Shea The Good Old Days (CBM)

contra-band music, 1970

This was the earliest bootleg to bear a "Contra Band Music" imprint; however, it bore no relation to the well-known CBM label which thrived from 1972 through 1976. The content was taken from the Beatles At Shea Stadium TV special, unlike the other Shea The Good Old Days title.

Side 1:

- I'm Down

- Twist And Shout

- I Feel Fine

- Dizzy Miss Lizzy

- Ticket To Ride

Side 2:

- Can't Buy Me Love

- Baby's In Black

- A Hard Day's Night

- Help!

- I'm Down

Hold Me Kangaroo Tight Sport

The Beatles spent September 12th, 1963 at Abbey Road Studio 2, taping songs for their second LP, With The Beatles. The only reel to have survived from the album's sessions contains several takes of "Hold Me Tight" and "Don't Bother Me", but it opens with some messages taped specifically for broadcast in Australia.

By the release of "She Loves You", Beatles music had broken through Down Under, thanks to deejays like Bob Rogers of 2SM in Sydney. Reading from a prepared script while gobbling down canteen chow, the Fabs sent greetings to Rogers and Australian fans in general.

Bob Rogers - take 1

Bob Rogers - takes 2 + 3

Open Message - take 1

Man Of The Decade

Togah, 1980

A 1-sided Tobe Milo LP; that is to say, side B is blank. It's not a 2-dimensional disc.

Most of the content is the soundtrack of a December 1969 TV special, Man Of The Decade, featuring John Lennon being interviewed by Desmond Morris. The side concludes with a sampler tape of Twickenham rehearsals from January 3rd, 1969, which were new to bootleg at the time.

Side 1:

- Man Of The Decade

- Three Cool Cats

- Blowin' In The Wind

- Lucille

- I'm So Tired

- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

- Third Man Theme

- "Negro In Reserve"

- Don't Let Me Down

- One After 909

A Boy Sounding Like What?

The Beatles' summer of 1963 wound down with a six-night residency at the Gaumont Cinema in Bournemouth. Between shows on August 23rd, they were interviewed by Swedish radio producer Klas Burling, fast becoming a big Beatle booster in his home country.

During the interview, Ringo says they won't have time to visit Sweden until 1964, but within weeks, a short tour was arranged for the end of October. Burling would introduce the group's Swedish radio and TV performances, and interview Paul and Ringo again at the end of the visit.

A Paris

Neon, 1986

A sumptuously-packaged double LP of French Beatle concerts, with the bootleg debut of the January 1964 show, and major upgrades of the June 1965 shows, complete with opening acts and related interviews.

Side 1:

- Le Bourget airport interview

- If I Had A Hammer

- From Me To You

- This Boy

- I Want To Hold Your Hand

- She Loves You

- Twist And Shout

- From Me To You

Side 2:

- I'm A Loser

- Can't Buy Me Love

- I Wanna Be Your Man

- A Hard Day's Night

- Rock And Roll Music

- I Feel Fine

- Ticket To Ride

- Long Tall Sally

Side 3:

- Jacques Ourevitch interviews

- I'm All Right

- Memphis, Tennessee

- Joy, Joy, Joy

- Les Copains D'Abord

- I Wish You Would

- MBE interview

Side 4:

- Twist And Shout

- She's A Woman

- Can't Buy Me Love

- I'm A Loser

- I Wanna Be Your Man

- A Hard Day's Night

- I Feel Fine

- Baby's In Black

- Rock And Roll Music

- Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby

- Ticket To Ride

- Long Tall Sally

Pop Chat

July 30th, 1963 was perhaps the busiest day yet in an already hectic summer for The Beatles.

Beginning at 10am, they taped "Please Mr. Postman" and "It Won't Be Long" for their second LP at EMI Studios in London. At 1.30, they grabbed a quick meal and travelled across town to the Playhouse Theatre.

Just after 2.30, they taped a short interview for BBC Radio's Non Stop Pop, chatting with Phil Tate for the show's regular "Pop Chat" feature. The episode was aired on the Light Programme August 30th.

