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Moon River was the number one song as 1962 dawned and Cliff Richard also topped the charts with The Young Ones in January.听

The Cavern in Liverpool was the place to play.

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The Beatles played 292 times in the Cavern club which was also an important musical breeding ground for groups like Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Searchers, The Merseybeats, and The Swinging Blue Jeans.

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Manager Brian Epstein signed The Beatles to a five year management deal after seeing them play at the Cavern.

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Brian Epstein鈥檚 hard work听promoting the band paid off when EMI Records offered The Beatles a recording deal on their small Parlophone label.听听

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On 4 September, 1962听 The Beatles went into Abbey Road studios with George Martin to record their first single.听

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The听 Beatles' first single, Love Me Do was released on 5 October, 1962. It went to number 17 in the charts.

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Several versions of the songs were recorded and an alternative recording of the song was released around the world and went to number one in the USA in 1964.听

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Love Me Do was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Paul wrote the bulk of the song at his home at Forthlin Road in Liverpool while playing truant from school.

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George Martin toyed with the idea of issuing How Do You Do It? as the Beatles' first single.

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From Me to You was the first Beatles number one single in 1963 in most UK charts.听

Love Me Do: The Beatles 62 includes a rare interview with session drummer Andy White who is now 82 and lives in the USA.

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Andy White was a member of The Beatles for just three hours鈥� and if history had been different, the Fab Four would have been John, Paul, George and Andy.

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He says that just after Pete Best was sacked and replaced by Ringo, he was asked by George Martin to replace Ringo as drummer on one of the many different recorded versions of Love Me Do.

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Ringo鈥檚 version was released in the UK, but George Martin was happier with the Andy White version which was eventually released abroad and went to number one in America.听

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Andy also plays on the B-side PS I Love You. He now claims he is actually the drummer on one of The Beatles biggest hits - Please Please Me.

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In the film Pete Best recalls this news first coming to light. 鈥淸When] it became public knowledge that Andy [and not Ringo] had actually recorded on Love Me Do and P.S. I Love You and quite a few other little bits and pieces, it was a little bit like, as far as I鈥檓 concerned, serves you right.

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鈥淚t was a little bit like well thank you for small mercies.鈥�

Love Me Do: The Beatles 62 features an eyewitness account claiming that the band鈥檚 manager Brian Epstein bought up thousands of copies of Love Me Do, the band鈥檚 first hit single, to bolster record sales and ensure their entry into the charts.

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Epstein鈥檚 friend and business associate Joe Flannery, who makes the claims, says: 鈥淗e [Brian Epstein] went and he bought 10,000 copies of Love Me Do and that was in his store room in Whitechapel, because I鈥檇 seen them, they were there, 10,000 copies.鈥澨�

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Rumours that Epstein might have bolstered sales of Love Me Do, which went on to become the band鈥檚 first top 20 hit and launched their career into superstardom, have circulated for many years, though have never been proved.听 听

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Love Me Do: The Beatles 鈥�62 also features Billy Kinsley, who was in another promising band The Merseybeats, which Epstein also managed.听听听听

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Kinsley recalls: 鈥淗e [Brian Epstein] found out that we were on tour, he鈥檇 look at our gigs, [and say] 鈥極h we鈥檙e playing Sheffield鈥� or 鈥榃e鈥檙e playing Manchester. OK will you just go in this record shop and pick up a few copies [of Love Me Do]? Don鈥檛 all go in at the same time鈥�. Which we did.听 听

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"I like to think that we did help the Beatles get to number 17.鈥澨�

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