Live In Anytown

Highway High Fi, 1974

A live anthology culled from three well-known concerts: Hollywood Bowl '64, Philadelphia '64, and Tokyo '66.

Side 1:

- Twist And Shout

- You Can't Do That

- All My Loving

- If I Needed Someone

- Day Tripper

- She Loves You

- Things We Said Today

- Roll Over Beethoven

Side 2:

- Can't Buy Me Love

- If I Fell

- I Want To Hold Your Hand

- Boys

- Yesterday

- Nowhere Man

- Paperback Writer

- A Hard Day's Night

- Long Tall Sally

I Dig, Chuck!

Over the weekend of March 14th and 15th, 1964, theatres across the US screened The Beatles' Washington DC concert, supplemented with performance footage of the Beach Boys and Lesley Gore.

WINS disc jockey Murray the "K" Kaufman emceed one of the closed-circuit screenings in New York City, and on his next radio show (probably Monday the 16th), he phoned London to speak with the film's subjects. Ringo was busy on the film set, but Paul and George had time to chat. Here are two more phone chat segments with Paul and George which may originate from this occasion.

Hate To Miss The Train

Location filming for A Hard Day's Night began March 2nd, 1964 at Paddington Station in London. The first scenes shot took place on a train, and The Beatles and co-star Wilfrid Brambell spent the whole first week performing for the cameras while riding the rails through the British countryside.

During that week, Paul and George were interviewed by Australian DJ Roger Henning of Melbourne station 3DB, promoting their upcoming tour in June.

One of the scenes filmed on the train had the boys in a culture clash with Richard Vernon's upperclass passenger. A snatch of rock music heard in the scene (over a transistor radio) was said by producer Walter Shenson to be a Beatle performance, taped specially for the movie. However, a tape of the full song was recently auctioned, and the samples made available aren't exactly their playing style (the drumming in particular).

Hi Ho Silver!

King Kong Records, 1976

CBM's sampler LP of tracks from their Sweet Apple Trax sets.

Side 1:

- Get Back

- Tennessee

- House Of The Rising Sun

- "Commonwealth"

- "Enoch Powell"

- "Get Off!"

- I Threw It All Away

- Mama You Been On My Mind

- Across The Universe

Side 2:

- Honey Hush

- Suzy Parker

- Get Back

- Don't Let Me Down

- I've Got A Feeling

- For You Blue

- Move It/Good Rockin' Tonight

- Two Of Us

- Let It Be

Far East Man

In between their US trip and filming A Hard Day's Night, The Beatles had one week to record newly-penned songs for its soundtrack. The sessions began February 25th, 1964, which also happened to be George Harrison's 21st birthday.

Somehow deemed newsworthy, the event was commemorated at the London headquarters of the Beatles Fan Club. George was photographed and filmed surrounded by mountains of birthday cards and gifts. He was also interviewed by ITV News and BBC News.

Rare Beatles

Russian Disc, ca. 1993

A rare Russian Beatles bootleg (as opposed to a pirate LP), containing excellent-sounding BBC Radio performances, probably taken from Yellow Dog's Beatles At The Beeb LP series.

Side 1:

- I Saw Her Standing There

- Too Much Monkey Business

- I'll Get You

- Lucille

- I Feel Fine

- Carol

- Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby

- So How Come (No One Loves Me)

- The Honeymoon Song

Side 2:

- Roll Over Beethoven

- I Got A Woman

- Ticket To Ride

- I Wanna Be Your Man

- She's A Woman

- I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You)

- She Loves You

- Long Tall Sally

All My Luggage

After arriving at London Airport on the morning of February 22nd, 1964, The Beatles had just 24 hours to rest after their American tour before setting off to work again.

The task at hand was taping an appearance on ABC-TV's Big Night Out, shot at Teddington Studio Centre. As part of the show's opening credit sequence, the group was filmed boating down the Thames, a sequence also covered by ITV for airing on that night's newscast (must have been a slow news day).

The show as aired February 29th opened with a Beatles/Winters brothers sketch, followed by the Thames footage, ending in a customs office scene. In addition to miming several songs, the group also read out purported requests from viewers.

Classified Document Volume Three

Tiger Beat Records, 1988

The third and final volume of Starlight Records' compilation series, generally featuring material that was circulating on tape or video but unbootlegged on LP at the time of issue.

Side 1:

- Kansas City

- I Want You (She's So Heavy)

- I've Got A Feeling

- Dig It

- All Things Must Pass

- The Long And Winding Road

- Save The Last Dance For Me

- George on The David Frost Show

- Help!

- Open-End Interview With The Beatles

- "The History Of Rock And Roll"

- Only You

Side 2:

- Don't Let Me Down

- Two Of Us

- Corrina, Corrina

- Yesterday

- Girlfriend/I Lost My Little Girl/Upon A Hill

- Tequila

- Junior's Farm

Good Day, Sunshine

After a full week of sun, surf, and sand, The Beatles bid a reluctant farewell to Miami Beach on February 21st, 1964.