With that out of the way, they recorded six songs and banter with Brian Matthew for their fourth Saturday Club appearance. From 5 to 11pm, it was back at to work at Abbey Road, improving upon "It Won't Be Long" and completing "Till There Was You", "Roll Over Beethoven", and "All My Loving" for the album. All in a day's work for "one of the top recording artists".

Get Back To Toronto

Contra Band Music, 1972

CBM's copy of an earlier bootleg, one of the first containing "Get Back" outtakes, plus a peace message and Christmas flexi.

Side 1:

- John & Yoko's Peace Message

- Get Back

- Teddy Boy

- Two Of Us

- Dig A Pony

Side 2:

- I've Got A Feeling

- Let It Be

- Don't Let Me Down

- For You Blue

- Get Back

- The Walk

- Christmas Time (Is Here Again)

Beatles Bible Lessons

From July 22nd through 27th, 1963, The Beatles shared the bill with Gerry and the Pacemakers at the Odeon in Weston-Super-Mare. When not performing or soaking up the sunshine, the boys passed the time playing with a portable tape recorder.

John, George, and Gerry Marsden spent one afternoon in a room at the Royal Pier Hotel with a Holy Bible, passing the mic around to read the following passages in increasingly nonsensical and garbled fashion:

1 Kings 17

1 Kings 18

Psalm 23

Psalm 24

The trio (and Ringo) also indulged in a bit of "Candid Microphone" foolishness, asking passersby for directions to a local golf course and recording their bewildered reactions to Gerry's clueless attempts to follow along.

Beatlegmania Volume Four is coming!

HAVE YOU HEARD THE WORD?

Volume Four of the amazing Beatlegmania series is now available for pre-order!

The newest installment is packed with full-color illustrations, facts and stories behind dozens of vinyl bootlegs, including the Deccagone singles, Get Back Journals box, Lost Lennon Tapes series, and much more.

See sample pages from the book and ordering details at the Multiplus Books website:

http://www.multiplusbooks.com

The files are at the printer now and the books should be ready to ship in a few weeks, so guarantee PEACE OF MIND and reserve your copy now!

JL-YO-EC

By request, here is the earliest Beatles-related bootleg, a mega-obscure LP containing an audience recording the Plastic Ono Band's performance at the Toronto Rock And Roll Revival, September 13th, 1969.

I don't have the actual LP, but here's a rip of a CDR that has been circulating from a needle-drop. Although it was produced in very limited quantities, it apparently inspired Apple to release the official concert album, Live Peace In Toronto.

Side 1:

- Blue Suede Shoes

- Money (That's What I Want)

- Dizzy Miss Lizzy

- Yer Blues

- Cold Turkey

Side 2:

- Give Peace A Chance

- Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow)

- John, John (Let's Hope For Peace)

Pierre Cardin!

On June 30th, 1963, The Beatles started a summer season of seaside resort concerts, at the ABC Cinema in Great Yarmouth. Backstage before the show, they filmed an interview with Gianni Bisiach for Italian TV. The finished piece was aired in a report on the RAI show TV7 December 23rd of that year, with an Italian voice-over translating The Beatles' responses, but the original English audio has also survived.

Recorded Live In Australia, 1964

Crocodile/Bulldog, 1988

A double-picture disc set containing the Adelaide concert (sides 1 and 2), the Beatles Sing For Shell Melbourne telecast (remainder of side 2), a Melbourne radio broadcast (sides 3 and 4), and three repeated Melbourne numbers in superior sound (end of side 4).

Side 1:

- I Saw Her Standing There

- I Want To Hold Your Hand

- All My Loving

- She Loves You

- Till There Was You

- Roll Over Beethoven

- Can't Buy Me Love

- This Boy

Side 2:

- Twist And Shout

- Long Tall Sally

- You Can't Do That

- All My Loving

- She Loves You

- Can't Buy Me Love

- Twist And Shout

- Long Tall Sally

Side 3:

- I Saw Her Standing There

- You Can't Do That

- All My Loving

- She Loves You

- Till There Was You

- Roll Over Beethoven

Side 4:

- Can't Buy Me Love

- This Boy

- Long Tall Sally

- I Saw Her Standing There

- All My Loving

- Can't Buy Me Love

Waltzing Jury

On April 18th, 1963, The Beatles performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London for the first time, as part of Swinging Sound 63, a multi-artist concert arranged by BBC Radio. Backstage at the Hall, they recorded a message for Australian radio, specifically for disc jockey Barry Ferber of 3DB in Melbourne.

