#117: Bad Boy

Written by: Larry Williams
Released: December 10, 1966
Appears on: A Collection Of Beatles Oldies, But Goldies!, Beatles VI and Past Masters, Vol. 1
Lead vocal: John

"Bad Boy" is a relic. It was recorded back in May, 1965 during the HELP! sessions, nearly a year-and-a-half before its release in the UK. 
This Larry Williams cover (their third, after "Slow Down" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzie") first appeared in the US in June, 1965 on Beatles VI, which was made up as a stop-gap release before HELP!. The album was made up of Beatles For Sale left-overs, "Yes It Is", two originals recorded during the HELP! sessions ("Tell Me What You See" and "You Like Me Too Much") and two covers recorded specifically for the US market. "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" was released in the UK on HELP!, but "Bad Boy" was left to languish until Parlophone's own stop-gap release: A Collection Of Beatles Oldies, But Goldies! in December, 1966.  
...Oldies, But Goldies! was released because George Martin knew that they were not going to be able to finish even a single for Christmas 1966, so EMI put together a collection of singles that had never been on an LP before in the UK, two LP-exclusive favorites ("Yesterday" and "Michelle") and "Bad Boy" was thrown in to get those who already had everything to buy it. (Although, if I was around, that beautiful cover art probably would have been enough to get me.) 
As for the song itself, it's pretty routine when compared to other covers, particularly the other Larry Williams ones. It's a nice update of the original (which features horns and a backup singer going "He's a...BAD BOY!"...thankfully they got rid of that) and features the boys on their usual instruments.
Today, you can get the song on Past Masters as well as Beatles VI, which is included in the The Capitol Albums, Vol. 2 set. 


Next up, we get into the meat and potatoes of the Beatles' career, starting off with probably the most important single of all time.     

#84 Dizzy Miss Lizzie

Written by: Larry Williams
Released: August 6, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: John


"Dizzy Miss Lizzie" is the last hurrah. It is the final cover to appear on the standard Beatles studio albums and the last time John was forced to belt out that "Twist And Shout"-type vocal. Initially, the track was not supposed to be on HELP! as it was recorded, like "Bad Boy", specifically for Capitol and the American market. Both "Bad Boy" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" appeared on Beatles VI, along with "You Like Me Too Much" and "Tell Me What You See", prior to their British releases. "You Like Me Too Much" and "Tell Me What You See" were always supposed to be on HELP!, but once it appeared as though the idea of a wholly original LP fell flat thanks to "Act Naturally", "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" was up for inclusion.
"Dizzy Miss Lizzie" was written by Larry Williams, who also wrote "Slow Down" and "Bad Boy". ("Slow Down" was actually the B-Side to "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" in March, 1958.) The Beatles performance of the song is great, no doubt about it, but there's a feeling of 'been-there-done-that' here. This is the fifth Beatles album and all but one ended with a raucous cover. Not only was this effect wearing thin on the boys, but it was probably wearing a little thin on the public. 


The song was included on 1976's Rock 'N' Roll Music as the side three opener, but has never been anywhere else. A version was recorded for the BBC prior to its release on HELP! that is included on Live At The BBC.  


Next: We get to sink our teeth in the first ever Double-A sided single! 
      

#78: Act Naturally

Written by: Johnny Russel & Voni Morrison
Released: August 6, 1965
Appears on: HELP!
Lead vocal: Ringo


The Beatles were always good for a laugh, but they usually kept their humor off their records...until this one. 

Ringo was originally given the worst song John & Paul ever wrote, "If You've Got Trouble" (summed up by Ringo yelling "Oh, rock on...anyBODY!" during the solo) for HELP! Thankfully that song was quickly dropped because it just sucked. Instead, Ringo got to flex his rockabilly muscles again with a cover of Buck Owen's "Act Naturally" (done here on TV in 1965). 
The funniest thing about the song is the cruel irony. Ringo was thrown into the spot-light, thanks to his solo sequence in A Hard Day's Night and it was assumed that he would make a great actor. This is why Richard Lester made the story of HELP! revolve around him. (If you watch the Anthology, though, Ringo reveals that that wasn't acting in A Hard Day's Night - it was a drunk's walk-through of London.) Of course, Ringo isn't that great an actor (and as HELP! shows, none of them were - they were only good at playing themselves, which they obviously weren't in that film), so to have him sing a song about a misplaced 'actor' is a great idea.  
It also opened the non-film side of HELP! The British LP followed the same sequence as A Hard Day's Night. While "Act Naturally" may seem to signal that the second side of HELP! might all be filler, this is quickly proved incorrect by the next song. 