Before departing, they taped a farewell message to the citizens of Miami and the listeners of WQAM-AM. The Maysles film crew captured Paul, George, and Ringo goofing around in their Deauville Hotel rooms as they packed their belongings.

While Murray the K had already been recalled to New York, Ed Rudy was still hanging around; he interviewed Neil Aspinall on the flight to Kennedy Airport, and got some last words from Ringo before the boys jetted back across the Atlantic.

Welcome The Beatles

MARC, 1976

A Japanese Beatleg containing the first appearance of the July 1st, 1966 ("light suits") Budokan performance, along with some material from a TV documentary covering the Tokyo concerts.

Side 1:

- interview w/E. H. Eric

- Welcome Beatles

- Rock And Roll Music

- She's A Woman

- If I Needed Someone

- Day Tripper

Side 2:

- Baby's In Black

- I Feel Fine

- Yesterday

- I Wanna Be Your Man

- Nowhere Man

- Paperback Writer

- I'm Down

Please donate to the relief efforts in Japan.

Miami Is What's Happenin', Baby!

On February 13th, 1964, The Beatles left snowy New York for the sunny climes of Miami Beach, where they performed a second time on the Ed Sullivan Show. Local radio station WQAM-AM covered events at the airport when 7,000 fans created a mini-riot in greeting the quartet.

As they rehearsed for the show and tried to soak up the sun, The Beatles had to deal with the likes of Ed Rudy and Murray The "K", who taped segments for his Swingin' Soiree show throughout the week.

Kum Back

no label, 1970

The Beatleg industry started with this modestly-packaged disc, which was distributed in early January, 1970. The material, unreleased songs from the Get Back sessions, was revelatory at the time, four months prior to Let It Be, but quickly wore out its welcome when repackaged dozens of different ways.

Side 1:

- Get Back

- The Walk

- Let It Be

- Teddy Boy

- Two Of Us

Side 2:

- Don't Let Me Down

- I've Got A Feeling

- The Long And Winding Road

- For You Blue

- Dig A Pony

- Get Back

New York Miscellanea

During their first visit to New York City, The Beatles enthusiastically recorded radio station IDs and promos for nearly every disc jockey in the city, before Brian Epstein put a stop to the practice.

Here is a collection of radio spots for WMCA-AM, featuring jingles and hype for various "Good Guy" deejays. Ed Rudy even talked them into promoting him as "The Fifth Beatle" in a series of clips included on his Radio Pulsebeat LPs.

Rudy also spoke with Mal Evans and Ed Sullivan over the course of the week, and CBS News filmed interviews with fans around the city. Winding up this collection of miscellaneous recordings is an excerpt of the "Year In Sound" LP released by Collier's Encyclopedia early in 1965, with a couple of Beatle interview clips of unknown vintage (but most likely from February 1964).

Live At The BBC 1962-65

Continuing Saga Records, 1987

A highly listenable LP compiling all but the last four musical performances from the 1982 US version of the Beatles At The Beeb radio special.

Side 1:

- From Us To You

- The Hippy Hippy Shake

- Memphis, Tennessee

- Please Mr. Postman

- Some Other Guy

- Too Much Monkey Business

- Do You Want To Know A Secret

- I'll Be On My Way

- Crying, Waiting, Hoping

- Pop Go The Beatles

- To Know Her Is To Love Her

- Don't Ever Change

- That's All Right (Mama)

Side 2:

- Carol

- Soldier Of Love (Lay Down Your Arms)

- Lend Me Your Comb

- Clarabella

- A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues

- Matchbox

- Sure To Fall (In Love With You)

- Lonesome Tears In My Eyes

- Sweet Little Sixteen

- Nothin' Shakin' (But The Leaves On The Trees)

- I Just Don't Understand

Side 3:

- So How Come (No One Loves Me)

- I Got A Woman

- I Got To Find My Baby

- The Honeymoon Song

- From Us To You

- All My Loving

- Roll Over Beethoven

- Till There Was You

- I Wanna Be Your Man

- Can't Buy Me Love

- This Boy

- Long Tall Sally

Side 4:

- Rock And Roll Music

- And I Love Her

- A Hard Day's Night

- Things We Said Today

- I'll Follow The Sun

- She's A Woman

- I Feel Fine

- Johnny B. Goode

- Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey!

Practice.

On the morning of February 12th, 1964, The Beatles posed for photos near the US Capitol, then boarded a train bound for New York City.

As they had on the way down, Albert and David Maysles filmed the antics on the train journey, although only Ringo (and to some extent George) had much energy left for clowning around. There is also a brief clip of John noticing some Nazi graffiti in the elevator at Penn Station upon their arrival.

