by Stuart Penney
“Which famous 7-inch single had the catalogue number R4949?" asked Bamber Gascoigne, peering over his wire-rimmed spectacles. That question was posed around 1982 on an episode of BBC TV's University Challenge. None of the expensively educated students knew the answer. They didn't have a clue. Even their lucky gonks couldn’t help them. They punted a few wild guesses such as “White Christmas” and “Rock Around the Clock”, but to no avail. They were well and truly flummoxed.
Watching from home I don’t usually get too many University Challenge questions correct, but I do know a bit about records and this one was right up my alley. “It’s ‘Love Me Do’” I declared with an air of smug self-satisfaction. As usual, my moment of triumph was greeted with total indifference from those around me. Nevertheless, for such an esoteric question to be asked on a highbrow mainstream TV quiz show was clear indication of how far the Beatles had permeated mainstream culture.
That was over 40 years ago at a time when the Beatles’ popularity was, by
their standards, going through something of a slump. Since then, the Fab Four
juggernaut has gained new momentum and today their cultural dominance is undisputed and absolute. Not bad for a group that split up almost 60 years ago. I was tempted to say
that perhaps they are now finally “more popular than Jesus” as Lennon predicted
in 1966. But with over 1.6 billion records sold to date, at least two giant
Beatle museums on the way and four (yes, four) individual biopics from Sam Mendes
on the horizon, that day can’t be far away now, surely?
Going back 64 years to where it all started, I’ve long been fascinated
by the Parlophone release sheet from October 1962 pictured here. It lists 11 singles the
label was about to unleash upon the world. The records have consecutive catalogue
numbers from R4947 to R4957, implying they were released simultaneously, but it’s
more likely they appeared over a few weeks during the month. As McCartney would
opine in the 1975 Venus and Mars track “Rock Show”, this list really is like a relic from a different age.
Many names on the list are now long forgotten, as are most of the records. They simply disappeared, taking the hopes and
dreams of the artists along with them. But as we now know, one record would outlive them all.
You don’t need me to tell you that “Love Me Do” (Parlophone 45-R4949)
was the first major label release by the Beatles. They’d previously recorded a
handful of low-key tracks for the German label Polydor. but this was their first shot at the big time. After all, Parlophone was part of EMI,
the self-styled “Greatest Recording Organisation in the World” (it said so on
their record sleeves). As label manager and head producer from 1955 to 1965,
it’s only natural that George Martin’s name looms large on this list and inevitably
he had a hand in many of these records.
Come with me now as we take a deep
dive into the 11 Parlophone singles released on or around that memorable
date of October 5,1962, a day when the earth surely shifted slightly on its
axis. And if you think that’s a little hyperbolic, this piece will hopefully provide a
flavour of what was happening at Parlophone before the Beatles arrived to
conquer all. This is a snapshot of British pop as it was in the early 60s.
Everything would change in 1963.
The Beatles led the British invasion and the world changed from black and white
to colour almost overnight. We had E-Type Jaguars, James Bond, Carnaby Street, great haircuts (for men and women) and that nice JFK in the White House (for a while at least). Best of all, there
was wonderful pop music everywhere. You might say it all started with "Love Me
Do".
It should be noted that these are all 7-inch 45rpm singles. Major label 10-inch shellac 78rpm singles were discontinued in the UK around 1960, and the last Parlophone
78 was probably Adam Faith’s “Poor Me”/“The Reason” (Parlophone R4623) released
on January 15, 1960 (33 months and 326 releases before “Love Me Do”). By 1960 most people were buying the new-fangled vinyl 45s and the
last few UK 78s sold in tiny numbers and are now very rare. Some developing countries
continued making 78s through the 60s of course and Beatles’ 10-inch shellac singles made in India are highly prized collector’s items today.
The “R” prefix on Parlophone
catalogue numbers dates back to 1927 and originally stood for the "Royal
Blue" series, which was introduced to designate the top-price line
featuring special recordings like dance music and jazz (such as foreign imports
or dance recordings). The "R" prefix became standard across
Parlophone's main general pop and light-music 78rpm catalogue and later
transitioned into the standard prefix for 7-inch vinyl singles (usually printed
as 45-R).
