The Best Beatles Cover Songs
The Beatles rocking out at the Cavern 1962
How Many?
The Beatles officially recorded and released 25 cover songs during their career - including Maggie Mae. Some of these we now associate more with The Beatles than the original artists (step forward Twist and Shout).
Other covers? The BBC radio sessions were available on bootlegs (Swingin’ Pig anyone?) before they were eventually released in the 1990’s. These recordings brought many more covers into the public domain. In the main, they’re inferior to the official Parlaphone studio recordings with just the novelty of new Beatles songs hiding the diminution in quality.
Following on from the Beatles at the Beeb, Apple released the Anthology Series in the mid 90’s which included many more cover versions. Again, whilst interesting, they don’t really add up to much though I do like the rawness of Shout from ‘Around the Beatles’ and the live Swedish version of You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me.
Of course there’s the Decca audition tape which, frankly, isn’t great. Like Dick Rowe, I’d have booted them out too. It wasn’t their time.
So, we’re left with covers from Please Please Me, With the Beatles, The Long Tall Sally EP, Beatles for Sale, Help! and, er, Bad Boy. I think - and this is my blog so what I think is important - the quality of the covers deteriorated between 1963-5. What was a vibrant part of their club and stage act became, by 64/65, merely stale fillers for when the Lennon-McCartney song factory ran dry.
So here are my top ten Beatles covers.
Twist & Shout
How could any list not include this? A whole mythology has arisen just on the recording of this very song. Recorded at the end of a full day laying down their Please Please Me album, we have Lennon, stripped to the waist, bellowing his lungs out like his life depended on it, screaming his way into immortality. The Lennon scream is a thing of beauty employed throughout the Beatles career but never more so than here. Although the instrumentation is standard 1963 chug-a-lug, the roar they created invented heavy rock.
It is now THE definitive version. Who are the Isley Brothers you might ask?
Bad Boy
Overlooked in the UK until put on the Beatles rock n’ roll albums in the 1970’s, Bad Boy is another demonstration of the Lennon yell. This is far superior to the other Larry Williams cover recorded on the same night, Dizzy Miss Lizzie which loses its charm after about two minutes. Bad Boy though, is well recorded, with a rocky background of a group well used to the studio. Even Harrison’s signature repetitive guitar licks don’t annoy too much. In short; a song that is proof - if it were even needed - that John Lennon possessed one of rock’s greatest voices. He really goes for it on this track.
Long Tall Sally
Anything John can do, Paul can do too! Like Twist and Shout, this was recorded in one take. This blistering cover of the Little Richard stable, is a two minute lesson in what rock sounds like. Featuring George Martin on piano, the Beatles lock into that rock n’ roll groove that barrels through this classic going punch to punch with the original. Ending their concerts, the Beatles had a choice now for which screamer to leave their audience’s panties wet.
Baby It’s You
My personal favourite. The Beatles do Bacharach and David. The sha-la-la backing vocals and the sombre playing all lead up to Lennon’s cri de coeur ‘can’t help myself / don’t want nobody, nobody’ howl that finishes each phrase. Seriously, is there a better singer for the dramatic highs and lows than John? We may explore this factor again. Shite instrumental though with a weedy guitar solo allied with some unwelcome cheesy organ. No. No.
You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me
Yeah, John again, leading the group through a muscular version of the Smokey Robinson classic. The second time he sings ‘You’ve really got a hold on me’ where his voice splits up to a falsetto is cut out and keep moment in rock history. George’s undercard harmonies also rate a mention. Solipsistic note: One of my groups used to play this in Brighton in the early 90’s. Always went down well, even when the singer (me) used to provocatively unbutton his two tone Burton’s shirt for the delight of no-one. Read more about my musical misadventures.
Devil in Her Heart
My parents owned two Beatles LPs - With the Beatles and Rubber Soul. Years after they gathered dust, I discovered them in the 70’s and used to play them all the way through again and again. Devil in Her Heart, was always - and still is - a favourite. George takes lead but the vocals are amp’d up by the block call and response harmonies from John and Paul (in the same way they would do to mask Ringo’s atonal renderings). I think though it’s the staccato ‘she’s got the devil in her heart’ which captured and holds my attention. I also remember watching it in the God awful Dick Van Dyke Beatles cartoons.
Leave My Kitten Alone
Left off the Beatles For Sale album - why? - this track was finally officially released in the 90’s Anthology series (though I’d had the bootleg for years). It’s marked by an aggressive Lennon vocal. When he sings he’s going to hit the bulldog on the top of his head, you know John really means it as he snarls the line out like someone just spilled his pint at closing time in some Liverpool dive.
Please Mister Postman
With due deference to the Carpenters, this is the definitive version. Another great John vocal - back then he seemed to sing each song as though his life depended on it. But it’s the enthusiastic backing of Paul and George that really push this song to the next level. There’s a great version in the under rated 90’s movie Backbeat.
Money (That’s What I Want)
The blistering end to the With the Beatles album. Kind of a bookend with Twist and Shout finishing off the previous LP. Roaring John. Tick. Great Paul and George backing. Cranked up by George Michael’s piano. Yes. All the elements were there for a rocking Beatles track, a stellar cover version and some great memories blasting this out through my parents tinny speakers rotating the knob all the way to 10.
Annie (Go to Him)
Shit! Another Lennon scorcher. I guess I have a bias for him either screaming to rock tunes or belting out big ballads. Well, my blog, my rules (you can obviously comment below if you disagree). The emotional, and musical highlight, is when Lennon goes into the big notes on the “All of my life” parts. He really means it man and I guess that’s the clue; whether singing a ballad or a rabble rousing rocker, John seems authentic. He is living the story and you feel it
Honorable Mentions
Ones that nearly made it. Soldier of Love, To Know Her is to Love Her, Some Other Guy from the Beatles at the Beeb. All fine tracks and good performances. Some Other Guy certainly rocks along in the live setting with a particular prominent bass which is missing on the official recordings. Maybe Roll Over Beethoven which is quite spirited. Actually the latter song, I always quite liked the much reviled Hollywood Bowl recording with Paul handling the harmonies.
Nothing from Help! or Beatles for Sale? No, not really into their country and western incarnation. Usually a vehicle for Ringo to monotone his way through a song. Even the rockers are a bit so-so in my view. Kansas City Hey Hey Hey, Rock n Roll Music seem a bit… What’s the word? Inessential.
More Beatles?
Do you want to read more? What about The Best Beatles Album Tracks? Or, it’s obverse, The Worst Beatles Album Tracks?
Or go full for the full Monty of music reviews? Try a Taylor Swift live review maybe?