The Beatles obviously were hoping that "Act Naturally" would become an obscure joke, but Capitol in the US made sure that wasn't about to happen. Capitol, again capitalizing on the US's love for Ringo, released it as the B-Side to a much more important song. Thus, The Beatles performed it on the 1965 US tour and Ringo performs it to this day. In 1989, while Ringo was attempting a comeback from alcoholism, he recorded the song again with Buck Owens for Capitol. That was actually a success, reaching #27 on the Billboard country charts.    

#68: Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby

Written by: Carl Perkins
Released: December 4, 1964
Appears on: Beatles For Sale
Lead vocal: George

Carl Perkins makes another appearance on Beatles For Sale in the guise of "Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby", the closing number on the album. Now, the original is a great song, but the Beatles performance is lacking a little power. I think part of that is that they used it as the closer after the powerhouse duo of "Money" and "Twist And Shout" and the brooding "I'll Be Back". This song just isn't the type of song that could have been the closer. Personally, I think "Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" would have been better here than at the end of side one. 

I also think the Beatles were a little trigger-happy with the technical wizardry here. The double-tracking of George's vocal is just useless. It doesn't add anything to the song, which in reality is just a straight up rock song. If you want to hear the song without double-tracked vocals, there's a take of it on Live at the BBC that proves how great the song is without having to hear two George vocals at once. Considering how well George sings the song ("Well, they took some honey from a treeeeeeeee..." I love that part when he drags that line out towards the end), I can't figure out why they thought it was necessary. It's also kind of sad that the only thing they could find George to sing on Beatles For Sale is a cover that they'd been doing since Hamburg. 

In the US, it was used as the closer for Beatles '65 and was performed at the Shea Stadium show in 1965 (that performance is on Anthology 2). 

Next up: "Oh...she's got a ticked to ride, and she don't care!"   

#64: Honey Don't

Written by: Carl Perkins
Released: December 4, 1964
Appears on: Beatles For Sale
Lead vocal: Ringo


Back when I wrote about "Matchbox", I mentioned that it was one of two songs the Beatles recorded where they switched vocalists. "Honey Don't" is the other. John had been singing this Carl Perkins number (here's the awesome original) as late as August, 1963 when they recorded it for the BBC. This version featuring John is on 'Live At The BBC'. 
Since Ringo hadn't been given an original song to sing since "I Want To Be Your Man", John & Paul obviously felt that there was no reason to break Ringo's streak of covers. So, John gave up "Honey Don't" to Ringo. Of course, hearing John do it is great, but again, nobody sings rockabilly like Ringo. 
The song is a lot of fun and you can tell that they had fun making it. Ringo gets to yell "Rock on, George, for Ringo one time!" Still, it's impossible not to get that same feeling you get from all the other covers here - that they feel forced to do these old songs after an album full of originals. 


In the US, the song came up on Beatles '65. 
It's kind of funny how Ringo still does this at every single show he does. He also felt that it was necessary to do it at The Concert For George, even though it might have been classier for him to find another Perkins song to do.  

