In Spite of All the Danger
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| “In Spite of All the Danger” | ||
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Original 78 rpm Acetate
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| Song by The Beatles | ||
| Album | Anthology 1 | |
| Released | Spring or Summer 1958 (Original acetate pressing) November 20, 1995 (UK) November 21, 1995 (US) (The Beatles Anthology 1 Release) |
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| Recorded | Phillips Sound Recording Service, Liverpool, July 12, 1958 | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 2:44 (Anthology version) 3:25 (Original acetate) |
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| Label | Apple Records | |
| Writer | Paul McCartney and George Harrison | |
| Producer | Percy Phillips | |
"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 ever credit the two of them alone. It was recorded in 1958 at Percy Phillips' home studio in Liverpool (see 1958 in music). It cost them 17 shillings and six pence. Along with their cover of Buddy Holly's "That'll Be the Day" recorded at the same session, these songs comprise the second recordings of what would eventually become The Beatles (after a reel-to-reel recording from July 6, 1957).
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[edit] History and value of the recording
Only one copy of the recording was made, and each band member was supposed to keep the acetate disc for a week. Lowe was the last to end up with it, and he held onto it for nearly 25 years. In 1981, Lowe attempted to sell it at auction, but McCartney intervened and purchased it from him for an unknown sum. 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.
[edit] Release and performance
"In Spite of All the Danger" was not released to the public until it appeared on 1995's Anthology 1 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).
Paul McCartney played the song throughout his 2005 world tour (see 2005 in music).
For a short time it was considered to be the A side to the first single.
[edit] Personnel
- John Lennon--lead vocal, rhythm guitar
- Paul McCartney--rhythm guitar, backing vocal
- George Harrison--lead guitar
- John Lowe--piano
- Colin Hanton--drums
Another version consisted of Paul and George in a duet.
[edit] References
- Barnes, Anthony. "It cost 90p to make. But the first Lennon/McCartney disc is now worth £100,000". Belfast Telegraph, November 1, 2004. [1]. (Accessed June 15, 2006)
- Cross, Craig. "In Spite of All the Danger". Retrieved October 7, 2005.
