Recommended reading : EMI's the Complete Beatles Recording Sessions

[johnnymegabyte]

EMI's the Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years by Mark Lewisohn

It's inexpensive and amazing reading, with interviews with Paul McCartney.
Logs from sessions, takes counts, insights to recording individual songs
Lots of pictures, too.

The Beatles early years were filled with George Martin techniques like recording Beatles on two tracks. Then, playback and record overdubs to a second two track. He did so much compared to today's technology

Trivia: Ringo does not play drums on Love Me Do. It's a session drummer, because Ringo was a live drummer, and his timing wasn't good enough for recording.

 

[MadAudio]

Cool. This would go well with my "Beatles Gear" book.

 

[A Reel Person]

...Trivia: Ringo does not play drums on Love Me Do. It's a session drummer, because Ringo was a live drummer, and his timing wasn't good enough for recording.

=====
Eh, that's not exactly true.

It's just that Ringo was such a new member, that George Martin was not familiar enough with him to trust that he was an adequate drummer, after the sacking of Pete Best, who indeed was an inconsistent drummer. George Martin booked Andy White as session drummer on "Love Me Do" to hedge his bet, in case Ringo turned out to be inconsistent like Pete.

It's also well known that George Martin has never lived down this dissing of Ringo, and that since then he's been ever-apologetic to Ringo about booking Andy White for the "Love Me Do" session.

Ringo is a rock-solid drummer, whether it's recorded or live, and that's been proven for many decades. George Martin was never inclined to book a session drummer again, once he got a familarity and comfort level with Ringo.

 

[Track Rat]

It is true though that Ringo's version was destroyed so only the Andy White version would be used on future releases. White plays on "P.S. I Love You" and "Love Me Do". Versions of "Love Me Do" pressed before October 5, 1962 feature the Ringo version, after that date it's Andy White.

 

[A Reel Person]

The Ringo version of Love Me Do was issued on the "Rarities" album,...

which I believe was issued in the late 70's.

 

[Track Rat]

The two versions can be told apart. The version with White drumming has a tamborine track played by Ringo. No tamborine= Ringo on drums.

 

[A Reel Person]

That's very true.

I've heard them both.

The one that's most well known is the Andy White track.

 

[peopleperson]

The bit about them tracking what would become Tomorrow Never Knows is worth the price of the book.

 

[A Reel Person]

Oh yeah,...

I forgot to tell'ya's, that I have that book. (That would not surprise the people who know me).

It's a good book! Get it!