Editing Pete Best (section)

=== Decca and Parlophone ===
<!-- [[WP:NFCC]] violation: [[File:Beatles Telegram.jpg|thumb|left|270px|The telegram Brian Epstein sent to ''[[Mersey Beat]]'' newspaper in Liverpool announcing the Beatles' first UK recording contract]] -->
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[[Brian Epstein]], who had been unofficially managing the Beatles for less than a month, arranged a [[The Beatles' Decca audition|recording audition]] at [[Decca Records]] in London on New Year's Day 1962.{{sfn|Unterberger|2006|p=18}} The group recorded 15 songs, mostly cover versions, plus three Lennon–McCartney songs.{{sfn|Unterberger|2006|p=19}} Best also recorded the song "Going Back Manchester" with Lennon at this time, which would later feature as a bonus track on the special edition of his album ''Best of the Beatles'', the rights of the song belonging to Best due to a legal technicality. A month later, Decca informed Epstein the group had been rejected.{{sfn|Unterberger|2006|p=22}} All band members except for Best were informed of the rejection.{{sfn|Brocken|2010|p=101}} Epstein officially became the Beatles' manager on 24 January 1962, with the contract signed in Best's house.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brianepstein.com/brian.html|title=Life of Brian: Brian Epstein Bio|website=brianepstein.com|access-date=16 August 2018}}</ref>

Epstein negotiated ownership of the Decca audition tape, which was then transferred to an acetate disc, to promote the band to other record companies in London. In the meantime, Epstein negotiated the release of the Beatles from their recording contract with Bert Kaempfert and [[Polydor Records]] in Germany, which expired on 22 June 1962.{{Sfn|Lewisohn|2013}}{{page needed|date=February 2024}} As a part of this contract, the Beatles recorded at Polydor's Studio Rahlstedt on 24 May 1962 in Hamburg as a sessions band, backing Tony Sheridan.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1996|p=42}}<ref name="MyBeatleDays">{{cite web |first=Pete |last=Best |url=http://www.triumphpc.com/mersey-beat/archives/my-beatle-days.shtml |title= My Beatle Days |publisher=Triumph PC |access-date=25 May 2009}}</ref><ref name="TheBeatlesinHamburg19601962">{{cite web|url=http://german.about.com/cs/music/a/beatleger_2.htm|title=The Beatles in Hamburg: 1960–1962|publisher=about|access-date=14 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090915191032/http://german.about.com/cs/music/a/beatleger_2.htm|archive-date=15 September 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[File:Abbeyroadtomswain.jpg|thumb|left|270px|alt=Studio Two, Abbey Road Studios|Studio Two of Abbey Road Studios (in 2008) where Pete Best recorded with the Beatles in a test session on 6 June 1962]]
The record producer at [[EMI]], [[George Martin]], met Epstein on 9 May 1962 at the [[Abbey Road Studios|Abbey Road studios]], and was impressed with his enthusiasm. He agreed to sign the Beatles on a recording contract, based on listening to the Decca audition tape, without having met or seen them perform live.{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=90}} Soon after the recording contract was signed, the Beatles performed a "commercial test" (i.e. an evaluation of a signed artist) on 6 June 1962 in Studio Two at the Abbey Road studios.{{sfn|Martin|1994|pp=120–123}} The Beatles were not new to studio recording, and Best's drumming had been found acceptable by Polydor in Hamburg. However, Martin was alerted to Best's unsuitability for British studio work. EMI engineer [[Norman Smith (record producer)|Norman Smith]] stated in a 2006 video interview that "it was mainly down to what he was playing and not how he was playing," when "Love Me Do" was first recorded, referring to the head [[Arrangement#Jazz|arrangement]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLAK8o0RXtA| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211116/RLAK8o0RXtA| archive-date=16 November 2021 | url-status=live|title=Bonus Beatles Stories - Special DVD Features - Norman Smith - Cinema Libre studio| date=23 January 2018|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Martin, however, found Best's timing inadequate and wanted to replace Best with an experienced studio [[Session musician|session drummer]] for the recordings, a common practice at the time.{{sfn|Martin|1994|pp=120–123}} 
Martin stated years later:{{Blockquote|I decided that the drums, which are really the backbone of a good rock group, didn't give the boys enough support. They needed a good solid beat, and I said to Brian, 'Look, it doesn't matter what you do with the boys, but on record, nobody need know. I'm gonna use a hot drummer.' Brian [Epstein] said, 'Okay, fine.' I felt guilty because I felt maybe I was the catalyst that had changed his [Best's] life…<ref name=autogenerated1>''The Beatles Anthology'' DVD 2003 (Episode 1 – 1:02:54) Martin talking about Best's drumming.</ref>{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=90}}{{sfn|Spitz|2005|p=318}}}}