John Lennon made the first solo Beatle TV appearance on June 22nd, 1963, when he sat on the panel of Juke Box Jury. Alongside Katie Boyle, Bruce Prochnik and Caroline Maudling, John reviewed new singles from Cleo Laine, Elvis Presley, Miriam Makeba, Tom Glaser, Russ Conway, Paul and Paula, and Julie Grant. Lennon's characteristic brutal honesty led to him voting every single record a "miss".

Ed'Sullivan Show CBS TV Studio

no label, 1980

ZAP Records' copy of a Melvin bootleg, Ed's Really Big Beatle Blasts, the first bootleg to compile all three legendary Ed Sullivan Show performances from February 1964.

Side 1:

- All My Loving

- Till There Was You

- She Loves You

- I Saw Her Standing There

- I Want To Hold Your Hand

- She Loves You

- This Boy

- All My Loving

Side 2:

- I Saw Her Standing There

- From Me To You

- I Want To Hold Your Hand

- Twist And Shout

- Please Please Me

- I Want To Hold Your Hand

Going Up?

The Beatles performed on BBC Radio on a regular basis throughout 1963, usually bantering with presenters such as Rodney Burke and Brian Matthew. As a rule, I won't be uploading all these chat pieces during musical appearances (they can be found on the excellent Unsurpassed Broadcasts collection).

Here is an exception to that rule. On April 3rd, 1963, The Beatles recorded a live set for Easy Beat at the Playhouse Theatre in London. John and Paul also participated in the show's record review feature, "Going Up?", alongside singer Laura Lee and Clare O'Rourke. Enjoy this previously unbootlegged fragmentary off-air recording of this segment, with the boys reviewing discs by Bert Weedon, Cleo Lane, the Vernons Girls, and tourmate Tommy Roe.

Going Up?

Bactrax Sessions

King Kong Records, 1975

A repackaging of two earlier CBM titles, Supertracks 1 and Supertracks 2.

Side 1:

- You Really Got A Hold On Me

- Have You Heard The Word

- You Really Got A Hold On Me

- What's The New Mary Jane

- Teddy Boy

Side 2:

- Dig It

- L.S. Bumblebee

- Maxwell's Silver Hammer

- Besame Mucho

- Crying, Waiting, Hoping

- Rip It Up/Shake Rattle And Roll

Side 3:

- Paperback Writer

- Rain

- Peace Of Mind

- Let It Be

- Hey Jude

Side 4:

- Get Back

- I Should Have Known Better

- If I Fell

- And I Love Her

- Tell Me Why

- If I Fell

- I Should Have Known Better

From The Top, Johnny!

To kick off the new year, I'm taking a new approach to posting Beatles interviews and spoken recordings. Rather than jump back and forth through history, I'm starting at the beginning, with this recording from October 27th, 1962, and will proceed chronologically through April, 1970.

This earliest surviving Beatle interview recording was conducted by Monty Lister (with assistance from Peter Smethurst and Malcolm Threadgill). It was broadcast on Sunday Spin, an in-house programme for Cleaver and Clatterbridge Hospitals. As he notes, Ringo has only been in the group for nine weeks at this point, and the others have an equally fresh and non-cynical approach to the enterprise of self-promotion. Things would change over the next few years.

First released on a flexidisc with Mark Lewisohn's book The Beatles Live in 1986, I'm proud to present a previously unreleased and unbootlegged source tape for this historic interview, with a couple of extra seconds at the top and tail:

Sunday Spin

Paris Sports Palais

CBM, 1974

The first, and for a long time, only, issue of the afternoon Paris concert from June 20th, 1965.

