The Beatles- Tell Me What You See
Page 2
04-10-63 – ‘Ready, Steady, Go!’ (UK)
Twist and Shout / I’ll Get You / She Loves You
Making their debut on the swinging ‘60s most famous TV show, The Beatles mime to both sides of their current single and their album closer, as well as all but Paul making amusing cameos during Helen Shapiro’s performance of her current single ‘Look Who It Is’. The band are introduced by Dusty Springfield (fresh from leaving The Springfields), who also interviews the band, while Paul judges a dance competition (bizarrely, the winner Melanie Coe later inspired the song ‘She’s Leaving Home’ after Paul read about her running away from home). Although all three of The Beatles appearances on ‘Ready, Steady, Go!’ survive, no footage was included on either ‘Anthology’ or ‘1+’. This was, reportedly, because the tapes’ owner Dave Clark (of The Dave Clark Five fame) wanted too much money. All three appearances (though not all of the interview segments or the Helen Shapiro song) were issued across three VHS sets of ‘Ready, Steady, Go!’ in the mid ‘80s, but collectors have since then been waiting in vain for official DVD sets.
09-10-63 – ‘The Mersey Sound’ (UK)
Twist and Shout / She Loves You / Love Me Do
Taped at The Little Theatre in Southport on 27-08-63, as part of a full-length documentary on the Mersey Beat phenomenon, the first two songs are played live to an empty theatre (with the screaming audience overdubbed and intercut later), as was ‘Love Me Do’, though the footage for this latter song was overdubbed with the studio recording for the telecast. Both ‘Love Me Do’ and an excerpt of ‘Twist and Shout’ was included in the Anthology releases, while ‘Love Me Do’ was also included in ‘1+’, as well as being the basis for the 1982 reissue Promo Video. Apart from a brief excerpt during a medley (see 06-05-64), no other footage of the band performing ‘Love Me Do’ is known to survive.
13-10-63 – ‘Sunday Night At The London Palladium’ (UK) – MISSING/LOST
From Me To You / I’ll Get You / She Loves You / Twist and Shout
In 1963, there was no TV show more prestigious than ‘Sunday Night At The London Palladium’, and for The Beatles to perform 4 songs while topping the bill was an indication of just how far they’d come in a relatively very short time. Sadly, the footage no longer survives, but an audio tape does still exist, and gives us a real indication of just how exciting things were that night. It was at this performance that the UK national press finally noticed the hysteria that had been sweeping the country for months, with some genius – and it’s debateable exactly whom – dubbing the ensuing chaos ‘Beatlemania’. This show doesn’t exist on video, but an audio does survive, with ‘I’ll Get You’ appearing on the ‘Anthology’ CDs.
18-10-63 – ‘Scene At 6.30’ (UK) – MISSING/LOST
She Loves You
A return to the relative calm of Manchester’s Granada TV studios, where The Beatles mime their current hit ‘She Loves You’.
26-10-63 – ‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’ (UK) – PARTIALLY MISSING/LOST
All My Loving / Money (That’s What I Want) / She Loves You
Taped on 20-10-63 in Birmingham, the producer of the show got quite a scoop, as amongst the 3 songs they mimed to, both ‘All My Loving’ and ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ wouldn’t be released until 22-11-63 when they appeared on ‘With The Beatles’. Only ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ is known to survive though, and only in less than perfect quality, which is probably why it wasn’t included in ‘Anthology’.
03-11-63 – ‘Drop In’ (Sweden)
She Loves You / Twist and Shout / I Saw Her Standing There / Long Tall Sally
Although there are other performances such as The Ed Sullivan Shows and Shea Stadium that are far more famous, no other performance shows just how great The Beatles could be when playing live. Taped on 30-10-63 at the end of a short Swedish tour, the band were originally scheduled to play just two songs, but were persuaded by the shows’ hosts to add two more. Both ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ and ‘Long Tall Sally’ from this show were in ‘Anthology’, while ‘She Loves You’ was included in ‘1+’. Although long part of the group’s repertoire, this was the first time ‘Long Tall Sally’ was performed on TV. It would later be the title track of a No. 1 UK EP.
