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Louie Louie
EP by The Prelude
Released	4 October 1964
Recorded	9 May – 24 June 1964
Studio	Europafilm Studios, Stockholm, Sweden
Genre	Rhythm and blues beat garage rock
Length	11:20
Label	Olga
Producer	Tim Blomberg Åke Gerhard
The Prelude chronology
Louie Louie (1964) The Prelude (1965)
The Prelude EP chronology
Louie Louie (1964) Marquee (1966)
Singles from Louie Louie
"Louie Louie" / "Baby, Please Don't Go" Released: 16 June 1964

Louie Louie is the debut extended play by Swedish rock group the Prelude, released on 4 October 1964 by Olga Records. It managed to become a minor hit in the Swedish charts, reaching number twenty six on Kvällstoppen, which compiled both singles, albums and extended plays.. Produced by their manager Tim Blomberg, the EP features five songs, three of which are originals. Along with these originals are "Louie Louie" and "Baby, Please Don't Go" which were an unauthorized single compiled by their record company and released in June of that year.

First released by Olga under the catalogue number EPO 02 in 1964, it has since seen various re-releases and remasters. The first occuring in late 1966 by Immediate Records, where it for the first time got a worldwide release. Due to the recent success the band had accumulated throughout the Earth it became a minor hit in multiple countries. In 2014, a 50-Year Deluxe edition of the EP was unveiled. It contains the original tracks as tracks 1-5, along with several outtakes and demos of the songs. Blomberg, bassist Victor Friberg and label owner Åke Gerhard all contribute to the liner notes.

Background and recording

Background

The group had no intent of releasing the EP, instead, they sought to record a full length album by the end of 1964. Blomberg had made several attempts with Gerhard to get authorization, something he was denied multiple times. This has often been associated with the fact that they were a relatively obscure band outside of Stockholm. Gerhard however, allowed the group to record a handful of tracks which he funded, starting on 3 June. However, he'd performed a sound test on 9 May with the group. The recording sessions were often very expensive, with Gerhard attempting to do it for as little as possible, therefore, most tracks were recorded using Three-track tape even though Four-track was provided at the studio.

Europafilm Studios was initially a film studio, but due to Gerhard's unorthodox reasoning he, along with a couple of other producers, managed to sign a contract to convert part of it into a recording studio. He reasoned that the relatively cheap expenses and taxes in running the establishment, compared to other studios in surrounding areas. This, coupled with the fact that Europafilm was proportionally used mostly during the winter meant that there were virtually no bookings during the season in which the EP was recorded. The studio was conveniently located just a few kilometers away in Solna, Stockholm meaning transportation there only took around an hour for the band members. This was also a financial move by Gerhard who saw the inner-city as too expensive and filthy. It was recorded in five unconsecutive days spanning slightly over a month

Recording

9 May

The first song ever recorded by the band was "Louie Louie", which was taped on 9 May 1964. According to several individuals present (including Friberg and Gerhard), the song was recorded as a sound-test for their upcoming releases, and was never intended to be released. This was also the only recording session not funded by Gerhard, and was instead funded by their manager, Blomberg. He has since stated that it probably cost around 230 Swedish Kronor (2455 Kronor or 255 dollars in 2020) for the entire session. The basic rhythm track was done in only three takes, with an overdubbed guitar track as the second track, with the vocals on an additional third track. Group members have stated that there were technical difficulties in recording the track, with power outtages being common, occuring in approximately every five minutes, hindering large progress. "With A Girl Like You" was also demoed on this date, but not utilized

3 June

The first official recording session funded by Gerhard occured almost a month later, on 3 June 1964, which was also the longest recording session for the EP, lasting between 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM. Two songs were completed during this session, "Baby, Please Don't Go" and "With A Girl Like You", the first original composition recorded by the band. In contrast to "Louie Louie" which only took three takes to finalize the backing track, "Baby, Please Don't Go" took ten rhythm tracks. The second track consisted of a guitar, organ overdub while the last was a vocal, harmonica and tambourine overdub. The other song, "With A Girl Like You" was also done in three takes, with three overdubs added: lead guitar, aucustic guitar and the harmonic vocals performed by Friberg and Anton Wihlborg. Drummer Brazer Özel recalls this session as laid back in comparison to other recording sessions performed by the band.

10 June

The penultimate session occured exactly a week later, on Wednesday 10 June 1964. It yielded the backing track of only one song: "Hold My Hand." The group first entered the studio at 10 AM in the morning. This was among the hardest tracks to finalize, despite it's structural simplicity. It was plagued by mishaps, including inadequate recording equipment suitable for the song, such as a fade-in box which the band attempted to use. Among other problems was a rave which was held by guitarist and keyboardist William Hoang the previous night. Nonetheless, the band managed to perfect a backing track in only three hours. Five backing tracks were made, of which the fourth was used. Two guitar overdubs were also performed, but never incorporated into the final mix. This was also the last song recorded by the band for the EP to utilize three-track equipment.

24 June

The concluding session happened fifteen days later, on 24 June 1964. Compared to the earlier recordings, the group funded the use of four-track equipment for this session. This machine was installed in the studio the week prior, with the Prelude being the first to utilize it for recording. The last track was recorded during this session, A Wihlborg-Hoang composition titled "I Must Be In Love". The backing track was ironically also done in three takes. It also only used two overdubs: lead guitar overdubs performed by Wihlborg. "Hold My Hand" was also finalized, also with two guitar overdubs. The group had entered the studio at approximately 1:00 PM in order to recording the songs. It was also on this day that the majority of songs were mixed into mono, with stereo mixes occuring on a later date. Shortly after the conclusion of recording, the group headed out on a tour across southern Sweden and Denmark.

Track Listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Louie Louie"	Richard Berry	Anton Wihlborg	2:15
2.	"Hold My Hand"	Victor Friberg	William Hoang	2:30
Total length:				4:45

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"With A Girl Like You"	Friberg	Victor Friberg Wihlborg	1:48
2.	"Baby, Please Don't Go"	Traditional	Wihlborg	2:42
3.	"I Must Be In Love"	William Hoang Anton Wihlborg	Wihlborg	2:05
Total length:				6:35

Personnel

The Prelude

• Anton Wihlborg – lead vocals (all tracks except 2–3), backing vocals on "Hold My Hand", lower harmonic vocals on "With A Girl Like You", rhythm guitar (all tracks except 3 and 5), lead guitar (4–5), aucustic guitar on "With A Girl Like You"

• William Hoang – lead vocals on "Hold My Hand", backing vocals (1, 5) lead guitar (1–4), rhythm guitar (3, 5), Vox Continental organ on "Baby, Please Don't Go"

• Brazer Özel – drums (all tracks), bongo drums (2, 3), tambourine on "Baby, Please Don't Go"

• Victor Friberg – upper harmonic vocals on "With A Girl Like You", backing vocals (1–2, 5), bass guitar (all tracks), liner notes

Technical

• Tim Blomberg – producer, liner notes
• Åke Gerhard – studio engineer, liner notes

• Janne Frisk – studio engineer

• Lennart Hegland – cover photography