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As ever, we've had to make few qualifications about what we mean by 'existing clips', otherwise this would be a full book in itself. A Beatles TV appearance has to include all four members (so there's no Lennon on 'Not Only But Also' or Ringo on the 'Cilla' show - though the first of these will no doubt make our future 'Lennon' volume). It has to have been made with a broadcast on television in mind (so there's no press interviews, no home movies - though there are loads of them on Youtube if you wish to have a look - and no sign of John Lennon and Bob Dylan being sick in the back of a taxi-cab in 1966, unaware that a passenger is filming their rather queasy looking night out -although we have made honourable exception for the last ever footage taken of the band, which they must surely have known was going to be used in something at some point). We're once again accepting music videos, although there aren't actually that many of them: despite pretty much inventing the idea in 1965 (when there were simply too many demands on The Beatles' time) the mop tops used the method sparingly. As with the last two times we've done this, I'd rather not give you the Yotube links (they'll only get deleted or get me into trouble) but I do have an ever growing Beatles playlist at the Youtube username Alansarchives, so come and give me a follow! Right, with that lot over with, here we go back in 1962...
1) People and Places (TV Appearance 1962)
Granada had no idea they were filming history when they popped into the Cavern Club in August 1962 to catch the sort of things local teenagers were 'into'. They didn't know then that they were filming history, the first moving footage of the band that were about to change their world, as well as the only film of The Beatles at home in their natural habitat or what was either their second or third ever gig with Ringo, who'd joined the band just the week before (George is still sporting the black eye where a Pete Best fan slapped him a few days earlier!) Taped during a quite lunch-time break when fewer fans were around (or troublemakers - you can still someone yell 'where's Pete'?!), it shows a quietly confident band playing one of the two songs they were already renowned for around Liverpool (along with 'Twist and Shout') - a Richie Barrett composition that was one of Lennon's favourites (and was re-recorded to less effect than this by the band for a radio show in 1964). A great confident performance with all the Beatles' heads bopping up and down in rhythm, you wonder why the producer didn't simply scrap the intended programme and show half an hour of this footage. Instead reportedly only a few seconds of it were ever shown, though thank goodness the rest of the footage was kept safe. Anthology episode one screened most of the two minute performance (and boy was that a relief after 45 minutes of talking heads and still pictures), but a slightly longer edit with a concerned Lennon asking if they want to shoot it again is doing the rounds on Youtube
2) The Beatles Come To Town! (News Reel 1963)
The earliest colour footage, meanwhile, comes courtesy of a Pathe Newsreel from shortly after the release of 'She Loves You', which seems amazingly quick for a newsreel to understand just what a big phenomenon this was (to put that in context it's like Pathe filming The Spice Girls a year in and looking pretty silly when the fad finished a month before!) While The Beatles, nominally playing a gig in Manchester although the filming seems to be rather random, don't speak they are their normal charming selves: 'a natural four bubbling over with fun' as they goof around with a giant panda and wave to fans. There is a nice two-song performance of 'She Loves You' and 'Twist and Shout', though, a full year before you can see either of them in colour on the Ed Sullivan show. The film is shown with the 'permission of their generous manager Brian Epstein' by the way - good on you Brian! Oddly none of this footage was ever used in Anthology.
3) On Tour In Dublin (News Reel 1963)
The Beatles only ever played once in Ireland, so for any Irish fans this is a big moment! A clearly jet-lagged Beatles are waylaid outside an airport as they try to get into a car but still manage a bit of banter with a typically hapless local TV presenter (there'll be a lot of these as the list goes on!) For some reason he thinks that George is Irish, which is a source of great hilarity to the others (it turns out his mum has a distant Irish cousin), while an only slightly more serious interview inside later features the band talking about their haircut, the Liverpool sound and how well they get on (a line that ends in a terrific mock-fight!) Lennon is unusually quiet, by the way, with Paul and George doing most of the talking. The best quote is from Paul: 'Well, if we stayed that surprised at everything that happened to us we'd be off our heads all the time, wouldn't we?!' Sadly this clip has never been officially released either and for now remains available solely on Youtube.
4) Late Scene Extra (TV Appearance 1963)
Well, it was inevitable really wasn't it? In 1963 the most famous Liverpudlian outside of The Beatles was Ken Dodd so some bright spark at ITV decided to put them together. The result is rather edgy, with Dodd away in his own world and the Beatles (Lennon especially) keen to bring the programme back to them. The band are oddly serious at times, Lennon recounting how they want to build a 'house on wheels' to take around with them because touring is beginning to get them down. However, while neither sides' humour is a natural fit together, separately there are some fine lines in this often hilarious interview. The famous line is when Ken pretends to become a rock star like The Beatles and asks them for an earthy name ('How about Sod?!' John mischievously replies), as seen in Anthology episode two. However the full clip lasts some ten minutes, includes many more jokes about each other's 'hurr', a Dodd script where John is a 'peasant' George is 'evil' Paul is a 'jester' and Ringo is a Martian. Unlike half of the world by late 1963, Dodd clearly doesn't know The Beatles that well and gets John and George confused (referring to both of them throughout as 'thingy'). Look out for Ringo taking offence when Ken Dodd asks to join their band and rename it 'Ringo and the Layabouts' (personally I prefer the other suggestion Kenny and the cockroaches!)