10-11-63 – ‘The Royal Variety Performance’ (UK)
From Me To You / She Loves You / Till There Was You / Twist and Shout
Long regarded as the pinnacle of performers’ careers in the ‘60s, this was another very important TV appearance indeed for The Beatles. Taped on 04-11-63 in the presence of both The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, this fine live performance is infamous for John Lennon’s ‘rattle your jewellery’ remark. This was the first time ‘Till There Was You’ had been performed by the band on TV, but, as with ‘Long Tall Sally’ on ‘Drop In’, it had long been a part of their repertoire, with the band even including it on their Decca audition tape on 01-01-62. How long ago that date must’ve seemed on this night! All songs with the exception of ‘She Loves You’ were included on ‘Anthology’, while ‘From Me To You’ is also on ‘1+’.
20-11-63 – ‘Pathe News - The Beatles Come To Town’ (UK)
She Loves You / Twist and Shout
Filmed live on-stage at the ABC Cinema, Ardwick, Manchester, this superb footage captures Beatlemania at full pelt, though, unbelievably, things would become even more out of control later. The earliest professionally-filmed colour performance footage of The Beatles, it was shown in cinemas for a week from 22-12-63 onwards, and also re-used a year later in the Jimmy Savile-hosted movie ‘Pop Gear’, re-titled ‘Go Go Mania’ in the USA. ‘She Loves You’ and part of ‘Twist and Shout’ are included in ‘Anthology’, while both songs, in a slightly different edit, are on the bonus disc for ‘Eight Days a Week: The Touring Years’ DVD.
27-11-63 – ‘Late Scene Extra’ (UK)
I Want To Hold Your Hand
Taped on 25-11-63, and miming on a set featuring a mock up of ‘The Daily Echo’ with Ringo on top of a huge camera, The Beatles perform their latest single, ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’. It was repeated on 26-12-63, along with ‘This Boy’ – see the 20-12-63 entry. Another UK No. 1, it was this record that finally broke the band in the USA, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard charts on February 1st 1964. This performance is featured on both ‘Anthology’ and ‘1+’.
07-12-63 – ‘It’s The Beatles!’ (UK) – PARTIALLY MISSING/LOST
From Me To You / I Saw Her Standing There / Roll Over Beethoven / Boys / Till There Was You / She Loves You / This Boy / I Want To Hold Your Hand / Money (That’s What I Want) / Twist and Shout / From Me To You (Reprise)
Taped on the afternoon of 07-12-63 in The Empire Theatre, Liverpool, and broadcast later the same day, ‘It’s The Beatles!’ was the only time that a full-length UK Beatles concert was professionally filmed. Unfortunately, this was marred by some technical faults, with ‘Boys’ sounding particularly bad. Only ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’, ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’, ‘Twist and Shout’ and ‘From Me To You (Reprise)’ survive on video, though the complete show exists as an audio. Although out of the scope of this book, also worth mentioning is that a complete special edition of ‘Juke Box Jury’ was both taped and broadcast on this same date, featuring all 4 Beatles on the panel. This no longer survives on video, but, again, it still exists on audio.
20-12-63 – ‘Scene At 6.30’ (UK)
This Boy
Taped on 25-11-63, the same day as the 27-11-63 ‘Late Scene Extra’ performance of ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’, this features The Beatles miming to the single’s B-side on the same set. Both songs were repeated on a ‘Scene At 6:30’ special on 26-12-63. This performance is on ‘Anthology’.
21-12-63 – ‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’ (UK)
I Want To Hold Your Hand / All My Loving / Twist and Shout / She Loves You
For the 2nd time, following the 29-06-63 show, a full episode of ‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’ is devoted entirely to ‘Mersey Beat’ groups. Taped on 15-12-63, a
nd featuring an unprecedented 4 songs, also on the bill was Gerry and The Pacemakers, The Searchers, Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas, Cilla Black, Tommy Quickly and The Breakaways. Unusually for ‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’, the whole show still survives.
01-01-64 – ‘Top Of The Pops’ Video (UK) – MISSING/LOST
I Want To Hold Your Hand
On 01-01-64, a brand new pop show was broadcast in the UK by the BBC, and it was called ‘Top Of The Pops’. Very quickly surpassing ‘Ready, Steady, Go!’, ‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’ and every other music TV show in popularity, for this first edition the show included an unofficial video for ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’. Very cheaply produced, these videos often featured archive or specially-shot footage that didn’t feature The Beatles on film, and sometimes they’d use no more than photo montages of the group. Mostly lost, these videos are listed throughout this book for the sake of completion.
12-01-64 – ‘Sunday Night At The London Palladium’ (UK) – MISSING/LOST
I Want To Hold Your Hand / This Boy / All My Loving / Money (That’s What I Want) / Twist and Shout
The calm before the storm, if appearing on the UK’s most watched TV show with all the mayhem that accompanied it can be called calm. This would be the last time the Beatles appeared on the show, despite frequent requests for them to do more. Again no longer existing on video, the show does survive as an audio, albeit in rather ropey sound quality.