#63: Words Of Love

Written by: Buddy Holly
Released: December 4, 1964
Appears on: Beatles For Sale
Lead vocal: John, Paul & George



Despite their love of Buddy Holly, they had yet to cover the master until "Words Of Love". In fact, this is the only Holly cover they ever recorded in the studio for EMI. "That'll Be The Day", Holly's signature tune, was covered by them when they were still the Quarrymen and it appeared on their home-made 45 (that's currently in Paul's possession, as far as I know) that's on Anthology 1. 
The original version of "Words of Love" (heard here) was first released on Brunswick's Buddy Holly LP in 1958.  
Now, the interesting thing about the Beatles' version is that they copied Holly almost note-for-note. Ringo even went as far as playing a suitcase to get the sound of Holly's percussion right. This makes it a real rarity in the Beatles' catalog. Most of their covers add something unique, but here The Beatles copy an already perfect song. 
Sure, it's entirely possible that it was recorded because they needed to fill a slot on the LP...but, I like to think that it's the Beatles making sure that their single-most important influence is finally represented on one of their records.  

In the US, this was another song that got held over until Beatles VI, but it was not issued on a 45. 

#61: Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey

Written by: Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller [Kansas City]/Richard Penniman [Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey]

Released: December 4, 1964
Appears on: Beatles For Sale
Lead vocal: Paul

"Kansas City" is probably one of the most well-known Leiber/Stoller songs they ever wrote. It was first written back in 1952, although no one would have a national hit with it until 1959. After that, the song became a rock standard.

"Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" is a simple call-response chant that Little Richard wrote and recorded in 1956 as the B-Side to "Good Golly Miss Molly".

Of course, as a showman, Little Richard found that the best way to perform the two songs was to make them a medley. He performed it live and it obviously translated into a 45. (You can hear that here.)

The Beatles used to actually perform the entirety of "Kansas City" in the Cavern Club and in Hamburg. However, when the Beatles were required to do BBC shows, by then, they started just doing Little Richard's medley. Thus, this is what we have recorded on Beatles For Sale.

Since it's a Little Richard number, Paul takes the lead vocal. He does a wonderful job and, on an album where the covers really don't stick out that much, this is easily the best. It's also a fantastic Side One closer.

The Beatles recorded two takes, but like "Twist And Shout", the first take was the one that was issued. The second take is on Anthology 1, where it's used as the closer for that set. For some strange reason, Capitol used it as the opener for Beatles VI. So, the track was held over in the US, as Beatles VI was not released until June, 1966. It's a good song, but I think it works as a closer better. (Capitol was also stupid enough to just call the medley "Kansas City" and only gave credit to Leiber/Stoller, even on the label. It wasn't until the publisher's lawyer let them know that it was, in fact a medley, that they tried to change it. They never did change the title on the cover, but they did eventually on the label.)

As a side note, Paul did go back to the full "Kansas City" by recording it for Choba b CCCP - The Russian Album in 1988, showing that things do come full circle, especially in the Beatles universe.

#60: Mr. Moonlight

Written by: Roy Lee Johnson
Released: December 4, 1964
Appears on: Beatles For Sale
Lead vocal: John

"MIIISSSSSTTEEEERRRR MMMOOOOONLIGHT!!!!!"

From the start of their career, the Beatles made it pretty clear that even if the song wasn't a hit, they'd still cover it. "Mr. Moonlight" was originally recorded by Piano Red under the name "Dr. Feelgood And The Interns". It was released as a B-Side in 1962 and somehow, it quickly became a favorite of a certain group of Liverpudlian rockers.

I have no idea what made the Beatles want to actually record the song. It's cheesy beyond all reason, but their cover seems to make fun of that aspect. John seems to purposefully pull off the worst vocal of his career and Paul's organ solo seems to make the song sound older than it is. The song was only two years old when they covered it, but the Beatles make it sound as if it was written as a 1940's show-tune. In fact, if you go back and listen to Piano Red's original, it sounds like a silly, throwaway rock song.

It really is one of the worst covers the Beatles ever did and probably in the same class as "Devil In Her Heart", but through practically satirizing the song, the Beatles still keep it interesting.

The Beatles needed just four takes to get it right and an edit of Takes 1 and 4 is on Anthology 1. In the US, it was on Beatles '65.

#58: Rock And Roll Music

Written by: Chuck Berry

Released: December 4, 1964

Appears on: Beatles For Sale

Lead vocal: John

In 1957, Chuck Berry wrote the theme song for the genre of music he was defining. "Rock And Roll Music" is the one song that sums up Rock 'n' Roll in a way that no other single song does. Chuck Berry's original is as good as it gets.

