In Spite of All the Danger
Encyclopedia
"In Spite of All the Danger" is one of the first songs recorded by The Quarrymen
, then composed of John Lennon
, Paul McCartney
, George Harrison
, pianist John Lowe and drummer Colin Hanton
.
The song was written by McCartney and Harrison, and is the only song to credit the two alone. It is believed to have been recorded on Saturday 12 July 1958 (three days before Lennon's mother's death). However, that recording date is disputed by the group. The recording was made at Percy Phillips
' home studio in Liverpool
(see 1958 in music
). It cost 17 shillings and six pence.
's "That'll Be the Day
" recorded at the same session, these songs were the first recordings made by what would become The Beatles
. The only other previous recording of the Quarrymen in performance was a reel-to-reel tape-recording made by an audience member on 6 July 1957, during the Quarrymen's last set for the 1957 Rose Queen garden fête at St. Peter's Church, Woolton, Liverpool
. This was made on the very day on which McCartney first met Lennon, but before he was a member of the group. So, while it is true that an audience member made a recording that night — the recording was not under the band's control, and it was made before McCartney or Harrison joined the band.
for a week. Lowe was the last to have it, keeping it for nearly 25 years. In 1981, Lowe attempted to sell it at auction, but McCartney intervened and purchased it from him. McCartney had engineers restore as much of the record's sound quality as possible and then made approximately 50 copies of the single that he gave as personal gifts to family and friends. In 2004, Record Collector magazine named the original pressing as the most valuable record in existence, estimating its worth at £100,000, with the 1981 copies made by McCartney coming in second on the list at £10,000 each.
collection (see 1995 in music
) along with "That'll Be the Day". The Anthology version (2:44) runs a little shorter than the unedited original (3:25).
McCartney played the song throughout his 2005 world tour (see 2005 in music
).
The song's recording was depicted in the 2010 biopic "Nowhere Boy
" which was accurate even to the 17/6d charge for the recording session.
The Quarrymen
The Quarrymen are a British skiffle and rock and roll group, initially formed in Liverpool in 1956, that eventually evolved into The Beatles in 1960...
, then composed of John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
, pianist John Lowe and drummer Colin Hanton
Colin Hanton
Colin Leo Hanton was a drummer for The Quarrymen—the band which would later evolve into The Beatles....
.
The song was written by McCartney and Harrison, and is the only song to credit the two alone. It is believed to have been recorded on Saturday 12 July 1958 (three days before Lennon's mother's death). However, that recording date is disputed by the group. The recording was made at Percy Phillips
Phillips' Sound Recording Services
Phillips' Sound Recording Services was a studio in the house of Percy Francis Phillips and his family at 38 Kensington, Kensington, Liverpool, England...
' home studio in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
(see 1958 in music
1958 in music
-Events:*February - 45,000 peoplein one week watch performances of "rokabirī" music by Japanese singers at the first Nichigeki Western Carnival....
). It cost 17 shillings and six pence.
Earliest recording made by the group
Along with their cover of Buddy HollyBuddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
's "That'll Be the Day
That'll Be the Day
"That'll Be the Day" is a song written by Buddy Holly and Jerry Allison and recorded by various artists including The Crickets and Linda Ronstadt. It was also the first song to be recorded by The Quarrymen, the skiffle group that subsequently became The Beatles...
" recorded at the same session, these songs were the first recordings made by what would become The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. The only other previous recording of the Quarrymen in performance was a reel-to-reel tape-recording made by an audience member on 6 July 1957, during the Quarrymen's last set for the 1957 Rose Queen garden fête at St. Peter's Church, Woolton, Liverpool
St. Peter's Church, Woolton, Liverpool
St. Peter's Church in Woolton, Liverpool, England opened in 1887 with the neo-Gothic building replacing an earlier church on the site. It is one of the larger parish churches in Liverpool...
. This was made on the very day on which McCartney first met Lennon, but before he was a member of the group. So, while it is true that an audience member made a recording that night — the recording was not under the band's control, and it was made before McCartney or Harrison joined the band.
History of the recording
Only one copy of the "That'll Be the Day" and "In Spite of All the Danger" recordings was made, and each band member kept the acetate discAcetate disc
An acetate disc, also known as a test acetate, dubplate , lacquer , transcription disc or instantaneous disc...
for a week. Lowe was the last to have it, keeping it for nearly 25 years. In 1981, Lowe attempted to sell it at auction, but McCartney intervened and purchased it from him. McCartney had engineers restore as much of the record's sound quality as possible and then made approximately 50 copies of the single that he gave as personal gifts to family and friends. In 2004, Record Collector magazine named the original pressing as the most valuable record in existence, estimating its worth at £100,000, with the 1981 copies made by McCartney coming in second on the list at £10,000 each.
Public release
"In Spite of All the Danger" was not released to the public until it appeared on 1995's Anthology 1Anthology 1
Anthology 1 is a compilation album by The Beatles, released by Apple Records in November 1995. It was released as the first part of the Anthology trilogy of albums with Anthology 2 and Anthology 3, all of which tie-in with the televised special The Beatles Anthology. It contains "Free as a Bird",...
collection (see 1995 in music
1995 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1995.- January–February :*January 18 – Jerry Garcia crashes his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California, USA, but is not injured in the accident....
) along with "That'll Be the Day". The Anthology version (2:44) runs a little shorter than the unedited original (3:25).
McCartney played the song throughout his 2005 world tour (see 2005 in music
2005 in music
-Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...
).
The song's recording was depicted in the 2010 biopic "Nowhere Boy
Nowhere Boy
Nowhere Boy is a 2009 British biopic about John Lennon's adolescence, his relationships with his guardian aunt and his birth mother, the creation of his first band, the Quarrymen, and its evolution into the Beatles. The film is based on a biography written by Lennon's half-sister Julia Baird...
" which was accurate even to the 17/6d charge for the recording session.
Personnel
- John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
– lead vocal, rhythm guitar - Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
– rhythm guitar, backing vocal - George HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
– lead guitar, backing vocal - John LoweJohn Lowe (pianist)John Duff Lowe is a pianist from the middle-late 1950s, invited to play piano with The Quarrymen by Paul McCartney in 1958....
– piano - Colin HantonColin HantonColin Leo Hanton was a drummer for The Quarrymen—the band which would later evolve into The Beatles....
– drums