Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Well have to agree to disagree there Rob I though Fourmost version was great.

I agree with you Roy. The Fourmost version was much better. IMO of course.

I'd rather agree with Robert. The version represented here is more lively, imho.

From Roy

"Last week's BTFP3 saw most of you who entered get it, it was of course Billy J Kramer with the Dakotas (I wasn't pedantic about Dakotas) they were to some degree though because the records were always billed as With instead of And, subtle difference or marketing ploy."

Most of you who entered got this, it was of course Billy J Kramer with The Dakotas (I wasn't pedantic about The Dakotas)

All Billy J's recordings with them though were credited as With The Dakotas rather than And The Dakotas,whether they insisted on that who knows, they were not his original backing group, they were called The Coasters, Dakotas were from Manchester and Epstein clearly thought,I assume, that they were better than The Dakotas


Here's the original Lennon demo.

Here

If memory serves me correctly the Coasters who in my opinion were equally as good as the Dakotas,decided it was not in their interest to turn professional.
Brian Epstein had the problem of finding a group to back Billy.
The Dakotas were not his first choice the Remo Four turned him down,Johnny Sandon was their lead singer.
I understand that the initial approach to the Dakotas was to prove negative it was only after he (Eppy) offered to record the group in their own right,did they accept his offer.
I presume this is the reason Billy Kramer was billed as "WITH THE DAKOTAS"

Well you should know Geoff as you were there! Epstein did approach the Remo Four and agreed to manage them if they backed Billy they declined. I gather The Dakotas and Billy J did not really hit it off as they say, they were backing a guy called Pete MacClaine at the time and Dakotas left him to join Epstein, he was not enamoured , story goes he offered MacClaine The Coasters,also he had made a offer to Ted Knibbs Billy J's manager that he found hard to turn down.


Whilst I am sure you are correct Geoff Coasters did eventually go on to back Chick Graham another band that never made the big time.

Also Shane Fenton who later became Alvin Stardust claims that he was offered Do You Want To Know A Secret before Billy J, he decided against it apparently.


Mind you will have 100's of stories like that Geoff.

Original demo?

Sounds more like a Dakota recording from the late seventies to me.

From Rob

This has been the source of much debate actually amongst Beatles experts, I have it down as demo 63 on a bootleg, but You may well be right, some even say it's not Lennon.

My take would be that it would be a strange song to revisit 15 years on.