They had scant time to relax at the Plaza before being driven to Carnegie Hall for their second US performance. Ed Rudy was there with his Radio Pulsebeat microphone, capturing their arrival and fans' reactions (including Mrs. Nelson Rockefeller) after the 7pm concert.

First U.S. Show

no label, 1980

Ah, how clever! In conjunction with the Washington DC posts, here comes a bootleg of the Washington Coliseum concert!

Think again. This LP has nothing to do with that show, and in fact none of it is from US shows. It's a repressing of an earlier album, December 1963, containing the It's The Beatles! TV concert and some BBC Radio performances overdubbed with screaming for no good reason.

Side 1:

- From Me To You

- I Saw Her Standing There

- All My Loving

- Roll Over Beethoven

- Boys

- Till There Was You

- She Loves You

Side 2:

- This Boy

- I Want To Hold Your Hand

- Money (That's What I Want)

- Twist And Shout

- From Me To You (reprise)

- Rock And Roll Music

- Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby

- I'll Follow The Sun

- Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey!

Washington Part 2

As soon as The Beatles had left WWDC's remote radio booth, Carroll James spoke with a couple of female fans/faithful listeners. James then took the stage of the Coliseum to introduce the opening acts, while Murray the "K" was backstage snagging a pre-concert interview with Ringo.

The performance itself couldn't have gone any better (the recently-unearthed complete video recording is proof positive of that), so it must have been a severe comedown when the group was obliged to follow it up with a visit to the British Embassy as the guests of Sir David Ormsby Gore.

The party started on a silly note as John managed to convince a TV reporter he was Beatle Eric, but the room was filled with the kind of tedious, high society snobs who were anathema to John (in particular) and his bandmates. Not making matters better were Ed Rudy and his cadre of Radio Pulsebeat correspondents asking inane questions and capturing exchanges between Ringo and a British military man.

The last straw came when 18-year-old gate-crasher Beverly Markowitz snipped off a lock of Ringo's hair. Four fed-up and physically drained Beatles soon returned to their hotel rooms, having survived another day in the madhouse that was America.

Washington Part 1

With a steady winter snow falling on the afternoon of February 11th, 1964, The Beatles and company rode the rails from New York to Washington DC, with the Maysles film crew shooting documentary footage along the way.

They arrived at Union Station around 3pm, and were greeted by Ed Rudy and hundreds of fans. After checking in at the Shoreham Hotel, the party drove to the Washington Coliseum, site of their first American concert that night. On the stage (a boxing ring), Brian Somerville presided over a brief press conference followed by some TV news interviews for CBS and NBC.

Bill Seaby and Paul Palmer then interviewed the Beatles individually for WCAO-AM, and John taped a couple of promos for WMUC-AM. After one last interview with Carroll James, the Beatles retired to their dressing room in preparation for the big concert. More on that in the next blog post!

Silver Album

Jarris, 1970

Probably the second Beatleg ever, mostly containing Get Back acetate #2 (the one aired on WBKW in Buffalo in the fall of 1969). "Get Back" and "Don't Let Me Down" are copied from the single, and "Across The Universe" is the standard WWF version.

Side 1:

- Don't Let Me Down

- Dig A Pony

- Get Back

- For You Blue

- Two Of Us

Side 2:

- Dig It

- Let It Be

- The Long And Winding Road

- One After 909

- Across The Universe

The Shoes

The events surrounding The Beatles' magical appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show of February 9th, 1964, are covered in an earlier blog post.

The following afternoon, after partying well into the night at New York nightclubs and sleeping late. the group assembled at the Plaza Hotel's Terrace and Baroque Rooms to meet the press. Fascination with the Fabs was at a fever pitch, and the day was an exhausting whirlwind of radio, newspaper, magazine, and newsreel interviews, posing for photos, accepting gold records, and pressing the flesh.

Circulating recordings from the event include an Associated Press newsreel interview, a filmed chat with a CBS News reporter, and more stolen moments from Ed Rudy's tape recorder during a cocktail reception. Most enlightening are Fred Robbins's lengthy one-on-one conversations with John, Paul, and George for his Radio Luxembourg show Assignment: Hollywood.

Reunion Nonsense

ZAP, 1976

Part of the "amendment" compilation series, half from the Melbourne radio broadcast, and half poor quality BBC Radio cuts and other broadcasts.

Side 1:

- All My Loving

- She Loves You

- Till There Was You

- Roll Over Beethoven

- Can't Buy Me Love

- This Boy

- Long Tall Sally

Side 2:

- Soldier Of Love (Lay Down Your Arms)

- I Got A Woman

- Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey!

- Some Other Guy

- Lend Me Your Comb

- Carol

- Lucille

- The Hippy Hippy Shake

- Shout!

- Memphis, Tennessee