Jump to content

Live at the BBC (Beatles album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 50.196.14.22 (talk) at 01:33, 19 January 2015. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Untitled
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Robert ChristgauB+[2]
Rolling Stone[3]

Live at the BBC is a 1994 compilation album featuring performances by the Beatles that were originally broadcast on various BBC Light Programme 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.

A remastered repackaging of the album was released on 11 November 2013 along with On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2, a second volume of BBC Radio broadcasts.[4]

History

Recording

The Beatles performed for 52 BBC Radio programmes, 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.[5] 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.[6]

Several of the programmes aired live, but most were recorded days (or occasionally weeks) ahead of the broadcast date.[5] The BBC's studio facilities were not as advanced as those at Abbey Road, offering only monaural recording (no multitracking) and basic overdubbing; few retakes of songs could be attempted owing to time limitations.[6] 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.[7]

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.[8] 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.[8]

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).[9] 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 programmes that the BBC Transcription Department had made to distribute to BBC stations around the world.[7]

By that time, a 13-album bootleg series had appeared under the title The Beatles at the Beeb, featuring many previously unavailable performances.[8] 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;[10] the set contained performances from 44 of The Beatles' 52 BBC appearances, including many complete shows.[11]

Compilation and release

An official Beatles BBC album was being planned as early as 1982,[12] and it was reported that "EMI was preparing an album" of the BBC material by late 1991.[13] 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.[7] Remaining gaps were filled by recordings taken from available bootlegs.[10]

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.[7] 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: the Gerry Goffin-Jack Keller adaptation of 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;[7] the song was indeed issued the following year on Anthology 1. It is also included in the On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2 2013 compilation, as are "Beautiful Dreamer" and "I'm Talking About You".

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".[14]

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.[7] 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.[10]

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.

2013 remastered version

The 11 November 2013 remastered reissue features some minor changes in the track listing and editing. Most noticeable are the inclusion of three extra tracks. The only musical addition is the closing version of "From Us To You" at the end of disc two. "What is it, George?" is a new speech track incorporated between "Carol" and "Soldier of Love" on disc one. The speech track "Ringo? Yep!" is a new addition to disc two, replacing "Have a Banana!" as track 3. The majority of "Have a Banana!" has been incorporated as the end of the previous track, "A Hard Day's Night," but the phrase itself, which gave the original speech track its title, has been omitted.

Reception

Live at the BBC peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard 200 album chart[15] and reached number 1 on the UK Albums Chart.[16] The album sold an estimated 8 million copies worldwide during its first year of release.[17]

A reviewer for Time said that the collection contained "few buried treasures", but "as a time capsule, the set is invaluable."[18] Another reviewer described it as "worth hearing" even though the album is a "quaint memento" in which The Beatles sound "scruffy and fairly tame".[19] 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.[20]

This album would go on to receive a Grammy nomination for Best Historical Album, although it did not win the award.

