From the pages of Record World magazine, ads dated, as noted. The featured United Artists Records 1964 ads was digitally restored and re-imaged in it’s entirety by Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
The American version of the album was released on 26 June 1964 by United Artists Records in both mono and stereo, the fourth Beatles album in the United States. The album went to number one on the Billboard album chart, spending 14 weeks there, the longest run of any album that year.United Artists rushed the album into stores over a month before the film’s US premiere; as a result, the Beatles had both the number-one album and number-one single in the country when A Hard Day’s Night opened on 11 August 1964.
All seven songs from the film, the first side of the UK album, were featured along with “I’ll Cry Instead”, which, although written for the film, was cut at the last minute. The American version also included four orchestral instrumental versions of Lennon and McCartney songs arranged by George Martin conducting an orchestra of studio musicians: “I Should Have Known Better”, “And I Love Her”, “Ringo’s Theme”, and “A Hard Day’s Night”. After EMI acquired United Artists Records, this album was reissued in August 1980 on the Capitol label, catalogue SW-11921.
Credit Source: A Hard Day’s Night (Album) | Wikipedia
Audio digitally remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
George Martin, Who Records Beatles for Parlophone, Now Has a Big Hit in His Own Right
GEORGE MARTIN (Photo: Music Business)
MUSIC BUSINESS — September 26, 1964 — His life changed. George Martin is a man whose entire life has been changed by the Beatles. This tall, lean, and quiet-spoken Englishman is the man who signed the Beatles–when they were very unknown–to a contract with EMI, the English record manufacturing giant. He is the man who records all of the Beatles sides for Parlophone (the boys’ English label) and the man who scored the soundtrack for their hit movie “A Hard Day’s Night.”
George signed the Beatles after they were turned down by a number of other labels. He has been with them ever since. He was in the United States to supervise their live recording at the Hollywood Bowl two weeks ago.
In his own right. “The boys have done a lot for me,” mused Martin during a lunch with Music Business editors. “They have helped me fulfill my desire to arrange and conduct in my own right.” His own right happens to be a very good right, by the way, because the George Martin recording of “Ringo’s Theme” from the picture soundtrack on the United Artists label in the U.S., has already sold over 200,000 recordings. And his LP, called “Off The Beatles Track” is also a big one for United Artists Records.
Before the Beatles ever came on the scene George Martin had already established himself as a top recording man in London. Some of the artists he records for EMI include Billy J. Kramer, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Cilla Black, The Hollies, Matt Monro, Shirley Bassey, Ron Goodwin, Peter Sellers, Rolf Harris, and many others. The artists whose records he supervises comes to 48 in all.
Also a composer. Martin is also a composer of note in his native England. One of his biggest songs here was called “The Niagara Theme,” and he has written many other songs, that so far have been bigger hits there than here.
The Beatles, George Martin, 1963(Credit: Michael Ochs Archives; Getty Images)
A thumbnail description of a Beatles recording session, according to Martin, would go like this. The Beatles come in with a new song, written 99 per cent of the time by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. John and Paul sing the song through (none of the Beatles can read or write music) until Martin learns it, and then he sits down at the piano and plays it. Then the boys and Martin work out an arrangement together, with each coming through with ideas. It usually takes about three or four hours to work out the arrangement on each song. After that they are ready to record.
Let him run. Martin has been asked by many people whether he ever intends to put strings behind the boys, or record them with a full orchestra, or with choral backing or whatever. “I don’t intend to change anything they do,” says Martin emphatically. Recording a successful artist is like riding a good horse. The best way is to let him run. All you should provide is a good balance. “The balance that Martin provides for his artists apparently is a very good one. To illustrate this it has been estimated that the records George Martin has produced with his artists have sold over 100 million copies throughout the world. Last year–1963–recordings produced by Martin were in the No. 1 spot on the English charts 37 weeks out of 52. For 17 consecutive weeks recordings he produced for Parlophone were No. 1.
What did it. What made the Beatles take off the way they did in the U.S., Martin was asked, and would American record artists move back into the top rungs throughout the world soon or not? “There was a vacuum to be filled in the pop record business, and the Beatles filled it,” said Martin. “As for the American recordings, I think there has been a great awakening here since last Winter, and many of the new American records are getting right up there. “Among the recording men whom Martin respects very highly here are Bert Bacharach and Hal David, who produce all of the Dionne Warwick recordings. “They have brought fresh, new ideas into the recording world,” says Martin.