The King Brothers
Nicola/Way Down the Mountain
(Parlophone 45-R4947)
Released October 5, 1962
There’s a strong Beatles connection right away with this one. “Nicola” was
written by Steve Race (1921-2009) and named for his daughter who was aged 16 at
the time. It was first released as an instrumental in 1960 as the B-side of Race's single “Inn For Trouble” (Gala GSP 811). After budget label Gala
folded, a second version was released in March 1962, this time with “Nicola” as
the A-side (Parlophone 45-R4894). This recording won Race an Ivor Novello Award
in 1963 for The Year's Outstanding Light Orchestral or Other Non-Vocal
Composition.
As for the King Brothers (Denis, Mike and Tony were actually siblings), the
trio was six years and more than 20 singles into a successful career by late
1962. In 1957 and 1960 they were named “Top Vocal Group” in the NME readers’
poll and in 1956 became the youngest variety act to appear at the London
Palladium. It’s said they were Parlophone’s most successful pre-Beatles group.
Like many British vocal groups of the era they specialised in cover
versions of US hits and their biggest success came in 1960 with the single “Standing
On the Corner” which reached #4 in the UK charts. Written by Frank Loesser for
the 1956 Broadway musical The Most Happy Fella, it was first recorded by
The Four Lads.
With added lyrics by Norman Newell, their vocal recording of “Nicola”
was the King Brothers’ final single for Parlophone, after which they moved
between several different record labels as their popularity waned. They
disbanded in 1970, with Denis King going on to become a prolific writer of TV
themes and incidental music, penning music for countless television series and
films.
Norman Newell (1919-2004) was a successful record producer and lyricist
and was head of EMI’s Columbia records during the 1950s and 60s.
Nicola Race was born in Watford in 1946. The last I heard she was still around and living in North Yorkshire, now in her 80s.
Johnny Angel
Better Luck Next Time/The Power of You (Parlophone
45-R4948)
Released October 1962
Not much is known about Johnny Angel. I couldn’t find his real name and what little we do know is vague and open to debate. It seems he was born in British Guiana* and came to the UK to become a pilot, but a perforated eardrum soon put an end to that ambition. He moved on to writing short stories which in turn led to him penning a calypso (it says here). He was also a member of Joe Brown's original skiffle band, The Spacemen but didn’t record with them.
*Renamed Guyana in 1966 after independence.
Like the other Johnny Angels, his suitably beatific name was no doubt inspired by the 1945 film noir crime-drama starring
George Raft.
In February 1962 his fifth single
“Look, Look, Little Angel” (Parlophone 45-R4875) was one of 12 songs entered in
the BBC’s “Song For Europe” contest to decide which would represent the UK in
the Eurovision Song Contest. Johnny came sixth and didn’t qualify. The winner
was old stager Ronnie Carroll with “Ring-A-Ding Girl” (Philips PB1222).
Eurovision 1962 was ultimately won by France with "Un Premier Amour"
performed by Isabelle Aubret. Ronnie Carroll’s UK entry scored 10 points, coming joint fourth in a tie with Yugoslavia.
Beatles connection: Angel was
signed to Parlophone by George Martin who produced at least some of his
singles. It’s rumoured that he was offered “How Do You Do It” before both the
Beatles and Gerry & the Pacemakers. It's also said that Adam Faith and Brian Poole and the Tremeloes were offered the song around the same time.
This story gains more credence when we
look at the writing credits for “Better Luck Next Time”. “A” label demonstration
copies credit the song to Barry Mason, while red label stock copies (pictured here) list both Barry
Mason AND Mitch Murray. And, as we know, Murray penned “How Do You Do It”. Convincing evidence, I'd say.
Barry Mason and Mitch Murray were massively
successful songwriters with countless hits to their names. But their magic didn’t
rub off on Johnny Angel and, like his other Parlophone singles, “Better Luck
Next Time” sank without trace.
The Beatles
Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You (Parlophone
45-R4949)
Released October 5, 1962
It didn’t set the world on fire, reaching only #17 in the UK in
late 1962 (and it’s rumoured Brian Epstein bought up many of those himself), but “Love
Me Do” absolutely set the scene for the greatness that was to come. And, lest we forget,
it was the biggest seller of all the singles discussed here and one of only two which made the charts.
There are two different recordings
of “Love Me Do”. The original UK single (recorded September 4, 1962) features
Ringo on drums, only weeks after he joined the group. A second version which
ended up on the Please, Please Me album (recorded September 11,
1962), featured session man Andy White on drums with Ringo sidelined on
tambourine.
