Remembering When John Lennon Gave an Indelible Studio Vocal Performance With His
When they emerged on the scene, The Beatles quickly gained a reputation as the rare rock band that wrote their own material. But they also proved that they could interpret the songs of others. And they usually made those cover songs their own.
One of the earliest examples of this came with their legendary cover of “Twist And Shout”. They used it as the closing song of their debut album, Please Please Me, in 1963. John Lennon delivered an incredible lead vocal performance, one made all the more amazing by the fact that his voice was running on fumes when he laid it down.
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Save the “Twist” for Last
Bert Berns and Phil Medley wrote “Twist And Shout”. The Top Notes did the first recording of the song in 1961. A year later, The Isley Brothers put their distinctive stamp on it. Their version hit the US Top 20 in 1962.
The Beatles had been performing the song in their live performances for a while when they headed into EMI Studios in February 1963 to record the bulk of their first album. By that time, the group had scored the hit singles “Love Me Do” and “Please Please Me”. That success earned them the opportunity to lay down their first full-length LP.
Producer George Martin had been checking out the band’s live performances in anticipation of the first album to see what material might work. As such, he knew that “Twist And Shout” was a showstopper.
Source: americansongwriter.com/Jim Beviglia
