Cargo Records

Quarrymen One

A series of compilation CDs highlighting the songs and styles that inspired the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and which ultimately were responsible for shaping their sound.

For too long the covers CD has been the province of freebie magazine cover-mounts and shoddy garage cheapies. No more. Because Rhythm And Blues Records are Doing It Right. Following on from their well-received compilations covering the roots of rhythm & blues, the R&B team shine a spotlight on the songs that shaped the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Quarrymen – Skiffle – Country – Western : Jazz, rocknroll, blues, music hall, guitar instrumentals, tin pan alley, rockabilly, dance band, soul, bolero, skiffle, trad, R&B, country, old-time, Broadway, doo-wop, folk, high school pop, Motown - the Beatles early influences are so wide-ranging that this series of discs could quite easily pass for an introduction to the history of twentieth century popular music.

For the first six years of their career, the Beatles were essentially a covers band. When they were captured live on tape in two sets at the Star Club in Hamburg in 1962, they played thirty-two songs, only two of which were their own compositions. They established a repertoire of over 600 tunes, allowing them to tailor their set to the occasion for jazz clubs, strip clubs, church dances, folk clubs and working men’s clubs.

Quarrymen One covers the period 1957-60, investigating skiffle and the other music that the individual members of the group grew up listening to before rocknroll burst on to the scene. Quarrymen Two will look at the band’s rocknroll influences.

All tracks have been carefully remastered to optimise the sound. An extensively illustrated 32 page booklet features detailed sleeve notes from compilers Nick Duckett and Simon Wright, including a track-by-track commentary and an essay explaining the significance of each song to the band.