Smithereens, The - Love Me Do / P.S. I Love You |

THE STORY OF THE BEATLES 1st SINGLE
AND THE SMITHEREENS RE-CREATION
On September 11th, 1962, Scottish session Drummer
Andy White was called to EMI Studios at 3 Abbey Road
in London. Producer George Martin did not approve of
Ringo Starr’s drumming for studio work. It was the norm
at that time to have a specialist studio drummer who knew
the ways of studio work. Starr was relegated to playing
tambourine on “Love Me Do” while White played his drum
kit. “P.S. I Love You” was also recorded during this session
with White playing a “lightweight cha-cha-chá beat” on
bongos rather than drums. White says he was paid £5 for
the session and 10 shillings for bringing his drum kit, and
did not earn any royalties from the sale of the records.
This was the only time White played with the Beatles, but
it was enough to get him “into the history books”, and
the distinction of being one of the so-called “fifth Beatles”.
White said that on that day in the studio the only members
of the Beatles he worked with were Paul McCartney and
John Lennon, because they were the songwriters. “They
didn’t use any written music, and what I had to do was play
the routines with them to get an idea what they wanted
before we could even start recording.” Fast forward to 2008,
Beatles expert Tom Frangione introduced White to the
Smithereens. The band asked White to record with them
on their next Beatles tribute album at their House of Vibes
recording studio in Highland Park, NJ. “P.S. I Love You” was
released late in 2008 on B-Sides the Beatles; “Love Me Do”
was recorded, but not released until now.