Artist: The Beatles
Album: Live At The BBC (C1 7242 8 31796 1 9)
Year: 1994
Dead Wax: Side 1: 1-31797-1-A F1 Mastered At Capital Wally
Side 1: 1-31797-1-B F1 Mastered At Capital Wally
Side 1: 1-31798-1-A F1 Mastered At Capital Wally
Side 1: 1-31798-1-B F1 Mastered At Capital Wally
Personal Note:
In November, Volume II of the Beatles at the Beeb will be released. In celebration, and to have a comparison to the newly remastered
(or is that now, re-remastered) version, here is Volume I in all its glory!
Live At The BBC is a fun record to hear, though it is fraught with anomalies adherent to the source material from which the album was mastered.
There were very few original sources as the BBC did not archive their radio shows at the time. Some of the best sources were from American
radio rebroadcast of some of the shows. Tapes were sent to the U.S. and American DJ’s added their own banter to sound as if the Beatles were
in American doing the show. Still other sources are from people who recorded the radio shows with “off line” home tape recorders. Then some
shows are directly from available bootleg records.
There are also noticeable differences in sound quality, occasional static, and splices in songs in order to get a complete performance:
most notably, in “A Hard Day’s Night.” The entire guitar solo is spliced in from another, inferior source. Also, some of the information
is wrong. For instance, the information for “Honey Don’t” states that Ringo is singing, but it doesn’t take a Beatle maniac to know it's John.
If you happen to have the 1993, 9 disc set, you will feel that this album is incomplete and should have held much more. Also the order of
the shows does not flow chronologically. This does give historians something to complain about, but the flow of the songs pretty good.
Although have complete shows with all the jokes and other banter in place would be a nice snapshot into the past. Maybe the next volume will
fill in some gaps.
In regard to the "Baby It's You" EP, it seems to have a differnt mastering than the Lp. It is a louder cut.
Info:
Live at the BBC is a 1994 compilation album featuring performances by The Beatles that were originally broadcast on various BBC Light Program
radio shows from 1963 through 1965. The mono album, available in multiple formats but most commonly as a two-CD set, consists of 56 songs and
13 tracks of dialogue; 30 of the songs had never been issued previously by The Beatles. It was the first official release by The Beatles of
previously unissued performances since The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl in 1977, and the first containing previously unreleased songs since
Let It Be in 1970.
Although the songs were recorded ahead of broadcast, allowing for retakes and occasional overdubbing, they are essentially "live in studio"
performances. Most of the songs are cover versions of material from the late 1950s and early 1960s, reflecting the stage set they developed
before Beatlemania. Before the album's release, comprehensive collections of The Beatles' BBC performances had become available on bootlegs.
Recording
The Beatles performed for 52 BBC Radio programs, beginning with an appearance on the series Teenager's Turn—Here We Go, recorded on 7 March 1962,
and ending with the special The Beatles Invite You to Take a Ticket to Ride, recorded on 26 May 1965. Forty-seven of their BBC appearances occurred
in 1963 and 1964, including ten on Saturday Club, and fifteen on their own weekly series Pop Go The Beatles which began in June 1963. As The Beatles
had not accumulated many original songs by this time, the majority of their BBC performances consisted of cover versions, drawing on the repertoire
that they had developed for their early stage act. In total, 275 performances of 88 different songs were broadcast, of which 36 songs never
appeared on their studio albums.
Several of the programs aired live, but most were recorded days (or occasionally weeks) ahead of the broadcast date. The BBC's studio facilities
were not as advanced as those at Abbey Road, offering only monaural recording (no multi-tracking) and basic overdubbing; few retakes of songs
could be attempted owing to time limitations. It was not the BBC's practice to archive either the session tapes or the shows' master tapes,
owing to storage space and contractual restrictions.
Earlier collections and presentations:
The first collection of Beatles BBC performances was the bootleg album Yellow Matter Custard, issued in 1971, consisting of 14 songs that
were probably off-air home recordings made during the original radio broadcasts. Some additional performances with similar "tinny" sound
appeared on other bootlegs in the following years; then in 1980, the bootleg The Beatles Broadcasts was released featuring 18 BBC songs with
superior sound quality.