5) Ready Steady Go! (TV Appearance 4/10/1963)
The Beatles may be miming and they might have recorded better interviews over the years, but the band's ten minute appearance on ITV's rival to 'Top Of The Pops' is one of my favourite moments on this list. Firstly, the band seem really pleased to be home again after a long time away touring and act as if they're among 'friends', laughing at the antics of Dusty Springfield struggling with a one-off presenter role and regular Keith Fordyce's weird patter. All four Beatles talk in turn and 'Gorgeous George' is in particularly great form ('How did you feel when the door of your airplane suddenly opened?' 'Cold!' 'Is your hair real or is it a wig?' 'It's a real wig!') Next is Ringo's turn ('I wear these rings on my fingers because I can't get them through my nose'), with the fascinating knowledge of the Beatles' shoe sizes: Ringo's a 7, Paul's 8 and 1/2 George 7and 1/2 and John 42 if you're wondering (although I sense the drummer's having us on with that last one!) Paul, meanwhile, talks about sleeping with his eyes open and wishing the crowds wouldn't scream quite so much during their gigs, whilst John gives his silliest reason yet for coming up with the band name ('I just thought of it!') and denies that he's got false teeth (in return he asks to look at Dusty's scabs!) In between The Beatles' old friend and headliner Helen Shapiro then tries to mime to a her new single 'Well, Look Who It Is' while the band tries to make her laugh (except for Ringo, who gets in a sneaky kiss!) Most poignantly though is shots of Paul judging a miming contest of four teeny-boppers dancing to Brenda Lee's 'Jump The Broomstick'. Little does Paul know it but the girl at the end who wins - Melanie Coe - will in two years' time become the runaway whose story in the papers inspires Paul to write the song 'She's Leaving Home', a fact that was only discovered in the 1990s during the researching of Steve Turner's book 'A Hard Day's Write'. Along the way we get mimed performances of 'Twist and Shout' 'I'll Get You' and 'She Loves You, although for once it's the in-between songs bits that are best. Like all the Ready Steady Go footage, this episode was bought up by Dave Clark (of the Dave Clark Five) and rarely gets shown: it's only been out on video once in the late 1980s and wasn't used in Anthology (which was a real shame).
6) Drop In! (Swedish TV Concert 3/11/1963)
Proof that The Beatles really were an international phenomenon, even before America got hold of them, comes when a Swedish interviewer, translating for a local crowd, struggles to get his tonsils around unfamiliar words and phrases like 'Liverpool, England' and 'Ringo Starr'. Playing live without screams for the first time in a while, The Beatles sound a bit rough with some real imbalances in the sound (John is too loud, Paul is too quiet, which rather ruins the harmonies). Still this is one of the earliest live performances of the band we have and it's a good one, too, with the band having fun on the in-between song announcements (in retrospect a clear rehearsal for the forthcoming Royal Variety gig) and gamely part in 'clapping' along to the Swedish show's rather odd theme-tune over the closing credits. The Beatles perform 'She Loves You' 'Twist and Shout' 'I Saw Her Standing There' and 'Long Tall Sally', with extracts from the second and fourth of these included in 'Anthology' episode two.
7) Royal Variety Show (TV Appearance 4/11/1963)
This was the big one. Even Her Majesty turned up, although given the grumpy look on her face she should have given her ticket up to her hipper sister Princess Margaret! At the time there was outrage that a clear flash-in-the-pan should be chosen for such a prestigious event - but the last laugh is one the Beatles, as theirs is the single most talked about performance in 60-off years of the show. Several audio clips and a few TV ones were used in various 'Anthology' releases although for reference the full set list was 'From Me To You' 'Til' There Was You' and 'Twist and Shout'. The joke you might not get is the band's favourite 'American group' who recorded 'Til There Was You' being 'Sophie Tucker' - she was a rather large lady but certainly wasn't a band as Paul mischievously suggests! The show will forever go down in history, though, for one of the greatest jokes in the history of show business: 'Would those of you in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And would the rest of you just rattle your jewellery?!' A nervous Brian Epstein, teased by Lennon that he was going to swear live on stage, is meant to have collapsed with relief that Lennon didn't go any further!
8) Morecambe and Wise Show (TV Appearance 2/12/1963)
The general rule of thumb on the Morecambe and Wise show was that if they liked the guest they would get teased more. The pair of comedians must have really liked The Beatles ('the ones with the short fat hairy heads - get out of that one!') as this show - early in the careers of both halves - is full of some great gags including Ringo's re-christening as 'Bongo', Lennon's riposte that 'my dad used to tell me about you' complete with arm gesture that Eric ad libs as 'Only got a little dad have you?' and a terrific finale where the band do the old music hall number 'Moonlight Bay' while Eric dances around in a Beatles wig quoting lines from 'She Loves You' 'Twist and Shout' and, oddly enough, Gerry and the Pacemakers' 'I Like It'. The best extracts from the show were used on both the soundtrack and video of Anthology (Volume One and Episode Two respectively) although the full show has never been released (even on a Morecambe and Wise set, sadly) and runs about 15 minutes in total. Apart from a surprisingly good rendition of 'Moonlight Bay' The Beatles play 'This Boy' 'All My Loving' and 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' , all but the middle of which appeared on 'Anthology One'.
9) It's The Beatles...Live At The Liverpool Empire Theatre (TV Concert 7/12/1963)
How terrific that The Beatles' much anticipated home-coming for Christmas 1963 survived the taper's cull, as its about the closest thing we have to a full Beatles set list without screams in the time before the 'Hollywood Bowl' and 'Shea Stadium' even though little thought has clearly gone into the show (the camera-work is very dodgy, often zooming in from a distance, while the sound is a bit woolly and the captions at the end laughably amateurish. Paperwork referring to a sea of complaints about the show lead to an inquest: it turns out that the director got very little camera-rehearsal and the sheer mount of screams meant no one could hear him when he shouted instructions!)The band are on particular tight form here, with a real swing about the performances that can only come from a band who have been doing these songs for so long they're nearly doing it in their sleep. The band perform 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' 'Money (That's What I Want)' and 'Twist and Shout', with a unique instrumental performance of 'She Loves You' underneath the end credits. This is also the show where John yells at the audience to 'shut up!' during Paul's announcements of the final song. To date none of these clips have ever been seen officially, although weirdly enough it does appear on the official Beatles Apple channel on Youtube, so they clearly own the rights to it - who knows, it might be out on a shiny disc one day soon.