Side 1:

- Twist And Shout

- She's A Woman

- I'm A Loser

- Can't Buy Me Love

- Baby's In Black

Side 2:

- I Wanna Be Your Man

- A Hard Day's Night

- Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby

- Rock And Roll Music

- I Feel Fine

- Ticket To Ride

- Long Tall Sally

A Hard Clay's Night

Disc jockey Tom Clay of CKLW-AM in Windsor, Ontario flew to London early in April 1964 to visit The Beatles at Twickenham Studios during filming of their first motion picture. Sometime around April 7th, he taped interviews with various combinations of Beatles (depending upon who was needed on the set).

Clay's interviews were issued on two singles mailed to "International Beatle Boosters", one in 1964 and the second the following year. Here is a composite of both recordings.

The Black And White Minstrel Show

Stash Records, 1988

Compilation of Beatles covering their favorite artists - one side each for Buddy Holly/Carl Perkins/Chuck Berry/Little Richard. Mostly from BBC Radio performances with some Get Back jams and solo renditions thrown in.

NOTE: The last song on side 3 cuts off abruptly due to damage on my copy of the LP.

Side 1:

- That'll Be The Day

- Love Me Do

- Words Of Love

- Crying, Waiting, Hoping

- Cannonball/Not Fade Away/Hey Little Girl/Bo Diddley

- Peggy Sue

- I'm Gonna Love You Too

- Maybe Baby/Peggy Sue

- Well All Right

- Maybe Baby

- Crying, Waiting, Hoping

- Mailman Bring Me No More Blues

Side 2:

- Glad All Over

- Honey Don't

- Sure To Fall (In Love With You)

- Matchbox

- Lend Me Your Comb

- Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby

- Honey Don't

- Your True Love

- Blue Suede Shoes

Side 3:

- Too Much Monkey Business

- I Got To Find My Baby

- Memphis, Tennessee

- Roll Over Beethoven

- Johnny B. Goode

- Sweet Little Sixteen

- Carol

- Rock And Roll Music

- I'm Talking About You

Side 4:

- Lucille

- Long Tall Sally

- Ooh! My Soul

- Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey!

- Jenny Jenny/Slippin' And Slidin'

- Short Fat Fannie

- Rip It Up

Yo Ho Ho! A Pirate Christmas

On December 6th, 1966, in the midst of extended sessions for "Strawberry Fields Forever", The Beatles took time out to record some Christmas greetings for Radio Caroline and Radio London, two offshore (pirate) radio stations which had enjoyed a banner year.

Although they were reading scripted messages, the group decided to liven things up by recording them against backgrounds of Mellotron loops and sound effects from the Abbey Road tape library. Here is a monitor mix of several takes; some of these were released on the "Free As A Bird" single in 1995.

Watching Rainbows

Audifon, 1978

Side 1:

- Watching Rainbows

- Madman

- Mean Mr. Mustard/Madman

- Blackbird

- Honey Hush

- Stand By Me

- Hare Krishna Mantra

- "Well, If You're Ready"

- Two Of Us

- One After 909

Side 2:

- Too Bad About Sorrows

- Just Fun

- She Said She Said

- Mean Mr. Mustard

- Don't Let Me Down

- All Things Must Pass

- Fools Like Me

- You Win Again

- She Came In Through The Bathroom Window

- Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight

- A Quick One While He's Away

- Her Majesty

My Eyes Ken Seymour

Here is another of the many interviews John Lennon and Yoko Ono gave from their room in Montreal's Queen Elizabeth Hotel during the May 1969 Bed-In. This one, conducted by Ken Seymour for CBC Radio, may have been taped the morning of the 27th, before the Bed-In officially began, according to this:

"Ken was roaming around Montreal, where he was living, looking for stories and contacts. At about midnight, he received an anonymous tip that John and Yoko had booked in at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. At the time, they couldn’t enter the USA because of his drug convictions in Britain.

“As soon as I got up the next morning, I went straight round there,” recalls Ken, now from Saltash, Cornwall, during a visit to the museum. “I asked to see them and eventually talked to Derek Taylor (then The Beatles’ publicity officer). I think he remembered me from coverage of Ringo’s honeymoon in Hove, Sussex. He said that they’d give me five minutes, so I went in. I did the five minutes, but we struck it off so well. It was flowing beautifully.”