Leave it to John Lennon to push it even further.

The Beatles' take is more raucous and it just goes to show how much rock 'n' roll evolved in just the seven years between the two recordings. However, later recordings of the song would show none of the evolution that rock went through after The Beatles. Maybe it just proves that once The Beatles defined what rock 'sounds' like, that rock stopped evolving and everyone just spent their time trying to be The Beatles. That's not true, obviously, but in the case of "Rock And Roll Music", no one ever did it better than the Beatles.

"Rock And Roll Music", as the first cover on Beatles For Sale proves that touring was really taking a toll on them. Despite all the covers on the album being really good, there's a sense of reluctance and almost boredom that runs through all of them. It's hard to believe that the Beatles were happy that they had to fall back on the old crutch of recording covers. It's also as clear as day on the cover that they needed more time before recording yet another album. The extra time would have allowed for more originals...but, of course, even as the most popular foursome in the world, anything less than two LPs and five to six 45s a year was unacceptable.

This particular cover appeared on Capitol's Beatles '65 in the US and acted as the title track to the superfluous compilation Rock And Roll Music in 1976.

#41: Matchbox

Written by: Carl Perkins
Released: June 19, 1964
Appears on: Long Tall Sally (EP) & Past Masters, Vol. 1
Lead vocal: Ringo

The last song on the Long Tall Sally EP is the sole Ringo song that didn't appear on an album - a cover of Carl Perkins's "Matchbox".

"Matchbox" is one of only two songs that the Beatles covered where the singer on the recorded version was not the one that always sang it. John was the Beatle assigned to "Matchbox" all through the Cavern and Hamburg years. However, by 1964, it had become a Ringo song, who loved Carl Perkins almost as much as John loved Larry Williams, Paul loved Little Richard and George loved Chuck Berry.

Probably one of the reasons why Ringo got to do this song was because they knew they couldn't give him a shot on A Hard Day's Night, so they gave him a consolation prize.

Ringo has the perfect voice for this song and it proves that his real talent lied in singing rockabilly numbers (in fact, probably one of the best Beatle solo records is his country album, Beaucoups of Blues). It's like he was born in England, but should have come from some backwater Texas town.

As we all know, Capitol did some bizarre things to make as much money as they could off the Beatles name during 1964 and, probably the most bizarre thing they did was release the "Slow Down" b/w "Matchbox" 45. It made a lot of money for Capitol, reaching #17 on Billboard, but it was still a silly release. It was the only time where Capitol got its wish to make money off the Beatles' covers and it made Capitol even happier, since neither had appeared on an LP (yet...they appeared on Something New shortly after the 45). They also got a chance to cash in on America's bizarre love for anything Ringo. It also didn't hurt that the single would be popular in the Southeast, where Country is (still) king.

Next up: we get to the meat of A Hard Day's Night!!!!

#40: Slow Down

Written by: Larry Williams Released: June 19, 1964 Appears on: Long Tall Sally (EP) & Past Masters, Vol. 1
Lead vocal: John

Larry Williams was another one of John's favorite artists. The Beatles recorded three of his songs; "Slow Down", "Bad Boy" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy". Plus John included "Bony Maronie" on Rock 'N' Roll in 1975 and Paul also did "She Said Yeah" on Run Devil Run in 1999.

The Beatles' version is very faithful to Williams' original, although I think they drew out the intro a little longer than necessary. John pulls out that rockin' and screamin' vocal, although, I think by this time he's getting pretty tired of it (even though he would do it a few more times).

For technical geeks, there is a big goof on this, where John's second vocal flops the words during a verse. Although his vocal is double-tracked, they are two separately recorded vocals. It just goes to show that not everything George Martin produced and Norman Smith engineered could be perfect and that the Beatles were obviously in a rush to get this out (it was literally recorded two weeks before it was released).