10) Ed Sullivan Show #1 (TV Appearance 9/2/1964)
This is the big one. Hired on the spot unseen and unheard by compere Ed Sullivan after passing through Heathrow Airport the day The Beatles flew back home to hordes of screaming fans, this show went down in history as the moment that American caught Beatlemania. To this day the viewing figures of 73 million people are among the highest ever known (and back then there were less Americans on the planet to watch it) and the date of 9th February 1964 saw the lowest teenage crime rate ever. Ed Sullivan didn't actually like The Beatles much - in fact he doesn't seem to have liked music very much and his awkward stage patter and interaction with The Beatles makes for often uncomfortable viewing (it was revealed after he died that Sullivan was on strong tablets and was usually asleep between takes, with a production assistant hired to give him a prod when needed). The Beatles, however, are unstoppable, performing terrific versions of 'All My Loving' 'Til' There Was You' 'She Loves You' 'I Saw Her Standing There' and 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'. Someone has clearly been having fun with the caption-writer too, adding a 'sorry girls - he's married!' sign under Lennon's name. Huh, as if that's going to deter the groupies... As a bit of trivia, also performing on The Ed Sullivan Show that day was the cast of 'Oliver', including a ridiculously young looking Davy Jones two years before he was a Monkee playing the part of the Artful Dodger (in this context and his later comments that seeing that many people screaming made him want to become a popstar his performance of 'I'd Do Anything' seems entirely apt). Three months after the assassination of JFK, the youngest president ever at that time, and at last the nation's youth had not just one replacement but four - no wonder they screamed! 'All My Loving' and various Ed Sullivan linking pieces made it to 'Anthology' episode three, while the whole uncut show can be bought on DVD.
11) Washington (Concert 11/2/1964)
One of my prize possessions is a bootleg of the entire Washington DC gig, filmed just days after the first 'Ed Sullivan Show' appearance. The show was filmed with Brian Epstein's permission, but on the condition it would be shown on just two days in one particular cinema (he's clearly not thinking big yet) and then junked: thankfully it never was. On the one hand this gig is chaotic: George's microphone doesn't work properly during his big opening number and in order that the large crowds can see everybody lovable Beatles roadie Mal Evans stops the show every three songs for a painfully slow turn of Ringo's drum platform (by hand!) that slows the gig down to a crawl. For all that, this is as good as it gets, with a chance to see The Beatles up close performing not for the cameras (as on the other gig we have complete, 1965's 'Shea Stadium') but for their fans and having a great time while they do it. The full setlist is as follows: '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' 'Til' There Was You' 'She Loves You' 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' 'Twist and Shout' 'Long Tall Sally'. Footage of 'She Loves You' I Saw Her Standing There' and 'Please Please Me' were included in Anthology as part of episode three.
12) Ed Sullivan Show #2 (TV Appearance 16/2/1964)
A week later and word of mouth was so strong that the audience to the show was gate-crashed and pandemonium broke out! This time though the show wasn't held in the usual theatre in New York but in a makeshift one on Miami Beach, as part of the coverage of a much-publicised fight between Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) and Sonny Liston (where the boxer and band re-acquainted themselves after a famous publicity shot of Ali holding a frightened looking Ringo aloft had been taken a few months before). Because of the crowd, security was tight and instead of ambling onto the stage The Beatles were told to 'run' to their instruments, which is why they seem to start playing in haste. In truth this second show isn't as good as the first but is still a good 'un with confident performances of 'She Loves You' 'This Boy' 'All My Loving' 'I saw Her Standing There' 'From Me To You' and 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'. None of these clips were used in Anthology, but you can see the whole uncut and increasingly forced show complete on DVD.
13) Ed Sullivan Show #3 (TV Appearance 23/2/1964)
14) Big Night Out (TV Appearance 23/2/1964)
Meanwhile, the wonders of pre-recorded television meant that the same night The Beatles could be seen on the latest programme to star brothers Mike and Bernie Winters, both of which appear with Beatle wigs throughout and laugh about the 'other four' holding them back. The Beatles make an explosive entrance through a wall before and have to sit through an insufferably poor sketch about the Winters being given lots of requests to sing Beatles songs before finally getting a chance to do what they came for. The band mime to some unusual songs, some of which were the only time they were ever 'played' on TV: 'Please Mr Postman' 'All My Loving' 'I Wanna Be Your Man' 'Til' There Was You' and 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'. All of these are played under what looks like a 'spoof' of the Ed Sullivan set, although instead of a plain big arrow pointing at the camera this one is painted to look like a Union Jack. Apparently 'Money (That's What I Want)' was taped at the same show but never shown - so they could fit another two minutes of excruciating laughs with Mike and Bernie probably. Throughout the fab four seem strangely happy to be there though: they're clearly still enjoying being in America by this point. A short clip of the opening 'explosion' made it to Anthology but the rest has never been released to date.
15) NME Pollwinners Concert 1964 (26/4/1964)
A scruffy concert by Beatles standards, which starts off with John and Paul singing different verses of 'She Loves You' and goes downhill from there. Perhaps the band were perturbed to be back in their homeland - or perhaps they were nervous of playing alongside some of the other 'big names' on the bill (something the Beatles hardly ever did): Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Rolling Stones and The Who to name just four (why were The Kinks and The Hollies never at these things by the way?!) The Beatles' shortened 15 minute set includes 'She Loves You' 'You Can't Do That' 'Twist and Shout' 'Long Tall Sally' and 'Can't Buy Me Love'. Perhaps because of the rough playing and sound none of these tracks were used in Anthology and to date this concert has never been officially released (unlike the similar poll-winners concert from the following year!)
16) Around The Beatles (TV Special 28/4/1964)
One of the strangest things The Beatles ever did in their television career was this half-concert, half-sketch show for an Easter bank holiday in 1964. The title comes from the fact that The Beatles play in a mock-up 'theatre in the round', of the type used in Tudor England ('The Globe Theatre' is the most famous example). That's quite apt because the opening is a truly strange take-off of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer's Night Dream' featuring Paul as the hero Pyramus, George (with lamp) as 'Moonshine', Ringo as the 'Lion' and John as the surprisingly fetching female lead 'Physbe'. For all The Beatles' good intentions and the hysterics coming from the crowd, this scene works better on paper than it ever did on telly and guest star Trevor Peacock is awful in his role as 'Quince'. Fear not, o languid Alan's Album Archives readers though because, verily, this show doth get much better. The 'support acts' are chosen with more care than most Beatles shows and Sounds Incorporated, Cilla and P J Proby are put on strong shows. The Beatles 20-minute mini-concert is the highlight, though, with classic performances of 'Twist and Shout' 'I Wanna Be Your Man' 'Long Tall Sally' 'Roll Over Beethoven' a 'Hits' medley and a brand new song, 'Can't Buy Me Love'. The bigest talking point, though, is what The Beatles do as a closer: a unique cover of Lulu's recent hit single 'Shout!', the only time where all four Beatles swap lines in a single song. The audio of this song was, sensibly, added to Anthology One' although sadly none of the actual video clips were used in the series (again, Dave Clark owns the rights to this set and has only ever let the music-half of it out, once, in the mid 1980s, with the 'Shakespeare' sequence currently only available on Youtube - and goodness knows where they got it from to upload because it hasn't been seen on TV at all since an American repeat broadcast the week after the UK one).