Ken said that was all he needed for the news bulletin, but he invited them to continue the interview for a possible documentary about their “bed-in”. They agreed.

“John was wearing pyjamas and Yoko was in a nightdress,” says Ken. “They were preparing to do the bed-in, but hadn’t yet started it."

Source: http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-life-features/liverpool-arts/2008/12/03/listen-to-john-lennon-s-vision-of-heaven-64375-22391522/2/

Almost Grown

King Records, 1983

The second album in Yellow Dog's early 80's Get Back trilogy. Some fun Chuck Berry covers from Apple Studios on side A, and some dull Twickenham rehearsals on side B.

Side 1:

- Get Back

- Bad Boy

- Sweet Little Sixteen

- Around And Around

- Almost Grown

- Madman

Side 2:

- One After 909

- All Things Must Pass

- Across The Universe

- A Case Of The Blues

- Gone Gone Gone

- Let It Be

Québec, Jojo!

The Beatles' only performances in Montréal took place September 8th, 1964 at the Forum (at 4:00 pm and 8:30 pm). It was the last stop prior to a short break in the North American tour, and notable for the death threats Ringo received (as well as a bomb scare prior to the second show). A press conference was held at 6:00 pm between concerts, and Larry Kane recorded lengthy interviews with Paul, George, and an understandably distracted Ringo backstage.

From Session To Session...

Alternative Record Company, 1983

Sloppily-designed compilation with a handful of Beatles/Lennon outtakes, a song from Tokyo, a few Get Back rehearsals, and a Badfinger song.

Side 1:

- Angel Baby

- Be My Baby

- How Do You Do It

- Come And Get It

- Let It Be

Side 2:

- Yesterday

- I've Got A Feeling

- Get Back

- Don't Let Me Down

- House Of The Rising Sun

- Let It Be

Big B.D.

A few weeks into the prolonged "White Album" sessions, Paul flew to America to promote Apple Records and meet with Capitol executives in Los Angeles. While there (between June 20th and 25th, 1968), Paul spoke with disc jockey Bobby Dale about Apple Films, the Maharishi, the military draft, and setting up the new company.

Beatlemania 1963-69 Twenty Never Published Songs

Zakatecas, 1976

Pretty much a sampler from Sweet Apple Trax and Yellow Matter Custard, with some Christmas bits and "Some Other Guy" tossed in.

Side 1:

- Christmas Time (Is Here Again)

- Move It/Good Rockin' Tonight

- Honey Hush

- Shakin' In The Sixties

- Hi-Heel Sneakers

- I Me Mine

- Across The Universe

- House Of The Rising Sun

- Some Other Guy

- Suzy Parker

- Get Back

- Tennessee

Side 2:

- "Get Off!"

- Crying, Waiting, Hoping

- The Honeymoon Song

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

- So How Come (No One Loves Me)

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

- A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues

- Sure To Fall

- To Know Her Is To Love Her

- The Beatles' Seventh Christmas Record

George, Jerry & Debbie

Cleveland disc jockey Jerry G. Bishop would accompany The Beatles on their August 1965 North American tour, but a few months earlier, he had the opportunity to speak with George Harrison.

During the filming of Help! in mid-April 1965, Bishop placed a call to Twickenham Film Studios and was able to chat with George, a "slow eater", in the studio canteen after the others had finished lunch. Also on the line with Bishop was teenage fan Debbie Kreuger, who asked a few questions. It's interesting to hear George confirm that Eight Arms To Hold You is no longer the film's title, but that the new one hasn't been decided just yet (which places this interview just prior to April 13th, when the title song "Help!" was recorded).

The Beatles [The Black Album]

no label, 1981

Perhaps Audifon's best-selling title, the "Black Album" was a three-disc set of Get Back rehearsals packaged as a "White Album" antithesis. Discs one and two are just CBM's Sweet Apple Trax LPs, but the third disc has some new material and some upgrades. Came packaged with a full-sized poster including a photo collage and dialogue from the Get Back book.

