ‘. Additionally that recording still exists as well as there being another two songs recorded at the time.
Conversation is ongoing.
Admittedly its not a studio but it would fit.
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17 December 2012
It would make sense that they’d want to work out a band arrangement of the song before going into Abbey Road for the album session. Given the outtakes from the session, they seem to have the arrangement in place from take 1.
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The Beatles Bible 2020 non-Canon Poll Part One: 1958-1963 and Part Two: 1964-August 1966
Thanks. I don’t use the BZ forums so I hadn’t seen that thread. So it sounds like it’s not a proper studio recording after all, which makes sense.
I wonder what those other songs might be. My guess is more original songs which weren’t stage-tested long enough for them to have worked out proper arrangements. Possibilities would include I Saw Her Standing There , Do You Want To Know A Secret and There’s A Place .
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Yeah the Cavern would make sense as I cant see Brian risking annoying EMI by going into a rival’s studio and recording anything.
The arrangement of ‘I Saw Her Standing There ‘ was in place at the end of 1962 as documented by the available Star Club recordings (we can hear them running thru an early slower arrangement of the song with added harmonica on an earlier 1962 rehearsal tape along with ‘One After 909 ‘ and ‘Catwalk’) but there is no reason they weren’t running thru that and a handful of other songs for the upcoming recording sessions for the ‘Please Please Me ‘ album.
I’m trying to think what other original Lennon/McCartney numbers were in the running. ‘Hold Me Tight ‘ was around then and they did record it for the album before it got dropped so thats a possibility as well.
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1 May 2011
@Joe, @Ron Nasty
A poster called ‘Black Cake’ has posted the following on what the other two songs are along with an addition detail on ‘Misery ‘.
I’ve heard the recordings but I’m not supposed to tell you who owns them – it’s certainly not me. As mentioned before Misery is sung in a female point of view (“without him I will be in misery”). The other tracks are Love Of The Loved and What Goes On . Apart from the chorus the latter has no resemblance to the Rubber Soul version at all. Love Of The Loved isn’t much different from the Decca version – only with Ringo on drums.
‘What Goes On ‘ would be the most desirable to hear as its vastly different to the ’65 recording and might be the only surviving recording of it from this time.
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Ahhh Girl"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
Ooh that’s interesting @meanmistermustard. My guesses were way off then. I’d really love to hear those recordings, especially What Goes On . It’d be a shame if they remained in private hands and we never got to hear them. I tend to think people should have a duty of care to humanity and release as many Beatles recordings as possible.
I wonder who owns the tape(s). If it’s not Apple or a former Beatle they’re a bit stuck, since the recording would be out of copyright in the EU – ie as soon as they put it on sale anyone else could release it too. Apple would be at a commercial advantage as they could bundle it with other outtakes and it’d do well regardless as an official release.
They nearly recorded What Goes On on 5 March 1963, but didn’t have time. I wonder if there are any rehearsal recordings in the EMI vaults, as they’d presumably be the original arrangement, but my guess is we’re just as unlikely to hear those.
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20 August 2013
This is such a tiny thing in the scheme of things, but it was big for me, and I want a record of it. Laugh and shake your heads all you want at me. I don’t care.
I was listening to On Air Live At The BBC Vol. 2 this morning. While they were singing the line “I’ll remember all the little things we’ve done” I thought “I don’t think they would have a piano on the BBC show so how will the music sound after that line”.
This is a breakthrough moment for me. Listening to an other-than-studio version by myself and knowing the difference in the two songs. I didn’t read the difference on the forum first. I did it by myself.
Have I graduated from Beatles Kindergarten to 1st grade yet?
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28 March 2014
meanmistermustard said
Someone posted a link to Beatles Source and pictures of the Beatles rehearsing in the Cavern at the end of January 1963
Thanks for the link to those pics @meanmistermustard
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14 April 2010
The first 8 posts of this thread are a perfect example of why I spend so much time on this site. The excitement over any newly discovered Beatles history makes my skin tingle.
@meanmistermustard @Joe @Ron Nasty
Thanks, mates.
@Ahhh Girl
Thanks for reviving it. I feel your excitement over your discovery.
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Ahhh Girl, JoeTo the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
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