The Beatles
The Early Tapes

THE REVIEW

We are at the end of the 1950s, in the full exaltation of Rock'n'Roll. During this time, bands didn't have the importance they would gain in the future, but only the "privilege" of supporting more or less well-known singers at a local level.

Among the most "reliable" is a certain Tony Sheridan, who limits himself to imitating (vocally, of course...) the most prominent idol of the moment... namely the King of Rock'n'Roll Elvis Presley. Tony needs a backing band for his performances and hires one of the best bands from Liverpool... the Beatles. For John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Pete Best, it's a breath of fresh air after the exhausting nights spent playing in Hamburg clubs. The five guys have already played for solo singers in the past, but Tony is the most important because they will record a single with him: "My Bonnie". The aforementioned track and other performances will be included in many compilations, and this one I'm talking about is one of those many.

As already mentioned, the Beatles are five (Ringo is with another band "Rory Storm & The Hurricanes" but that's another story...), but as you can see on the cover, they are depicted as three, the main Beatles. The photo was taken by Astrid Kirchherr, the group's "personal" photographer during the Hamburg period (and beyond), as well as Stuart Sutcliffe's girlfriend. It starts with "Ain't She Sweet" played solely by the band without Sheridan, where the charismatic Lennon is the leader, a very lively track... all based on the same chorus... but overall a very engaging song. "Cry For Shadow" is an instrumental track by Harrison/Lennon (strange, later John's compositional partner would only and always be McCartney!), in my opinion, the gem of this compilation. The beginning is characterized by electric guitar chords, giving us the impression that this is not the usual Rock'n'Roll piece... a subtle snare roll and the lead guitar opens the dance definitely. The entire piece is characterized by the sublime phrasing of the lead guitar, which repeats every time after being initiated by the chords of the other guitar... tireless.

"When The Saints Go Marching In" is the first track with Sheridan on vocals that we encounter. As previously mentioned, Sheridan vocally draws a lot of inspiration from Elvis... well, this track is the irrefutable proof! "Why" is the classic tear-jerker piece to dedicate to your beloved in pure '50s style, the chorus is interesting, transforming the song into light Rock. "If You Love Me, Baby", an engaging and sensual Rock'n'Roll/Blues also sung in the manner of Elvis. "What'd I Say" is a very particular track due to its similarity to the song "Boys"... the one sung by Ringo on the Fab Four's first LP "Please Please Me," and because the band changes its name from Beatles to Beat Brothers, perhaps due to budget needs in clubs (those hiring them didn't like the name "Beatles"). The introductory guitar riff is very interesting. "Sweet Georgia Brown" is a very lively Folk/Rock, with an interesting piano solo in the middle. Also, in this track, you can clearly notice the prominent voices of George Harrison and John Lennon in the chorus. With the next track, "Let's Dance", the group returns to the name "Beat Brothers". The song has a Twist structure, with percussion, keyboards, and guitar harmonizing well together. Here Sheridan is very wild, giving the song extra energy. The ninth track is "Ruby Baby", another song where Sheridan's voice takes on the semblance of Elvis's, accompanied by a precise electric guitar rhythm. Sax is also present in the arrangement. It's time to talk about "My Bonnie". The story goes that one day teenagers entered the record store managed by the future Beatles producer, Brian Epstein, asking for the single "My Bonnie". Brian had never heard of this group, and when he saw more kids asking for it, he decided to find out who these Beatles were. He learned that they played at the "Cavern Club", a venue in Liverpool near his record store, and decided to go see them. After seeing them, he was so enthusiastic that he wanted to be their producer. Well, then you know the rest of the story!
The track starts with Sheridan's delicate singing and a relaxing background chorus, it gives the impression of a Christmas song, then when you least expect it, the electric guitar kicks off a pleasant and fun Rock'n'Roll, maintaining the melodic line from the start. Notably, the guitar solo intertwined with Sheridan's and the Beatles' shouts, with Harrison's unmistakable but not yet fully matured style. Sheridan's countermelody highlights John's shrill voice. It continues with "Nobody's Child", characterized by the electric guitar introduction that very successfully tries to imitate the banjo, but soon becomes very sensual sounding, accompanied by a well-marked bass, Sheridan's voice gets even closer to Elvis. "Ready Teddy" is nothing but a very fun Rock'n'Roll, made more engaging by the Sax arrangement. Followed by "Ya Ya (Parts 1&2)", which has nothing to envy from the previous tracks, except that it's the only live-recorded track in the entire compilation.

It concludes with "Kansas City", which the Beatles themselves will later include in the medley "Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" in the album "Beatles For Sale". Coming to the end, I can only tell you that this CD is easy to find for no more than 5 euros and that it's worth having.
As mentioned before, there are various compilations covering this period of the Beatles, and this is perhaps the least complete.

Here's the Tracklist because I couldn't find it on Free DB:

1) Ain't She Sweet
2) Cry For Shadow
3) When The Saints Go Marching In
4) Why
5) If You Love Me, Baby
6) What'd I Say
7) Sweet Georgia Brown
8) Let's Dance
9) Ruby Baby
10) My Bonnie
11) Nobody's Child
12) Ready Teddy
13) Ya Ya (Parts 1&2)
14) Kansas City

I dedicate this review to George Harrison who a few days ago, if he had been alive, would have turned 63.