'Each of the four titles here has been clipped away from the Beatles' No. 1 "Please Please Me" which has been at the top of the nation's album charts for umpteen weeks as this sleeve goes to press. It is equally true that one of the songs — 'Do You Want To Know A Secret' — became a No. 1 hit as a single when it was recorded for Parlophone by the Beatles' Liverpoolian colleague, Billy J. Kramer.
The items lined up on this EP have been designed to pass the audio spotlight very fairly from Beatle to Beatle, exposing four contrasting facets of the quartet's vocal and instrumental ingenuity. At one end of the scale we have the all-action, all-raving rocker, 'Twist And Shout'; at the other we have the more subdued mood of 'A Taste Of Honey'.
The session kicks off with that wild, compelling John Lennon interpretation of 'Twist And Shout'. No wonder it has become a show-stopping highspot of the foursome's stage act! John must have built himself a set of leather tonsils in a throat of steel to turn out such a violently exciting track!
The tension eases off with the second number on Side One: Paul McCartney's slightly sad, slightly nostalgic version of 'A Taste Of Honey'. The tune began as a memorable jazz instrumental; Paul's clear, sturdy voice turns it into a haunting piece of atmosphere balladeering.
The second half opens with George Harrison stepping forward to chant the persuasive ballad 'Do You Want To Know A Secret'. Penned by John and Paul, this must be one of the year's most catchy pop hits, and George tempers his vocal delivery with an intriguing blend of warmth and wistfulness.
For the finale John and Paul join forces to handle their own self-penned composition, 'There's A Place'. With a fair amount of Ringo's percussive pressure behind their voices they offer a part-plaintive, part punchy performance of this infectious beat number. Whatever time of the year you find yourself reading these paragraphs it's a pretty safe bet that The Beatles won't be far from the No. 1 chart spot. And with a little luck they'll be No. 1 on the bill at your local theatre too!' TONY BARROW
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET
Upon The Beatles return from their thirteen-week engagement in Hamburg, and about the same time that Paul broke up with Dot, Cynthia discovered that she was pregnant. To do the traditional thing, she and John Lennon were married on August 23, 1962. Written by Lennon, the theme of this song is to Cynthia, whereby John realized that he did truly love Cynthia - this being the secret. But, the musical inspiration for the song came from the Walt Disney 1937 film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In one of the scenes, Snow White is singing to the doves, saying, "Wanna know a secret? Promise not to tell? We are standing by a wishing well." Although written from John to Cynthia, Lennon decided to give it to George to sing because as Lennon said, "it only had three notes and he wasn't the best singer in the world." This songwas also offered to and recorded by Billy J. Kramer and his group "the Dakotas." His version went on to become a Number 1 hit in England, and was the first time a Beatles' song by another artist had made the Hit Parade. On Parlophone R5023.