Confusingly, early red label singles feature the September 4 Ringo take, while later black
label pressings contain the September 11 Andy White album version*. It seems the
master tape of the September 4 take was misplaced for some years.
*EMI streamlined their main UK labels in early 1963 with Parlophone (red), HMV (light blue) and Columbia (green) all receiving a new identical black label design with only the company name (and branded paper sleeves) to distinguish them.
UK white label demonstration copies
had a misprint on the label showing both songs credited to “Lennon/McArtney”
(see below). Red label stock copies corrected this error, reinstating the missing
“C”.
Comically, the photos EMI used on the music press ads for "Love Me Do" (seen above) showed George sporting a black eye, courtesy of a disgruntled Pete Best fan following the drummer's sacking.
In America “Love Me Do” did rather
better than the UK. After a delay of 19 months, it appeared at the end of April
1964 on the short-lived independent label Tollie (T9008). Beatlemania had hit the US by then and “Love Me Do” reached number one, selling more than a
million copies. The Tollie label was a subsidiary of Vee-Jay the company which released several Beatles' records in America before Capitol picked them up. Launched
in February 1964, Tollie closed down in May 1965 after releasing only 48 singles.
In Australia “Love Me Do” was the Beatles’ fifth single released in January 1964 c/w “I Saw Her Standing There” (Parlophone A8105). It reached number one in most Aussie states (there were no national charts down under until late 1966) probably on the strength of the B-side.
“Love Me Do” was re-released in 1982 as a 7”, 12” and 7” picture
disc as part of EMI's Beatles 20th anniversary programme. It re-entered the UK
charts and peaked at #4. The three track 12” single contained both the Andy
White and Ringo versions of the song.
On Wednesday, October 17, 1962, the
Beatles made their first ever television appearance on the Granada TV early evening magazine programme People and Places. Granada was based in Manchester and the show was transmitted only
in the north of England.
They performed “Some Other Guy” and
“Love Me Do” followed by a short interview. This was 12 days after the single
hit the shops and I’m pretty sure it was the first time I ever saw or heard of the Beatles.
Quite by accident I happened to catch People and Places that evening and recall the group was introduced by Bill Grundy (although others claim it was the show’s co-host Gay Byrne). Grundy said something like “Here’s a new group from Liverpool with the unusual name of (checks notes) The Beatles. This is their new record, and it’s called “Love Me Do”. It’s said lightning never strikes the same place twice, but in 1976 Bill Grundy achieved immortality for a second time with his notorious Sex Pistols interview.
Nicky Hilton
Your Nose Is Gonna Grow/You Might Have Love (Parlophone
45-R4950)
Released October 1962
This semi novelty song was originally recorded by US actor/singer Johnny
Crawford who sang it in a curiously high register, hardly surprising since he
was aged only 15 or 16 at the time. A child actor, Crawford appeared in several
popular TV Westerns including The Lone Ranger, The Restless Gun and
Tales of Wells Fargo, but he’s probably best known for starring alongside
Chuck Connors in the ABC TV series The Rifleman.
Crawford’s version of “Your Nose Is Gonna Grow” (Del-Fi 4181) was released
in July 1962 and several cover versions followed within months. Along with Nicky
Hilton, there were recordings by Emile Ford, Christine Quaite and Rob
Robbins. There was even a French language version by Françoise Hardy “Qui Aime
T'il Vraiment”.
16-year-old Nicky Hilton (real name
Raymond Ensor) hailed from Coventry and “Your Nose Is Gonna Grow” was his first release. It was followed
by “I'm Gonna Lock My Heart and Throw Away The Key” (Parlophone 45-R4991) in 1963 and
his final single “Give Us Your Blessing” (Decca F12099) in 1965. None of
them made any impact on the charts and he was never heard from again.
Shane Fenton & the Fentones
Too Young For Sad Memories/You’re Telling Me (Parlophone
45-R4951)
Released October 19, 1962
Two different people used the stage name Shane Fenton. The first was
Johnny Theakston who fronted Mansfield, Nottinghamshire band Shane Fenton and
the Fentones. In 1961 with a BBC radio Saturday Club session booked,
plus an audition with Parlophone records looming, it seemed like success was
beckoning.
Disaster struck when 17-year-old Theakston suddenly fell ill and died.