17) The Beatles In Melbourne (News Reel 17/6/1964)
"Well now, isn't this the most exciting evening of your lives?!" Less interesting but still nice to have is a 'mini-concert' taped as part of yet another Pathe News Reel, this time all about the band's adventures down under. This is the famous show when Lennon goes through his 'mock cripple stamp your feet' routine, much to McCartney's incredulity! Unfortunately, this show is incomplete: one of Brian Epstein's little 'deals' meant that the producers could only use six songs even though they filmed the whole show. Luckily an enterprising fan taped the audio of everything, which one kind Youtuber has stuck together in their 'proper' running order, alternating between visuals and sound. Video clips of 'All My Loving' and 'You Can't Do That' were used in Anthology episode three (yep, they got their dates wrong!), with other clips surviving for 'I Saw Her Standing There' 'She Loves You' 'Can't Buy Me Love' and 'Twist and Shout'. Meanwhile audio exists for 'Til' There Was You' 'Roll Over Beethoven' and 'This Boy'.
18) Live At The Hollywood Bowl (Concert 23/8/1964)
This is, famously, the one Beatles concert you used to be able to buy legally (although it hasn't been seen since 1977 and never did come out on CD). I was always surprised that Apple chose that one to re-release because, while professionally recorded, neither the 1964 or 1965 shows in the arena are amongst the band's best and neither sounded that good (bootleggers, who spend more time on things than record labels, have done a great job at cleaning up the sound, incidentally, and putting the two entire shows back in the right order). The actual footage video of the 1964 shows is similarly rough and wild but still an important historical document, with more shots of the hysterical crowd than most other examples in this list. Sadly the show also seems to be incomplete, but I live in hope that the whole thing might be out on Youtube one day. The songs performed include 'You Can't Do That' 'All My Loving' 'She Loves You' 'The Things We Said Today' 'Roll Over Beethoven' 'Boys' 'A Hard Day's Night' 'Long Tall Sally'. Clips of the second and third of these songs were included on Anthology episode four.
19) Shindig! (TV Appearance ?/1964)
"And now, the entertainment phenomenon of the century!" 'Shindig' was the American equivalent of Britain's 'Ready Steady Go', made with teenagers rather than casual music fans in mind. Perhaps that's why The Beatles decide to go for some of the more recent numbers in their setlist rather than their 'hits', performing fascinating versions of 'Kansas City' (with a great wild guitar solo from George and John having a great time on the backing vocals), a witty 'I'm A Loser' (sung with a grin throughout) and a funky 'Boys'. The middle of these is introduced as a song that 'John and Paul have only just written and has never been heard anywhere before tonight'. Sadly none of this footage has ever been officially shown again and none of it was included in Anthology - shame on you!
20) NME Pollwinners Concert 1965 (11/4/1965)
What a great little line-up there was for the NME Pollwinners of 1965: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Searchers, The Moody Blues...It's like a 'Who's Who' of Alan's Album Archives! The Beatles' set is particularly interesting, both for the unusual material they didn't often play ('I Feel Fine' 'She's A Woman' 'Baby's In Black' 'Ticket To Ride' and, inevitably, 'Long Tall Sally') and for the fact that it's the last-but-one show The Beatles ever did in their homeland (and the very last is, of course, not for another four years when The Beatles have been playing on the roofs again). Fresh from Shea Stadium, The Beatles turn in a rather out-of-tune gig with yet more sound issues (Ringo sounds like he's playing down a tunnel) and the camera is distressingly far from the action for much of it. But this is still a fun gig, with the only surviving performances of some of these songs and some terrific little moments (such as the grungy finale to 'She's A Woman' which George - absent on the studio take - turns into a 'Cream' style workout and Paul's announcement of 'Baby's In Blackpool'!) 'I Feel Fine' and 'She's A Woman' appeared on episode four of Anthology, while the whole concert - with appearances by the other groups - was made available on one of those semi-official DVDs a few years back.
21) Blackpool Night Out (Concert 1/8/1965)
"And now for Paul McCartney of Liverpool, opportunity knocks!" From here-on in the Beatles' UK TV appearances get less and less. In contrast to the endless plugs for 'With The Beatles' and 'A Hard Day's Night', the band only did one show to promote 'Help!' Blackpool's Night Out seems an odd choice for it too - while admittedly it was a bigger show back then than has been remembered, it was hardly on the level of a 'Royal Variety' or 'Ed Sullivan'. You'll know the show if you've seen any of it though - it's the one where The Beatles play in front of what look like cut-out paper dolls (for reasons best known to Blackpool!) There are some gems in the dialogue tonight: John keeps interrupting Paul's announcements ('Evening Paul!'), Paul gets in a muddle about when 'Ticket To Ride' came out ('The record before...you know!'), Ringo admits to being 'all out of key and nervous' during his own introduction! (he is on both counts, by the way, with some truly awful drumming!) and John declares 'Help!' to be 'our latest release - or electronic noise, depending whose side you're on!' The show's most famous moment, though, is the first ever live performance of 'Yesterday', played by Paul solo against a pre-recorded string part. It's a good, if slightly nervous performance and is good enough to invite Lennon's wicked comment 'Thankyou Ringo - that was wonderful!' The Beatles' segment lasts for only 17 minutes and features rather ramshackle versions of 'I Feel Fine' 'I'm Down!' 'Act Naturally' 'Ticket To Ride' 'Yesterday' 'Help!' All in all, one of the better Beatles TV appearances of 1965. The whole of 'Yesterday' and parts of 'I'm Down!' and 'Ticket To Ride' were featured in Anthology episode four, but the rest of the show hasn't officially been seen since broadcast.
