Andy White Interview - 11th September 1962: Love Me Do by The Beatles
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- Опубліковано 11 лип 2024
- Exclusive interview with Andy White, the session drummer who recorded The Beatles' first single. Love Me Do by The Beatles had been recorded in June 1962 with Pete Best, but when they returned to EMI Studios on 4th September, they had Ringo Starr on drums.
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00:00 Introduction
02:08 Andy White Overview
04:28 The Interview with Andy White
George Martin wasn't impressed with Ringo and so when it came to making the record the following on 11th September, it was session drummer Andy White who played the drums.
In that session, John, Paul, George, and Andy recorded "Love Me Do", "PS I Love You" and a version of "Please Please Me", with Ringo playing tambourine.
What really happened during those two sessions? With first-hand testimony from Andy White in an interview with David Bedford, they look at that session on 11th September that produced The Beatles' first single, Love Me Do.
Andy was my uncle. Thanks for posting this, it's great to hear his voice. I've not heard a bunch of this
Oh how wonderful. He was a lovely man and I enjoyed chatting to him so much. I have never heard a bad word said about him, which is very rare! Glad you could enjoy it. Can you download it or would you like me to send you the audio file? David
I don't know how to download it, if you could send it I would love to send it to my family! It's interesting how much I've learned about his music after he died. He didn't talk much about his music career, we mostly talked about family and golf! But he still practiced relentlessly in his last years.
@@BrightmoonLiverpoolyou don't have any other recordings of him do you?
@Bradzitzner No sorry, just the one interview I did with him.
Did your uncle only play on Love Me Do and P.S I Love You? Or did he secretly play on more, like Bernard Prudie?
I'm so proud of our City Of Liverpool and her people. I was born in L8 and I remain to live here L17 Area. ❤💙. Ringo Starr 🍏
I grew up in the Dingle too and emigrated to L18!! David
Great interview David some very interesting stories and facts , I've learned new stuff off this podcast a terrific listen mate really enjoyed it ! 👍👍🎸😎🎸BB 👍45
A pleasure BB - he was fascinating to talk with. Lovely guy.
I had no idea about Please Please Me! My rule of thumb for Love Me Do has always been: if you hear a tambourine, Ringo's not drumming.
That's the one for Love Me Do! I think that although Andy reckoned it was him on Please Please Me, Ringo did another session after this one and it was him on the released version.
Ah! But two versions of Love Me Do are out there: one with Andy White and one with Ringo. One's on the LP and one's on the single, right?
@Susan-gr2xd That's right. Ringo's version sans tambourine on the UK single, then Andy White's with Ringo on tambourine.
Plus the version with Pete Best from June 62. And if you want real trivia, Jimmie Nicol recorded a version of Love Me Do as a session drummer in early 64! So that is 4 versions!! 🙂
Why did Jimmie Nicol record that? Was it with the Beatles? Or was it another band?
It was for a label called Top Six. Because not everybody could afford 45s, they got session musicians together and recorded soundalike versions of the top songs. Who was top in early 64? The Beatles! Jimmie was the session drummer used for those recordings, which helped when he joined The Beatles last minute, because he already knew most of the songs.
Sorry guys. But you got it wrong. George Martin was perfectly happy with the Ringo Love Me Do version.
What happened was this: The Beatles comes to Abbey Road with a new drummer (Ringo). They recorded How Do You Do It and Love Me Do at that session. Both with Ringo. The composer of How Do You Do It hated their version of it. And The Beatles hated the song. So they were down to one releasable track. Ringo also had a bit nerves on this session, so to ensure a smooth session when they came down to record PS I Love You, Ron Richards (not George Martin) hired a session drummer. The Andy White version of Love Me Do was only recorded because they had time to spare.
Crucially George Martin selected the RINGO version of Love Me Do for the single, and it was this version that got into the british charts (and stayed there for months).
George Martin would not have selected this version, if he disliked the performance.
Sorry, but I'm not sure where you got your information from, but it is incorrect unfortunately, according to George Martin, Ringo, and Paul McCartney. They rushed through a version of Please Please Me on 11th September as they had spare time, but on 4th September, they recorded about 17 takes of Love Me Do, from which George Martin made an acetate. When he listened to it, with Ron Richards, they both agreed that it wasntgood enough for the single. Because of that, George Martin stuck with his original plan to use a session drummer, and so Andy White was called in, following the 4th September session. It was decided that White's version was the best one, and planned to release it. By some error,Ringo's version was released. When it came to the album and subsequent releases, it was Andy White's version that was used. To make sure it didn't happen again, they destroyed the master of Ringo's version in 1963, only keeping Andy White's version. These are all historical facts, as attested by all the eyewitnesses and the records from the time.
@@BrightmoonLiverpool I got my info from Mark Leeisohns Tune In. Where did you get yours?
Lewisohn clearly states that the ONLY objective of the september 11 session, was to record PS I Love You.