09-02-64 – ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ (USA)
All My Loving / Till There Was You / She Loves You / I Saw Her Standing There / I Want To Hold Your Hand
Although booked months in advance, no-one could have guessed or even dreamt that The Beatles would be topping the US charts by the time they appeared on this show. A sort of American version of ‘Sunday Night At The London Palladium’ though with far pizzazz and millions of more viewers, ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ was like-wise regarded as the pinnacle of success by state-side entertainers. The 1st of three weekly appearances on the show, this was the first time most US TV viewers had seen The Beatles in action, and the band literally changed US music, fashion and culture overnight. ‘All My Loving’ from this performance is on the ‘Anthology’ DVDs, while the whole show is on the 2010 ‘The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring The Beatles’ DVDs.
11-02-64 – The Coliseum, Washington D.C. (USA)
Roll Over Beethoven / From Me To You / I Saw Her Standing There / This Boy / All My Loving / I Wanna Be Your Man / Please Please Me / Till There Was You / She Loves You / I Want To Hold Your Hand / Twist and Shout / Long Tall Sally
An at times shambolic but undoubtedly joyful performance, this, the band’s debut US concert, features the band playing on a stage surrounded by an audience, which the stage-hands attempt to overcome by repositioning the microphones, amplifiers and drums after every few songs. 11 of the 12 songs were shown in selective US cinemas a month later, the exception being ‘Long Tall Sally’, which didn’t surface until the mid-‘90s. ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, ‘Please Please Me’ and ‘She Loves You’ are all on ‘Anthology’, while a colourised ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ is on ‘Eight Days a Week: The Touring Years’.
16-02-64 – ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ [Dress Rehearsal] (USA)
She Loves You / This Boy / All My Loving / I Saw Her Standing There / From Me To You / I Want To Hold Your Hand
Although it wasn’t unusual for The Beatles to do a full dress rehearsal for a TV show, what is unusual is for that footage to survive today, though the performance is plagued by technical problems.
16-02-64 – ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ (USA)
She Loves You / This Boy / All My Loving / I Saw Her Standing There / From Me To You / I Want To Hold Your Hand
‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ was usually broadcast live from New York, but this one, The Beatles’ 2nd appearance on the show, came from Miami. Although only sounding slightly better than the dress rehearsal, it was another exciting performance. ‘This Boy’ is on ‘Anthology’, and the whole broadcast is on ‘The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring The Beatles’ DVDs.
23-02-64 – ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ (USA)
Twist and Shout / Please Please Me / I Want To Hold Your Hand
Although this was The Beatles’ 3rd appearance on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’, it was pre-taped back on 09-02-64, the same day as their debut. Probably the most polished of their appearances on the show, ‘Please Please Me’ is on both ‘Anthology’ and ‘1+’, while the whole show is on ‘The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring The Beatles’ DVDs.
29-02-64 – ‘Big Night Out’ (UK) – PARTIALLY MISSING/LOST
All My Loving / I Wanna Be Your Man / Till There Was You / Please Mr. Postman / Money (That’s What I Want) / I Want To Hold Your Hand
Taped on 23-02-64, the day after returning from the USA, this mimed show is notable for including the only TV performance of ‘Please Mr. Postman’. When this show was sold overseas, ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ was omitted, and this song no longer survives, though fortunately the other 5 songs do still exist. ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’ and ‘Please Mr. Postman’ are both on ‘Anthology’.
20-03-64 – ‘Ready, Steady, Go!’ (UK)
It Won’t Be Long / You Can’t Do That / Can’t Buy Me Love
By now The Beatles were in the middle of shooting their first movie ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ and even filmed some scenes earlier this day, but, despite this, they still continued with other commitments. This mimed return to ‘Ready, Steady, Go!’ is notable for the inclusion of ‘It Won’t Be Long’, a song they never played on TV again and never performed live. As with their other two appearances on the show, this was available on a ‘80s VHS tape, albeit without ‘It Won’t Be Long’.
25-03-64 – ‘Top Of The Pops’ (UK) – PARTIALLY MISSING/LOST
Can’t Buy Me Love / You Can’t Do That
Taped on 19-03-64, this was The Beatles debut on this long-running TV show, though only the 16-06-66 show featured the band actually in the ‘Top Of The Pops’ studio, as all of the other appearances including this one were in the form of pre-recorded ‘inserts’. ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ has recently surfaced among collectors, albeit as a poor quality and badly-dubbed filmed-from-TV video.
