Of all the records released in the wake of Beatlemania (click here for a comprehensive illustrated list of Beatles covers & cash-in albums) the one-and-only album by The Beatle Buddies easily wins the award for best cover with its menacing take on Meet the Beatles!:
‘fabulous Beatle sound’
Fortunately, mixed in with the Beatle covers, there are a few originals, such as my pick for an A-side:
“I Waited“
The Beatle Buddies (1964)
Diplomat chose two other tracks for their lone Beatle Buddies 7-inch release (“Who Can I Believe” b/w “I’ll Take You Back Again”), a single that was attributed, curiously, to Judy Stewart And Her Beatle Buddies. Both songs were written by Aubrey Mayhew (founder, Little Darlin’ Records) and Canadian jazz composer, arranger, and bandleader, Fred Stride).
Discogs contributor TomDaly1960 points out that this same Beatle Buddie album was repackaged by Diplomat as a ‘new’ album ostensibly by a group called “The Manchesters” — note all the overlapping song titles, for instance, on Beatlerama, released the same year as Meet The Beatle Buddies.
caveat emptor
Did the four young ladies enjoy a close personal relationship with the lads from Liverpool? That’s a puzzle that might not ever get solved, as little to no information exists on the web about these four (unnamed) artists — which only makes the back cover liner notes that much more hilarious in retrospect:
The Beatles created one of the most phenomenal musical events since Elvis, and the whole world is infected with Beatle sounds. Our contribution is unique in that we are offering The Beatle Buddies, a group of young gals that have their own sound, in the true Beatle tradition. They have a distinct and definite originality in their presentation. The girls are cute and very talented. We think that their names and sound will last long after the Beatles are gone. Listen to their harmony and style and we think you will agree that these girls are a real find in the recording business of today. A single record is being prepared from this album which should be heard nationwide very soon. So here we go — Beatle Buddies.
Perhaps the record label’s emphasis on quantity and affordability [“Diplomat Records – your best buy in entertainment”; “fine records need not be expensive”; “Diplomat recordings offer many additional hours of listening pleasure”] explains why Diplomat, with its limited finances, might resort to legally artistic marketing strategies.
And no doubt these strategies worked, as I can affirm firsthand as a tot when a close (and unsuspecting) family friend visited one day and brought with her a new “Beetles” album as an offering of joy for the youngest Beatlemaniac in the household – only to receive this:
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LINK to Cash-In Albums +/- 45s
3 Responses
My Mother purchased the Beatle buddies lp for me when I was very young. I was 5 or 6 years old and could not remember the name of the meet the beatles album. I did tell her what it looked like and she came home with the Beatle buddies album. I am 52 years old and still have the album. I was also looking for more info on this recording. maybe one of the girls can come out and give us the story.
Ha! I have that Liverpools album! They are about as talented as you might expect…
It’s very likely that the cover photo was comprised of models who had nothing to do with the music. It’s also likely that the recording was done by studio musicians and that male or female vocals were added for various cash in releases.