Side 1:

- Tennessee

- Across The Universe

- House Of The Rising Sun

- "Commonwealth"

- "Enoch Powell"

- "Get Off!"

- Honey Hush

- For You Blue

- Let It Be

Side 2:

- Get Back

- Don't Let Me Down

- Two Of Us

- Baa Baa Black Sheep

- Don't Let Me Down

- Suzy Parker

- I've Got A Feeling

- Get Back

Side 3:

- Let It Be

- She Came In Through The Bathroom Window

- Be-Bop-A-Lula

- She Came In Through The Bathroom Window

- Hi Heel Sneakers

- I Me Mine

- I've Got A Feeling

- One After 909

Side 4:

- One After 909

- Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

- She Came In Through The Bathroom Window

- La Penina

- "Shakin' In The Sixties"

- Move It/Good Rockin' Tonight

- Across The Universe

- Two Of Us

- "Ramblin' Woman"/I Threw It All Away/Mama You've Been On My Mind

- I Me Mine

- Domino

Side 5:

- Honey Hush

- Stand By Me

- Hare Krishna Mantra

- Two Of Us

- "You Got Me Going"

- Twist And Shout

- Don't Let Me Down

- I've Got A Feeling

- St. Louis Blues

- One After 909

Side 6:

- Too Bad About Sorrows

- Just Fun

- She Said She Said

- Mean Mr Mustard

- Don't Let Me Down

- All Things Must Pass

- Fools Like Me

- You Win Again

- She Came In Through The Bathroom Window

- Watching Rainbows

Meet The Baggy Sweegers

"Marsha Albert, 55, was a 15-year-old schoolgirl in Silver Springs, Maryland, when she first heard the Beatles on a CBS television report about the group's phenomenal success in Britain.

A snippet of the report had been shown on the morning news on November 22, 1963, the day that With the Beatles, the band's second album, was released in Britain, and the full four-minute version was to be broadcast on The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. But President Kennedy was shot that day and CBS cancelled its regular programming.

Ms. Albert happened to be watching when the segment was finally aired on December 10. It opened with a clip of the Beatles playing She Loves You.

The next day, she wrote to her local DJ, Carroll James of WWDC in Washington, asking: "Why can't we have music like that here in America?" Mr. James, who had also seen the CBS report, got a BOAC flight attendant to bring him a copy of the Beatles' latest single from Britain. On December 17, 1963, he invited Ms. Albert to the studio to introduce I Want to Hold Your Hand. Listeners went berserk.

"The switchboard went crazy," Mr. James recalled. "They were begging us to play it again, and you know, I did something that I had never done until that day - and that was play the same song twice during my show. For ten days, WWDC was the only station in America to have a copy."

Capitol Records had not planned to release the Beatles record until January 13, 1964, and hired a lawyer to seek a cease-and-desist order. But the record label decided that it would be wiser just to bring forward the release date."

Source: http://www.thefab40.com/media/pressclips/thetimes_20040117.html

When The Beatles finally arrived in Washington DC on February 11th, they were more than willing to chat live on the air with Carroll James, who would also MC their first US concert that night at the Washington Coliseum. The result was a loose and silly interview, and even Marsha was there to meet the boys!

Baggy Sweegers

At The Alamo

Tuna Records, 1980

Yet another issue of the 1965 Houston concert, this one brought to you by Charlie the Tuna.

Side 1:

- Twist And Shout

- She's A Woman

- I Feel Fine

- Dizzy Miss Lizzy

- Ticket To Ride

- Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby

Side 2:

- Can't Buy Me Love

- Baby's In Black

- I Wanna Be Your Man

- A Hard Day's Night

- Help!

- I'm Down

You Always Hurt The One You Love

By request, here is a recording of David Wigg interviewing Ringo for the BBC Radio series Scene And Heard. The conversation was taped in the back of a limo as Ringo traveled to Apple Studios for the start of "phase two" of the Get Back recording sessions on January 21st, 1969.

Liverpool May 1960

Indra, 1987

Yellow Dog's issue of the less-than-thrilling "Beatals" home recordings from early 1960. Most of the set is rambling (and artificially extended) blues instrumentals, but a couple of real songs give a glimpse into the early repertoire of John, Paul, George, and Stu.

