On February 9, 1964, Beatlemania officially took hold in the USA, marked by the Fab Four's triumphant appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. On February 10, record executives nationwide simultaneously sprang up from their beds itching for a piece of that action. The relatively scrupulous ones signed up any four blokes with an English accent and longish locks. The more ethically suspect execs taught some local kids how to talk like Limeys and instructed them to start combing their hair over their foreheads.
And then there were the budget-label moguls: Why bother signing a band at all when you can just cajole some cronies to record shoddily sung and hastily arranged versions of "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand," cook up a few unoriginal originals (or, easier still, just pad the disc with a few non-Beatles-sounding moldy rockers lying around somewhere), slap it in a sleeve brazenly sporting prominent moptop wigs and some permutation of the word Beat or Beetle in "Japanese Bomb Pearl Harbor"-size type, and watch the dumber kids or their myopic gift-giving grannies snatch 'em off the shelves! And thus began Mocktop Mania!
With that in mind, we introduce our first False Fabs Fight, in which we pit one of these Beatsploitation records against another. Today's Bogus Beatle Battle is a face-off between an imitator of the biggest group of the era (the Beatles, of course) and an imitator of the second-biggest group of that time. No, not the Rolling Stones, who wouldn't become huge stateside for another year or so. And not the Dave Clark Five, either, who never quite gave the Fab Four a run for their money. (There exist no Stones or DC5 lookalike album releases, after all.) Rather, it's the only other band worthy of this superstar level of record deception — Alvin and the Chipmunks!
That leads us to our combatants: The Liverpools vs. the Four Chipmunks (later known as the Wyncote Squirrels, thanks to David Seville's lawyer). With both albums being issued by the Wyncote budget division of Philadelphia's pop powerhouse Cameo-Parkway Records, we have a fair method by which to compare and contrast our two adversaries. (It also helps that both "groups" use the same backing tracks, of course.) All the non-Beatles songs on each album are not only the very same titles, they're also pretty good approximations of the Merseybeat sound, as these fly-by-night discs go — some just have sped-up trick vocals.
So, who comes out on top: fake Beatles, or fake Chipmunks doing fake Beatles? Without any further buildup, let the battle commence! (Liverpools tracks are in mono; Four Chipmunks are in stereo, which, it is hoped, gives no clear advantage to one side or another.)
Round 1: Here's how each side handles a bouncy, Moptops-worthy number:
Liverpools: Be My Girl (MP3)
Four Chipmunks aka Wyncote Squirrels: Be My Girl (MP3)
Round 2: Who has the advantage when it comes to a novelty tune? You decide:
Liverpools: Hey, Quiet Down There (MP3)
Four Chipmunks aka Wyncote Squirrels: Hey, Quiet Down There (MP3)
Round 3: Sensitive and heartfelt beat ballad? Here we go:
Liverpools: Did You Ever Get My Letter (MP3)
Four Chipmunks aka Wyncote Squirrels: Did You Ever Get My Letter (MP3)
Weird! Way to find new things to say about the most having-stuff-said-about band ever!
Heard something today that reminded me of your series - this band called the Beatle-ettes, from the first "girls in the garage"comp. It's kinda an original song but they keep lapsing into referencing different beatles songs...
"Well I know I'm only 17/ but I'd sure like to be your queen/ I think you're grand/ You ask me to and I'm gonna let you hold my hand"
Stuff like that, very novel. It's actually a pretty raw, punky recording despite how cute it sounds...
Posted by: Nash Roads | January 30, 2008 at 03:52 AM
...hmmm, Cameo-Parkway, eh? Thus Allen Klein owns these things now?...
Posted by: King Daevid MacKenzie | February 02, 2008 at 08:51 PM
King Daevid, that is correct -- and quite ironic (in the Alanis meaning of the word). I was actually going to point out that little fun fact in the story, but a need for brevity precluded me from doing that. Thanks for picking up the slack.
Posted by: Gaylord Fields | February 02, 2008 at 09:58 PM
I used to be a total Beatles nerd when I was in high school, and I remember really wanting to listen to an infamous record called "The Beetles' Beat" that would often come up in articles about The Beatles. I always hoped it would be as good as The Knickerbockers' "Lies." I never listen to The Beatles anymore, but I'd still kill to hear that record.
Posted by: version | February 13, 2008 at 09:06 PM
@version: i think this is it, http://dump.jazzido.com/m/beetles-youdidit.mp3
For extra awesomeness, here's the cover of the argentinian version of The Beetles' only record.
Posted by: manuel | February 13, 2008 at 10:33 PM
My brother had the Liverpools album and used to put it on and laugh and laugh. I caught on, but I actually learned the original songs on guitar, because it made for even more of a laugh. I never heard the chipmunks style versions of the songs, though. This is great stuff. Thanks for the reminders.
Posted by: Charlie | June 03, 2008 at 06:04 PM
Did anyone vote?
Winners:
Be My Girl: Four Chipmunks - they hold that vocal down with more power than the Liverpools
Hey Quiet Down There: Four Chipmunks - this seems obvious to me
Did You Ever Get My Letter? : The Liverpools - These vocals seem very nice for fake Beatle bands. I'm impressed.
I love these posts even though I'm reading all of them in the summer of 2008!
thank you!
Posted by: Taylor Franklin | June 27, 2008 at 11:49 PM
Did anyone vote?
Winners:
Be My Girl: Four Chipmunks - they hold that vocal down with more power than the Liverpools
Hey Quiet Down There: Four Chipmunks - this seems obvious to me
Did You Ever Get My Letter? : The Liverpools - These vocals seem very nice for fake Beatle bands. I'm impressed.
I love these posts even though I'm reading all of them in the summer of 2008!
thank you!
Posted by: Taylor Franklin | June 27, 2008 at 11:51 PM
Check out this new CD! It sounds for the world like a new Beatles album with 11 new Lennon/McCartney/Harrison songs. This debut album by “The About”, titled “Iter Itineris” has received great reviews from Beatles fan clubs, Beatles radio stations, and even The Beatles former Apple Records manager, Ken Mansfield. Click on the link below for free sound clips and to read comments made about this amazing new album which is actually causing some people to ask which Beatles album these songs appeared on. The CD sounds much clearer and more powerful than the sound clips, but you can get an idea of what The About is about. www.cdbaby.com/TheAbout
Posted by: Vic | August 02, 2008 at 04:19 AM
I used to have this chipmunks album. and I remember there being another NON Beatles song on it. I was wondering if by any chance there was a way to get a copy of that song.
Thanks,
Mike
Posted by: Mike | October 21, 2008 at 05:58 PM