#38: Long Tall Sally

Written by: Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, Enotris Johnson & Richard Penniman Released: June 19, 1964 Appears on: Long Tall Sally (EP) & Past Masters, Vol. 1
Lead vocal: Paul

Ever hear of some guy named Little Richard? Well, if not you haven't lived a full life. After you hear the original here, you can read the rest of this entry...until then, you need some educatin'.

Anyway, the Beatles' take on the song is ridiculous and I think they got as close to recreating what made the original version so cool: Little Richard's awesome vocals. I mean, if there ever was a true heir to Little Richard, it is, without a doubt, Paul McCartney. It's amazing how John was able to get in the minds of those great Motown singers in songs like "You Really Got A Hold On Me" and "Money", while Paul just stepped into Little Richard's skin.

Another thing about Little Richard (and "Long Tall Sally" is a perfect example of this) is that he easily had as much influence on the Beatles as, say, Buddy Holly. In fact, the Beatles' trademark "woooo!" was totally derived from Little Richard.

The history of the Long Tall Sally EP is kind of interesting (if you'd like more information on the overall history of Beatles EPs, I wrote a review on the box set back here). Other than the bizarre 2-EP Magical Mystery Tour set, Long Tall Sally was the only EP to include new tracks...at least new to the UK. The first two songs, "Long Tall Sally" and "I Call Your Name" debuted on The Beatles' Second Album, released by Capitol in the US a full two months before they saw release in the UK. "Slow Down" and "Matchbox" came out on Something New, a month after Long Tall Sally. It's stuff like this that truly makes the Beatles' catalog confusing and why we should all be thankful that Apple standardized it.

#33: Money (That's What I Want)

Written by: Janie Bradford & Berry Gordy
Released: November 22nd, 1963
Appears on: with the beatles
Lead vocal: John

The year is 1959. A guy named Berry Gordy decides to create Tamla Records, which becomes just a piece of his massive Motown company just a few months later in 1960. Before any record company can expand, it needs a hit record.

Barrett Strong's performance of "Money (That's What I Want)" was just that. It's just an incredible, in-your-face single that pretty much requires you to listen to it for all two-and-a-half minutes - the perfect choice of cover for a show-stopping ending.

The Beatles performance of the song is faithful to the original, aside from John's over-the-top vocal and George's ridiculous lead guitar. I haven't talked about the remasters much since they came out, but on the remastered version of "Money", George's lead guitar is so much stronger and (if this makes any sense) dirtier. It just seems to have a punch that hits you harder than the original mono version on the 1987 CD didn't have.
"Money" is much more 'professional' than "Twist And Shout" and that kind of makes the song feel a little less fun, with less of a party atmosphere. The truth is, though, "Money" is an entirely different song. It doesn't give itself to a dance routine like "Twist And Shout" does. Merely, the song is an intense vocal exercise with lyrics that reject love. It's certainly not something anyone would want to dance to, so what made Strong's original performance a hit was his wonderful vocal and the melody going on behind him and the Beatles' version certainly honors that.

That, my friends, closes one of my favorite Beatles albums....and we've barely scratched the surface. Next up is "I Want To Hold Your Hand"!

#31: Devil In Her Heart

Written by: Richard Drapkin
Released: November 22nd, 1963
Appears on: with the beatles
Lead vocal: George

As the last girl-group song recorded by the Beatles, "Devil In Her Heart" is easily the worst.

Originally recorded as "Devil In His Heart" in 1962, it was first performed by a group called the Donays and, unlike many of the other covers by the Beatles, was never a hit single...anywhere. Hmm...I wonder why? (I can't even provide a YouTube link to the original, since the only performances of the song on the site are by the Beatles.)

The story of how George landed a copy has never been told, but we do know that he loved girl-group songs (since he and John sing most of the ones the boys covered). I think he loved the fact that the song was so obscure that no one would recognize it. The problem with "Devil In Her Heart" is that it is just not a song that allows the Beatles to show what they're good at. The best thing is the harmonies, though.

The song proves that some singles remain obscure for a reason. If it weren't for the Beatles, I doubt anyone would even know of the song.

