Aside from the Hollies, several artists covered "If I Needed Someone" soon after the Beatles recorded it. Stained Glass released the song as their first single – a version that "Billboard" magazine described as an "impressive debut" and "an exciting off-beat ballad". Having struggled to maintain their relevance against British Invasion bands, the Kingsmen recorded the song with an arrangement that authors Stuart Shea and Robert Rodriguez recognise as "a prototypically American response to British folk". This version, which failed to chart in the US when issued as a single, later appeared on the group's 1966 album "Up and Away". Other artists who recorded it in 1966 include the Cryan' Shames, for their debut album, "Sugar and Spice", and Hugh Masekela, who released it on "Hugh Masekela's Next Album" and went on to collaborate with the Byrds on their January 1967 single "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star".