It was originally released in 1964 in Germany, then issued in 1967 in England, 1969 in Canada and finally in the United States in 1970.

On 22 June 1961, composer and musical director Bert Kaempfert produced the Beatles' first professional recording session backing English singer and guitarist Tony Sheridan for the German label Polydor.

Performed in the auditorium of Friedrich-Ebert-Hall, a high school in the borough of Hamburg-Harburg often used as a studio, Paul McCartney is on bass, John Lennon on rhythm guitar, Pete Best on drums (which only includes snare, hi-hats and cymbal) with George Harrison and Sheridan sharing lead guitar parts.

The session, which possibly ended the next day, saw the recording of "My Bonnie" and "The Saints" (released as a single that same year and on an LP called My Bonnie in January 1962, all credited to Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers), "Why", an original song by Sheridan, and the covers "Nobody's Child" by Hank Snow and "If You Love Me, Baby (Take Out Some Insurance On Me, Baby)" by Jimmy Reed but the latter with different lyrics.

[2][nb 1] "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Swanee River" were recorded at Rahlstedt studio in Hamburg on 24 May 1962, during a second session designed to end the Beatles recording contract with Polydor in order to give free rein to their new manager, Brian Epstein.

[7] On 4 August 1967, Polydor officially released The Beatles' First in the UK (catalogue number 236-201), but with a sleeve designed by Barry Zaid which omits the exclamation mark.