The Ringo version of Love Me Do had already been chosen as the b side to How Do You Do It. It was simply promoted to A side when How Do You Do It fell by the wayside.
According to Ron Richards (!) the recording of PS I Love You was done in ten takes, then they tried their hand at Please Please Me. AND ONLY THEN, with the session coming to an end, they tried a couple of takes of Love Me Do as an afterthought. Again: ACCORDING TO RON RICHARDS himself.
Issuing the Ringo version of Love Me Do was no error, it was the version George Martin had selected for release.
Read the entries in the extended version of Tune In.
Lewisohn did extensive interviews with Ron Richards and George Martin.
I know those interviews well, but they have been carefully selected. When you look at all of the interviews with George Martin, Ron Richards, Geoff Emerick, Norman Smith plus The Beatles, then you get the real story of the session - I am especially quoting Paul McCartney in Anthology and The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (with Mark Lewisohn and Paul).: This is an excerpt from my book, "Finding the Fourth Beatle", where I analysed the sessions carefully.
THis is from 4th September 1962:
When they had finished, there was still a problem: and again it was with The Beatles’ drummer, which might have explained why it took 15 attempts to record “Love Me Do”. Paul explained what happened. “Horror of horrors! George Martin didn’t like Ringo. Ringo at that point was not that steady on time.” Were they in a better place than with Pete? “Now he (Ringo) is rock steady,” added Paul thirty years later, “it’s always been his greatest attribute. But to George he was not as pinpoint as a session guy would be. So, Ringo got blown off the first record.” (Anthology)
Norman Smith remembers the session too. “They started to do ‘Love Me Do’ again, this time with George Martin.” Smith looked back at the session from June, and the problem again was the drummer. “Ringo Starr’s drumming did not impress. And so Ringo was taken off and replaced by a session drummer.” (TV The Beatles UCAP - The Early Years, 2014)
Paul then confirmed that a conversation took place, without Ringo, where George Martin told them they were going to bring in the session drummer for the final recording session. “George (Martin) did the ‘Can I see you for a moment, boys?’ ‘Yeah?’ ‘Um… without Ringo.’ He said, ‘I would like to bring another drummer in for this record.’ George got his way and Ringo didn’t drum on the first single.” (Anthology) Norman Smith also remembered: “I’ve a feeling that Paul wasn’t too happy with Ringo’s drumming, and felt that it could be better. He didn’t make too good a job of it. I remember too that there was a fair bit of editing to be done.” (Recording Sessions)
Geoff Emerick remembers the problems that The Beatles had with the recording of “Love Me Do”. “The Beatles seemed to have a lot of trouble getting this one (“Love Me Do”) right, though,” he said, noting that they obviously hadn’t rehearsed it as much as the other song. “Ringo was having difficulty maintaining a steady beat,” he said, and more telling, there was dissention in the group, as “Paul was starting get annoyed with him.” After they had finished each take, they were hoping it was good enough for George Martin. However, Emerick witnessed the conversations between George Martin and Norman, where Martin criticized Ringo’s “unsteady drumming.” When the session was finally over, George Martin appeared to be frustrated, as he called a halt to the evening’s activities, “not even bothering to invite the group up to the control room for a playback.” The day wasn’t over for Norman Smith, as there was still editing and mixing to be done. Even though the Beatles had played live, the instruments and vocals were recorded on separate tracks, which allowed Smith to balance the track and “also add echo and make minor changes to the tonal quality.” (Here There) Smith then turned to Emerick to discuss the session. Smith said, “George has decided to bring in a session drummer when they come in again next week, so we shouldn’t have those problems again.”
4th September wasn't a recording session, it was a chance to catch up on what George Martin had asked them to do over the summer, especially "How Do You Do It". He had given advice on Love Me Do too. Nobody had told George Martin about changing drummers either.
You have to consider all of the available information, which is what I have done.
@@BrightmoonLiverpool
The problem is, after all these years peoples memories are blurred. I mean; if one can state that Ringo is not on the single version, despite the fact that he is, then your memory perhaps not really to be trusted.
I am not arguing that Ringos nerves led him to have a mad moment. And playing Love Me Do as an instrumental must have been difficult, the structure is actually a bit difficult if you take the vocals away.
The fact that stands however is;
The Ringo take was marked for release from the get go.
They weren’t scheduled to record Love Me Do with Andy White.
There is nothing in the quotes you bring forward that contradicts that they were only there to record PS I Love You, and that it was PS I Love You they were talking about when they talk sbout bringing in a session drummer. There is no talk at all about having them redo Love Me Do. Only that Ringo didn’t comvince them, and they would use a session drummer for the next recording WHICH WAS THE MISSING B-SIDE.
(Not capitalising to shout! Just because this is the crucial point that confuses many).
The difference between Ringo Starr"s version and Andy White's version is that Andy played more solidly and assertively.
Like Andy White said, he locked his Bass Drum to Paul McCartney's Bass.
