The Beatles began their 1966 tour dates in Munich, Germany on June 24, 1966, just three days after finishing up with recording their Revolver album in London. The Beatles played both an afternoon and evening performance on this date, taking the stage at the Circus-Krone-Marsstrasse right after opening acts Cliff Bennett and The Rebel Rousers, The Rattles and Peter & Gordon. Portions of the evening show were broadcast for West German television and included opening act material as well as just over half of The Beatles set. On the original German broadcast tape the first few seconds of “She’s A Woman” were spliced awkwardly onto the intro to “Baby’s In Black” and therefore appears that way here. The Beatles Anthology documentary includes a great performance of “Nowhere Man” from this same show.

Click the image above to play the video.

Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post:

1) Beatles For Sale (Remastered) – 2009 remaster of original 1964 LP, including studio version of “Baby’s In Black.”

2) The Beatles Anthology 2003 5-DVD set of original 1995 8-VHS collection of exclusive documentary footage about The Beatles, includes “Nowhere Man” from the 1966 Circus-Krone show in Munich.

3) More Amazon links for any of your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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Most Beatles fans are well aware of the John Lennon demos Yoko Ono gave to Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in 1994, and the magic that was breathed into them for use on the Beatles Anthology project. Although even casual fans have seen both of the resulting video clips more than once, it has been awhile since I have seen them and thought a revisit of one of them wouldn’t be out of line.

“Real Love” began as a piano demo recorded around 1979 by John with an audio cassette recorder that he sat on top of his piano. The tape Yoko Ono gave to the surviving Beatles also included “Free As A Bird”, “Grow Old With Me” and “Now And Then”, but only “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love” were used for the Anthology project.

Original Beatles producer George Martin was initially offered the opportunity to produce, but declined due to his hearing limitations and Jeff Lynne, who had worked with George Harrison and the Traveling Wilburys, was given the job to co-produce with The Beatles instead.

Since John’s piano and vocal were on a single track, his voice could not be separated from the piano and so it was used on the final production. On the original demo recording, John had added a simple drum-machine beat and a second vocal track.

In February 1995, the additional work began on the demo by first carefully removing the hum, hiss and clicks from the cassette recording and transferring the mono source to two 24-track analogue tapes. George and Paul then added acoustic guitars, George the lead guitar and Ringo the drum track. Paul added two bass tracks, first playing an electric bass guitar and then adding the stand-up bass he had recently acquired, that had been used by Bill Black on Elvis Presley’s recording of “Heartbreak Hotel”. George, Paul and Ringo all added some additional percussion sounds while Paul and George sang backing and harmony vocals. Paul then recorded a vocal track as an addition to John’s lead, not to duet with him, but to strengthen the occasionally thin sound that was a consequence of the cassette recording.

The video features shots of the surviving Beatles recording the song in Sussex, mixed in with various footage taken throughout The Beatles’ career. There are actually two variations of the video but both use the same approach. The video was used in the second installment of the Beatles Anthology television mini-series and also in the Beatles Anthology VHS/DVD sets.

“Real Love” opens the Beatles Anthology 2 CD set and was also released on a CD single in 1996. One of the six original demo takes recorded by John was used in the 1988 film Imagine: John Lennon and is included on it’s soundtrack CD.

While the composition credit for “Free As A Bird” was modified to Lennon/McCartney/Harrison/Starr due to additional lyrical development and chord structure additions, “Real Love” remained solely a Lennon composition.

Click the image above to play the video.

Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post:

1) Beatles Anthology 2 CD set 2-CD set covering Beatles years 1965-1968 and opening with The Beatles version of “Real Love”.

2) The Beatles Anthology (DVD set) 2003 5-DVD set giving expanded version of original 1995 television mini-series, including videos for both “Real Love” and “Free As A Bird”.

3) Imagine: John Lennon Soundtrack CD soundtrack of 1988 film Imagine: John Lennon, featuring acoustic demo version of “Real Love”.

4) More Amazon links for any of your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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On August 1, 1965, after over a year of no live performances on U.K. television, The Beatles took the stage at the ABC Theatre to perform six numbers on the program Blackpool Night Out. Along with both sides of their new single (“Help!” and “I’m Down”), they performed the A-sides of the previous two singles (“Ticket To Ride” and “I Feel Fine”) and two songs from their latest LP, Help! The first of these was Ringo Starr’s vocal performance of the Buck Owen’s song “Act Naturally”. The second, featured here for the VOW, is Paul McCartney’s solo performance of “Yesterday.”

