Beatles - Live at the BBC
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Free Music Notes for Live at the BBC
Free Music Review: "I Don't Want To Spoil The Party" so I bought this twice
Hit: 5 Stars
As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" and a former radio disc-jockey, I am often asked to write and or discuss various recordings from the 60's and 70's.
Doesn't it seem unfathomable that a band in their own stratosphere like the Beatles could have any releases that are underrated? The truth is there are many that aren't aware of the pure brilliance of the "BBC" and "Hamburg Germany" CD's.
It doesn't get much better than the opportunity to hear not only the plethora of songs included on the double disc but the diversity of the material. Do we take the Beatles for granted? There are times. If you listen to the music straight through it is easy to see why you may have a new appreciation for their collective genius. If you study what they were doing in 1962 compared to any other releases, it didn't take a special ear to comprehend great things were already here and a new level of honor would soon be created.
The Beatles could take a cover tune and make you think it was there own. They could mesmerize you with a ballad one moment and rock the house the next. That is what the "BBC" selections are all about.
Don't let any mention of some of the tracks sounding rough stray your course. It adds to the charm, as if you are hearing it way back when!
"Roll Over Beethoven" followed by "All My Loving." One of the many pleasurable aspects of the listening journey are the wonderful renditions of songs they didn't put on the released studio recordings these include but are not limited to the next five songs mentioned: "Shot of Rhythm and Blues" and "Some Other Guy" sound delectable through your speakers. "Carol", Johnny B. Goode", and "Memphis" couldn't sound any grander if they did it 100 more times.
When the Beatles paid homage to Chuck Berry and Little Richard and their other rhythm and blues heroes, they didn't cheat their own core of fans with the end results.
Interspersed throughout the festivities are the tunes Lennon and McCartney penned. If you want to soak up different arrangements of a myriad of songs you already know and love, it's as easy as clicking and buying.
John and George we miss you!
Enjoy the music and be well,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"
Free Music Review: You really want to know what all the fuss was about?
Hit: 5 Stars
I didn't intend to write a review of this CD, but I was just rifling through the Beatles catalog and noticed that this was way toward the bottom, which meant that, in terms of sales rank, that's also where is was. To think that more people are buying the Anthology series than this is a damn shame. I guess it's easy to overlook this CD. It came out before all the hype over the anthology, and had been cut out by that time. Also, for some reason, many regard the Beatles' early recordings (before Rubber Soul and Revolver) as dismissable.
Boy, are they missing out! Music does not have to impart a profound (or pretentious, depending on how you look at it) message in the lyrics to be profound. Just listen to Lennon's reading of Baby It's You on this collection and you'll know what I mean.
Maybe it's just a matter of perspective. Maybe younger fans just aren't looking for that niave rush that these guys generated with these songs. Maybe they need to feel that they are finding "the word". If so, they probably will find this album "kid stuff". But, believe me, it's not. In most cases, they lend more grace, excitement and musicainship to these songs than the original artists did, and in some cases that's no mean feat. Plus, they had impeccable taste in the songs they chose to cover. This CD is more than an historical document; much, much more. These are great songs, all given the Beatle touch, at a time when the Beatles were still hungry and at a performing peak. That would soon change.
But, this CD is relatively overlooked. I shouldn't be surprised, because Please, Please Me, With The Beatles and most disappointing, Hard Day's Night are also bringing up the rear in sales. That's a shame, because those CDs, like this one, contain the finest examples of early 60s music that exist, and, believe me, that is really saying something.
This is a classic record. It contains not only textbook examples of what made the Beatles great musically, but also some of the banter and humor that made them such cultural icons. The banter and the humor, like the music, stands up to repeated listening. If the Beatles music has moved you, and you haven't heard this CD, you should do yourself a favor and see what all the fuss was about.
Free Music Review: A roaring album full of catchy hooks and busting enthusiasm
Hit: 5 Stars
I was listening to my copy of 'Live at the BBC' today and I realized something: I prefer it to not only the Anthology collection, but also the '1' collection and a few of the Beatles actual albums! Wheras the Anthology albums are at times frustrating to listen to and rarely do they actually reveal anything about the construction of classics, this CD is a joy to listen to! '1' is a good place for beginners to start, but it is hardly a great collection of the best Beatles songs (there are no songs on it from Rubber Soul, Sgt. Pepper, or The White Album!) I even prefer 'Live at the BBC' to 'Let It Be' and 'Please Please Me'. While this not only provides listeners with insight into the kind of music the Beatles were influenced by, it also is a valuable piece of history. The Beatles are the greatest band ever to exist, and this album shows the transition of the Beatles from a pop group to real artists. But 'Live at the BBC' isn't really about studio experimentation or making great statements in their songs. This is just a fun collection of great rock n roll songs. The Beatles still sound like their having a ball being Beatles.
