"Love Me Do" 50 Songs That Shaped The Beatles

'It's as complete and insightful a collection of Beatles influences as ever assembled' Music Week
'The most comprehensive to date' Now Dig This
'It’s discovering the hidden connections of the less obvious selections that makes this such an engrossing proposition' Shindig!Coinciding with half a century since the Beatles made their recorded debut, Fantastic Voyage presents Love Me Do: 50 Songs That Shaped The Beatles, showing the wildly-diverse range of influences which helped shape the musical mindsets of the individuals who turned into the Beatles, the biggest group the world has ever seen.

Apart from the expected rock ‘n’ roll and blues which provided life-changing epithanies for any self-respecting artists coming up in the 1950s, the set crucially examines the less likely outings which would manifest in Beatles songs after they had climbed to fame with their signature beat and ballad sound; music hall, comedy, jazz, girl groups, country, musicals and novelty songs. Compiled and annotated by respected Beatlesologist Spencer Leigh [author of Tomorrow never Knows], the set also underlines the Fabs’ grounding in the classic Tin Pan Alley song writing craft. It would be easy to have filled the set with Elvis, Gene Vincent, Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins, who are here but with one [less obvious] track apiece. Little Richard’s ‘Long Tall Sally’ is essential for the McCartney ‘Oooh’, but it’s the lesser-known rockers such as Vince Taylor who start to make the set a fascinating well-spring of insights into the Beatles’ early motivations and inspirations, which obviously includes the Quarrymen with Lonnie Donegan‘s ’Rock Island Line’. There’s even the Merseysippi Jazz Band, who opened the Cavern in 1957. The influence of McCartney’s bandleader dad Jim is evident in names such as Fats Waller and Fats Domino, and other artists whose songs he’s covered, including Fred Astaire and Peggy Lee, while Ringo’s early immersion in orchestral faves such as Doris Day’s ‘Sentimental Journey’ showed up later in his solo career. The presence of Lita Roxa, Liverpool’s first singing star, is another nice touch, as is Lennon and Harrison’s much-loved George Formby and Peter Sellers, another childhood hero who had been produced by George Martin.

Other names to be found on this multi-faceted collection include the Vipers Skiffle Group, Eddie Cochran, Dickie Bishop & His Sidekicks, the Crickets, Dell-Vikings, Bill Justis, the Quintet Of the Hot Club of France, Slim Whitman, Joe Brown, Tony Sheridan, Barrett Strong, Billy Fury, Roy Young, Drifters, Anthony Newley, the Marvelettes, Shirelles, Cozy Cole, Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, the Crew-Cuts, Nat ‘King’ Cole, Dave Brubeck, Bruce Channel and the Everly Brothers. As both insight into the Beatles’ influences and  rollicking trip back into a lost world of musical fun, frolics and innocence, Love Me Do is a fine way to celebrate the Fab Four’s 50th in slightly more unusual fashion.

trax disc 1:

1. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter - Fats Waller & His Rhythm 2. I Want To Walk You Home - Fats Domino 3. Long Tall Sally - Little Richard 4. Bad Boy - Larry Williams 5. Trouble - Elvis Presley 6. Bésame Mucho (Parts 1 & 2) - The Coasters 7. Sentimental Journey - Doris With Les Brown And His Orchestra Day 8. Chinese Laundry Blues - George Formby 9. Hong Kong Blues - Hoagy Carmichael 10. Little White Lies - Lita Roza 11. Rock Island Line - The Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group 12. Puttin' On The Smile - Peter Sellers 13. Maggie May - The Vipers Skiffle Group 14. No Other Baby - Dickie Bishop & His Sidekicks 15. That’ll Be The Day - The Crickets 16. Come Go With Me - The Del-Vikings 17. Twenty Flight Rock - Eddie Cochran 18. Be-Bop-a-Lula - Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps 19. Guitar Boogie - Arthur (Guitar Boogie) Smith & His Cracker-Jacks 20. Matchbox - Carl Perkins 21. Raunchy - Bill Justis 22. Sweet Georgia Brown - The Quintet Of The Hot Club Of France 23. Beautiful Dreamer - Slim Whitman 24. The Darktown Strutters' Ball - Joe Brown & The Bruvvers 25. My Bonnie (Mein Herz Ist Bei Dir Nur) - Tony Sheridan & The Beat Brothers

trax disc 2:

1. Money (That's What I Want) - Barrett Strong 2. The Hippy Hippy Shake - Chan Romero 3. Rock and Roll Music - Chuck Berry 4. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter - Merseysippi Jazz Band 5. Turn My Back On You - Billy Fury 6. Wendy - Johnny Gentle 7. Right Behind You Baby - Vince Taylor 8. Big Fat Mama - Roy Young 9. Do You Mind - Anthony Newley 10. The Girl Next Door - Mal Perry 11. Save the Last Dance for Me - The Drifters 12. Please Mr Postman - The Marvelettes 13. Linda Lu - Johnny Kidd & The Pirates 14. Baby It's You - The Shirelles 15. Your Cheatin’ Heart - Hank Williams 16. Caribbean - Mitchell Torok 17. Sh-Boom - The Crew Cuts 18. Topsy II - Cozy Cole 19. Cheek to Cheek - Fred Astaire 20. Till There Was You - Peggy Lee 21. Answer Me, My Love - Nat King Cole 22. Bad Penny Blues - Humphrey Lyttelton & His Band 23. Kathy's Waltz - The Dave Brubeck Quartet 24. Cathy's Clown - The Everly Brothers 25. Hey! Baby - Bruce Channel

…served by Gyro1966...