01-04-64 – ‘Top Of The Pops’ (UK) –MISSING/LOST
You Can’t Do That
This is a repeat of the 25-03-64 performance.
08-04-64 – ‘Top Of The Pops’ (UK) –MISSING/LOST
Can’t Buy Me Love
This is a repeat of the 25-03-64 performance.
15-04-64 – ‘Top Of The Pops’ Video (UK) – MISSING/LOST
Can’t Buy Me Love
Instead of repeating the 25-03-64 performance again, the 15-04-64 edition of ‘Top Of The Pops’ used a video.
18-04-64 – ‘Two Of A Kind’ (UK)
This Boy / All My Loving / I Want To Hold Your Hand / On Moonlight Bay [with Morecambe and Wise]
‘Two Of A Kind’ is a TV show starring comedy duo Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise that ran throughout most of the ‘60s, and is often erroneously called ‘The Morecambe and Wise Show’, a title that wasn’t actually used until 1968. Although the show often featured top pop acts of the day, it was usually taped months in advance, in this case as far back as 02-12-63. The result was that acts ending up ‘plugging’ an old record, as The Beatles did here, but they do put in a fine live performance. ‘On Moonlight Bay’ is an old standard first published over 50 years earlier, here performed, complete with straw boaters and striped jackets, as an amusing duet with the show’s hosts. The entire performance was repeated on 24-07-65, with ‘On Moonlight Bay’ on the ‘Anthology’ DVDs, and ‘This Boy’, ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ and ‘On Moonlight Bay’ on the ‘Anthology’ CDs.
26-04-64 – ‘The N.M.E. Poll Winners Concert’, Wembley Empire Pool, London (UK)
She Loves You / You Can’t Do That / Twist and Shout / Long Tall Sally / Can’t Buy Me Love
Although The Beatles performed at this annu
al concert in 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1966, the 1963 show wasn’t televised, and both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones disallowed their 1966 performances to be filmed. In a show noted for its poor sound balance, The Beatles put on an exuberant but slightly sloppy performance. The Beatles’ performance was broadcast in ‘Big Beat ’64 Part 2’ on 10-05-64, part of ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ can be seen in ‘Anthology’, and a colourised ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ is on ‘Eight Days a Week: The Touring Years’.
06-05-64 – ‘Around The Beatles’ (UK)
Twist and Shout / Roll Over Beethoven / I Wanna Be Your Man / Long Tall Sally / My Boy Lollipop [Performed by Millie Small] / Medley: Night Train – Lover Please – I’m Movin’ On – Forty Days – Money (That’s What I Want) – Hit The Road Jack [Performed by Long John Baldry and Jean Owen of The Vernons Girls] / Brontosaurus Stomp [Performed by Sounds Incorporated] / Walking The Dog [Performed by P.J. Proby] / Tom Hark [Performed by Millie Small] / Detroit [Performed by Sounds Incorporated] / Only You Can Do It [Performed by The Vernons Girls] / Got My Mojo Working [Performed by Long John Baldry] / Saved [Performed by Cilla Black] / Medley: Cumberland Gap – The Rock Island Line [Performed by P.J. Proby with The Vernons Girls] / I Believe [Performed by P.J. Proby] / You’re My World [Performed by Cilla Black] / Heat Wave [Performed by Cilla Black] / Medley: Love Me Do – Please Please Me – From Me To You – She Loves You – I Want To Hold Your Hand / Can’t Buy Me Love / Shout
Miming to specially made studio recordings, taped at London’s IBC Studios on 19-04-64, here The Beatles host their first TV special. Taped on 28-04-64, this show is noteworthy for the unique medley of their first 5 UK hits, and the only ever performance of ‘Shout’, a song that features all 4 of The Beatles taking turns to sing lead vocals, as well as a Shakespearean spoof comedy sketch. Soon after this, Jean Owen would pursue a solo career under the name Samantha Jones, while both P.J. Proby and Cilla Black would benefit from donated Lennon-McCartney songs. The entire Beatles performance (minus the sketch and guests) was issued on a ‘80s VHS tape (misleadingly titled ‘Ready, Steady, Go! – Special Edition’), ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ is on the ‘Anthology’ DVDs, ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ is on ‘1+’, and ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, ‘Shout’ plus the unused outtakes ‘Long Tall Sally’ and ‘Boys’ are all available without audience noise and in glorious stereo on the ‘Anthology’ CDs.