Paul McCartney, who wrote "Hold Me Tight", admits that this is not one of his better songs. John Lennon openly disliked it, and it went from being a live staple in their early days to a failed attempt at a single to finally being recorded for With The Beatles as filler.
As far as covers go, this is one of the Beatles tunes that are light on versions to choose from. The Treasures, a group that Phil Spector produced, did a version. A horrible rendition came from a British band called Stackridge, and, of course, The Smithereens took a shot at it. For this one, going to take from the great Count Basie, who shows that he can even make a lesser Beatles track swing. This is from the 1966 album Basie's Beatle Bag (not on BEA). It's the best one I could find.
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Album: With The Beatles
Track 10: You Really Got A Hold On Me
If you haven't figured out yet that The Beatles really loved R&B, then you need to go back and re-listen to their early albums. This Smokey Robinson cover (first released by The Miracles in 1962) was played live by the band early on, and this version is interesting in that the lead vocals are shared by Lennon and Harrison. Robinson has said that he is a fan of what The Beatles did with it. Indeed...it's a pretty underrated track...I think mainly because it's a cover.
Since The Beatles recorded it, it's been done many times. Small Faces did a heavy damn blues version...and everyone from the Jackson 5 to Mike + The Mechanics to Cyndi Lauper have taken a turn. But my favorite is from a disappointingly underrated album...
Laura Nyro teamed with Labelle for this fine album, which includes a really fine take on Smokey's classic. It's vocally excellent, and the "Hold me baby, and don't turn me loose" speeded up ending is perfect. So, here you get Nyro & Labelle on this really great rendition. I hope you enjoy!
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Album: With The Beatles
Track 11: I Wanna Be Your Man
"I Wanna Be Your Man" is mostly a Paul McCartney composition. It wasn't thought of very highly by either Lennon or McCartney, who gave it to The Rolling Stones and then had Ringo sing it for this album. The writing is simple, and was probably a rush job just to get a song out (that's what it sounds like, anyway).
The Stones version is the most important one, as it's the one time they both did the same song. That version is, however, not eligible for this project because the Stones released theirs before The Beatles. So we have to look elsewhere. Listmeister suggested Suzi Quatro's 1973 version, but man...I just can't get into it. She sings it too high for my liking, and the stops she uses seem weird. So, I went with this one. Tais Alvarenga is from Brazil, and she recorded this version for an album called A Tribute To Ringo Starr from 2011 (not on BEA). This is an interesting version, and a different take on how The Beatles and The Stones played the song.
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'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
Album: With The Beatles
Track 12: Devil In Her Heart
If you think The Beatles weren't listening to the world around them, you need only this track to prove yourself wrong. Written by a guy named Richard Drapkin, "Devil In Her Heart" was the only single released by an obscure American soul group called The Donays. It came out in 1962, and it flopped as a single, not being a hit anywhere. But George Harrison happened to hear it, and he brought it to The Beatles. George sang it, and it became an interesting find of an obscure track for their second album.
It was never a hit for The Beatles or The Donays, so finding a cover version after With The Beatles has proven to be a challenge. But I found this. Trevor and Hannah-Lou Moss were members of a rock and bluegrass band called Indigo Moss in the mid 2000's. After the band split, the married couple began recording as a duo. They recorded "Devil In Her Heart" for a Mojo Magazine CD called We're With The Beatles (not on BEA) in 2011. And so, I give you this obscure cover of an obscure cover of an obscure original song.
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'Fore the devil knows we're dead...
Album: With The Beatles
Track 13: Not A Second Time
John Lennon trying to write yet another Motown song. The Beatles were pretty fairly obsessed with soul. Not A Second Time is an interesting track, with some odd George Martin piano and the famous mention of The Beatles in the Aeolian Cadence conversation. John sings it on With The Beatles. It was not a single, and was not a hit.
It's been covered since by quite a few artists, most famously by Robert Palmer. But if you can put Chrissie Hynde on a list...you kinda have to. Pretenders released this in 1990 as the B side of the single "Never Do That". It was not included on the album from that year, Packed!. This is a fairly straight forward version...but it's sung by Hynde, so I'll take it.
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Researching Not A Second Time, I found a band I'd been looking for for a while. I saw TV news magazine story about a Beatles cover band that was venturing off and doing their own stuff. Most of what they have done (since this TV news magazine bit) is not Beatle covers. The band is called "Backbeat".
But the one I thought the best was by R. Stevie Moore. It combines the song with elements from "Don't Bother Me" around the cover. Unfortunately, it's not available on YouTube.
This song was originally recorded by Barrett Strong in 1959. Written by Janie Bradford and Berry Gordy, it was played early on by The Beatles during the Pete Best days. They knocked it out and used it as the final track on With The Beatles, with John Lennon singing lead.
It's been covered since numerous times, but nobody did it quite like The Flying Lizards in 1979. Their career was short, and they were not, aside from this song, very successful. But it has a unique, weird and quirky charm that makes it the only version I could choose here. You can find the song here:
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