Track listing

Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Beatle Greetings"–Speech0:14
2."From Us to You"John Lennon, Paul McCartneyLennon and McCartney0:27
3."Riding on a Bus"–Speech0:54
4."I Got a Woman"Ray Charles, Renald RichardLennon2:48
5."Too Much Monkey Business"Chuck BerryLennon2:06
6."Keep Your Hands Off My Baby"Gerry Goffin, Carole KingLennon2:30
7."I'll Be on My Way"Lennon–McCartneyMcCartney, with Lennon1:58
8."Young Blood"Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Doc PomusHarrison1:57
9."A Shot of Rhythm and Blues"Terry ThompsonLennon2:15
10."Sure to Fall (In Love with You)"Carl Perkins, Quinton Claunch, Bill CantrellMcCartney2:08
11."Some Other Guy"Leiber, Stoller, Richard BarrettLennon and McCartney2:01
12."Thank You Girl"Lennon–McCartneyLennon and McCartney2:01
13."Sha La La La La!"–Speech0:28
14."Baby It's You"Mack David, Burt Bacharach, "Barney Williams"Lennon2:44
15."That's All Right, Mama"Arthur CrudupMcCartney2:54
16."Carol"BerryLennon2:35
17."Soldier of Love (Lay Down Your Arms)"Buzz Cason, Tony MoonLennon2:00
18."A Little Rhyme"–Speech0:26
19."Clarabella"Frank PingatoreMcCartney2:39
20."I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)"Joe Thomas, Howard BiggsLennon and McCartney2:01
21."Crying, Waiting, Hoping"Buddy HollyHarrison2:09
22."Dear Wack!"–Speech0:42
23."You Really Got a Hold on Me"Smokey RobinsonLennon2:37
24."To Know Her Is to Love Her"Phil SpectorLennon2:49
25."A Taste of Honey"Bobby Scott, Ric MarlowMcCartney1:57
26."Long Tall Sally"Enotris Johnson, Richard Penniman, Robert "Bumps" BlackwellMcCartney1:53
27."I Saw Her Standing There"Lennon–McCartneyMcCartney2:32
28."The Honeymoon Song"Mikis Theodorakis, William SansomMcCartney1:39
29."Johnny B Goode"BerryLennon2:51
30."Memphis, Tennessee"BerryLennon2:13
31."Lucille"Albert Collins, PennimanMcCartney1:49
32."Can't Buy Me Love"Lennon–McCartneyMcCartney2:06
33."From Fluff to You"–Speech0:28
34."Till There Was You"Meredith WillsonMcCartney2:13
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Crinsk Dee Night"–Speech1:05
2."A Hard Day's Night"Lennon–McCartneyLennon and McCartney2:24
3."Have a Banana!"–Speech0:22
4."I Wanna Be Your Man"Lennon–McCartneyStarr2:09
5."Just a Rumour"–Speech0:20
6."Roll Over Beethoven"BerryHarrison2:16
7."All My Loving"Lennon–McCartneyMcCartney2:04
8."Things We Said Today"Lennon–McCartneyMcCartney2:18
9."She's a Woman"Lennon–McCartneyMcCartney3:15
10."Sweet Little Sixteen"BerryLennon2:21
11."1822!"–Speech0:10
12."Lonesome Tears in My Eyes"Johnny Burnette, Dorsey Burnette, Paul Burlison, Al MortimerLennon2:36
13."Nothin' Shakin'"Eddie Fontaine, Cirino Colacrai, Diane Lampert, John Gluck, Jr.Harrison2:59
14."The Hippy Hippy Shake"Chan RomeroMcCartney1:49
15."Glad All Over"Aaron Schroeder, Sid Tepper, Roy BennettHarrison1:52
16."I Just Don't Understand"Marijohn Wilkin, Kent WestberryLennon2:47
17."So How Come (No One Loves Me)"Felice and Boudleaux BryantHarrison and Lennon1:54
18."I Feel Fine"Lennon–McCartneyLennon2:13
19."I'm a Loser"Lennon–McCartneyLennon2:33
20."Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby"PerkinsHarrison2:21
21."Rock and Roll Music"BerryLennon2:01
22."Ticket to Ride"Lennon–McCartneyLennon2:56
23."Dizzy, Miss Lizzy"Larry WilliamsLennon2:42
24."Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!"Leiber, Stoller, PennimanMcCartney2:37
25."Set Fire to That Lot!"–Speech0:28
26."Matchbox"PerkinsStarr1:57
27."I Forgot to Remember to Forget"Stan Kesler, Charlie FeathersHarrison2:09
28."Love These Goon Shows!"–Speech0:27
29."I Got to Find My Baby"BerryLennon1:56
30."Ooh! My Soul"PennimanMcCartney1:37
31."Ooh! My Arms"–Speech0:36
32."Don't Ever Change"Goffin, KingHarrison and McCartney2:03
33."Slow Down"Larry WilliamsLennon2:36
34."Honey Don't"PerkinsLennon2:11
35."Love Me Do"Lennon–McCartneyMcCartney, with Lennon2:30

Source programmes

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

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[21] Gold 25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[22] 8× Platinum 800,000^
France (SNEP)[24] Platinum 312,700[23]
Germany (BVMI)[25] Gold 250,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[26] Gold 7,500^
Japan (RIAJ)[27] Platinum 411,000[28]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[29] Platinum 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[30] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] 2× Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[32] 4× Platinum 2,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[33] Platinum 1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Charts