Enter the Fentones roadie, Bernard Jewry. With Theakston’s mother’s blessing
Jewry took the stage name Shane Fenton and fronted the Fentones from that
point. They were duly signed to Parlophone and recorded nine singles between
1961-64, four of them were moderate hits. In addition, the Fentones released a
pair of Shadows-style instrumental 45s in 1962, both of which crept into
the top 50.
Despite the music press ads wildly claiming it was “Certain For The Charts”, “Too Young For Sad Memories” was Fenton’s first outright flop, which was surprising considering it was written by the great Lionel Bart. It did make the top 20 in Sweden, however.
His final Parlophone single
was “Hey Lulu” (R5131) in May 1964. Little more was heard until 1973 when he
re-invented himself as Alvin Stardust. Shamelessly riding the glam/retro rock
wave, he scored 15 chart singles over the next decade, including seven top 10
hits.
Unusually, Shane Fenton and the Fentones recorded no LPs during their
time together, although compilations later appeared.
Bernard Jewry/Shane Fenton/Alvin Stardust died in October 2014, aged 72.
James Brown and the Famous Flames
Shout and Shimmy/Come Over Here (Parlophone
45-R4952)
Released October 1962
Despite sounding uncannily like the Isley Brothers’ 1959 classic “Shout”, this is perhaps the most important and enduring record
in our list, along with “Love Me Do”, of course. It’s also the only one not
recorded locally.
Prior to 1962 the Parlophone label
was reserved mainly for British acts, with American artists usually (but not
exclusively) handled by EMI’s bigger imprints HMV and Columbia. James Brown
seems to have been the exception which proved that rule.
Before moving across to Decca’s London
label circa 1963 Brown released three singles on Parlophone: “Think”/“You’ve
Got the Power” (R4667), “Night Train”/“Why Does Everything Happen To Me”
(R4922) and “Shout and Shimmy”. All were licensed from Syd Nathan's King Records, a prominent American label based in
Cincinnati, Ohio.
It may have been just his fourth UK
7” (including a 1960 Fontana single “This Old Heart” [H273]), but the prolific
James Brown had already recorded more than 25 US singles by October 1962, all
of them for the King and Federal labels.
Released June 1962 in America,
“Shout and Shimmy” (King 45-5657) reached #61 in the Billboard Hot 100
and #16 Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart. Both tracks were taken from
the July 1962 US compilation album Good, Good Twistin’ With James Brown
(King 780). R4952 didn’t get a sniff of the British charts, of course, and James
Brown wouldn’t start his long run of UK hits until 1965 with “Papa’s Got a Brand
New Bag” (London HL9990).
In 1965 “Shout and Shimmy” was covered
in fine style by The Who as the B-side of their “My Generation” single
(Brunswick 05944).
The Temperance Seven
The Shake/Bye Bye Baby (Parlophone
45-R4953)
Released November 1962
The Temperance Seven were Chelsea
Art School students who had recorded for Decca’s esoteric Argo label before moving to Parlophone. Their
name was suggested by Dougie Gray of fellow comedy/jazz outfit The Alberts.
Since they had nine group members Gray quipped that they were “one over the
eight”, an archaic British term meaning intoxicated, hence the ironic name
“Temperance”.
They
recorded 11 singles and two LPs for Parlophone between 1961-64, including a #1
hit with their 1961 debut “You’re Driving Me Crazy”/“Charley My Boy” (R4757).
Produced by George Martin, it was his very first chart topper (his second was
“Please, Please Me”). They followed this up with the #4 hit “Pasadena”/“Sugar”
(R4781) also produced by George.
By the time “The Shake” was
released the trad jazz revival craze was in decline and the single sank without trace
(although the Bonzo Dog Band, the New Vaudeville Band and others would bring it
back later in the 60s).
Perhaps
the most interesting thing about this record are the songwriters Bill
McGuffie and Max Diamond. A well-known British composer and
pianist, McGuffie was a long-time member of the Joe Loss Band and wrote
numerous film scores, including the 1966 Dr. Who spin-off Daleks' Invasion
Earth 2150 A.D. He also made TV
appearances, notably in the 60s police drama series Softly,
Softly.
Max Diamond wrote several comedy
songs, including “My Boomerang Won’t Come Back” a famously non-PC (even for
1961!) top 20 UK hit for Charlie Drake. It was also produced by George Martin, of
course.
The Temperance Seven dissolved in
the mid-60s but were resurrected a few years later with new personnel. In the
late 60s they were known as The New Temperance Seven with Ted Wood (elder
brother of Ronnie) on vocals.
