“Three Cool Cats” is also one of those 1962 Decca audition tracks from The Beatles. Although not all of those tracks are available, this one is. In fact, “Three Cool Cats” appears on their 1995 album, “Anthology 1”. The song was originally the B-side of The Coasters’ single, “Charlie Brown” from 1958, of course. It is also one of those cover songs that The Beatles would play on their live circuit.
In Detail
Album
Recorded: 1st January, 1962
Studio: Decca Studios, London
Track Duration: 2:25 (mono)
Songwriters: Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Producer: Mike Smith
Performers**
George Harrison: vocals, lead guitar
John Lennon: backing vocals, rhythm guitar
Paul McCartney: backing vocals, bass
Pete Best: drums
Anthology 1 Album (1995)
** Obviously at this stage, Ringo Starr was not yet a member of The Beatles.
Track Source
Three Cool Cats
Long before The Beatles became famous, their name was “The Quarrymen”. Their live music included many cover songs. Of course, this was the norm for many budding artists with stars in their eyes. One song that the band chose was “Three Cool Cats” from the B-side of a Coasters single and used it effectively at their live shows.
George Harrison took on the role of lead vocalist with a rather rasping voice. However the song saw John Lennon and Paul McCartney join in to allow for a rather apt three-way vocal harmony. The Beatles humour is famous and in this early record we can pick up some of their earliest recorded playfulness.
Because the band would use the song regularly in places such as Hamburg, Liverpool’s Casbah Coffee Club and the Cavern Club, Brian Epstein had no problem adding this song to their demo tape for Decca Records. In short, Decca Records turned down The Beatles but it never put the band off. The rest is history as they say!
Back To Their Roots
During January in 1969, The Beatles sang “Three Cool Cats” a few time while rehearsing the Get Back/Let It Be Sessions. Incidentally, during those 1969 sessions, they sang a few of their early songs, perhaps reminiscing their previous camaraderie. They performed it a little slower than the original version on their 1995 album, “Anthology 1”, but none of those versions are commercially available.
On “Anthology 1” the song sits on disc one after track 15, “Searchin’” and before “The Sheik Of Araby“. Both of those songs were also part of their Decca audition tape.