The audience during “Yesterday” is quite interesting, as they are likely used to screaming, but aren’t sure how to react to such a gentle song. As the stage lights darken, John Lennon and George Harrison make their exit, and Ringo remains sitting quietly at his drums. Paul plays his acoustic guitar upside down, and is accompanied only by the house band’s string quartet. The audience remains unusually quiet until Paul’s final note. At that point, as the screaming applause fills the room, the lights come up, and John Lennon runs on stage to present Paul with a bouquet of flowers, saying “Thank you, Ringo. That was wonderful.”

This performance of “Yesterday” (along with”I Feel Fine”, “Ticket To Ride” and “Help!” from the same show) appears on the Beatles Anthology 2 CD set. All six Blackpool performances except “I Feel Fine” appear, at least partially, on episode 4 of the Beatles Anthology home video documentary. This show would be The Beatles’ last non-mimed U.K. television performance until “All You Need Is Love” in 1967.

Click the image above to play the video.

Beatles music makes great gifts over the holidays. Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post, for your favorite Beatlemaniac:

1) Anthology 2 1996 2-CD set featuring out-takes, live performances and other historic Beatles recordings between 1965-1968. Includes the version of “Yesterday” heard in this post.

2) The Beatles Anthology – 2003 reissue of 5 DVD set with over 10 hours of Beatles commentary and historic performances, including the performance of “Yesterday” seen in this post.

3) Help! (Remastered) 2009 stereo CD remaster of original 1965 album, featuring original stereo master of “Yesterday”.

4) More Amazon links for any of your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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Welcome to the Beatles Rarity Of The Week. Back in September, The Beatles 1 CD, originally released in 2000, was reissued using the recently completed 2009 remastered versions of each track. With 27 number one singles all on the same disc, it is quite an impressive collection. There are articles on various websites (including Wikipedia) that explain that all of the Beatles singles that reached the coveted top spot on the charts, in the U.S. or the U.K., are on the disc. But now, looking over the track listing, I notice that “Please Please Me” is not there.

There are countless Beatles books and video documentaries that explain the story of how “Love Me Do” was the first single and it made it into the top 20, but then, as predicted by producer George Martin, the follow-up break-through song, “Please Please Me,” was a number one hit in the U.K., and just like that, “Beatlemania” was born. John Lennon even references “Please Please Me” reaching number one in the first Beatles Christmas record that came out at the end of 1963. Other references, such as The Beatles Anthology film and book (pg. 92 in the hardback version), all refer to “Please Please Me” as a number one record.

I want to set the record straight. Here are the facts: In the U.K., “Please Please Me” reached number one on the Melody Maker singles chart on March 2, 1963, after spending the previous two weeks at number two. It remained at number one for two weeks, before dropping back to number two on March 16. The song also topped the charts on the Disc singles chart, as well as on the NME (New Musical Express) singles chart, where it was number one for two weeks beginning February 22, 1963. The Record Mirror also reported “Please Please Me” at number one. All four of these publications were reputable sources reflecting singles sales and radio airplay in the U.K., and all four of them reported “Please Please Me” as topping the charts.

A trade newspaper known as Record Retailer maintained a singles chart in the U.K. as well, and reported “Please Please Me” as peaking at number two on March 2, 1963, unable to get past Frank Ifield’s “Wayward Wind.” So in four out of five publications of equal notoriety in the U.K., “Please Please Me” was a number one single. Of these, Melody Maker may have been considered more of a standard by comparison, due to the fact that it had been around the longest (since 1926).

Things changed over the years, however, and by the 1990′s the Official Chart Company and British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) established the guideline that named the chart from Record Retailer as the official standard for dates prior to February 15, 1969. From that point forward, the BMRB would compile the chart. This decision was questioned by many in the U.K. but is still in use today.

I should also mention that “Please Please Me” failed to reach number one in the U.S. at all, but only because it was blocked out of the top spot by two other Beatles singles: “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You.” The source for the U.S. is Billboard magazine.

So regardless of what is considered the standard “these days,” “Please Please Me” was number one in 4 out of 5 of the U.K.’s singles charts back in “those days,” and it is also a number one in my book. I think the two minute song would’ve fit just fine on Beatles 1, right in between “Love Me Do” and “From Me To You” making the disc 81 minutes long instead of 79 (Sony DADC now accepts masters of CD’s for up to 82 minutes).