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of their first BBC appearance, the BBC (nicknamed "the Beeb") aired the two-hour radio special "The Beatles
at the Beeb" in 1982, featuring a mix of BBC performances and interviews (the show was expanded to three hours when syndicated to other countries).
The more comprehensive series The Beeb's Lost Beatles Tapes was broadcast by BBC Radio 1 in 1988 as 14 half-hour episodes. When gathering material
for that series, only a small number of original tapes were found; many more performances were obtained from vinyl recordings of the programs that
the BBC Transcription Department had made to distribute to BBC stations around the world.
By that time, a 13-album bootleg series had appeared under the title The Beatles at the Beeb, featuring many previously unavailable performances.
This was surpassed in 1993 by The Complete BBC Sessions, a nine-CD box set released by Great Dane in Italy, where copyright protection for the
broadcasts had expired; the set contained performances from 44 of The Beatles' 52 BBC appearances, including many complete shows.
Compilation and release:
An official Beatles BBC album was being planned as early as 1989, and it was reported that "EMI was preparing an album" of the BBC material by
late 1991. To supplement the archive he had partially rebuilt for The Beeb's Lost Beatles Tapes, BBC Radio producer Kevin Howlett sought out
additional sources, such as tapes kept by people involved in the original sessions; others had contacted him after the series aired to inform
him of their own home recordings of additional broadcasts. Remaining gaps were filled by recordings taken from available bootlegs.
From the available recordings, the tracks for Live at the BBC were selected by longtime Beatles producer George Martin. Martin's selection
criteria included both the quality of the sound and of The Beatles' performance. Of particular interest were the 36 songs that The Beatles
never performed on their official releases, of which 30 were selected for the album. Three of the six omitted were from 1962 (none of the 1962
recordings were judged to be of commercial sound quality): Roy Orbison's "Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)", The Coasters' arrangement of
"Bésame Mucho", and Joe Brown's "A Picture of You", all with Pete Best on drums. Two others, from early 1963, also were omitted for substandard
sound: Stephen Foster's "Beautiful Dreamer" and Chuck Berry's "I'm Talking About You". The reason for the omission of the final song of the six,
Carl Perkins' "Lend Me Your Comb" from July 1963, was not clear as it had very good sound quality, and it was speculated that it was held back
for inclusion on a later release; the song was indeed issued the following year on Anthology 1.
The selected songs included "I'll Be on My Way", the only Lennon–McCartney composition that The Beatles recorded for the BBC with no available
studio version. The Buddy Holly-style ballad was their first composition to be "given away" without The Beatles attempting to record it for their
own release. The song was given to Billy J. Kramer, another artist managed by Brian Epstein recording for Parlophone, who released it in the
United Kingdom as the B-side of a cover version of "Do You Want to Know a Secret". Also included is a cover version of "Clarabella", a song
that had been written for and recorded by The Jodimars, a group made up of former members of Bill Haley & His Comets.
In all, 56 songs were chosen for the album, along with some banter among the group and the hosts. Abbey Road engineer Peter Mew used audio
manipulation software to reduce noise, repair minor drop-outs, and equalise to a more consistent sound from one track to the next. The resulting
sound quality was considered generally better than the best equivalent bootlegged versions available at the time, although a small number of tracks
were noted as exceptions.
Live at the BBC was released on 30 November 1994 in the UK (Apple/Parlophone PCSP 726), and on 6 December 1994 in the United States
(Apple/Capitol CDP 7243-8-31796-2-6). The track listing on the back of the CD case inadvertently included the word "Top" at the start of the
song title "So How Come (No One Loves Me)"; the listing was corrected for the 2001 reissue. When "Baby It's You" was released as a single in
March 1995, it contained three other BBC songs that were not included in the album.
Reception:
Live at the BBC peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard 200 album chart and reached number 1 on the UK Albums Chart. The album sold an estimated
8 million copies worldwide during its first year of release.
A reviewer for Time said that the collection contained "few buried treasures", but "as a time capsule, the set is invaluable." Another reviewer
described it as "worth hearing" even though the album is a "quaint memento" in which The Beatles sound "scruffy and fairly tame". Anthony DeCurtis,
writing for Rolling Stone, was more enthusiastic, calling the album "an exhilarating portrait of a band in the process of shaping its own voice
and vision" while noting the "irresistible" spirit and energy of the performances.
