THE MERSEY SOUND
Polydor LPHM 100
Polydor LPHM 100
| FORMAT | RELEASE DATE | SIDE 1 MATRIX | SIDE 2 MATRIX | PARTS |
| MONO | Feb 1964 | MX143821 . LPHM 100-1 . 100A | MX143822 . LPHM 100-2 . 100B | AU |
MATRIX INFORMATION
Machine Stamped - Hand Written
Machine Stamped - Hand Written
| ORIGIN | CODE | CIRCULATED | SLEEVE DETAILS |
| AUST | A1 | Feb 1964 | First and only sleeve variation. Rear has a 'thumb groove' cut into the open edge |
SLEEVE INFORMATION
POLYDOR ORANGE
AU100M1
Feb 1964
AU100M1
Feb 1964
GENERAL ALBUM INFORMATION
German label Polydor owns the rights to the 'Tony Sheridan' tapes, recorded in Hamburg in June 1961 and which featured an early incarnation of The Beatles on a number of tracks, mainly providing backing for Tony Sheridan but also having a couple of tracks to themselves. Billed as The Beat Brothers on the original release, the tapes became a modest goldmine for Polydor following the explosion of The Beatles onto the world popular music scene. Issued countless times under an assortment of titles, the Hamburg recordings remain a curiosity for collector's of Beatles records, with this album arguably one of the rarest.
The Mersey Sound was 'rush-released' by Polydor to cash in on what was then known as "a Beatles-mania", the phenomenon created through the huge popularity of The Beatles' fourth local Parlophone single, 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'/'This Boy', released in December 1963 and reaching #1 Australia-wide the following week.
The four Beatles tracks that appeared on the album were released almost in parallel across two singles: 'My Bonnie'/'The Saints' and 'Cry For A Shadow'/'Why'.
Just under four months later Polydor released a follow up single, 'Ain't She Sweet'/'If You Love Me Baby', along with The Beatles With Tony Sheridan EP, the latter remaining on catalogue into the 1970s.
The album appears to have had only one pressing, given the lack of variations identified to date.
It's worth noting that the sleeve art was not unique to this release; the same photo was used on a Polydor dance compilation released in Germany the same month, titled Let's Do The Twist, Hully Gully, Slop, Surf, Locomotion, Monkey (Polydor 237 622). A loose connection through both albums containing The Beatles/Tony Sheridan tracks, so presumably compiled around the same time with Polydor Germany deciding to send Australia the same photo.
The Mersey Sound was 'rush-released' by Polydor to cash in on what was then known as "a Beatles-mania", the phenomenon created through the huge popularity of The Beatles' fourth local Parlophone single, 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'/'This Boy', released in December 1963 and reaching #1 Australia-wide the following week.
The four Beatles tracks that appeared on the album were released almost in parallel across two singles: 'My Bonnie'/'The Saints' and 'Cry For A Shadow'/'Why'.
Just under four months later Polydor released a follow up single, 'Ain't She Sweet'/'If You Love Me Baby', along with The Beatles With Tony Sheridan EP, the latter remaining on catalogue into the 1970s.
The album appears to have had only one pressing, given the lack of variations identified to date.
It's worth noting that the sleeve art was not unique to this release; the same photo was used on a Polydor dance compilation released in Germany the same month, titled Let's Do The Twist, Hully Gully, Slop, Surf, Locomotion, Monkey (Polydor 237 622). A loose connection through both albums containing The Beatles/Tony Sheridan tracks, so presumably compiled around the same time with Polydor Germany deciding to send Australia the same photo.
PAGE LAST UPDATED: 13 AUGUST 2022