How The Beatles became the ultimate Motown band
Yes, we know that The Beatles were never actually part of Motown – either as a band or as individuals.
After that infamous failed audition at Decca ("guitar groups are on their way out"), George Martin signed the band for EMI subsidiary Parlophone in 1962
That's where they stayed until they formed Apple Records in 1968, with EMI still dealing with distribution.
Over in the US things started off in messy fashion with the band bouncing form Vee-Jay and then to Swan Records, before Capitol took the band on in 1964. Again, Apple Records took over from The Beatles on.
So where on earth do we get off with calling The Beatles the ultimate Motown band?
Well, despite not actually being signed to the band, their two-way links to the whole sound of Motown is absolutely vital to the story of The Beatles.
While they're rightly credited for mashing up the influence of early rock 'n' roll and skiffle with their own songwriting, you could hear the influence of Motown on the sound of the Beatles from the very beginning.
What was it that bound these two geographically diverse movements of Motown and Merseybeat?
British label Oriole Records represented Tamla Motown on these shores and with its busy docks, Merseyside was the biggest source of Motown records in the UK.
Mersey Beat magazine founder Bill Harry spoke to Record Collector in 2009 about the links between these two centres of early 1960s pop.
"The Tamla Motown numbers were included in the repertoire of the Liverpool bands," he explained.
"They adapted the songs to fit in with the developing Liverpool sound, the basic three guitars/drums/harmony lineup which produced a hybrid sound which I was to call 'the Mersey Motown sound'."
And The Beatles made that Motown connection explicit with a number of covers of Motown originals during their early live shows. They recorded a few for their radio sessions.
They recorded a few for their radio sessions and even laid down a trio for one of their albums.
The Beatles — Please Mr. Postman
While six of the 14 songs on The Beatles debut Please Please Me were covers, none were Motown originals. It was on the follow-up With The Beatles that they really showed off that side of their sound.
Source: Mayer Nissim/goldradio.com