#29: You've Really Got A Hold On Me

Written by: Smokey Robinson
Released: November 22nd, 1963
Appears on: with the beatles
Lead vocal: John

Smokey Robinson is one of the most noted songwriters in history and one of the greatest. He probably wrote more Motown hits than anybody. "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" was first recorded by Smokey's vehicle, The Miracles and became a smash hit, reaching #8 on Billboard in November of 1962 (here it is). The Beatles quickly managed to get a hold of it and recorded it in the studio during the July sessions for with the beatles.

Of course, the song became one of their stage favorites and they performed it four times for the BBC (one of which is on Live At The BBC!). Their performance of the song certainly is show-stopping, especially with George Martin's piano taking center stage behind John's powerful vocal.

The bottom line: this is a fantastic song that always leaves me in amazement.

#27: Roll Over Beethoven

Written by: Chuck Berry
Released: November 22nd, 1963
Appears on: with the beatles
Lead vocal: George

Side two of with the beatles kicks off like a firecracker with Chuck Berry's immortal "Roll Over Beethoven" (here's a really cool performance by Berry). Every rock and roll artist has probably always dreamed about being able to get on stage and rip off that guitar intro (I have and I can't even play guitar) and The Beatles got to do it numerous times as the song became a stage favorite. George was the perfect vocal choice, considering that he'd been doing it since Hamburg and the fact that he's the lead guitarist, so why not let him sing one of the ultimate guitar songs?

An interesting historical note (coming from Bruce Spizer's fascinating books): When Capitol of Canada issued "Roll Over Beethoven" as a single after "I Want To Hold Your Hand", it became a top-ten single. Capitol in the US was actually considering issuing the single here, especially since imported copies of the Canadian single charted on Billboard. However, when George Martin caught wind of this idea, he told them to just wait a few weeks for "Can't Buy Me Love". Martin hated the idea that The Beatles' next his single might not only be a cover, but an older recording that didn't reflect how the group was at the time.

I find it interesting that, unlike many of the group's other covers, "Roll Over Beethoven" is able to stand next to Berry's original. I think everyone in the general public know that it is a cover and by one of the greats in rock and roll, whereas songs like "Twist And Shout" or "'Til There Was You" became part of America's conscious thanks to the Beatles. "Roll Over Beethoven" was a song that everyone knew in 1964 as a Chuck Berry song, yet people also warmed up to the idea of this British band succeeding with an American standard. This even surprised Capitol. Meet The Beatles! was built on the originals of with the beatles and the only cover they put on it was "'Til There Was You" because why would Americans want to hear American songs done by British musicians? The success of the Canadian "Roll Over Beethoven" 45 convinced Capitol that people would love to hear the Beatles no matter what song they do, so The Beatles' Second Album was built on the remaining covers. The front even advertised "Roll Over Beethoven" along with "She Loves You" as the hits on the album!

#26: Please Mr. Postman

Written by: Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Brian Holland, Robert Bateman & Freddie Gorman
Released: November 22nd, 1963
Appears on: with the beatles
Lead vocal: John

It took a while for the Beatles to shed their girl-group infatuation (see "Chains", "Boys" and "Baby It's You"), but I think we're all thankful that they kicked that bucket after with the beatles.

"Please Mr. Postman" was recorded by The Marvelettes and became the first number one record for Motown (although still Tamla at the time). The original speaks for itself and is a piece of pure rock 'n' roll heaven (it can be found here).

Of course, the Beatles give a fairly good performance of it, but this is one of those rare cases where the Beatles did not really better the song. It's a nice little corner of the album and just a case of the boys performing a favorite song of theirs, but there are better covers on with the beatles.

#25: 'Til There Was You

Written by: Meredith Wilson
Released: November 22nd, 1963
Appears on: with the beatles
Lead vocal: Paul

Paul's performance of Meredith Wilson's show tune from The Music Man is one of those that just pull at everything you've got. It's touching and sentimental and so perfect. It's not only his vocal (since we've been forgiving him for 46 years of hearing "sawr", I think we can go a few more), but George gives this mind-blowing guitar performance that just blows anything he had done prior out of the water. Anybody who says that George wasn't that great just has to listen to his solo to be proven wrong.