And now, to drive the point home even further… Here are The Beatles being congratulated by radio host Ray Peters for topping the charts with their NUMBER ONE HIT “Please Please Me.” This live performance was recorded at the Playhouse Theatre in Manchester, U.K. on March 6, 1963, and broadcast on the BBC program Here We Go six days later. This broadcast version has never seen an official release, but you can still listen to it right here.

"Please Please Me" is # 1!

Extra info: I thought “Please Please Me” a fitting choice for BROW for a couple additional reasons:

1) The Beatles 1 CD was not the only Apple release to omit the song from its tracklisting. The 1994 Apple 2-CD compilation Live At The BBC features no recordings of this first number one either, even though there are seven BBC recordings of it in existence to choose from.

2) After over 4 years of BROWs, I have never featured a version of “Please Please Me.” I am pleased to do that now.

I hope you’re pleased too.

Beatles music makes great gifts over the holidays. Here are some Amazon links to read more on, or purchase, some music related to this post, for your favorite Beatlemaniac:

1) 1 – compilation of 27 number one Beatles hits, but MISSING “Please Please Me”.

2) Please Please Me (Remastered) 2009 remaster of original 1963 album including “Please Please Me” (stereo mix).

3) 1962-1966 (The Red Album) – 2-CD collection of 2009 remastered version of Beatles hits from 1962-1966, including “Please Please Me” (mono mix).

4) The Love We Make 2011 Blu-ray or DVD that chronicles Paul McCartney’s cathartic journey through New York City in the aftermath of 9/11.

5) Additional Amazon links for your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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On June 14, 2011, iTunes will exclusively issue all three volumes of The Beatles’ Anthology as remastered downloads.

As you are likely aware, these were originally released as 3 two-CD sets that served as collections of alternate takes and unissued material in 1995-96, in conjunction with the Anthology television series and book. The set will be issued as three iTunes albums ($29.99 each) or as a comprehensive 155-track digital set ($79.99). Individual tracks will be sold at Apple‘s premium price of $1.29 each.

The release will mark the digital debuts of the singles Free as a Bird and Real Love, completed by Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Star from demos recorded at home by John Lennon around 1977. These were originally issued on the first two Anthology sets.

It’s interesting to note that The Beatles have sold more than 8 million songs and 1.3 million albums on iTunes since the group’s exclusive online pact with Apple began this past November.

Pre-orders for the releases began yesterday (May 31, 2011).

The Beatles Anthology 2 CD, released March 18, 1996

Amazon links for your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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The Beatles closed their show at the Circus-Krone in Munich with a shorter rendition of I’m Down where the verses were rearranged and John’s keyboard antics in the ending removed. This show took place on the 24th of June, 1966. There was a 5pm show and a 9pm show and this was filmed at the later. Although all the sessions for Revolver had been completed just a few days before this show, the album was not to be released for another 6 weeks and the band did not preview any songs from it at this show. A snippet of Nowhere Man from this same concert and from their previous album Rubber Soul, is shown in the Beatles Anthology documentary.

Click the image above to play the video.

Beatles music makes fab Christmas gifts. Some Amazon links are listed below to read about or purchase a wide variety of Beatles music:

1) The Beatles Anthology – DVD set

2) More of your favorite Beatles-related music: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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Welcome to the Beatles Rarity of the Week. TheBeatlesRarity.com continues it’s focus on John Lennon this month with a live performance for the British television program Blackpool Night Out (aka Big Night Out). Unlike The Beatles’ other three performances on the show, only audio without video survives of this July 19, 1964 broadcast. The Beatles open the performance with A Hard Day’s Night, to promote their new single and movie of the same name. John energetically handles the lead vocal with Paul McCartney following up on the choruses. After this tune, they continued with Things We Said Today, You Can’t Do That, If I Fell (again as with another recent post here with a fit of giggles, causing them to have to start over), and finally Long Tall Sally. I’m not sure why, but the guitars were tuned down half a step for the entire performance. The Beatles gave a good show and the sound was balanced well, unlike a few previous live television performances in the U.K. Maybe that is why Blackpool Night Out would be the only live British television performance the band would do in 1965. Surprisingly, none of the material from this broadcast was used on The Beatles Anthology releases or any other official Beatles releases.

The Beatles on Blackpool Night Out, July 19, 1964

Want to make a suggestion for a future Beatles Rarity of the Week? If so, I will do my best to deliver, so let me hear from you. To browse for ideas, check out this search-able listing of thousands of Beatle-related recordings to choose from. Then let me hear from you here.

