The Beatles – It was 60 years ago today...

On the very first day of 1962, The Beatles failed their audition with one of the biggest record companies in the UK. On the final day of 1962, WITH they had a No 1 single in the can and played their last gig on the Hamburg club circuit – on the verge of conquering Britain in 1963, and the world in 1964. How could just one year change their fortunes so vastly? As the 60th anniversary of Love Me Do approaches, we offer a full appraisal of their 1962 recordings, and the myths and mysteries that continue to surround them. Richie Unterberger delves into the archives.

- By Richie Unterberger

In 1962, The Beatles released just two tracks – the first under their own name to make their way onto vinyl. The single, Love Me Do, crawled up to just No 17 on the UK charts. No one would have guessed that, 60 years later, the release would be celebrated as a milestone in popular music.

Unless you were living in Liverpool or Hamburg, Love Me Do, and its B-side P.S. I Love You, were likely all the world knew of how The Beatles sounded the year they issued their debut 45. Yet 1962 was just as significant to their career as the seven smash-filled years that followed.

Here’s what happened during those eventful 12 months. They changed their drummer in the late summer – probably the best and most important move they ever made. They signed with manager Brian Epstein, without whom they might have never been heard outside Liverpool and Hamburg. They got a record deal with EMI, and established the partnership with their greatest musical ally, George Martin.

Fortunately, many recordings do survive besides that lone single, which allow us to trace the band’s early development with the help not just of hazily remembered stories, but evidence laid down in the studio.

1 January 1962: The Decca Records Audition