Side 1:

- I'll Follow The Sun

- Instrumental

- Instrumental

Side 2:

- Hallelujah I Love Her So

- Instrumental (aka "Turn The Switches Off")

- "Come On People"

- "I Don't Need No Cigarette Boy"

Side 3:

- "I Don't Know"

- One After 909

- Movin' And Groovin'/Ramrod

- Instrumental

Side 4:

- Instrumental

- Wildcat

Assignment: Almeria

This is one of my favorite John Lennon interviews. In the autumn of 1966, John traveled to Germany and Spain to film a supporting role in Richard Lester's movie How I Won The War.

Towards the end of October 1966, as shooting was winding down, entertainment reporter Fred Robbins visited the film set in Almeria, Spain, and taped a lengthy conversation with Lennon for his syndicated radio show Assignment: Hollywood.

Halfway between the end of Beatles touring and the start of the Sgt. Pepper sessions, John was at a crossroads in his life. In this interview, he sounds weary and ruminative, a feeling captured in his contemporaneous composition, "Strawberry Fields Forever".

A Hard Road

Moriphon, ca. 1981

Side one contains stereo tracks from the One To One benefit concert. Side two features extracts from one of John's final interviews, conducted by Andy Peebles for BBC Radio on December 6th, 1980.

Side 1:

- Peace Message

- Mother

- Come Together

- Give Peace A Chance

- Imagine

Side 2:

- John talks to Andy Peebles

- Chicago press conference

- A Day In The Life

Come To Town At 6.30

On November 20th, 1963, Pathe cameras came to The Beatles' concert at the ABC Cinema in Manchester to film a full-color newsreel, The Beatles Come To Town.

Also backstage was a crew from Granada TV, who interviewed the group for Scene At 6.30 prior to the concert. The main topic was their upcoming visit to the USA.

Yellow Matter Custard (Remastered)

Starlight, 1988

"Upgraded" version of the classic TMOQ boot, mastered from the newer high-quality tapes used on Yellow Dog's Beatles At The Beeb series, with a few bonus tracks added.

Side 1:

- I Got A Woman

- Glad All Over

- I Just Don't Understand

- Slow Down

- Don't Ever Change

- A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues

- Sure To Fall (In Love With You)

- I Got To Find My Baby

- Youngblood

- That's All Right (Mama)

Side 2:

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

- Lonesome Tears In My Eyes

- So How Come (No One Loves Me)

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

- Crying, Waiting, Hoping

- To Know Her Is To Love Her

- The Honeymoon Song

- I'll Be On My Way

- The Hippy Hippy Shake

- Johnny B. Goode

Two Junkies

A low point in John Lennon's career was the January 1969 Get Back sessions at Twickenham, and perhaps the low point of that period was this interview. Known to collectors as "Two Junkies", it was filmed on the 14th by CBC-TV but never aired (bits have appeared in Imagine: John Lennon and other documentaries).

Whether due to drug use, alcohol, or something he ate that morning, John grew progressively greener and more nauseated as it progressed. After pausing halfway through to visit the toilet, he returned to Yoko's side and completed the interview, but it's a highly uninspiring 29 minutes to sit through.

The Final Curtain

Beat, 1995

A Japanese colored vinyl release of "Get Back" material that was one of the last Beatleg LPs produced (although they have been making a comeback in recent years). In this case, the contents are copied right from the CD Jamming With Heather. As such, they are more interesting than the usual Kum Back/Sweet Apple Trax fare on most vinyl boots.

Side 1:

- Two Of Us

- "I Told You Before"

- I've Got A Feeling

- Don't Let Me Down

- I've Got A Feeling

- All Things Must Pass

- She Came In Through The Bathroom Window

Side 2:

- Take This Hammer/Lost John/Five Foot High And Rising/Bear Cat Mama/Black Dog Blues/Right String, Wrong Yo-Yo/Run For Your Life

- I've Got A Feeling

- Hear Me Lord

- Carry That Weight

- Octopus's Garden/Carry That Weight

- Carry That Weight

- improvisations

- "My Imagination"