The Beatles: Live At The BBC
Live At The BBC captures the Beatles in the act of defining themselves.The group's live appearances on British radio from 1962 to 1966 have been on collectors' short lists of unpublished Beatle wonders since they were first resurrected. Beginning back when manager Brian Epstein began pounding London pavement in search of a recording deal, these tracks stake a claim in rock mythology equal to that of Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes or Elvis Presley's comeback television special. All these projects tell secrets about these performers that are central to their greatness - Dylan's cockeyed take on the early American west; or Presley's inspired notion of how to rock into middle age.
The 56 tracks on these two discs, interspersed with gaggles of between-song chatter, trace Lennon and McCartney's distinct vocal development, the seeds of their songwriting partnership and the way these four instrumentalists learned to play off each others' strengths to create an unparalleled ensemble.
Paradoxically, these tracks also show how the Beatles elevated the idea of covering other people's songs into an act of self-definition - a glossary of their own taste and aspirations. To hear the Beatles perform before they were signed provides the most accurate picture of the Beatles' character before Epstein tailored the act for television. Live and unvarnished (and rolling about giggling on the bathroom floor, as host Brian Matthews remembers), the Beatles made music as great as they would ever record in the studio.
Here is the tracklist for Live At The BBC - songs marked (*) are not duplicated by the Beatles in studio releases:
Disc 1:
- Beatle Greetings (dialogue)
- From Us To You*
- Riding On A Bus (dialogue)
- I Got A Woman*
- Too Much Monkey Business*
- Keep Your Hands off My Baby*
- I'll Be On My Way*
- Young Blood*
- Shot Of Rhythm And Blues*
- Sure To Fall (In Love With You)*
- Some Other Guy*
- Thank You Girl
- Sha la la la La! (dialogue)
- Baby It's You
- That's All Right (Mama)*
- Carol*
- Soldier Of Love (Lay Down Your Arms)*
- Little Rhyme (dialogue)
- Clarabella*
- I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You)*
- Crying, Waiting, Hoping*
- Dear Whack! (dialogue)
- You Really Got A Hold On Me
- To Know Her Is To Love Her*
- A Taste Of Honey
- Long Tall Sally
- I Saw Her Standing There
- Honeymoon Song*
- Johnny B. Goode*
- Memphis*
- Lucille*
- Can't Buy Me Love
- From Fluff To You (dialogue)
- Till There Was You
Disc 2:
- Crinsk Dee Night (dialogue)
- A Hard Day's Night
- Have A Banana! (dialogue)
- I Wanna Be Your Man
- Just A Rumor (dialogue)
- Roll Over Beethoven
- All My Loving
- Things We Said Today
- She's A Woman
- Sweet Little Sixteen*
- 1822! (dialogue)
- Lonesome Tears In My Eyes*
- Nothin' Shakin' (But the Leaves On the Trees)*
- Hippy Hippy Shake*
- Glad All Over*
- I Just Don't Understand*
- So How Come (No One Loves Me)*
- I Feel Fine
- I'm A Loser
- Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby
- Rock And Roll Music
- Ticket To Ride
- Dizzy Miss Lizzy
- Medley: Kansas City/Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
- Set Fire To That Lot! (dialogue)
- Matchbox
- I Forgot To Remember To Forget*
- Love These Goon Shows! (dialogue)
- I Got To Find My Baby*
- Ooh! My Soul*
- Ooh! My Arms (dialogue)
- Don't Ever Change*
- Slow Down
- Honey Don't (vocal by John Lennon)
- Love Me Do