THE BEATLES/THE BEATLES´ FIRST! SLPHM 237632 (-64) STEREO GERMANY

 

 German compilation consisting of tracks recorded in Hamburg 1961, produced by Bert Kaempfert (for more background check Tony Sheridan's liner notes below).  Some had shown up on the 1962 Tony Sheridan And The Beat Brothers LP "My Bonnie", some had been released on singles and a couple then previously unreleased. So not a reissue per se, but the first album collecting a large part of The Beatles premiere recordings and as such I guess important for any Beatles collector. At the time the band included Pete Best on drums and I've also seen claims that Stuart Sutcliffe participated on some tracks, but need more facts on that. Even if Tony Sheridan was a good singer and the track choice very ok for its time it's ineluctable not to concentrate more on Beatles efforts here. The record takes off with two pure Beatles cuts - "Ain't She Sweet" with vocals by John Lennon and the instrumental "Cry For A Shadow", the rest is their instrumental backing to each song together with occational background quires.  So in a way more a Tony Sheridan record than a Beatle one, but for a Fab Four fan like me still very enjoyable and a must-have. Apart from the enhanced mono "Cry For A Shadow" all cuts here are true stereo and the audio tophole - loud and clear. Issued and reissued on every possible format all over the world through the years with differing sleeve designs, with or without bonus tracks. I can't count them all. 1964 releases also in Italy, Spain, Japan and Downunder. First UK 1967 on Polydor (236201). First US 1970 on Polydor (24-4504) as "The Beatles Featuring Tony Sheridan - In The Beginning (circa 1960)". Premiere German had label as shown here in a fully laminated cover.  (GÖXÄ*)  (BÄ*)  (LGÅ*)