This is an interesting article on how things developed in the very early days.

Love Me Do - The Beatles first single to ever be released

Nice article. The other Beatle links are good reads too. It's always interesting to read different perspectives.

While the UK and Australia may have received the first cut with Ringo on drums, I'm reasonably sure the US received the second cut with Ringo on tambourine.

Not mentioned in the article is the "B" side of the US single is "Yes It Is" which is also a Lennon/McCartney composition.

"Love Me Do" / "Yes" It Is was the first vinyl record I purchased.

And you probably played it on a record player that you had to crank up, right birthday boy?