Notes

  1. ^ Live at the BBC at AllMusic
  2. ^ "CG: The Beatles". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  3. ^ DeCurtis, Anthony (25 January 1991). "Live at the BBC | Album Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  4. ^ "The Beatles On Air Live At The BBC Volume 2". The Beatles Store. 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  5. ^ a b Lewisohn (1992), p. 354.
  6. ^ a b Unterberger (2006), p. 26.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Buskin, Richard (March 1995). "Raiders of the Lost Archive: The Beatles Live At The Beeb". Sound on Sound. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  8. ^ a b c Unterberger (2006), p. 27.
  9. ^ Unterberger (2006), p. 365.
  10. ^ a b c Kozinn, Allan (4 December 1994). "Recordings View: The Beatles Meet The Bootleggers On Their Own Turf". New York Times. p. 38. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  11. ^ Kerr, Jeff (13 December 1994). "Great Dane BBC Box Set". The Internet Beatles Album. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
  12. ^ Kozinn, Allan (10 November 1989). "Beatles and Record Label Reach Pact and End Suit". New York Times. p. C4. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
  13. ^ Lewisohn (1992), p. 357.
  14. ^ Unterberger (2006), pp. 341–342.
  15. ^ "The Beatles Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
  16. ^ "All the number 1 albums". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
  17. ^ Corliss, Richard (20 November 1995). "Get Back". Time. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  18. ^ Corliss, Richard (19 December 1994). "Becoming the Beatles". Time. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  19. ^ Browne, David (9 December 1994). "Music Review: Live At The BBC". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  20. ^ DeCurtis, Anthony (26 January 1995). "Album Reviews: Live at the BBC". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  21. ^ "Austrian album certifications – The Beatles – Live at the BBC" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  22. ^ "Canadian album certifications – The Beatles – Live at the BBC". Music Canada. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  23. ^ "Les Albums Platine". infodisc.fr. SNEP. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  24. ^ "French album certifications – The Beatles – Live at the BBC" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  25. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Beatles; 'Live at the BBC')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  26. ^ "The Irish Charts - 2013 Certification Awards - Gold". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  27. ^ "RIAJ > The Record > February 1996 > Highest Certified International Albums/Singles (Mar '89 - Sep '96)" (PDF). Recording Industry Association of Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  28. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  29. ^ "Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1991–1995". Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  30. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Live at the BBC')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  31. ^ id MUST BE PROVIDED for UK CERTIFICATION.
  32. ^ "American album certifications – Beatles, The – Live at the BBC". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  33. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 1996". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
  34. ^ "australian-charts.com The Beatles - Live at the BBC" (ASP). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  35. ^ "austriancharts.at The Beatles - Live at the BBC" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  36. ^ "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 60, No. 22" (PHP). RPM. 19 December 1994. Retrieved 28 December 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  37. ^ "dutchcharts.nl The Beatles - Live at the BBC" (ASP). Hung Medien. MegaCharts. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  38. ^ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  39. ^ "Album Search: The Beatles - Live at the BBC" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  40. ^ a b "Hit Parade Italia - Gli album più venduti del 1994" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  41. ^ "ザ・ビートルズ・ライヴ！！アット・ザ・BBC／ザ・ビートルズ-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック". oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved 1 January 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  42. ^ "charts.org.nz The Beatles - Live at the BBC" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  43. ^ "swedishcharts.com The Beatles - Live at the BBC" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  44. ^ "The Beatles - Live at the BBC - hitparade.ch" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Swiss Music Charts. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  45. ^ "The Beatles > Artists > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 1 January 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  46. ^ "allmusic ((( Live at the BBC > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  47. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Jahreshitparade 1995" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  48. ^ "1995年 アルバム年間TOP100" (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 January 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  49. ^ "Billboard.BIZ - Year-end Charts - Billboard 200 - 1995". billboard.biz. Retrieved 18 September 2011.

References

Preceded by UK number one album
10–16 December 1994 		Succeeded by

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Live_at_the_BBC_(Beatles_album)&oldid=643137787"