Yes, it is brighter and sharper, definitely.
i wish the beatles had hired andy white when ringo was out with tonsilitis.instead of jimmy nicole.his drumwork on love me do and p.s. i love you are awesome.
Given that it was really short notice, the chances would have been that White was already fully booked up.
Jimmie Nicol was a great drummer too.
@@BrightmoonLiverpool i dont think he was. i watched some of the footage with him.
@@martinfenton1275 Apparently Andy White was in USA playing with Marlene Dietrich and Burt Baccarach at that time.
Don't believe there's any argument about Andy playing on P.S. I Love You. And you have to admit that song just flows so smooth & sweetly. Not putting down Ringo, but Andy's drumming pulls that song along, always forward. Ringo, though, is definitely needed for songs like Tomorrow Never Knows and Helter Skelter, among others.
Andy brought that professionalism to be able to learn the song quickly and produce such a great performance. That is why he was in such demand.
Ringo learned and created many great masterpieces later on which set him apart.
There was an article on the web many years ago that argued that the reason that the Pete Best versions of P.S.I Love You and Ask Me Why recorded with Besame Mucho and the first Love Me Do on June 6th didn’t appear on the Anthology because George Martin had already used them for the b-sides of Love Me Do and Please Please Me.
Well that's what you get for reading duff information on the internet. Pete Best's versions were absolutely hopeless and NEVER issued commercially ( Though according to Lewisohn sample lacquer discs were cut). And why would they release a single with a drum part by a member who was long since sacked. It's Andy White on PS I Love You and Love Me Do recorded on Sept 11th 1962. And Ringo on Please Please Me ( Despite what White claimed) and Ask Me Why recorded on Nov 26th 1962.
Andy Whites version is on Anthology 1 and not the same.
I didn’t say I believed it,I was just informing that it was out there.
They were mistaken. The acetate with the demo of those songs with Pete was thought to be lost but was found a number of years ago. It was Andy White's version of PS I LOVE YOU on the bside of Ringo's Love Me Do, and Andy's version of Love Me Do on every release after that.
David, the original Red Parlophone label Single issue of "Love Me Do" featured Ringo Starr on Drums.
The "B" Side "P.S. I Love You" featured Andy White on Drums and Ringo on Maracas.
The Single was re-issued without the Red Parlophone label a little later and the Andy White replaced the Ringo version!
The Andy White version has always been featured on the Please Please Me album.
The Andy White version of "Please Please Me" doesn't feature John Lennon's Harmonica. George plays the Harmonica part, badly by the way, instead.
It was first released on the Anthology 1 release.
Andy White played on the "B" Side "P.S. I Love You" while Ringo played Maracas.
He did. A great maraccas player!!
@@BrightmoonLiverpool In my opinion, Ringo Starr's gift was that he was an intuitive musician. He listened intently to what was going on musically in the studio and adapted to it and added to it.
He looks like Connery Bond in the tux pic…..the close-to-Glasgow accent sounds a bit like him too!
Such a great guy too.
What was the date of this 2012 interview?
(Andy died in 2015.)
Thanks in advance.
#mrchristophertv
Yes, I do think Andy White is the drummer on the released version of Please Please Me.
I have wondered about this and did some digging. I think that although Andy reckoned it was him on Please Please Me, Ringo did another session after this one, and it was him on the released version, even if Ringo copied what Andy White had done.
Well you can think that all you like but you'd be wrong.Andy Whites version is on the first Anthology and not the same performance at all.
Definitely ...the drumming is too good ...sorry Ringo ..
David when did The Beatles return to the studio for Ringo to record Please Please Me after Andy White did a version?
It was released 20 Feb 1963 - a full *five months* after being first recorded. I recall Andy White on a Yutube vid saying that he could tell the Please Please Me single released was him on it as he could easily tell the difference. He said his Ludwig kit sounded different to Ringo's battered Premier kit. Also a slightly different drumming technique. He said Ringo appeared impressed with his drum kit so bought one. Ringo bought his Ludwig kit in April 1963 - seven months after meeting Andy White at Abbey Rd. No coincidence he chose Ludwig, a little known US brand.
Andy told me it was him on the record, but records show that the Beatles returned to the studio on 26th November 1962 and recorded Please Please Me - Ringo did what Andy White had done.
@@BrightmoonLiverpool
EMI could have mixed them up, as they tended to do, issuing Andy's by mistake. Just a thought.
@@johnburns4017 I think that there are variations in the arrangement, though I am not completely convinced by that either. Anything is possible!
Yea but Ringos battered premier kit ...sounded great on the rest of the album ...in fact that first albums drums throughout sound better than any of their other albums ..
Ps thats12inc not 22
I have the 22inc hit of all 3 version plus b side bonus white s with ringo ringos and bests with the early skip beat ps the early German 45 was a hit in Australia the BeeGees drumer copied best his stuff with lee cutish all stars n pete best combo did well down under cheak it out ❤❤
Thanks Gary, I will.