On Air - Live At The BBC Volume 2 [3 LP]

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the release of The Beatles' first album "Please Please Me." The four lads from Liverpool were the biggest thing in popular music during the 1960s, and many folks still think they're the biggest thing in pop. Nearly everything they played, sang, said, and did was recorded, so there's a deep back catalog of words and music, a remarkable quantity of it still unissued by the copyright holders. Bootlegs exist, of course, but their quality and provenance are highly variable, and their cost can be exorbitant. "The Complete BBC Sessions," for example, a rare nine-CD box set produced in Italy in 1993, contains portions of 44 BBC appearances, but it will set you back hundreds of dollars - if you can find it.John, Paul, George, and Ringo appeared no less than 52 times at the Beeb between 1962 and 1966, performing for "The Light Programme" at the beginning of their careers both in studio and before audiences on a variety of live shows. However, it's been nearly 20 years since the first volume of selected recordings from that era was officially released in 1994. "On Air - Live at the BBC Volume 2" at last brings us more of these broadcasts, two CDs full of great music, youthful exuberance, wit and humor. As on the first set, a 48-page booklet is enclosed, this one with an introduction by Paul McCartney. There's also a long essay, numerous photos, session details, and track-by-track commentary.This package contains 40 musical performances, 37 of them never before issued by the BBC, EMI, Apple or Capitol (the first volume had 56 songs, 30 of them previously unreleased). Between the songs are 19 short clips of banter among the boys and their rather plummy radio hosts in which they tease one another, respond to fan requests, and discuss a variety of topics such as the making of the film "A Hard Day's Night" in 1964. These interpolations give you an experience very much like the one you would have had listening to the programs on the radio. You are a witness to the birth of British Beatlemania.Seventeen of the tracks are Lennon-McCartney classics like "She Loves You," "And I Love Her," "I Want to Hold Your Hand," "I Saw Her Standing There," "You Can't Do That," and "I'll Follow the Sun"; the remainder are covers of songs by the likes of Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Arthur Alexander, Goffin & King, and Lieber & Stoller. So many of my favorites are here: "Chains," "Words of Love," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Twist & Shout", and "Long Tall Sally," together with delightful surprises like Chan Romero's "The Hippy Hippy Shake," Ray Charles' "I Got A Woman," Carl Perkins' rockabilly number "Lend Me Your Comb," and his country ballad "Sure to Fall (in Love with You)." There's even a tune that appears nowhere else in the Beatles discography, Stephen Foster's "Beautiful Dreamer" in the form of an utterly transformed rave-up.Extended interviews with each of the four lads are appended as "Pop Profiles," two at the end of each disc, totaling 35 minutes of relaxed, down-to-earth charm. Recorded in November 1965 just before the release of "Rubber Soul" and in May 1966 during the "Revolver" sessions, these conversations saw the Beatles talking candidly about their musical influences and the processes of composing and recording as well as their families and living situations. They discuss the activities they were enjoying, how the public seemed to perceive them, their childhood memories, and their hopes for the future.The monophonic sound is pristine throughout save for a couple of slightly muffled tracks included for historical reasons ("Beautiful Dreamer" and the Chuck Berry rarity "I'm Talking About You"). The playing and singing, needless to say, are top-notch. You won't be able to resist Ringo's full-throttle vocals and George's guitar solos on "Boys" and "Honey Don't," and you'll thrill to John's raucous voice on "Money (That's What I Want)" and Paul's iconic leads on "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Lucille." You might even find yourself screaming along with the girls in the audience when you hear the boys' harmonies on "From Me to You."In his introduction, Sir Paul expresses great pleasure at this collection: "There's a lot of energy and spirit. We are going for it, not holding back at all, trying to put in the best performance of our lifetimes." He explains that their fascination with American music and their first attempts at songwriting were inspired by listening to the BBC and Radio Luxembourg, browsing manager Brian Epstein's record shop, and hearing about new sounds from peers. Since there's so much talk on the set, it may not be quite as wonderful as Volume One, but no one can say that all of the world-changing music and joyful nostalgia aren't worth 20 bucks. Buy it!

You get to hear even Ringo speak!

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After 20 years since the first release of Live At The BBC and a half century since hitting America, the Fab Four re-conquer with yet another 2 CD volume of BBC performances. It is worth noting, however, that some tracks featured here have previously appeared on either the Baby It's You EP or Beatles Anthology 1(both from 1995)- "Boys" and "I'll Follow The Sun" from the former while "Lend Me Your Comb" was from the latter. As for "Devil In Her Heart" is one of two versions recorded for the BBC[The first version was released on the BIY EP]. The version of Buddy Holly's "Words Of Love" included here was recorded a year before the studio version on Beatles For Sale. It is also worth noting that 13 titles from the first BBC volume are repeated here but from different broadcasts-"Lucille"; "Till There Was You"; "The Hippy Hippy Shake"; "Roll Over Beethoven"; "Sure To Fall(In Love With You)"; "I Saw Her Standing There"; "Glad All Over"; "Memphis Tennessee" ; "I Got A Woman"; "Long Tall Sally"; "Kansas City/Hey!-Hey!-Hey!-Hey!"; "Honey Don't"(with Ringo Starr on vocal this time rather than John Lennon) and "I Feel Fine"(studio outtake sequence). It's interesting to hear "From Me To You" in its' full form as opposed to the brief version which kicked off the first volume preceded by the group's greetings(as "From Us To You"). This time we get two "new" covers-Chuck Berry's "I'm Talking About You"[Which the Rolling Stones recorded for their first EP in early 1964] and the 19th century written "Beautiful Dreamer" with new lyrics by songwriters Gerry Goffin and Jack Keller[which was recorded by Tony Orlando then released in the UK in 1962]. Next, we have first time BBC heard performances of "Do You Want to Know A Secret"[a UK #1 for Billy J. Kramer And The Dakotas]; "Anna(Go To Him)"; "Please Please Me"; "Misery"; "Chains"; "Ask Me Why"; "There's A Place"; "P.S. I Love You"; "Please Mister Postman"; "I'll Get You"; "She Loves You"; "Money(That's What I Want)"; "I Want To Hold Your Hand"; "This Boy"[My personal favorite not to mention its' introduction-"Brian Bathtubes", which John teased BBC presenter Brian Matthew obviously]; "If I Fell": "And I Love Her"[with George Harrison playing his nylon-string parts on his electric Gretsch guitar] and "You Can't Do That"{Nothing like that jangling 12-string Rickenbacker]. Like the first volume we get occasional speeches between every other couple of songs. Finally, we get something special the previous volume didn't offer-Bonus interviews with each Beatle. Disc one ends with a "Pop Profile" each of John Lennon and George Harrison by Brian Matthew before the release of Rubber Soul in November 1965. Disc two ends with a "Pop Profile" each of Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr by Brian Matthew 5 months later before the release of Revolver. It was by this time, however, the Beatles had stopped performing for the BBC and would soon abandon live performing altogether after their Candlestick Park show in August of 1966.The BBC performances in its' second volume are as equally enjoyable as its' first installment offering our favorite classics, some never heard before and tossing in the odd cover from time to time. A definite Fab treasure. Totally Gear!

Un nuevo disco con secciones de la bbc y grandes canciones inéditas.

Gostei, tudo dentro do prometido

See my earlier review of Vol. 1 of this set of 1963-65 BBC tapes.

Muy buen disco, escucharlos en vivo con canciones que no grabaron es sus álbums es genial, cinco entrellas.

Muy al natural, como si los pudiera escuchar aquí. Un verdadero documento sonoro histórico