"Bad To Me", a Merseybeat anthem - 1963

Share your non-Elvis stuff here

User avatar

Topic author
Mister Moon
Posts: 11188
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2015 7:35 pm
Has thanked: 3142 times
Been thanked: 5627 times

"Bad To Me", a Merseybeat anthem - 1963

Postby Mister Moon » Fri Mar 08, 2019 6:38 pm

I did post this almost exactly three years ago on the occasion of George Martin's passing, but it was a bit out of place in that particular thread.

I thought I would resurrect the topic and give it a new life, because I love this song.


*****************


"Bad To Me" was an early Lennon / McCartney composition that was never recorded by The Beatles.

Attributed to John Lennon, the track was demoed by him in 1963, and shortly after covered by Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, an act who, like The Beatles, were managed by Brian Epstein, recorded for the Parlophone label, and were produced by George Martin at Abbey Road studios (Kramer was also a Liverpudlian - The Dakotas came from Manchester).

Coupled with another Lennon / McCartney original, "I Call Your Name" (that The Beatles would record in 1964), "Bad To Me" reached number 1 on the UK charts in the summer of 1963.

Here's Kramer & Dakotas' version, followed by Lennon's superb original demo :



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CMX0mCFYJ4




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMGl-NRlyxo


**********


Edited 29/02/20 in order to restore Kramer's YT link.

Edited 09/10/20 in order to restore Lennon's YT link.

Edited 21/04/21 in order to restore Lennon's YT link. - They keep removing this demo from YouTube. It's also available with overdubs, but this appears to be the only YT source for the undubbed recording as of today. It's followed by cropped footage of Kramer & The Dakotas performing the song live on Ed Sullivan' show (see below for a good version of this footage).
Last edited by Mister Moon on Wed Apr 21, 2021 6:20 pm, edited 4 times in total.


User avatar

John
Posts: 23517
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2015 6:36 pm
Has thanked: 5139 times
Been thanked: 6802 times

Re: "Bad To Me", a Mersey Beat anthem - 1963

Postby John » Fri Mar 08, 2019 7:42 pm

Mister Moon wrote:I did post this almost exactly three years ago on the occasion of George Martin's passing, but it was a bit out of place in that particular thread.

I thought I would resurrect the topic and give it a new life, because I love this song.


*****************


"Bad To Me" was an early Lennon / McCartney composition that was never recorded by The Beatles.

Attributed to John Lennon, the track was demoed by him in 1963, and shortly after covered by Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, an act who, like The Beatles, were managed by Brian Epstein, recorded for the Parlophone label, and were produced by George Martin at Abbey Road studios (Kramer was also a Liverpudlian - The Dakotas came from Manchester).

Coupled with another Lennon / McCartney original, "I Call Your Name" (that The Beatles would record in 1964), "Bad To Me" reached number 1 on the UK charts in the summer of 1963.

Here's Kramer & Dakotas' version, followed by Lennon's superb original demo :



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ihApiq-gbA




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxrdXAUXicE

I really like the Billy J Kramer version. It was number one a few weeks after I came to England in 1963, just as the Mersey Beat was growing. It was a great summer.


User avatar

Topic author
Mister Moon
Posts: 11188
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2015 7:35 pm
Has thanked: 3142 times
Been thanked: 5627 times

Re: "Bad To Me", a Mersey Beat anthem - 1963

Postby Mister Moon » Fri Mar 08, 2019 8:47 pm

John wrote:I really like the Billy J Kramer version. It was number one a few weeks after I came to England in 1963, just as the Mersey Beat was growing. It was a great summer.


From what I can see, Elvis was the only non-British act to score a number 1 hit in the UK in 1963 - "(You're The) Devil In Disguise", one week).

This was of course the year The Beatles exploded, and three of their singles went to the top of the charts, plus of course the song that's the subject of this thread. Really amazing :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UK_Singles_Chart_number_ones_of_the_1960s#1963


User avatar

John
Posts: 23517
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2015 6:36 pm
Has thanked: 5139 times
Been thanked: 6802 times

Re: "Bad To Me", a Mersey Beat anthem - 1963

Postby John » Fri Mar 08, 2019 10:07 pm

Mister Moon wrote:
John wrote:I really like the Billy J Kramer version. It was number one a few weeks after I came to England in 1963, just as the Mersey Beat was growing. It was a great summer.


From what I can see, Elvis was the only non-British act to score a number 1 hit in the UK in 1963 - "(You're The) Devil In Disguise", one week).

This was of course the year The Beatles exploded, and three of their singles went to the top of the charts, plus of course the song that's the subject of this thread. Really amazing :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UK_Singles_Chart_number_ones_of_the_1960s#1963

Yes, I also remember hearing Devil In Disguise for the first time. I thought it was a stunning record and to me the B side was also excellent. Elvis' voice was really powerful on Devil, the bit where he sings "you're the devil" after "I got wise", is amazing.


User avatar

Mojo Filter
Posts: 3268
Joined: Mon Aug 21, 2017 4:03 am
Has thanked: 879 times
Been thanked: 814 times

Re: "Bad To Me", a Mersey Beat anthem - 1963

Postby Mojo Filter » Tue Mar 12, 2019 5:44 am

Mister Moon wrote:I did post this almost exactly three years ago on the occasion of George Martin's passing, but it was a bit out of place in that particular thread.

