Cover Stories Part 1: The Beatles‘ First by Barry Zaidwritten by Axel Korinth

Beginning with Klaus Voormann’s grandiose artwork for Revolver in 1966, The Beatles employed a stringof talented artists to do their album covers for the next few years. The same year A Collection Of BeatlesOldies came out with artwork by David Christian, followed by Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band(Peter Blake) and the White Album (Richard Hamilton). Between the latter two releases another LP cameout in Britain with cover artwork by another acclaimed graphic artist, Barry Zaid. Until now the storybehind the design of The Beatles’First has never been revealed – obviously because this Polydor LP is notpart of The Beatles’ canon of albums.

Releasing the Polydor recordingsThe Beatles’ First was initially compiled and released in Germany in April 1964. It included all seventracks recorded during the sessions with Tony Sheridan at the Friedrich­Ebert­Halle in Hamburg on 22 and23 June 1961, as well as Sweet Georgia Brown, taped on 7 June 1962 at Studio Rahlstedt in Hamburg(including Tony’s second vocal overdub which was recorded on 3 January 1964). Four additional songsrecorded by Sheridan in 1962 and 1963 were added to fill a whole album, making it a surprisingly freshLP with the most recent recording being a mere three months old.1 The track list was as follows:

1 The songs without any involvement by The Beatles were Let‘s Dance (taped on 18 October 1962), What‘d I Say and Ruby

Baby (both taped on 31 January 1963), as well as Ya Ya (Parts 1 & 2) (taped on 28 August 1962). The backing of those tracks

was provided by The Beat Brother’s fifth line up (also known as The Star Combo).

Side 1: Ain’t She Sweet, Cry For A Shadow2, Let’s Dance, My Bonnie, If You Love Me Baby, What’d I Say

Side 2: Sweet Georgia Brown, The Saints, Ruby Baby, Why, Nobody’s Child, Ya Ya

The album was credited to The Beatles featuring Tony Sheridan & Guests. The “guests” in question wereTony Sheridan’s post­Beatles backing group consisting of Roy Young (piano, organ), Colin Melander(bass), Rikki Barnes (saxophone) and Johnny Watson (drums), also known as The Star Combo. All trackswere produced by Bert Kaempfert. The back cover included liner notes written by Sheridan himself whichread as slightly nostalgic considering that the happenings described took place only three years ago.The LP was consequently released in countless other countries – except for the UK where the recordingsfrom the Sheridan sessions weren’t as extensively reissued. My Bonnie b/w The Saints, the sole release inthe pre­Beatlemania days, came out on 5 January 1962 marking The Beatles’ first commercial UK release.Contrary to Germany where Tony’s backing group was named The Beat Brothers, the initial UK releasecredited The Beatles on the label. The single was followed on 28 February 1964 with Cry For A Shadowb/w Why and on 5 June 1964 with Ain’t She Sweet b/w If You Love Me Baby. Both singles had been

The cover of the first German pressing (PolydorLPHM 46432)

2 It has been stated that Cry For A Shadow was recorded by John Lennon, George Harrison (the two composers of the instrumental), Paul

McCartney and Pete Best without Tony Sheridan’s involvement but close listening reveals that three guitars can be heard on the track ruling

out Sheridan’s own claims that he was not involved in the recording. George Harrison didn't have the chops then to play that solo as it is on

record. Just compare his stumbling solos on the Hamburg tapes and, especially, the first two Beatles albums. Also, the tone of the lead guitar

tends towards a hollowbody such as the Gibson ES­175 Tony Sheridan was using at the time. During the ‘G’ section (as in the intro) it's

clearly two guitars. You can't get all those notes with just one guitar. Both sound very trebly, so most likely John's Rickenbacker and George’s

Futurama. Considering that Tony Sheridan played all of the solos in the other songs which feature the Beatles, it’s an obvious guess that Bert

Kaempfert wouldn't want to waste time on George Harrison practicing hours on end to get a decent solo and told Tony he should do it

instead. The solo in Ain't She Sweet, however, does sound like Harrison (struggling), also his guitar sound there is much more trebly/thinner

than the solo in Cry For A Shadow. Finally, on all of the pre­1963 Polydor recordings by Tony Sheridan you can clearly hear he's got his own

style, which is a mixture of jazzy fingering and rock and roll soloing. This style comes through in Cry For A Shadow as well. He was actually

a quite accomplished guitar player at that point, and very inventive. His solo in Ya Ya (Part 2), also featured on The Beatles’ First, is quite

impressive, by the way.

compiled and previously been released in Germany. The two sole genuine Beatles recordings from thesessions served as the respective A­sides on those two singles (The Beatles backed Sheridan on the B­sides) and it’s obvious that both singles were Polydor’s attempt to capitalize on Beatlemania though onlyAin’t She Sweet charted in the top twenty. No further releases came out in Britain for the next few years –quite contrary to the US for instance where a plethora of compilations using Sheridan recordings with orwithout the Beatles or – in a few cases – with neither artist involved (!) were reissued over and over.Missing from Polydor’s small British Beatles discography was the LP The Beatles’First. This changed on4 August 1967 when the album was finally released in the UK.3

