The Beatles’ debut single was released on 5 October 1962. ‘Love Me Do’ reached number 17 in the charts, which was a strong showing for a band’s first release.
Although they re-recorded the single with session drummer Andy White on 11 September, initial copies of the single carried the recording of Love Me Do from their early 4 September session. When EMI came to release the 1963 EP The Beatles’ Hits, it was decided that the version featuring White was best, and the master recording featuring Ringo’s drumming was destroyed.
Sales of Love Me Do/‘PS I Love You’ were strongest in the Liverpool area. There were strong rumours that Brian Epstein bought 10,000 copies of the single to improve its chart ranking. While quite possibly true, these were never proven to be true.
Also on this day...
- 2024: Paul McCartney live: Estadio River Plate, Buenos Aires
- 2023: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Chicago Theatre, Chicago
- 2018: Paul McCartney live: Austin City Limits Music Festival
- 2016: Paul McCartney live: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento
- 2014: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: CenturyLink Center, Omaha
- 2012: Love Me Do at 50: Beatles fans break world singing record in Liverpool
- 2005: Paul McCartney live: Madison Square Garden, New York City
- 2002: Paul McCartney live: Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
- 1999: US album release: Run Devil Run by Paul McCartney
- 1993: Paul McCartney live: Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, Stuttgart
- 1984: US single release: Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him by John Lennon
- 1969: Recording, mixing: Cold Turkey, Don’t Worry Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow) by Plastic Ono Band
- 1968: Recording, mixing: Savoy Truffle, Martha My Dear, Honey Pie, Dear Prudence
- 1963: The Beatles live: Concert Hall, Glasgow
- 1962: The Beatles live: Co-operative Hall, Nuneaton
- 1960: The Beatles live: Kaiserkeller, Hamburg
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
Hello,
It seems that they also played a gig at the Co-op Ballroom in Nuneaton on this date. It’s mentioned, along with an advert for the gig (no date on the advert though) in Pete Chamber’s well researched 2006 book The Beatles – Sent To Coventry and in a BBC Coventry and Warwickshire on-line story from October last year (put Beatles, Nuneaton 1962 into a search engine) The BBC story has at least one inaccuracy though, the cake throwing incident appears to relate to a Rolling Stones gig the following year. Nonetheless, there seems enough evidence that the gig did occur unless you have anything to the contrary.
Steve Beauchampe
My Version Has Love Me Do On Both Sides orange And Yellow Label is it Rare?
Very rare. Parlophome a very valuable misprint!