Breaking the hits. How does a record company break a new recording in Britain, since there is so little radio time allotted for pop records, Martin was asked. “We break our records via TV, which covers the entire country, not by radio,” said Martin. “There are TV shows like ‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’ and ‘Ready, Steady, Go,’ that put a record over very quickly. Sales of records in Britain are up very much today, according to Martin, with a sale of 800,000 average for a No. 1 recording. (The Beatles, of course, do much better.)
United Artists records is on a big campaign in the U.S. to build George Martin into a recording star, and they are on their way with “Ringo’s Theme.” What kind of recording does Martin want to do in the future? “I’m not certain yet, I know I would like to record many of my own songs for release here, and then I have a number of other ideas. I don’t intend to try to copy anyone’s style, but to create my own. That’s why I recorded all of the Beatles songs in my own way, rather than to use the same arrangements the boys do when they sing them. You know, Paul and John write very good songs.” Sales of Martin’s recordings indicate many other people feel they do too. END
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Information, credit and news source: Music Business; September 26, 1964
When the Beatles appeared for a three week session at the Paris ‘Olympia’ in January, 1964, John and Paul were concerned with the problem writing all the new songs for their first film — as yet untitled — and in addition they had to cook up a brand new single for release in February.
They had a piano moved into their suite at the Hotel Georges V, and they set to work. By the end of their stay they had laid the foundations for the film songs and written ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ — the single which we recorded in our EMI Paris studios. At this time Paul played me his first ideas for ‘And I Love Her.’
Later, when I was busy orchestrating the background score it was decided to use Beatles music in the background whenever possible. Hence, ‘This Boy’ became ‘Ringo’s Theme’ in the Towpath sequence, and ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ was burned into a Jazz waltz for Grandpa’s chase scene from the Police Station. ‘If I Fell’ was not used orchestrally in the film, but I liked the tune so much I did a score anyway, and the end result is here.
I get great pleasure out of arranging the Beatles’ materials, and when the orchestra musicians comments on the quality of the music they are playing, I get an even bigger thrill telling them who wrote it.
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Music score from the film . . . ‘A Hard Day’s Night’
— George Martin; EMI Records Limited (1964)
GEORGE MARTIN’S “AND I LOVE HER”/”RINGO’S THEME” 1964
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George Martin Orchestra’s “And I Love Her,” made it’s initial debut on the Billboard singles chart in July, 1964, the same month the Beatles ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ film (and their film album) made its theatrical debut in cities across America. The Martin instrumental, a song composition penned by Lennon-McCartney for the film, stayed 4 weeks on the charts (“Bubbling Under” the top 100) having peaked at No. 105 on August 1, 1964.
But the flip side of Martin’s “And I Love Her,” titled, “Ringo’s Theme (This Boy),” another Martin instrumental score from the movie, rose much higher in popularity on the Billboard “Hot 100” several weeks later, in lieu after the film’s soundtrack score having been released by United Artists, on June 26, 1964.
“Ringo’s Theme (This Boy),” peaked higher than “And I Love Her,” having topped off at No. 53 during its eight week run on the Billboard “Hot 100,” on September 12, 1964.
In Detroit, “Ringo’s Theme” made the playlist on album-oriented radio stations WJR, WWJ, WCAR, WQTE and WJBK (as heard here), which incidentally by that time WJBK dropped it’s top 40 format for an easy-listening conservative radio sound by August, 1964.
This year, come July, will mark 50 years having passed since the release of the George Martin single and that of the Beatles’ film, ‘A Hard Day’s Night.’ In observance of the Fab Four’s 1964 theatrical film release, also comes the exciting news ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ will hit the silver big screen once again in major cities across the country on July 4, 2014.
GEORGE MARTIN(click on all images 2x for largest view).
1964: On September 26, United Artists Records (U.S.) released George Martin’s instrumental cover of “A Hard Day’s Night.” Only one week on the charts, Martin’s single peaked on Billboard at No. 122, October 3. On that same day, October 3, United Artists released George Martin’s version of “I Should Have Known Better.” Two weeks on the charts, it peaked at No. 111 under the Billboard Hot 100, October 10. Both tracks was taken from the United Artist’s ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ album, the soundtrack LP from the Beatles first full-length film. The LP was released June 26, 1964.