22) Ed Sullivan Show #3 (TV Appearance 14/8/1965)
By 1965 The Beatles were too big even for Ed Sullivan, but Brian Epstein felt some loyalty to the show and promised at least one appearance in 1965. This is it, a show that for some reason was held over till September and was almost as popular as the first three (60% of the eligible American viewers that night watched this show!) By now Ed Sullivan and management are wise to The Beatles' popularity and keep their spot for the end of the show, so that people don't switch off! The Beatles turn in rather raw versions of their biggest songs since the last time they appeared on the show: 'I Feel Fine' 'I'm Down!' 'Act Naturally' 'Help!' 'Ticket To Ride' 'Yesterday' and 'Help!' None of these clips were used in Anthology but the entire show was released along with the other three as the DVD 'The Beatles: The Complete Ed Sullivan Shows'. And a very good watch it is too.
23) Shea Stadium (Concert 15/8/1965)
Little did The Beatles think, when they were playing to a packed house of a hundred at The Cavern Club in 1962, that three years later they'd be playing in a packed baseball stadium to a screaming crowd of 20,000 people (a record that held all the way until 1974 when CSNY beat it at Wembley). Everything about this show is 'big' - the band are so far away from their audience that they're waving their arms and jumping on stage - which looks pretty daft to us seeing the band filmed in close-up but does get across just how massive this gig was. In many ways it's the pinnacle of the band's touring experience - after the fall-out from the 'Beatles bigger than Jesus' thing the following year they were never going to reach these sorts of figures again. As well as the audience there are some great shots of the hysterical audience of teenagers, actually doing pretty well to outwit the security staff and try to get near the stage (shame they got carried off to where they couldn't hear the music, though!) Much fun can be had guessing which girls are going to make a run for it and how far they will get! The Beatles are clearly keen to alter their usual (and by now slightly tired) setlist, with John adding 'Dizzy Miss Lizzy', George adding 'Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby', Ringo adding 'Act Naturally' and Paul his recent B-side 'I'm Down', the set highlight thanks to a ridiculously OTT organ solo that nearly causes the rest of the Beatles to break down from laughter. The complete half-hour setlist was: 'Twist and Shout' 'She's A Woman' 'I Feel Fine' 'Dizzy Miss Lizzy' 'Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby' 'Can't Buy Me Love' 'Baby's In Black' 'Act Naturally' 'A Hard Day's Night' 'Help!' and 'I'm Down!' Anthology episode five opened with a 20 minute discussion of the concert plus five of the songs. However the entire show, put together by the ever resourceful Ed Sullivan as a cinema feature, complete with backstage clips and audience interviews, was screened twice: in America in 1966 and in Britain in 1980, in a whole host of Beatles repeats in the wake of John Lennon's sad death.
24) Top Of The Pops (TV Appearance 1965)
As anyone whose watched any of the recent BBC4 'Top Of The Pops' repeats or compilations will know, the archivists got it wrong: while most things screened on the show post 1977 are of no interest or use whatsoever, most of what went out in the 1960s was fabulous, given the small handful of gems that have survived the cull. Sadly only about a minute's worth of 'Ticket To Ride', one of the bands' two live appearances (the other is 'Paperback Writer') has survived, bizarrely thanks to the fact it also appeared in an episode of Dr Who - episode one of 'The Chase' (ironic because, as all fans of the series will know, Dr Who is the other big BBC programme that was so badly hit by 'wiping'). As fans of the show, The Beatles were naturals to appear in an episode where William Hartnell's first Doctor acquires a 'space-time visualiser' and the original plan, agreed to by Brian Epstein, was to have the band dress up as old men for a 'reunion' concert in 2004. Sadly their commitments that year meant they never had the time so instead they gave permission to a minute's clip of them performing 'Ticket To Ride' - and a fine performance it is too. Apparently 'Yes It Is' was also performed on the show - possibly the only time the Beatles ever played it live - but no video or audio clips have survived, sadly.
25) The Music Of Lennon and McCartney (TV Show 1/11/1965)
I really don't understand the BBC sometimes. There they were dumping 'Juke Box Jury', one of the most watched programmes on their main (or only as it was then) channel and then they keep this odd little programme centring on not The Beatles exactly but lots of bands who'd covered a Beatles song (and even in 1965 there were lots of them - although sadly most of the obvious ones like the Stones and Ella Fitzgerald were too busy to appear!) John and Paul play awkward comperes, not quite sure whether to bathe in all this new-found acceptance or remain their usual irreverent selves and feedback for the show suggests that most viewers were equally confused. Still, it's good fun to see John and Paul doing something a bit different and there are some good jokes in the rather stilted script ('Oh, I thought the Stones wrote that!' giggles Paul as 'I Wanna Be Your Man' plays 'No, we wrote it when we were only this high!' quips John; 'That's not Peter and Gordon!' says Paul as some ghastly horror plays at the wrong speed 'Oh, I thought you said Pinky and Perky' laughs John). You do, however, worry for John who has to (like most of this programme's guests) walk across a narrow platform balcony without his glasses (you can see the look of concern in Paul's eyes as he walks behind him!) The Beatles themselves appear singing what was then their new single - although interestingly they only perform one side, not 'We Can Work It Out'. The real highlight, though, is a 16-year-old still clearly in awe of her musical surroundings who turns in a rocking version of 'I saw Her Standing There' while navigating the same treacherous balcony (sadly she never did release this cover on record). The full line-up: George Martin and Orchestra 'I Feel Fine', Peter and Gordon 'World Without Love', Lulu 'I Saw Her Standing There', Alan Haven 'A Hard Day's Night', The Beatles 'Day Tripper', Marianne Faithful 'Yesterday', Antonio Vargas 'She Loves You', Dick Rivers 'The Things We said Today' (in French!), Billy J Kramer and Dakotas 'Bad To Me', Esther Phillips 'And I Love...Him!', Cilla Black 'Its For You', The George Martin Orchestra 'Ringo's Theme (This Boy)', Henry Mancini 'If I Fell', Fritz Spiegl 'She Loves You' in the style of Mozart (!) and Peter Sellers 'A Hard Day's Night'. Strangely, none of this 45 minute TV special was used in 'Anthology' and to date it has never been re-broadcast or made available on DVD.