This album would go on to receive a Grammy nomination for Best Historical Album, although it did not win the award.
Track listing:
Lp 1:
No. Title Writer(s) Lead vocals Length
1. "Beatle Greetings" – Speech 0:14
2. "From Us to You" John Lennon, Paul McCartney John and Paul 0:27
3. "Riding on a Bus" – Speech 0:54
4. "I Got a Woman" Ray Charles, Renald Richard John 2:48
5. "Too Much Monkey Business" Chuck Berry John 2:06
6. "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby" Gerry Goffin, Carole King John 2:30
7. "I'll Be on My Way" Lennon–McCartney Paul, with John 1:58
8. "Young Blood" Leiber,Stoller, Doc Pomus George 1:57
9. "A Shot of Rhythm and Blues" Terry Thompson John 2:15
10. "Sure to Fall (In Love with You)" Perkins, Claunch, Cantrell Paul 2:08
11. "Some Other Guy" Leiber, Stoller, Barrett John and Paul 2:01
12. "Thank You Girl" Lennon–McCartney John and Paul 2:01
13. "Sha La La La La!" – Speech 0:28
14. "Baby It's You" David, Bacharach, Williams John 2:44
15. "That's All Right, Mama" Arthur Crudup Paul 2:54
16. "Carol" Berry John 2:35
17. "Soldier of Love (Lay Down Your Arms)" Cason, Moon John 2:00
18. "A Little Rhyme" – Speech 0:26
19. "Clarabella" Frank Pingatore Paul 2:39
20. "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)" Joe Thomas, Howard Biggs John and Paul 2:01
21. "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" Buddy Holly George 2:09
22. "Dear Wack!" – Speech 0:42
23. "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" Smokey Robinson John 2:37
24. "To Know Her Is to Love Her" Phil Spector John 2:49
25. "A Taste of Honey" Bobby Scott, Ric Marlow Paul 1:57
26. "Long Tall Sally" Johnson, Penniman, Blackwell Paul 1:53
27. "I Saw Her Standing There" Lennon–McCartney Paul 2:32
28. "The Honeymoon Song" Theodorakis, Sansom Paul 1:39
29. "Johnny B. Goode" Berry John 2:51
30. "Memphis, Tennessee" Berry John 2:13
31. "Lucille" Albert Collins, Penniman Paul 1:49
32. "Can't Buy Me Love" Lennon–McCartney Paul 2:06
33. "From Fluff to You" – Speech 0:28
34. "Till There Was You" Meredith Willson Paul 2:13
LP 2:
1. "Crinsk Dee Night" – Speech 1:05
2. "A Hard Day's Night" Lennon–McCartney John and Paul 2:24
3. "Have a Banana!" – Speech 0:22
4. "I Wanna Be Your Man" Lennon–McCartney Ringo 2:09
5. "Just a Rumour" – Speech 0:20
6. "Roll Over Beethoven" Berry George 2:16
7. "All My Loving" Lennon–McCartney Paul 2:04
8. "Things We Said Today" Lennon–McCartney Paul 2:18
9. "She's a Woman" Lennon–McCartney Paul 3:15
10. "Sweet Little Sixteen" Berry John 2:21
11. "1822!" – Speech 0:10
12. "Lonesome Tears in My Eyes" Burnette, Burlison, Mortimer John 2:36
13. "Nothin' Shakin'" Fontaine, Colacrai, Lampert, Gluck George 2:59
14. "The Hippy Hippy Shake" Chan Romero Paul 1:49
15. "Glad All Over" Schroeder, Tepper, Bennett George 1:52
16. "I Just Don't Understand" Marijohn Wilkin, Kent Westberry John 2:47
17. "So How Come (No One Loves Me)" Boudleaux Bryant George and John 1:54
18. "I Feel Fine" Lennon–McCartney John 2:13
19. "I'm a Loser" Lennon–McCartney John 2:33
20. "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby" Perkins George 2:21
21. "Rock and Roll Music" Berry John 2:01
22. "Ticket to Ride" Lennon–McCartney John 2:56