As late as 2022 a version of the
band was still active, performing dates in the UK and New Zealand.
Matt Monro
My Love and Devotion/By The Way (Parlophone
45-R4954)
Released October 19, 1962
Other than “Love Me Do”, this is the only single in our list which
enjoyed any UK chart success, peaking at #29 in November 1962 and winning Matt
Monro an Ivor Novello Award. It was first recorded by Doris Day who scored a UK
#10 hit with it in 1952. Perry Como covered it the same year, before Matt Monro picked it up a decade later.
The tune
of “My Love and Devotion” is based on the theme from the second movement, “The
Romance”, of “Violin Concerto No. 2, Opus 22” by Polish violin virtuoso and
composer Henryk Wieniawski, which dates from 1862.
Former bus driver and the so-called “British Sinatra” Monro spent a
few years at Decca before George Martin brought him to Parlophone where he enjoyed
instant success, racking up 14 hit singles from 1960-1965. Predictably,
there was a major Beatles connection along the way.
With almost 3,000 different versions
and counting, “Yesterday” is one of the most covered songs in history. But who
recorded it first after the Beatles? It was almost certainly Matt
Monro who released his version (Parlophone R5348) on October 8, 1965, only
weeks after the song initially appeared on the Help! album. Produced by
George Martin, of course, it reached #8 in the UK charts. The second cover was
probably by Marianne Faithfull who released her version (Decca F12268) 12 days
later on October 22.
Houston Wells & the Marksmen
This Song Is Just For You/Paradise (Parlophone
45-R4955)
Released October 1962
The name sounds like it belongs to a US soul outfit, but in fact Houston Wells & the Marksmen was a country music band from Southend-on-Sea. What’s more, all but one of their Parlophone singles were produced by Joe Meek’s R.G.M. Sound Recording, making them very collectable today.
They
scored just one UK chart entry with their third Parlophone single “Only the
Heartaches” (R5031) which reached #22 in August 1963.
Their 1965 final Parlophone 45 “Blue of the Night” (R5226) was a Shel Talmy production. There was also a 1968 single “Teach Me Little Children” (CBS 3572) produced by Tony Reeves who played bass for John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Colosseum and Greenslade.
Ken Jones and his Orchestra
Dodgy Waltz/Blue Daniel (Parlophone
45-R4956)
Released October 1962
I have no proof, but I like to think the title of this one was inspired by TV comedian Norman Vaughan’s catchphrases “Swinging” (thumbs up) and “Dodgy” (thumbs down). Between 1962-65 Vaughan compered the hugely popular ATV show Sunday Night at the London Palladium and his naff catchphrases were repeated endlessly across the land. I’m tempted to say “you had to be there” but even at the time, sides remained resolutely unsplit.
Ken Jones had a long and successful music career. He was band leader for Michael Aspel’s BBC TV talk show, conducted the 1979 UK entry at the Eurovision Song Contest ("Mary Ann" performed by Black Lace) and wrote TV and film music galore.
“Dodgy Waltz” is a prime slab of early 60s jazz/pop easy listening. More
interesting is the punningly-titled B-side. Written by jazz trombonist Frank
Rosilino, “Blue Daniel” was first recorded in 1959 by Shelly Manne & His
Men on the album At the Black Hawke Vol.1. It went on to become a jazz
standard.
Jill Graham
Blow Joe/Mr. Clown (Parlophone
45-R4957)
Released October 1962
Jill Graham was just 18 when she recorded “Blow Joe” the first of her two
singles. She was discovered and co-managed by Dick James, who in February 1963
would become the Beatles music publisher.
First recorded by the “My Boyfriend’s Back” hitmakers The Angels in
early 1962, the unfortunately titled “Blow Joe” was penned by Rudy Clark. He was the songwriter who gave us “If You Gotta Make A Fool of Somebody”, “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His
Kiss)”, “Got My Mind Set on You” and other early 60s classics.
Several of Clark’s songs were recorded by
James Ray, an R&B singer much beloved by the Liverpool groups. In fact, in September 1963 when
George Harrison visited his sister Louise in America, one of the records he
brought back was the 1962 album James Ray (Caprice LP1002).
The Beatles played “If You
Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody” onstage in their early days before
Freddie and the Dreamers took it to #3 in 1963. George himself later covered “Got My Mind
Set on You” on his 1987 Cloud Nine album.