To read more about the new John Lennon releases and/or order your own copies from Amazon, click any of the links below:

1) Signature Box

2) Gimme Some Truth

3) Double Fantasy Stripped Down

4) Power To The People: The Hits (CD & DVD)

5) Power To The People: The Hits (CD only)

And new from Apple…The Red and The Blue albums remastered!

1) The Beatles 1962-1966 (Red) Remastered

2) The Beatles 1967-1970 (Blue) Remastered

3) And Amazon links for everything else: The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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After mentioning In My Life in the last BROW segment, it brought back memories of this video account of John Lennon’s beautiful song from the Rubber Soul LP, as it was prepared for the Anthology documentary. The video served as an apt promo for a great film series.

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Welcome to the BROW. It’s pretty common knowledge that by the late summer of 1966, touring had become such a strain on The Beatles and they simply were not interested in doing it anymore – at least not in the near future. For examples of why, check out here, or here. Their careers had been non-stop up to this point, and they all needed a break for a few months. In November, John Lennon occupied himself with the filming of How I Won The War, in Almeria Spain and Paul McCartney went on a Kenyan safari.

It was during Paul’s flight back from Africa to London, when he formed the idea of “the act you’ve known for all these years”. Soon afterward, the idea came together of how this famous sergeant’s band would actually become an alter-ego of The Beatles themselves. The Anthology documentary reveals how long-time Beatles assistant Neil Aspinal came up with the idea of this Sgt. Pepper figure coming on at the beginning of the album and introducing the band and then toward the end of the album have him return to announce their final number and say goodbye. This is just as The Beatles themselves had done in their previous stage acts where Paul would tell the audience they had one more song, thank them for coming, do the final number and split. In the case of the album, the title song could open the album and introduce the band and the farewell before the last song is, of course, the purpose of the Sgt. Pepper reprise before the A Day In The Life finale. The idea here was to send the album on tour instead of the band itself. Of course, the applause and audience sound effects used were also there to add to the fantasy of this live show. The Beatles further reasoned that since Elvis Presley had just sent his gold-plated Cadillac on tour, instead of himself, for people to actually pay to see, then certainly they could send Sgt. Pepper and his band on tour, on their behalf.

On February 1, 1967 The Beatles recorded the initial takes of the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band opening. It took 9 takes to perfect a backing track and the following day Paul added some bass overdubs and lead vocals while John and George added their harmonies. A mono mix of this finalized take 9 was cut onto an acetate for producer George Martin to use in scoring the section for the French horns. A slightly degraded copy of this acetate is what is featured for this week’s BROW. The audience/atmosphere sound effects and other overdubs are yet to be added, and the connected entrance of Ringo Starr’s character Billy Shears doing With A Little Help From My Friends was still being thought out. The ending here has the band vamping on a C major chord long enough for the recording to be faded. With the addition of these further improvements, the final mix took it’s place in the sequence of their other groundbreaking music that would soon be introduced.

It’s interesting to note that just before the release of the Sgt. Pepper album, the media was hinting at how The Beatles had “dried up”. There were articles pointing out that they had not only stopped touring, but their last single was held out of the #1 spot in the UK by Engelbert Humperdinck’s Release Me, and it had been nearly a year since they had put out an album. Almost a whole year…imagine that! History was then made in the first few days of June 1967, when Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band magically put the world in a state of amazement, by coming to your town and all the others, and from there, completely redefining where rock music stood, and where it could go, and in the process, creating a whole new level on which to enjoy it in a fresh new way. And the world followed…..

Happy 43rd, SPLHCB!!!

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (alternate cover shot), 1967

Want to make a suggestion for a future Beatles Rarity of the Week? If so, I will do my best to deliver, so let me hear from you. To browse for ideas, check out this search-able listing of Beatle-related recordings to choose from. Then let me hear from you here.

Visit www.thebeatlesrarity.com for a new Beatles rarity each week, plus lots more!

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On February 11, 1964, while between their first and second appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, The Beatles performed a 12-song show at the Washington Coliseum in DC. CBS videotaped the show and had kinescope transfers made, editing the show together with performances by Lesley Gore and The Beach Boys, for screening in U.S. cinemas over the weekend of March 14-15 1964. Apparently, the only surviving copy of the kinescope footage cuts off abruptly during the 11th song, Twist And Shout. Only as recently as 1995 has the original 2-inch videotape been unearthed, allowing a first look at the final song, Long Tall Sally. Bits and pieces of this were shown on the Beatles Anthology film but hopefully Apple will release the entire video source one day.

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