EMI withdraw Beatles Love Me Do

What was to be a wonderful celebration of the 50th anniversary of The Beatles first ever single release, has turned into a farce as EMI withdraw the commemorative reissue of Love Me Do days before release, telling dealers that the pressed records are ‘faulty’.

The reissue was due out tomorrow, 50 years to the day from the first release in 1962. The ‘fault’ with the disc is rumoured to be the usage of the ‘wrong’ version of Love Me Do.

Ringo drummed on the track when recorded on the 4th September 1962, but George Martin brought in session man Andy White a week later, on 11th September, apparently not happy with Ringo’s performance. This second version has Ringo playing tambourine. In the end, the Ringo version was used on early pressings of the seven-inch, but not on the Please Please Me album. It is therefore correct, both technically and politically, that the Ringo version should be used on this celebratory seven-inch release.

EMI have told dealers “It is yet to be decided whether the single will be re-pressed”, although there is some confusion, with online retailers such as amazon, currently promising deliver of the item for early next week.

Let’s hope there are no problems with the other forthcoming Beatles releases. Monday 8 October also sees the release of Magical Mystery Tour in a deluxe box set and a month later, in early November, a complete box set of the remastered Stereo Vinyl Albums is also due for release.