'Live at the BBC' is guaranteed to get you tapping your foot and bobbing your head. The Beatles' wit is shown in the various interviews in between songs. Their musicianship is also displayed as they whip out classics- their own classics like 'A Hard Days Night' and 'Love Me Do' as well as rock n roll classics such as 'Johnny B. Goode'.
I love 'Live at the BBC' and I wish it didn't live under the shadow of the Anthology series. While the Anthology DVD is absolutely excellent, the albums leave a lot to be desired. The came can be said of the '1' CD- though I have to give '1' credit for getting me into the Beatles. Sure, I wasn't alive when the Beatles were together (I wasn't even alive when John Lennon was), but I have taste in music and I know more about the Beatles than many people who WERE there. This is an excellent CD, well worth your time. Trust me.
Free Music Review: Growing Up on the Beeb
Hit: 5 Stars
It bears noting that at the time this compilation was released, the Beatles were banned from the BBC. Not because of any song content, mind you (as if), but because, if I remember the exact wording, they were "too boring." This all changed soon enough, when a year later Beatlemania was revamped by the Anthology series and "Free As A Bird"/"Real Love" releases.
But in the heyday of the sixties, the love affair between the Beeb and the boys from Liverpool was hot and heavy. And mutually beneficial, no doubt.
For those of us who love the "personal history" stuff of the Beatles story as well as the technical, which-riff-goes-where stuff, this set is a treasure trove. Not only do we get to hear early interviews where Paul, George, Ringo, and even cheeky John still have butterflies in their stomachs, but despite the low-tech feel of the recordings, the energy of the songs recorded here is palpable. In between the songs the lads chat with DJs and share Christmas and other holiday greetings. This gives us a glimpse, in part, into even the pre-"toppermost of the poppermost" days.
My favorite songs on the collection feature George, and listening to them gave me further insight into the frustration he must have felt playing an undeserved "second fiddle" role to the Lennon-McCartney partnership. His covers of "Young Blood", "Crying, Waiting, Hoping", "Nothin' Shakin'" are so fresh and spot on, to say nothing, of course, of "Roll Over Beethoven". Even though a Harrison original doesn't show up here, his musicianship and importance in the group comes through.
"Nothin' Shakin'", by the way, a terrific rockabilly number, is one of several unique recordings on this collection, along with songs such as Carl Perkin's "Glad All Over" (not to be confused with the Dave Clark number of the same name).
A must for any serious Fab Four collection.
Free Music Review: A profound revelation for Beatles fans
Hit: 5 Stars
To say I heard the Beatles perform live at the Hollywood Bowl would be something of a misstatement inasmuch as what I heard for the most part were their adolescent-girl fans screaming. (I mostly remember John Lennon doing a little impromptu shuffle dance during one or two numbers, and I recall my regrets that real music fans couldn't hear much over all the girly shrieking.) The screaming also rendered H'wood Bowl recordings as virtually unlistenable, in my opinion, also because the band's tempos and synchrony were thrown off by their inability to hear themselves through the din. Those were the days before the wireless in-ear monitors that rock performers now routinely wear on stage, especially in outdoor venues.
"Live at the BBC" therefore comes as a most pleasant surprise because it marks the first opportunity I've ever found as a lifelong fan to really hear the Beatles perform live and in spontaneous real time. Unlike video clips from "Ed Sullivan" or "Hard Day's Night" or their carefully polished early studio recordings released after multiple takes, this extensive compilation reveals how tight and versatile they were as a live act, and how they still were maturing as performers during the earlier years of their unprecedented fame. The band members' physically youthful vocal chords of those early, break-out years also are showcased here, before the wear and tear of countless more live performances and excessive smoking or whatever took just a little off the choir-boy quality off their voices. Which is not to say they didn't ever growl and wail to hard-core rocking perfection during their in-studio BBC gigs. And the inventive, unrestrained drumming comes off really well, too.
I'm sure glad I have this important piece of musical history in my CD collection, even if I will only listen rarely, when I'm in the mood for classic "roots" rock and heart-swelling nostalgia.