It Was 50 Years Ago Today Sergeant Pepper's Band Began To Play

by Robert Wilkinson

Yes, "Love Me Do" was released October 5, 1962, opening the gates for THE BAND that paved the way for countless other bands and changed music forever.

Historically, there are two versions that were released all those years ago. The initial session was released in the UK with Ringo on drums with no tambourine. The American release has a session man on drums and Ringo on tambourine. For some reason, that version is nowhere to be found on you tube. But I did find a version, never released until Anthology, with Pete Best on the drums.

For your enjoyment, the record that began Beatlemania!

Here the Beatles are lip synching the original UK version with Ringo drumming on"Love Me Do"

Here's a version off of Anthology with Pete Best on drums: "Love Me Do."

And for a treat, even though they didn't perform "Love Me Do," I found a clip of the Beatles' first performance on the Ed Sullivan Show where they broke the world wide open. To note, it's less than 500 days from when "Love Me Do" was released. That's a rocket ship to the top! For your enjoyment, the Lads at their early peak! They were really, REALLY good, you know!

The Beatles' First Ed Sullivan Performance.

We'll close with an article from MSNBC that offers 5 interesting pieces of trivia about the song, including the different versions, who drummed on which version, and how Sir Paul was playing hookey when he wrote it.

'Love Me Do' at 50: Five fab facts about the Beatles' first single.

They really were a phenomenon that was unlike anything the world had ever seen or known, and impacted a few million musicians along the way. They changed the rules and sounds of music, and this song began it all. Happy 50 to the tune that opened the door to Beatlemania!

© Copyright 2012 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[Robert]

Hi all - And it was just pointed out that 50 years ago today, "Dr. No" was released in theaters. It was the first James Bond movie, and catapulted Sean Connery into superstardom. The Beatles and Bond. In the early 60s, no one would have thought that 50 years later both franchises would be going strong......