The first recording session featuring John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison took place on 12 July 1958.
The Quarrymen recorded two songs in a Liverpool studio – In Spite Of All The Danger and a version of Buddy Holly’s That’ll Be The Day. The songs were pressed directly onto a 10″ aluminium and acetate disc to be played at 78rpm, which is now owned by Paul McCartney. The Quarry Men consisted of John, Paul and George, plus Colin Hanton on drums (not that there’s much audio evidence of him) and on piano, John “Duff” Lowe. For a fee of 17 shillings, three pence, the youths were able to take home a 10” 78 rpm acetate of their work (the master tape was then re-used), which they then lent to each other for a week apiece.
Duff ended up keeping it for 23 years before selling it to Paul for an undisclosed amount in 1981.
Paul said: “When we got the record, the agreement was that we would have it for a week each. John had it a week and passed it on to me. I had it for a week and passed it on to George, who had it for a week. Then Colin had it for a week and passed it to Duff Lowe – who kept it for 23 years.”