Posted on 02/17/2013 7:25:01 AM PST by the scotsman
'Tony Sheridan, the singer on the first ever singer credited to The Beatles, has died at the age of 72.
Sheridan died in Hamburg, Germany. Details of his death have yet to be released.
On his early 60s recording, Sheridan’s backing band was The Beatles. English-born Sheridan met The Beatles during their first visit to Hamburg in 1960. They would back him at his shows when they first left England before they were famous.
German producer Bert Kaempfert saw them live and suggested they record together. Kaempfert thought Sheridan was the star and placed The Beatles as his backing band on his recordings.
In total, they recorded seven songs together but only two with all four members. (Ringo had not joined the band at this time). John Lennon once said that more than seven songs were recorded but they have never been found.
Of these recordings, ‘My Bonnie’ backed with ‘The Saints’ was released as a single on Polydor Records. The sessions also produced ‘Ain’t She Sweet’ and ‘Cry For A Shadow’, as well as three other songs.'
(Excerpt) Read more at noise11.com ...
Sheridan and The Beatles “My Bonnie”...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZJMjMam9tA&feature=youtube_gdata_player
...goes a long way in explaining your analysis.
Dock of the Bay
In the winter of 1967, Redding again recorded at Stax. One new song was "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", which was written with Cropper while they were staying with their friend, Earl "Speedo" Sims, on a houseboat in Sausalito.[54] Redding was inspired by the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and tried to create a similar sound against the label's wishes. His wife Zelma disliked its atypical melody. However, Redding wanted to expand his musical style...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otis_Redding
When it comes to "feel" and soulful R&B... you can't get much better than Otis. Whatever Jagger does, it can't be confused with genuine R&B.
We got I Love Lucy, and several of the classic sitcoms of the period. To be honest, many of them werent popular, as we found the likes of Ozzie and Harriet or The Andy Griffith Show far too saccharin and cutesy for the British sense of humour.
The favourite then (and remains so) was ‘Bilko’/’The Phil Silvers Show’, which British viewers, critics and comedians loved and still do. It far better suited our cynical sense of humour.
British TV in the 50’s and 60’s showed plenty of US tv, from drama to pop music, cop shows to sci fi.
British TV from the mid 50’s to now, has always shown plenty of US tv, a lot of it primetime (or peaktime as we used to say). Far more than than the reverse.
Oops, the ole memory is failing. You're right, I got the chronology screwed up. The following is the correct according to US album releases, aside from a couple of cover singles (Little Red Rooster and Come On) that had success in the UK:
Englands's Newest Hit Makers
12 X 5
The Rolling Stones, Now! (American version that had "Satisfaction".
I still stand by my point that the Stones had early soul even if a year later and different clubs. Whereas the Beatles were bubble gum in their early days. Even Muddy Waters complimented the Stones on their efforts at Decca Records, so the story goes.
Some, not saying you, can argue all day about what rock n roll is. I know what it is because I started listening to Elvis, Berry, Richard, Jerry Lee, et al at the young age of 5 in 1955. I've watched it progress through the '60's (some good stuff - Motown absolutely); into the '70s's (disco sucked, but Aerosmith and Black Sabbath and soft-rock was cool); into the '80's, which is my favorite decade with all the one hit wonders and into the early '90's.
After that, the music died with the repeat of classic rock riffs/rap/club crap and all the dance contortions that pop singers need to make their music interesting. I'm sure I'm missing some good artists. Problem is...where do I find them?
Me and SO are so happy we grew up in the age of true Rock N' Roll.
Hardly. The Stones are right behind the Beatles with sales, besides Dylan and Elvis and the old Vegas crooners.
The test of time is who wants to listen to who and when. Again, I challenge anyone to give me radio call letters that play the Beatles over the Rolling Stones. Other than wedding receptions, the Beatles music is defunct, while the Stones' classics live on in every jukebox in America and possibly the world.
Just curious, did you ever like Motown as in the Supremes, Temptations, Four Tops, Miracles, etc.?