26) Day Tripper (Music Video 1965)
Tired of appearing on dozens of TV channels around the world, The Beatles hit upon a brainwave: why not just perform the song once, in front of the cameras, and then lease this clip all over the world? In one go The Beatles invented the music video and in a way MTV (but don't hold that against them!) For now, though, this revolution in the way music was plugged doesn't seem that spectacular. 'Day Tripper' is simply a straightforward mimed performance against a bland set that could easily have been shot anywhere. Interestingly, George plays off on his own to the left, perched on top of a big rostrum, while John and Paul sing together on the right. This video was later used in episode five of Anthology.
27) We Can Work It Out (Music Video 1965)
Ditto the other side of the single, which was shot a couple of weeks later (suggesting, perhaps, that The Beatles originally intended 'Day Tripper' to be the lone A-side, instead of part of the world's first 'double sided hit single'). This video, played against a similar but not identical set, is most notable for John trying to mime to an organ part that was actually played by Paul on the record. He also gets the giggles when the camera cuts in to him and Paul in close-up, with Lennon 'doing' an 'Eric Morecambe' and breaking the 4th wall to the audience back home! This time George is sitting down at the base of Ringo's rostrum!
28) Live In Munich (Concert 1966)
We're getting to the end of the touring years now and The Beatles are visibly less happy with the whole experience of playing before a screaming crowd. Sadly this German concert isn't that well filmed (was it done by a member of the crowd rather than professionally shot as there's no evidence it was ever shown on TV anywhere?) However it's one of only two shows that were ever filmed on this final Beatles tour and as such is fascinating, albeit offering rather strong proof that the band were right to stop touring when they did. The setlist includes a few surprises as you can see: 'Rock and Roll Music' 'Baby's In Black' 'I Feel Fine' 'Yesterday' (which sounds rather nice played with twin guitars and bass!) 'Nowhere Man' and 'I'm Down!' (in which Macca forgets the opening words and has to be prompted by Lennon, who actually gives him the second verse by mistake - causing them both to giggle when they come to the next bit of the song they've already sung!) A fun show that sadly has never been made available officially, with the exception of a snatch of 'Nowhere Man' which appeared in Anthology episode five.
29) Paperback Writer (Music Video 1966)
Forget Oasis, forget Bruce Springsteen, stuff Madonna and ha ha ha Spice Girls, this video is the height of 'cool'. The Beatles are more prepared for their second music video, filming it outside in London's Chiswick House (a major deal in 1966 before mobile film cameras and electrics and so on!) I had a poster of The Beatles filming this and 'Rain' on my wall for years and it's still the definitive mop top look: long hair, sunglasses and lots of attitude! This clip was premiered on The Ed Sullivan show as a kind of 'apology' from Brian Epstein that he couldn't get time for The Beatles to go there in 1966 along with a special greeting by the band which wasn't shown anywhere else. Both the video and the 'greeting' were featured in Anthology episode five.
30) Rain (Music Video 1966)
Interestingly The Beatles also filmed a video for the single's B-side (did they - or more likely Lennon - intend this as another double A Side? We're on record elsewhere on this site saying that 'Rain' is one of the key Beatle songs of 1966 and an improvement even on this fun, riff-filled A side). This video was shot a few hours earlier the same day in the same location, with lots of shots of a surprisingly sunny English sky (how ironic would that have been if 'rain' had stopped the shooting of 'Rain'?!) and Ringo whalloping a plynth instead of his drums. In case you were wondering, no Lennon doesn't mime his 'backwards' part, which instead plays while the band 'walk out' of the gardens, their back to the camera. This video was also used in Anthology episode five.
31) Nippon Budokan Hall (Concert 1966)
Returning to the last filmed Beatles concert seems like a backwards step - which is why The Beatles stopped touring in the first place. Japan's most famous concert hall (Bob Dylan will make a record there three years later and Neil Young recorded one of his best bootlegged shows there in 1976) plays host to a rather blurry set from a band clearly past their best but gamely carrying on anyway. I'd love to know if the full concert for this exists - to date all we have is a bit of silent 8mm home footage of the band arriving and briefly playing at the show and three clips that were included on Anthology episode five: 'Rock and Roll Music' 'Paperback Writer' and 'Yesterday'. The middle of these three songs is particularly interesting - it was the last Beatles single to be introduced to the set lists before the band gave up touring and is the only video footage of it we've got. The performances, though, aren't great.
32) A Day In The Life (Music Video 1967)
One of the band's more promising ideas for what became 'Sgt Peppers' was to release it as one long video - building on the experience of the last two singles and, hopefully, to be edited together as a TV special one day with the minimal amount of effort required. Sadly that idea was abandoned after 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Penny Lane' were released separately (interesting thought: what happened to the only other song filmed in this period, the highly visual 'When I'm 64'?!) and after 'A Day In The Life' was banned by the BBC this clip was never shown at all, until Anthology episode six (where it's one of the highlights of the entire documentary). The video footage is of the famous day when a 40-piece orchestra walked into 'Abbey Road', improvising their now famous crescendo while wearing a whole lot of 'bald wigs' (McCartney may have 'borrowed' the idea from Brian Wilson, who slightly earlier than this was getting his orchestra to wear fireman's hats for 'Smile'). As well as some typically photogenic Beatles - all with moustaches in this period that need to come back into fashion now - there are a whole hosts of guests and onlookers too (including two Monkees and two Rolling Stones!) The result is a 'trip' and would have caused a sensation had it ever been shown on national television - which might be the main reason behind why it never was. The video ends with a black and white picture of the 'Sgt Peppers' cover which slowly turns into colour over that famous crashing chord.