23. "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" Larry Williams John 2:42
24. "Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!" Leiber, Stoller, Penniman Paul 2:37
25. "Set Fire to That Lot!" – Speech 0:28
26. "Matchbox" Perkins Ringo 1:57
27. "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" Stan Kesler, Charlie Feathers George 2:09
28. "Love These Goon Shows!" – Speech 0:27
29. "I Got to Find My Baby" Berry John 1:56
30. "Ooh! My Soul" Penniman Paul 1:37
31. "Ooh! My Arms" – Speech 0:36
32. "Don't Ever Change" Goffin, King George and Paul 2:03
33. "Slow Down" Larry Williams John 2:36
34. "Honey Don't" Perkins John 2:11
35. "Love Me Do" Lennon–McCartney Paul, with John 2:30
Source programs:
The show's title and original broadcast date for each track, with the recording date in parentheses:
• Track 1 – The Public Ear, 3 November 1963 (9 October 1963)
• Tracks 2, 32, 33, 34, 38, 39, 40, and 41 – From Us to You, 30 March 1964 (28 February 1964)
• Tracks 3, 43, 52, and 53 – Top Gear, 26 November 1964 (17 November 1964)
• Tracks 4 and 26 – Pop Go The Beatles, 13 August 1963 (16 July 1963)
• Track 5 – Pop Go The Beatles, 10 September 1963 (3 September 1963)
• Track 6 – Saturday Club, 26 January 1963 (22 January 1963)
• Track 7 – Side by Side, 24 June 1963 (4 April 1963)
• Tracks 8, 13, 14, 62, and 63 – Pop Go The Beatles, 11 June 1963 (1 June 1963)
• Tracks 9, 64, 65, and 66 – Pop Go The Beatles, 27 August 1963 (1 August 1963)
• Track 10 – Pop Go The Beatles, 18 June 1963 (1 June 1963)
• Tracks 11 and 12 – Easy Beat, 23 June 1963 (19 June 1963)
• Tracks 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 – Pop Go The Beatles, 16 July 1963 (2 July 1963)
• Tracks 20, 21, 24, 28, and 58 – Pop Go The Beatles, 6 August 1963 (16 July 1963)
• Tracks 22 and 23 – Saturday Club, 24 August 1963 (30 July 1963)
• Tracks 25, 44, 45, 46, 47, 51, and 69 – Pop Go The Beatles, 23 July 1963 (10 July 1963)
• Track 27 – Easy Beat, 20 October 1963 (16 October 1963)
• Track 29 – Saturday Club, 15 February 1964 (7 January 1964)
• Tracks 30, 48, 59, and 60 – Pop Go The Beatles, 30 July 1963 (10 July 1963)
• Track 31 – Saturday Club, 5 October 1963 (7 September 1963)
• Tracks 35, 36, 37, and 42 – Top Gear, 16 July 1964 (14 July 1964)
• Tracks 49, 50, and 67 – Pop Go The Beatles, 20 August 1963 (16 July 1963)
• Tracks 54 and 55 – Saturday Club, 26 December 1964 (25 November 1964)
• Tracks 56 and 57 – The Beatles Invite You to Take a Ticket to Ride, 6 June 1965 (26 May 1965)
• Track 61 – From Us to You, 18 May 1964 (1 May 1964)
• Track 68 – Pop Go The Beatles, 3 September 1963 (1 August 1963)
Personnel: (Duh!)
• John Lennon – vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, harmonica
• Paul McCartney – vocals, bass guitar
• George Harrison – lead guitar, vocals
• Ringo Starr – drums, vocals
Scans with Canon MG8200 Series
Photoshop CS6
Audio Intelligent 3 Brush Cleaning System & Spin Clean
Thorens TD 125 MK II
Audio- Technica - AT30HE MC Cartridge
Audioquest Head shell Leads
TP 60 Tone Arm
Audioquest Sidewinder Interconnects
Direct into: Xonar D1 Soundcard
Wavelab 6.1 recorded at 32 bit float 192 kHz
iZotope RX 3 Advanced for repair and converstion to 24 bit 192 khz
Track Labeling in Foobar2000