BTW, I mean no slight to you, I find this Beatles vs Stones debate interesting...always have. So what's your take on Cream or the James Gang?
Actually not. It was a simple sidebar to another poster about how bad Jagger is as a singer. I simply agreed and tried to show him another mediocre musician (Watts) although sometimes does things right. You mistook my reply for being percussion centric. I actually do know something about music than just pounding on drums. I'm also a rhythm guitar player - I know notes, chords and pitch. What I didn't know is the below, and have trouble believing it.
"Dock of the Bay In the winter of 1967, Redding again recorded at Stax. One new song was "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", which was written with Cropper while they were staying with their friend, Earl "Speedo" Sims, on a houseboat in Sausalito.[54] Redding was inspired by the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and tried to create a similar sound against the label's wishes. His wife Zelma disliked its atypical melody. However, Redding wanted to expand his musical style. When it comes to "feel" and soulful R&B... you can't get much better than Otis."
"Whatever Jagger does, it can't be confused with genuine R&B."
Agreed. Redding, Pickett, Gaye, Wilson, Cooke are the originals. My point was that the Stones stayed closer to those roots in their early recordings than the Beatles, who always claimed that was their roots but recorded bubble gum.
"I Want to Hold Your Hand". Please, not even close - reminds me of Bobby Sherman. Love it if you will...it made me want to kick my car radio two lanes over.
You're obviously a child.
Backing Tony would have been a great gig for the Beatles, they could have cornered the German market, which remains strong for Anglo-American bands to this day, and they would not have had to replace Pete Best, nor would they have met Yoko and Linda, who not only killed them figuratively as well as one of them literally, but what’s tragic, insisted on singing out of tune backups on their records.!
RIP.
I stand corrected. Thanks for the info! :)
“The Stones are right behind the Beatles with sales,”
I googled that one. 200 million vs. 1.5 billion seems to be the internet consensus, anyway.
KRTH 101 in Los Angeles plays both Stones and Beatles — but more Beatles. And there’s a weekend FM show here that plays nothing but the Beatles for three hours. I forget the call letters, though.
Love the Motown. But the Beatles “Twist & Shout” is a Motown remake, and I think it’s better. I also think their versions of “Rock ‘N Roll Music” and “Roll Over, Beethoven” are big improvements over Chuck Berry’s.
Also, speaking of underrated, Ringo on drums. And Paul on bass. The Beatles rhythm section played, well, melody, at least on some songs. Like “Come Together.”
I don’t know enough about Cream or the James Gang to comment, so I better just be quiet now.
I was not implying that the Beatles were influenced by I Love Lucy. It’s the fact that the song is mundane and was considered appropriate for a sitcom gag ten years before the Beatles recorded it.
I'm 63 and was rocking to Elvis when I was five years old. I know something about rock n roll being in 3 rock bands. I already admitted that the Beatles did better arrangements, but they are not the band you hear on classic radio stations. Sorry, your boys were pop; the Stones were and always have been rock n roll, plus R&B.
No, "I [don't] Want to Hold Your Hand". I'd rather you be "Under my Thumb". Just joshing...
Okay, we're in the same bracket.
Sorry, your boys were pop; the Stones were and always have been rock n roll, plus R&B.
I don't know exactly what you mean by "pop", but it sounds like your dementia is worse than mine. Sure, for about a year or two (1964-65) the Beatles were the first "boy band" after Brian Epstein cleaned them up for public display, but other than that? You don't know what you missed.
The Beatles cut their teeth covering Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Johnny Burnette, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, etc. The Beatles were also a brawling gang who routinely found themselves spilling blood in bars and on the street. (The Beatles' original bass player, Stu Sutcliffe, died apparently from the effects of a kick to the head.) Lennon once took the stage naked, with a toilet seat from the bathroom wrapped around his neck. I once read an interview with Jagger where he said he and the Stones were in a bar with the Beatles and he admitted to being intimidated - - he said you never knew when the fists were going to start flying.