33) Strawberry Fields Forever (Music Video 1967)
Despite being very much two songs about the band's Liverpool childhoods, the two videos for this double A side feature the band larking around Sevenoaks with Swedish director Peter Goldman (recommended to the band by Hamburg friend Klaus Voormann). The result is a surreal and colourful as the song, full of images straight out of left-field and possibly the only footage we have of Lennon 'tripping' on LSD (his eyes are somewhere else completely!) The most memorable sequences include a reversed film of what was originally Paul leaping out of a tree (only now he seems to be getting 'higher', ho ho), George concocting a home-made harp out of some piano strings and all four Beatles blinking one by one into the camera (although whether to hypnotise us or to reveal they're on some other dimension now is never quite made clear). As a bit of trivia, it was during a break from making these two films that Lennon walked into a local junk shop and bought a Victorian circus poster, the inspiration behind 'Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite'. Sadly the promo doesn't have the 'false ending' of the single. This video was featured in Anthology episode six.
34) Penny Lane (Music Video 1967)
Like the music, 'Penny Lane' is a little more together - though only just. We see lots of shots of The Beatles going for a walk, talking and - most memorably - riding a fleet of snow white horses (goodness knows how the director persuaded them to do it - at this point Paul was the only Beatle who'd learnt to ride!) However, this amongst the most visual of all Beatle songs, is treated suitably surreal - the band don't often sing the words and when they do they're deliberately askew of where the lines of the song actually are; also there's no fireman with an hour glass, fish and chip shop or a barber shaving another customer for instance. This video was featured in Anthology episode six.
35) One World Telethon (TV Appearance 25/6/1967)
More trivia for you now - which Beatles clip was seen by the biggest amount of people on first broadcast? Easy! 'Our World' was a night celebrating on the one hand 'peace' (yeah right, tell that to soldiers in Vietnam and Korea!) and on the other hand new technology that meant hat tv stations around the globe could now show the same programme if they wanted to. The satellites were the real stars of the night, enabling viewers in the comfort of their own homes to see ancient tribes in their natural habitat and artwork by some long dead European painters. The Beatles, recognised the world over, were a natural for the British segment, which duly became one of the most revered and celebrated moments of the night. The band were tentatively asked to come up with a song for the event that was simple enough for anyone from any country to understand and, just like the old days, John and Paul tried to compete for the coveted spot. In the end Lennon won easily, the very of-it's-time message of 'All You Need Is Love' eclipsing Macca's contribution (the rather silly 'Altogether Now', later booted off onto the Yellow Submarine film soundtrack). Bedaubed in flowers, with signs demonstrating the title in five languages and with several famous guest stars at their feet (look out for Graham Nash, then still just about a Hollie, and Paul's brother Mike) The Beatles put in a confident display. The 'idea' behind the video was to be 'present when The Beatles record their latest number at Abbey Road' - naturally, though, that would have been too difficult and the band only got one shot, so instead George Martin's opening playback bit is 'false' and only Lennon's lead vocal (which he sings alongside one recorded earlier) is actually live. The Beatles may have written and recorded better songs, but you cannot underestimate the importance of 'Our World' to their TV canon and it's pretty much the last time you see a clip of The Beatles where all four truly believe in what they're doing. This video was featured in Anthology episode seven, although we're still waiting for the whole of the 'Our World' broadcast to be released: it would make for fascinating (if occasionally boring) viewing for anyone interested in what the world was like in the colourful year of 1967.
36) Hello Goodbye (Music Video 1967)
Without much of a message to give, 'Hello Goodbye' fell a bit flat as a follow-up (although the bootlegged backing track is terrific and completely changes the way I used to view this song). This video of the band in their Sgt Pepper costumes simply tries too hard and none of the band seem to be enjoying themselves too much. Even a coda with some dancing girls (and John and Paul linking arms as they do a twirl) can't liven up one of the band's lesser TV ideas. Actually it could have been worse: the finished promo is actually edited together from three separate videos (one of the band in their old grey suits - the last time they wore them incidentally - another in their Sgt Peppers costumes and another surrounded by dancing girls). Interestingly, Lennon doesn't have his glasses on (unlike the last four entries on this list and most of the remaining entries). A worldwide ban on miming meant a lot of countries didn't show this clip anyway, although wouldn't you know it - The Ed Sullivan Show was the first to screen it. The video, along with Ed Sullivan's linking piece, was featured in Anthology episode seven.
37) Lady Madonna (Music Video 1968)
Sadly the least seen Beatles music video is arguably the most interesting - with no other ideas and a new song of John's the band fancied recording, they simply set a few cameras up in Abbey Road and tries to forget about them, recording as normal. The song they were actually playing was 'Hey Bulldog', a song later released on 'Yellow Submarine' in January 1969 and an enterprising Beatlefan has stuck as much of the song back together as he can based on what words John and Paul are actually singing. For my money it's a better song than 'Lady Madonna' anyway, although either version of the video works quite well as a kind of 'fly on the wall' documentary (the band seem to have enjoyed the experience and it may be this video that let to 'Let It be' the following year). The original 'Lady Madonna' version was featured in Anthology episode seven.
38) Frost On Sunday (TV Appearance 8/9/1968)
Another bit of trivia for you now - did you know that David Frost's TV theme (officially known as 'By George! It's David Frost') was written by none other than George Martin? That might be why Lennon especially takes such a glee in vamping up the signature tune as the 'world's greatest house band' make their only official TV appearance of 1968. This is the only time you can see the whole band perform 'Hey Jude' and is the only time any Beatle ever performed B-side 'Revolution' and so for that reason is rather special. These are good performances too, with live vocals set against pre-recorded backing tapes in both cases and reveal how together The Beatles could sometimes be even this late into their career. Both clips appear in Anthology episode eight.
