The Beatles: Long Tall Sally EP
EPs were funny things, weren't they? They had their own charts and this one sold loads (I believe, I'm not a stats man so I haven't looked it up) but nobody ever considers its lead-off track, Long Tall Sally, as one of The Beatles' hit singles, do they? It doesn't appear on the "Red Album" or 1, after all, neither does it get much radio play, or ever has. This EP was released in the midst of lots of other well-known singles as it was a huge hit with the group's already massive fanbase, but its tracks has fallen well under the radar.
Anyway, three of them are rock 'n' roll covers and are very Lennon. His stamp is all over this. Sure, McCartney could rock it out but everyone knows that Lennon was the real rocker of the group. McCartney does his very best to prove otherwise, though, and succeeds in many ways too.
While these covers delighted fans and showed that The Beatles could rock, none of them match the originals. That's just my opinion, of course, because I continue to remain unconvinced by the group as bona fide rock 'n' rollers. Sure, The Beatles had something unique and special, but they were always second best when it came to "proper" rock 'n' roll. Only on Twist And Shout did they ever come close. That said, I enjoy this EP for what it is so there you go, just as I may some cheap junk food or a lower league football match.
Long Tall Sally
First, McCartney takes on Little Richard's classic rocker concerning a transexual prostitute. He does it considerable justice, but, for me, as a Little Richard fan, it doesn't come close to the sheer energy and instinctive joie de vivre of the original. McCartney proves that he could cut it as a rock 'n' roller though. It is undeniably a credible cover.
I Call Your Name
Not really a rocker, this was initially a somewhat unremarkable number that Lennon gave to Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas. However, he didn't like their version and The Beatles recorded it. It almost made it on to the Hard Day's Night soundtrack. It is ok actually - robust and possessing a strong Lennon vocal and some powerful cowbell, inserted on the song's second recording. The mid-song guitar solo was, apparently, an attempt by the Beatles to play ska and it was not particularly authentic-sounding.
Slow Down
A much underrated rock 'n roller was Larry Williams. Slow Down is a copper-bottomed killer of a track that dated from 1957. Incidentally, it's 'b' side was Dizzy Miss Lizzy, which was also covered by The Beatles. Lennon does a fine job vocally, but, apparently, like their cover of Chuck Berry's Roll Over Beethoven, the recording is full of mistakes. Listening to it, they are evident (to perfectionist, I guess), but the song still has an ebullience that is hard to resist. I can't help but like it, always smiling at Lennon's impromptu "brrrrr" vocal bit. The Jam also covered it on their 1977 In The City debut album, no doubt due to Paul Weller being a huge Beatles fan.
Matchbox
The Beatles were big Carl Perkins fans and this is one of his, also from 1957. When they first performed it, drummer Pete Best took the vocals. Appropriately, then, it is Ringo Starr on vocals here. I have to say that Lennon's rasping voice would have been far better than Starr's monotone, dull delivery. He did his best though did poor old Ringo, because two days after recording this, he was hospitalised with tonsillitis and pharyngitis. I'll let him off then! Overall, however, it is a bit of a leaden-footed cover, not up to the original. Again, I have to say that I still always enjoy it.
Relevant album - A Hard Day's Night
