But, in the UK, the Beatles were doing stage shows--not just their own act, but pantomime and vaudeville-type things--and tons of live radio, where "From Me To You" was converted to "From Us To You" and made their signature tune. LIVE AT THE BBC collects more than 60 of the best moments from their radio appearances in one fabulous package.

There are a couple odd glitches--the solo on "A Hard Day's Night" is an obvious edit of the studio solo patched over a live performance, for instance--but the vast majority of the music here is superb.

The cover of "Sweet Little Sixteen" is fantastic, really hard stuff the way Lennon always said he preferred the Beatles to sound. Harrison shines on "Nothin' Shakin'" and "Everybody's Tryin' To Be My Baby." McCartney wails on "Long Tall Sally," "Lucille," and "The Hippy Hippy Shake." The whole band delivers a jolt with my very favorite early Beatles rocker, "Some Other Guy."

Ringo, as always, is the heart of the Beatles sound. On "Thank You Girl" he sounds like he's going to knock the bandstand to pieces. Why he isn't universally acclaimed as one of the 2 or 3 greatest Rock drummers of all time is beyond me.

This is a great record of the Beatles early days, when they were just beginning to step away from a very 1950s sound. Who could have guessed how far they'd go in less than a decade?


Growing Up on the Beeb   October 30, 2005
Kelly L. Norman (Plymouth, MI United States)
26 out of 27 found this review helpful

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.


"What about my book?!"   July 13, 2006
take403
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

This CD should settle once and for all that the Beatles were fine performers live. It would be hard to prove that on copies of broadcasts from Shea Stadium and the Hollywood Bowl. With the exception of one obvious edit on "Hard Day's Night" (though to rectify it, they play the ending fadeout riff ad nauseum at the end of the song "Here's proving that they're playing live!" says the BBC emcee), this is the Beatles live (and usually without the fanfare of screaming teenage fans).

From 1962 to 1965, the Beatles performed live on the BBC featuring not only their own songs but other popular songs from other artists (Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Carl Perkins, Ray Charles and Buddy Holly, to name a few). There's even a few out of the ordinary songs included, like Ann Margaret's "I Just Don't Understand" (sung by John) and "The Honeymoon Song" (sung by Paul).

This is the Beatles at their most fun (and it sounds like they're indeed having fun!). Featured on this CD are are many songs never before released on LP or CD, like "Please Don't Change a Thing" and "Nothin' Shakin' (But the Leaves on the Trees" (both sung by George), "Double Shot of Rhythm and Blues," "I Got a Woman" (sung by John), "Lucille" (sung by Paul, why did that DJ have to pipe in on the instrumental introduction?), "Johnny B Goode" and "Carol" (both sung by John), "Hippy Hippy Shake" (sung by Paul), "Some Other Guy" (it's hard to believe that though this is featured in both The Compleat Beatles and The Beatles Anthology, this is the only version to surface on CD, bootlegs notwithstanding), "Young Blood" (sung by George), "Ooh, My Soul" and "Clarabella" (both sung by Paul, the latter featuring harmonica by John), "To Know Her Is to Love Her," "So How Come (No One Loves Me)," "Sure to Fall" (lead by Paul with harmonies from John and George), "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby" and "Got to Find My Baby" (both sung by John), "That's Alright Mama" (sung by Paul) "Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Lonesome Tears In My Eyes" (both sung by John) and the only Lennon/McCartney song never before released (at least aired on the BBC) "I'll Be On My Way." This song was given to Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas after they had written it.

Of course, there's the alternative version of "From Me to You" (retitled "From Us to You") at the beginning and there's also also notable versions of "Baby It's You" (with a jazzy coda, rather than the fadeout on Please Please Me), "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby" (with no echo reverb on George's vocal) and "Honey Don't" with John on vocals rather than Ringo), "I Saw Her Standing There," "Dizzy Miss Lizzy," "She's a Woman," "Things We Said Today," "Love Me Do" (with Ringo on drums), "I Wanna Be Your Man," "Rock and Roll Music," "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Till There Was You."

There are no recordings from 1962 featured here but I had read no quality recordings existed. Also included are short interviews with the Fab Four. Paul gives a rare serious answer as to what the Beatles miss in the midst of all the fame and fortune, John is the most jovial ("No, I play harp on this song! I play harmonica on 'Love Me Do'!"), Ringo gets a banana thrown at him ("'Ere, Ringo, have a banana"), George is wry as he introduces "Roll Over Beethoven" as a song that goes back to 1822 and at the beginning of Disk 1, each of the Beatles introduces themselves ("I'm Ringo and I play the drums" "I'm Paul and I play a bass" "I'm George and I play the guitar" "I'm John and I, too, play a guitar. Sometimes, I play the fool!"). Mark Lewishon provides some insightful liner notes and we learn that "Ticket to Ride" was one of the last songs the Beatles performed on the BBC. It doesn't include all the songs they performed on the BBC, since there was a CD single featuring 3 other songs from the BBC sessions not included here (also worth getting and probably even harder to find). Nevertheless, if you're a serious fan of the Beatles and this is not in your collection, this would be a worthy purchase.