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This week in Pop Music History: October 10, 1964
“A HARD DAY’S NIGHT” * George Martin Orchestra * UNITED ARTISTS Records (1964)
“I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER” * George Martin * UNITED ARTISTS Records (1964)
1964: United Artists Records (U.S.) released “A Hard Day’s Night,” the soundtrack album for the forthcoming Beatles first full-length film, two weeks before the Beatles released their U.K. album, titled by the same name, July 10, 1964.
Today In Pop Music History: June 26, 1964
(Click on both images 2x for largest PC view)
“A HARD DAY’S NIGHT” * George Martin Orchestra * UNITED ARTISTS Records(1964)
GEORGE MARTIN meets with the Beatles, London, late 1963.
‘A HARD DAY’S NIGHT’ THE GEORGE MARTIN ORCHESTRA
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When the Beatles appeared for a three week session at the Paris ‘Olympia’ in January, 1964, John and Paul were concerned with the problem writing all the new songs for their first film —as yet untitled— and in addition they had to cook up a brand new single for release in February.
(Click image for largest view)
They had a piano moved into their suite at the Hotel Georges V, and they set to work. By the end of their stay they had laid the foundations for the film songs and written ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ — the single which we recorded in our EMI Paris studios. At this time Paul played me his first ideas for ‘And I Love Her.’
Later, when I was busy orchestrating the background score it was decided to use Beatles music in the background whenever possible. Hence, ‘This Boy’ became ‘Ringo’s Theme’ in the Towpath sequence, and ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ was burned into a Jazz waltz for Grandpa’s chase scene from the Police Station. ‘If I Fell’ was not used orchestrally in the film, but I liked the tune so much I did a score anyway, and the end result is here.
I get great pleasure out of arranging the Beatles’ materials, and when the orchestra musicians comments on the quality of the music they are playing, I get an even bigger thrill telling them who wrote it.
___
Music score from the film . . . ‘A Hard Day’s Night’
— George Martin; EMI Records Limited (1964)
RINGO STARR on the set during filming of ‘A Hard Day’s Night,’ 1964
GEORGE MARTIN’S “AND I LOVE HER”/”RINGO’S THEME” ’64
George Martin Orchestra’s “And I Love Her,” made it’s initial debut on the Billboard singles chart in July, 1964, the same month the Beatles ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ film (and their film album) made its theatrical debut in cities across America. The Martin instrumental, a song composition penned by Lennon-McCartney for the film, stayed 4 weeks on the charts (“Bubbling Under” the top 100) having peaked at No. 105 on August 1, 1964.
(Click on image 2x for largest PC view)
But the flip side of Martin’s “And I Love Her,” entitled, “Ringo’s Theme (This Boy),” another Martin instrumental score from the movie, rose much higher in popularity on the Billboard “Hot 100” several weeks later, in lieu after the film’s soundtrack score having been released by United Artists, on June 26, 1964.
“Ringo’s Theme (This Boy),” peaked higher than “And I Love Her,” having topped off at No. 53 during its eight week run on the Billboard “Hot 100,” on September 12, 1964.
In Detroit, “Ringo’s Theme” made the playlist on album-oriented radio stations WJR, WWJ, WCAR, WQTE and WJBK (as heard here), which incidentally by that timeWJBK dropped it’s top 40 formatfor an easy-listening conservative radio sound in August, 1964.
This year, come July, will mark 50 years having passed since the release of the George Martin single and that of the Beatles’ film, ‘A Hard Day’s Night.’ In observance of the Fab Four’s 1964 theatrical film release, also comes the exciting news ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ will hit the silver big screenonce again in major cities across the country on July 4, 2014.
From the pages of Record World magazine, ads dated, as noted. The featured United Artists Records 1964 ads was digitally restored and re-imaged in it’s entirety by Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
The American version of the album was released on 26 June 1964 by United Artists Records in both mono and stereo, the fourth Beatles album in the United States. The album went to number one on the Billboard album chart, spending 14 weeks there, the longest run of any album that year. United Artists rushed the album into stores over a month before the film’s US premiere; as a result, the Beatles had both the number-one album and number-one single in the country when A Hard Day’s Night opened on 11 August 1964.