Anyway, like I said, I'm not sure what your definition of "pop" is, but I am pretty sure 'I Am The Walrus', 'Polythene Pam', 'A Day In The Life', 'Tomorrow Never Knows', 'She Said She Said', 'Strawberry Fields', and 'Revolution', etc., etc., don't qualify.
Look, I love the Stones. I even bought 'Sticky Fingers' on a trip to London in April 1971 and brought it back to the US a week before the LP was released here. I was the star of the neighborhood for a week! By the way I STILL have my 45 collection, and yeah, it's loaded with Beatles and Stones records. And I STILL have 'Their Satanic Majesty's Request' with that old-fashioned 3-D cover, and I STILL have the monoraul Sgt. Pepper's album I traded a Frank Zappa LP for.
So, although I have always been a big fan of both the Beatles and the Stones, I have to laugh at any comparison. The Stones were the reliable workmen who produced a whole lot of truly great stuff; the Beatles were the incomparable geniuses who produced a whole lot of masterpieces.
My opinion, of course.
Also remember, the Stones’ first hit was a cover of The Beatles’ “I Wanna Be Your Man.”
Oh what I would have given to hear the Beatles do a cover of "Cuban Pete."
Wow, got that one wrong.
"KRTH 101 in Los Angeles plays both Stones and Beatles — but more Beatles."
If KRTH is the same as I remember, they play everything even as far back as Jerry Lee or The Platters. It is an oldies station if I remember correctly. That's their thing. Classic rock stations rotate the Stones, Led Zepplin, The Who, and such with little Beatles.
"Love the Motown. But the Beatles “Twist & Shout” is a Motown remake, and I think it’s better. I also think their versions of “Rock ‘N Roll Music” and “Roll Over, Beethoven” are big improvements over Chuck Berry’s."
I agree about "Twist and Shout" (Isly/Ink Brothers?) and "Rock n Roll Music" (Berry). Great covers. But again, they were remakes and when the Beatles first started doing their own stuff, it just didn't compare to the Stones originals at the time. The Beatles were bubble-gum whereas the Stones kept to their R&B roots and writing lyrics that got them kicked off some stations and even the Ed Sullivan show.
"Also, speaking of underrated, Ringo on drums. And Paul on bass. The Beatles rhythm section played, well, melody, at least on some songs. Like “Come Together.”"
Will also agree with Ringo's drums on that one. Interesting absorbing beat. Also, thought they rocked on "Back in the USSR". Again, I admitted that Charlie Watts of the Stones is a one act drummer. But he often has put the right fill in the right songs. Watts is a minimalist - think less is more sometimes. I wish the Stones had a better drummer on certain songs. Not The 80's big hair bands where they were all over the kit just to show would they could do, but just some more.
Again, my point was who gets your foot tapping more and whose original songs are heard and requested more often in niteclubs? And whose songs are backing soundtracks on movies? I've lost track how many times I've heard "Gimme Shelter" in different movies. When's the last time you heard "Day in a Life" or "Come Together" or "Back in the USSR". Being a sound guy, I listen to soundtracks on movies and watch the credits. I've even hear early Stones originals and rarely Beatles.
Yes, the Stones kept writing and producing more catchy songs long after the Beatles broke up, so some could say an unfair comparison.
I will always have "Sympathy For the Devil". If you want to see the Stones in their best form, check out, "Bridges to Babylon" DVD.
Last thought: The guitar and voice intro to "Gimme Shelter" has to be one of the most genius intros in the history of rock. Think I saw it as number 3 or 4 in a survey for rock intros. I could live on that song alone - I never grow tired of it. As the Stones say, "It's Only Rock n Roll, But I Like It". Or as Joan Jett says, "I Love Rock n Roll...".
"It was a throwaway. The only two versions of the song were Ringo and the Rolling Stones. That shows how much importance we put on it: We weren't going to give them anything great, right?" - John Lennon (1980)
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