The Beatles constantly brought out "'Til There Was You" as the example of their versatility. Please Please Me had "A Taste Of Honey", but "'Til There Was You" became the favorite. In fact, it is the only cover from with the beatles that Capitol chose to issue on Meet The Beatles! and it was performed during the 1964 world tour.

There are two very famous performances of "'Til There Was You" by The Beatles. The first was at the Royal Command Variety show on November 4, 1963. There, Paul introduces the song as a slower number by one of their favorite American 'groups' - Sophie Tucker!

The second big performance was during the first Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. The funny thing about that is that their names appear on the screen and John's shows "sorry girls - he's married!".

Paul performed the song on his US 2006 tour, which had actually been the first time he did it on stage since doing it with the Beatles in 1964.

#15: Twist And Shout

Written by: Bert Russell & Phil Medley
Released: March 22nd, 1963
Appears on: Please Please Me
Lead vocal: John

The Top Notes.
Ever heard of these guys? No? Well, I didn't think so. They recorded the first version of "Twist And Shout" and it bombed for them. The single was terribly produced by a young Phil Spector, whose "Wall Of Sound" was in its' infancy and hardly perfected.
The Isely Brothers, though, took the song and ran with it, turning it into a party track, like their previous hit, "Shout!". This is the version The Beatles were probably familiar with and they were able to not only top it, but destroy it.
The story of how "Twist And Shout" was recorded is recounted numerous times and every time I hear it, it gets even more unbelievable. After recording nine songs in a row, the group took a break and drank some milk. Either Neil Aspinall or Mal Evans (I think it was Mal, but just to be safe) saw blood in John's cup - as I mentioned in "There's A Place", John was sick during the sessions. John, though, would not be stopped and the group ran in to record two takes of "Twist And Shout". The version that landed on the album was the first take, since by the time the second take was finished, John couldn't even talk.
How perfect a way is this to close the album? Yes, it is a cover, but today, if you tell people that and they have no idea. The vast majority of people know only of this version, propelled by John Hughes' fantastic 1986 film Ferris Beuller's Day Off (oh come on, it's a fun movie), so it seems that the Beatles reign supreme.
The way the boys play the song is the same way they play the rest of the songs on the album. "Twist And Shout" was a regular in the Cavern shows, and it almost seems like destiny that this song had to close out the record. Seriously, nothing could come after it. The moment where Ringo bangs that last drum has to be the point where the needle lifts off the vinyl. This has to be the part where you have to lean back and realize that what you just listened to is a piece of history: the first Beatles album - the first album by the greatest band ever.

Next up: "From Me To You"!

#13: A Taste Of Honey

Written by: Bobby Scott & Ric Marlow
Released: March 22nd, 1963
Appears on: Please Please Me
Lead vocal: Paul

Whether the Beatles were really trying to span generational boundaries or not is up for debate. They certainly had no need to - if the entire British population of teenage girls bought their records, they were pretty much set - but for some reason they felt a bizarre need to, and it just added to their uniqueness.
"A Taste Of Honey" was written by Scott & Marlow in 1960, and was recorded by Scott as an instrumental. In my research for this entry, I couldn't find any information about the lyrics, except that they are possibly references to the British play A Taste Of Honey. Scott & Marlow must have written the lyrics but chose to debut the song as an instrumental, since they are the only two writers credited. Anyway, vocal versions were subsequently recorded by numerous pop singers and the song quickly became a standard by the time the Beatles recorded it three years later. (After the Beatles, Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass had a #1 hit in 1965 with an instrumental version, heard here.)
Like practically all the songs on the album, this was actually a Cavern Club standard for the boys, so it obviously wasn't George Martin's idea for them to record a song clearly targeted towards the older record buyer. Paul has a perfect voice for these types of songs and it clearly shows here. It makes it hard to realize that this is the same guy heard screaming on the first track.
This is also Paul's last song on the album. Until writing this, I hadn't paid too much attention to the fact that Paul, co-writer of more than half the album, only has a solo lead vocal on four tracks, two of which were previously recorded.