The Beatles’ live career began way back in August 1960, when then manager Alan Williams arranged a residency for the band to play in Hamburg.
Routine touring continued across the UK following their signing to EMI, and in February 1964, they began their first US Tour.
The Beatles also performed across Western Europe, in Canada, Australia, Japan, and even the Philippines.
In August 1966, the band’s final ever tour took place, with their last commercial concert occurring at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, on August 29th.
The Beatles’ only other live performance featuring all four members was their infamous Apple Rooftop Concert, on January 30th, 1969.
The Beatles spent four solid years touring almost constantly, and during this time played over 1,400 live gigs, plus a handful of TV specials.
General opinion regarding these shows tends to focus on them generally being unlistenable today in circumstances where tapes exist.
But this is folly, as many appearances during this period were both recorded professionally and broadcast live on radio.
This new triple disc set allows the listener to hear some of the very finest of these broadcast recordings, all of which are eminently listenable, hugely enjoyable and historically essential.
DISC ONE here features The Beatles captured live on the Ed Sullivan show across two appearances during their first US tour, cuts from Philadelphia in September ’64 while on their second American jaunt, and the first disc concludes with their two appearances at the London Palladium, in October ’63 and February ’64.
DISC TWO continues with tracks recorded in Blackpool across two dates in 1964. The first, on 19TH July, as part of the television programme ‘Blackpool Big Night Out’, and the remainder from a show a week later at the city’s Opera House, on 26th. Disc Two also features their concert in Atlanta, Georgia, on 18th August ’65, plus 6 tracks from their June ’66 gig in Krone, Germany.
DISC THREE concludes this enticing set with tracks from Melbourne, Australia in June ’64, Tokyo in June ’66, and two cuts from their August ’64 appearance at the Hollywood Bowl, which are not included on the EMI released album of this appearance. Disc Three also includes three tracks from a rehearsal tape recorded at the Cavern, Liverpool, in 1962.
