Beatles, Please Come Back
Celebrating this week's anniversary by digging into the wealth of Beatles cash-in singles from 1964
Hey readers - welcome to another edition of New Dimensions! As I’m sure you know by the amount of FB posts and articles online you’ve seen, today marks the sixty-first anniversary of the Beatles invading the American TV airwaves by way of their debut on the Ed Sullivan Show.
I’ve long been a fan (fine, obsessive collector) of all the myriad Beatles-exploito records released that year, and in many cases, immediately after pandemonium swept the nation, in order to fleece (err, I mean, entertain) buyers and fans delirious of all things Beatle. That also includes all the Beatles tribute records, answer records, pontificating records, instrumentals, novelty and even anti-Beatle records (yikes!)
Mixed in with the dreadful and the cornpone are some stunners, and I thought I’d take the moment to highlight some of my faves - and hopefully you’ll dig ‘em too and get the Beatlemania fever that’s going around!
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The Fondettes - The Beatles Are In Town (Arhoolie, 1964)
Let’s kick things off with one of the oddest Beatle-inspired singles to come out in the year of the Invasion…just because of what label put it out. When Arhoolie Records comes to mind, you’re more likely to think of down home blues, Louisiana cajun music and tejano than a blatantly rock ‘n’ roll-inspired cash-in single. It’s the anthesis of everything label founder Chris Strachwitz seemingly stood for. Granted, he did enjoy early rock ‘n’ roll and rhythm and blues, but releasing a quick cash grab to catch in on the Beatles bandwagon seems incongruous for the Arhoolie ethos. But if you look closer on the label, you’ll see in black type ‘a custom demo release’ boldly printed, which gives us listeners a clue. It seems likely that Strachwitz simply released the single as a custom pressing for the group, which was a trio of (teenage sounding) girls. Songwriter Norma Jean Johnson’s ode to the Fab foursome is gloriously genuine in the best way, with the girls more shouting than singing in places. To make things odder, the flip side is by bluesman Johnny Hartsman, which has absolutely nothing to do with the Beatles at all! The only underlying connection being that Johnson co-wrote the tune. Still, don’t miss the flip, which is one of the coolest and rawest girl group odes to the Beatles. Yeah Yeah Yeaaaaaaaaaaah……
The Four Preps - A Letter to the Beatles (Capitol, 2/1964)
Despite the fact that they shared a label with the Beatles, the Four Preps were as far away from rock ‘n’ roll as you could get. Known for their smooth four-part harmonies, the group also had a knack for catchy novelty tunes, which shines on the single. Recounting a jealous guy’s girl who kept sending away for a letter from the fabs, the crisp arrangement and tight vocals make for a genuinely fun disc. And in related rock trivia, Preps member Ed Cobb would soon leave the group to focus on production work for Tower Records, producing garage ‘n’ psych faves the Chocolate Watchband and the Standells, whom would share Billboard chart space with the Beatles soon enough!
The Beatle-Ettes - Only Seventeen (Jubilee, 2/1964)
In the mad rush for all things Beatles, NYC disker Jubilee Records rushed a group of unknown girl singers into the studio to sing an ode to everyone’s favorite band at the time. I’ve got absolutely no clue who the Beatle-Ettes were, but producer George Morton would soon go to fame as the studio whiz behind the Shangri-Las records (as well as writing many of their best-loved tunes). The Beatle-Ettes single, rush-released in February of ‘64, just may be his first studio credit. (and before you ask, the Beatle-Ettes are not the Shangri-Las!)
The Hi-Riders - Stamp Out The Beatles (unreleased, 6/1964)
Not everyone was joining in Beatle fever, as can be found by the Hi-Riders pleas to send the Beatles back to England and offers to ‘shave their heads’! The Hi-Riders were reportedly the rock/pop group the Sunliners, moonlighting for this single, which was never released (thought it would have been on Scepter).
Gigi Parker and the Lonelies - Beatles Please Come Back (MGM, 3/1964)
Wrapping up this post with what may be my favorite Beatles tribute record from the winter of 1964. With gorgeous girl group harmonies and a most perfect fuzz solo, this single checks all the boxes for me. Parker and Co. never released any other records, but their pleas didn’t go unheeded, as the Beatles would soon be back in the U.S.A. that year quickly enough…