I thought I would resurrect the topic and give it a new life, because I love this song.


*****************


"Bad To Me" was an early Lennon / McCartney composition that was never recorded by The Beatles.

Attributed to John Lennon, the track was demoed by him in 1963, and shortly after covered by Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, an act who, like The Beatles, were managed by Brian Epstein, recorded for the Parlophone label, and were produced by George Martin at Abbey Road studios (Kramer was also a Liverpudlian - The Dakotas came from Manchester).

Coupled with another Lennon / McCartney original, "I Call Your Name" (that The Beatles would record in 1964), "Bad To Me" reached number 1 on the UK charts in the summer of 1963.

Here's Kramer & Dakotas' version, followed by Lennon's superb original demo :



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ihApiq-gbA




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxrdXAUXicE

Nice topic. Thanks.

Great song! Definitely a Lennon song without the help of his partner.

Lennon knew how to rock.
she's well acquainted with a touch of the velvet hand, like a lizard on a window pane


User avatar

Topic author
Mister Moon
Posts: 11188
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2015 7:35 pm
Has thanked: 3142 times
Been thanked: 5627 times

Re: "Bad To Me", a Merseybeat anthem - 1963

Postby Mister Moon » Tue Oct 13, 2020 6:16 pm

Just uploaded on Ed Sullivan's YT channel - June 1965 :


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_IhgQRxUe4


User avatar

John
Posts: 23517
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2015 6:36 pm
Has thanked: 5139 times
Been thanked: 6802 times

Re: "Bad To Me", a Merseybeat anthem - 1963

Postby John » Tue Oct 13, 2020 6:56 pm

Mister Moon wrote:Just uploaded on Ed Sullivan's YT channel - June 1965 :


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_IhgQRxUe4

Oh, wonderful.


User avatar

Topic author
Mister Moon
Posts: 11188
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2015 7:35 pm
Has thanked: 3142 times
Been thanked: 5627 times

Re: "Bad To Me", a Merseybeat anthem - 1963

Postby Mister Moon » Sat Nov 07, 2020 4:57 pm

Strange.

The exact same live performance by Kramer and The Dakotas on the Sullivan show has been uploaded again by the same ES channel, this time as being from June 1964, which sounds more likely :

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheEdSullivanShow/search?query=kramer


User avatar

Topic author
Mister Moon
Posts: 11188
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2015 7:35 pm
Has thanked: 3142 times
Been thanked: 5627 times

Re: "Bad To Me", a Merseybeat anthem - 1963

Postby Mister Moon » Wed Apr 21, 2021 6:33 pm

There are a few 1964 recordings of this song by obscure artists, but they all are carbon copies of the Kramer version.

But dig this French language version from 1963 - complete with organ solo. Very cool :


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iNJY22o-4A


User avatar

John
Posts: 23517
Joined: Sat Jan 24, 2015 6:36 pm
Has thanked: 5139 times
Been thanked: 6802 times

Re: "Bad To Me", a Merseybeat anthem - 1963

Postby John » Wed Apr 21, 2021 7:08 pm

Mister Moon wrote:There are a few 1964 recordings of this song by obscure artists, but they all are carbon copies of the Kramer version.

But dig this French language version from 1963 - complete with organ solo. Very cool :


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iNJY22o-4A

Great stuff, maybe a little bit hectic. That organ solo is funny, but very typical of that time. I do like French pop songs from the 60s, although I don't collect them.


User avatar

Topic author
Mister Moon
Posts: 11188
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2015 7:35 pm
Has thanked: 3142 times
Been thanked: 5627 times

Re: "Bad To Me", a Merseybeat anthem - 1963

Postby Mister Moon » Wed Apr 21, 2021 8:14 pm

John wrote:
Mister Moon wrote:There are a few 1964 recordings of this song by obscure artists, but they all are carbon copies of the Kramer version.

But dig this French language version from 1963 - complete with organ solo. Very cool :


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iNJY22o-4A

Great stuff, maybe a little bit hectic. That organ solo is funny, but very typical of that time. I do like French pop songs from the 60s, although I don't collect them.


Glad you like it. This talk about the organ, reminds me of the conversation I had with the recently deceased Ray Campi. He told me he didn't like the instrument as such, the sound of it, but he did like how it fitted on certain records, such as "Runaway", "The Happy Organ" or "Honky Tonk". I couldn't agree more with him. Farfisa organs were also used on early surf music records. "Surfin USA" by The Beach Boys would be the most famous example. "Wooly Bully" is another classic with organ. And "Let's Dance". The list goes on an on.


User avatar

Topic author
Mister Moon
Posts: 11188
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2015 7:35 pm
Has thanked: 3142 times
Been thanked: 5627 times

Re: "Bad To Me", a Merseybeat anthem - 1963

Postby Mister Moon » Sun Apr 23, 2023 8:28 pm

Reposting this for the millionth time. They can't try to stem the tide, as they say.

Remember - it's not The Beatles, just Lennon :


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud6Yik14_wY


John Lennon - Bad To Me - Demo.mp3
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.


Return to “Off Topic”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Colin B, Keith and 25 guests