“A World Without Love” / “If I Were You” (Columbia DB 7225) March 1964
PETER and GORDON | A problem for only one of them
Peter and Gordon | A World Without Love | (Columbia) 1964 | THEY look like art school students who somehow got lost between their college and the National Gallery and landed up in a recording studio. Which, as things have turned out, was rather fortunate.
Coming in at Number 21 in the NME. Charts—Peter and Gordon with their first record, called “A World Without Love.” John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote it.
This is the newcomers’ first big break, but with it comes problems. Peter Asher, Jane’s brother, incidentally, hence the tie-up with Paul McCartney, is at the London University studying philosophy. He has to make the choice of staying on for his last term, or going full time into the pop world.
Retire!
Gordon Waller‘s life is less complicated. He has one burning ambition: “I want to make enough money to retire!” he says. And as events are shaping that might not be so far distant.
Peter (19) and Gordon (18) were at boarding school together. There are stories of how they played in the local coffee bars and of how Gordon, in the early hours of the morning, had to climb the old iron gate to get back into school. Peter was lucky—he was a day boy.
Back in those days they were on a folk kick, but as life raced on and school was put behind them they went more for the commercial material.
There were cabaret dates and a booking at the Pickwick Club in London. They played there for a couple of months. Then came recognition.
Keen-eared officials at EMI heard of them and one night Norman Newell, the recording manager, went to the club. They said afterwards that they had no idea who he was, but he looked important so they put special efforts into their singing.
Norman liked what he heard and summoned them next day to his office, where they went over all their material for him. Their sound was attractive, but at the time they had nothing that was strong enough to make the “A” side of a record.
The day
Then they remembered the unfinished composition that John and Paul had written for them. Everyone had been round at the Asher’s flat in Wimpole Street when the song was first played and Peter and Gordon had decided then to use it some day. This was the day! The composition was duly completed and it made a terrific “A” side. Coupled with it was one of their own compositions, “If I Were You,” a Latin-influenced number. (NME, 20/03/64)
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