Barry Zaid's passport photo from 1969

Barry Zaid creates a Beatles coverIn Britain, Polydor chose not to use the stylish cover artwork made in Germany, which would have lookedrather outdated by 1967 anyway.4 Instead the label employed Canadian Barry Zaid (born on 8 June 1938 inToronto) to create a new cover: “Prior to moving to London in 1966 I had done a lot of illustration anddesign with magazines, newspapers and book publishers in Canada. I had studied archeology, architecture,and drafting with traditional ink when everything was drawn by hand on paper with a T­square, using pensand ink compasses. I designed posters for the university theater and was soon doing work as an off­beatfreelance illustrator and designer for magazines and books. Having no art school background, I worked inmany styles, often adopting the look of a different era, which caught people's attention.In London, I was newly represented by Artist Partners Ltd. My work was fresh, different, trans­Atlanticbut in tune with the exuberant mood and flavor of the Swinging London era. Artist Partners showed my

3 Although the labels designate the LP as a mono pressing, it was actually released in stereo only. The sleevecorrectly states that the LP is in stereo.4 Tony Sheridan’s liner notes were kept however and by 1967 the nostalgic tone seemed more appropriate.

work around and provided me with a steady stream of work from the time of my arrival. Because I workedfor print, mainly newspapers and magazines with tight deadlines, art directors hired me to come up fastwith something that got attention and worked in print. I seldom got much direction. Because I had studiedarcheology and art history, I borrowed ideas from all kinds of sources. And I could draw in a wide varietyof styles from Babylonian to Bauhaus. On tight deadlines, there wasn't time for changes when you workedin ink. I was happiest when I had five jobs on hand, and I could work on each as my interest directed.”5

Barry was not interested in the psychedelic music of those days. But if an offer came by, he would happilyaccept it to create a stunning piece of art – such as the poster for Pink Floyd’s Games For May concert; thefirst ever surround concert which took place at Queen Elizabeth Hall on 12 May 1967. Then camePolydor’s offer to design a Beatles cover: “The odd thing is that back then this assignment did not seemlike a big deal. I was listening mostly to classical music, and, curiously, I never had an opportunity to hearthe music on the album until your (i.e., the editors) request for information. I had been attracted to thegeometry style lettering and bold color of the nineteen­twenties, exemplified by neon cinema marquees.This album cover is an abstract geometric design meant to evoke the theatrical energy, exuberance, andversatility exemplified by The Beatles as I knew of them.I never did meet The Beatles, and don't recall any specific direction from the recording company. I knewthey were a top pop group, imaginative showmen, personalities, much loved, but was not familiar withtheir music, since I was in a classical music phase of my life. But I put together what descriptive words Iknew about The Beatles: HOT POP­GROUP UPBEAT OLD­TIMEY RAZZLE­DAZZLE THEATRICALRHYTHMICAL and up came this design which reflects the geometric neon decoration on 1920s and 30s

5 Author’s interviews, 7 and 25 May 2018

Barry Zaid's concert poster for The Pink Floyd

theatre marquees, venues where the Beatles might have played and whose graphics I loved. To me, thecreativity and vibe of The Beatles is like the energy of the 1920’s. And in 1967, a similar energy was verymuch in the air in Swinging London.This was pre­computer, so this cover was drawn with a set of ink compass and a mechanical pen, whichmakes me think it might have been done shortly after I arrived in London and before I had been able to getmore studio equipment.”

The first UK pressing of The Beatles' First (Polydor236 201) and James Last's Goes Pop (Polydor 249160) ­ both covers were designed by Barry Zaid

Barry Zaid was approached by Polydor again later that year to do artwork for an LP by German bandleader James Last, titled Goes Pop. Barry’s love for the Twenties is obvious on that cover as well though italso somewhat anticipates Heinz Edelmann’s work for The Beatles’ yet to be released film YellowSubmarine. Funnily enough, the James Last album includes a cover of The Beatles’All You Need Is Lovewhich of course would be one of the most poignant scenes of the cartoon!Barry would later do a few more album covers, though he’s probably best remembered for a book cover:“I developed more complex geometric shapes headings and borders for the London Times. A Geometricborder with 20’s flavor for The Paris Collections became the cover of the eponymous Art Deco by BevisHillier and an influence in the Art Deco revival. Most people think it is from the 20’s.”

Unfortunately, the British Beatles’ First cover is now a largely forgotten piece of art. Mainly due to thefact that it was on the wrong label: Polydor instead of Parlophone. Barry Zaid created a marvelous piece ofart which bridged the Roaring Twenties (unbeknownst to Barry who, as mentioned, hadn’t heard the LP,the lead­off track was Ain’t She Sweet which dates from 1927!) to the Summer of Love which in someways really was a repetition of the Twenties with its drug scene, permissiveness and unheard of music.

The cover of Bevis Hillier's book ArtDeco designed by Barry Zaid