Monday, May 16, 2011

Please Mr. Postman

I'm most familiar with the version of "Please Mr. Postman" by The Marvelettes (aka "The Marvels"). According to Wikipedia, the song is "notable as the first Motown song to reach the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart". 

Now, having heard the version by The Beatles, I have to say I prefer the Marvelettes' version. It clearly wasn't the boys' best work, having been criticized by music critic and Beatles historian Ian McDonald. The only information Wikipedia gives us on The Beatles' version of this song is below:
The Beatles included "Please Mister Postman" as part of their live act in 1962, performing it regularly at the Cavern Club. By the time it was recorded for their second album, With the Beatles, it had been dropped from their set, and required some work in the studio to bring it up to an acceptable standard. Ian MacDonald criticised their version for having a "wall of sound" and for a "general airlessness."
The ladies' version just seems cleaner, better-sung, and unburdened by the notorious wall of sound (read the link above; it's a pretty interesting gimmick used in particular by the creepy Phil Spector). 

[Note: Bothered by my own reliance on the handy but often questionably-sourced Wikipedia, I turned to Google to provide me with more varied information, hopefully with citations. There's the About.com page for the song but it provides less information supported by zero sources. Satisfied, I return to Wikipedia, whose sources are cited at the bottom of the page.]


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Heard It Tally: 1
Songs Completed: 21

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