Includes many songs not on any other Beatles album!   January 13, 2003
Daniel J. Hamlow (Narita, Japan)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

The four Beatles introduce themselves and the instruments they play. Leave it to Mr. Lennon to be the witty one: "I'm John and I too play the guitar. Sometimes I play the fool."

Live at the BBC means that this was broadcast on any one of their radio program appearances from 1963 to 1965. However, there are actual live versions of "Thank You Girl" and "I Saw Her Standing There" here. And their version of "A Hard Day's Night" is interrupted during that final guitar just to prove that this wasn't just a record playing.

The rapport between the radio host and the Beatles is also fun, in the spirit of the dialogue on the A Hard Day's Night movie. John in particular is quite a clown. They get Lee Peters to introduce "Baby It's You" in his famous James Mason-impersonation voice. Another time, we learn that the Beatles current single is at number one in Portugal and it's called "Crisnk Dee Night", or "A Hard Day's Night".

The real treat is that the majority of songs aren't on any other Beatles album. They cover songs by Arthur Alexander, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley, to name a few. Basically, these two discs show what groups and artists influenced the Beatles. However, there are songs that are already on their studio albums, such as "Things We Said Today", "You Really Got A Hold On Me", "I'm A Loser", and "Ticket To Ride".

They capture the spirit of the originals. Foe example, John sings "I Got A Woman" by Ray Charles and it's a 50's rockabilly number. "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby" is a Shangri-La's/Shirelles type number that could've been included on Please Please Me.

Well-known numbers that don't need any introduction: Chuck Berry's "Johnny B Goode" and Elvis Presley's "That's All Right, (Mama)" and Chan Romero's "Hippy Hippy Shake" which they originally did in their days with Tony Sheridan.
Classic rock and roll with Chuck Berry's "Too Much Monkey Business"

Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Carl Perkins in particular are given special note. They do five Perkins numbers here: "Sure To Fall (In Love With You)", "Matchbox", "Glad All Over", "Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby", and "Honey Don't." Nine, count'tem NINE (!) Chuck Berry numbers are done here. Other than the aforementioned three, the others are "Roll Over Beethoven" which they did on With The Beatles, "Rock And Roll Music" from For Sale, "Memphis, Tennessee", "Sweet Little Sixteen", "I Got To Find My Baby", and "Carol", which the Stones did on their first album. Little Richard songs are "Lucille", "Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey", "Ooh! My Soul", and "Long Tall Sally".

The liner notes over each songs tells which artist originally covered this song, the show it was broadcast, and when it was recorded and transmitted. A very valuable addition to anyone Beatles collection.


Welcome back, memories of too long ago   May 22, 2005
Dr. J. Monro (New Zealand)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

Unlike many of the reviewers here, I hear these broadcasts live - I may not have heard them all, but certainly a good number. Sometimes I would hear them at our home near Leeds, but many weekends were spent in Fylingthorpe, near Whitby in Yorkshire, and the radio was kept in the corner of the sitting room. If my memory serves me correctly some of the programmes were broadcast on Saturdays about 4 pm, and I would make sure that I was home to listen to them, and if that meant cutting short my walk with the dog along Middlewood Lane, so be it . I was fourteen years old at the time and I would plonk myself down, and be taken out of myself, an otherwise quiet and introspective boy. I certainly had heard Elvis Presley, and other rock stars by hiding the radio and listening to Luxembourg. But none of that music really caught my attention, until the Beatles came along. The music was as just so exciting and exhilarating. There was something here that really captured my imagination, and unlike some others, I really enjoyed the Beatles music more in their earlier days. I recall trying to tell my parents, they are just so good, don't you think they're the best, the best band in the world, Mum? My mother, who was brought up all over the world, and lived in Vienna and could sing operetta beautifully, was a bit uncomprehending. Each new Beatles song would be awaited with the most extreme longing, and I was never disappointed - a Hard Day's Night was a musical revolution and a revelation for me. Whilst later, in my student days, I recognised the new directions of Sergent Peppers, and enjoyed it, it's the earlier albums that still make me want to get up and dance, and twist and shout. Listening to these tracks is to take me back to another age, and a small boy just beginning to try to grow up. I have been trying every since.