39) All My Loving (Interview 1968)
Documentary maker Tony Palmer figures that rock music had already been through so many changes that it deserved its own documentary series. Naturally his first port of call were The Beatles, where Lennon was an especially enthusiastic backer of the idea (even loaning Palmer his address book, allegedly). The Beatles only appear in the 'pilot' named above and only a few old clips appear in the actual series (which was titled 'All You Need Is Love'). Alongside live appearance by The Who, Pink Floyd, Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Beatles pop up in various interview clips (most notably John and Paul talking about Apple), although most fans look on this DVD most affectionately for the one and only surviving video interview with George Harrison's mother! Released on DVD both separately and as part of the 'All You Need Is Love' box set.
40) Something (Music Video 1969)
Nothing sums up the split at the heart of The Beatles better than their last music video (of the 1960s anyway - see below!) All four Beatles walk with their girlfriends/wives, but all four are now separate, filmed in their own back gardens rather than together as before. While the idea is fitting (George wrote this song for wife Patti after all), something about this video doesn't quite work: it's a little too static by fab four standards and runs out of ideas long before the end. It's also a shame they couldn't get together one last time. This video was featured in Anthology episode eight.
41) Final Photo Session (Linda McCartney, 22/8/1969)
However the actual last bit of moving footage of The Beatles does feature them all together. Unfortunately it only lasts 90 seconds and was very much a 'secondary project', shot hastily by the now Linda McCartney alongside the last official Beatles photo shoot (rather sweetly, it's not for some big faceless corporation but for the Beatles Book magazine). Linda had a right to feel upset that she wasn't in the video when Yoko was (Lennon's condition of appearing in it at all) but used her time wisely, coming up with a few grainy seconds of The Beatles posing one last time and lots of footage of her hubby sweetly waving to her. Sniff, it's actually all very moving! This footage was also used in Anthology episode eight, although unusually no one comments where it came from!
42) Free As A Bird (Music Video 1995)
That's all for The Beatles' lifetime but there's still a handful of leftovers to go through. The video is moving for anyone who knows enough about The Beatles story to link up all the images and work out what songs each bit links up to (some are weirder than others: the car crash is from 'A Day In The Life' if you're wondering and even the film-makers didn't understand why Ringo insisted on putting an elephant in one scene!)The highlights are sudden cameos from two blue meanies (added much later as an afterthought to fill up a rather dull sequence) and Pauk's English sheepdog, Martha ('My Dear'). Apparently the original plan was to see the bird in flight, but as no one could agree on what a Beatles bird should look like (what's wrong with a dove, the bird of peace?) they simply showed a 'bird's eye view' of The Beatles' story instead. Apparently George offered to play the part of the ukulele player heard at the end (a part he played on the record too) but go turned down by his own camera crew (the nerve!) The result is, a bit like the song, a little corny and not as engaging as it ought to be, but could have been a lot worse. Naturally, this video features prominently in Anthology where it appears right at the very end of episode eight.
43) Real Love (Music Video 1996)
'Real Love' was directed by Kevin Godley (once of fellow AAA band 10cc) and there's a terrific bootleg clip of Kevin singing the vocal (EMI wouldn't let the full tape out of their sight in case it got bootlegged, so gave him the backing track to work to instead!) The result is a nice video that's slightly more engaging than the first (again, a bit like the songs themselves), with shots of contemporary Beatles as well as a history lesson. There are actually two videos: one (screened in America and not seen since) opens with a 'strawberry' (as in 'Fields Forever'); the other with a white piano (as featured in the Anthology box set but sadly never in the actual series which was off air by the time this single came out). It's nice to see footage of the band working together once more, although it really hits home in this video that Lennon isn't around to take part.
44) Within You, Without You-Tomorrow Never Knows (Music Video 2006)
I'm not sure whether this counts or not - there's technically no new footage here and only two of The Beatles were left to give their blessing to the project. However I've included it here partly because the film-makers sensibly used only mash-up from the 'Love' album that came anywhere close to matching the originals and partly because it so successfully invokes the psychedelic experience (the two songs it combines date from 1966 and 1967). Multiple Georges sing while multiple John, Paul and Ringos play, to a bunch of graphics that looks much like 'Yellow Submarine' would if it was commissioned now (the same goes - if you can stomach it - for the nine minute video of Oasis' 'All Around The World') Sadly a brief screening on a Top Of The Pops compilation was the only place I ever saw it (apart from Youtube) and to date it hasn't been released officially (not even on the 'Love' Cirque De Soliel documentary DVD release and let's face it - there aren't many other reasons worth buying it for!)
45) Words Of Love (Music Video 2013)
Sadly only two Beatles were around in 2013 to promote the 50-years-of-copyright extending 'Live at the BBC Volume Two' and both Paul and Ringo had better things to do. Luckily, though, the wonders of modern technology meant that The Beatles themselves could promote the new release thanks to recycling existing newsclips of The Beatles which showed one and for all how much bigger they were than any modern fad (Justin Bieber will only be counted as popular when he gets half as big a crowd as this turning out for him!) In a sort of real-life version of 'A Hard Dat's Night' The Beatles do a lot of running/jumping/sitting in cars and areoplanes, while meeting the world celebrities (including the Queen, in a shot not taken from the Royal Variety Show because she's looking too happy!) Throughout the band are in black-and-white but in a clever idea a box of coloured confetti floats out of the back of the Beatle-mobile and gradually turns the screen to colour. It's a clever update on an old idea about The Beatles coming to life again in front of our eyes in a more modern world and would have been a lot more fitting than most of the gimmicks used in 'Anthology'. There's also a clever ending where the camera pulls back to reveal that The Beatles have brought 'words of love' across the whole of the British Isles - which presumably means they didn't travel by the bus or train routes I use! Sadly, though, this song didn't get much of a screening - the UK premiere on BBC One's 'The One Show' was cut short so they could fit in more infantile links from the inane Chris Evans and to date the only place most of the world has seen it has been from Apple's official Youtube video.
And that's that for another issue of News, Views and Music. Join us for more moptops next week!
A now complete list of Beatles links available at this website:
'Please Please Me' (1963) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/news-views-and-music-issue-92-beatles.html
'With The Beatles' (1963) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2008/07/review-1-beatles-with-beatles-1963.html
'A Hard Day's Night' (1964) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2008/07/review-2-beatles-hard-days-night-1964.html
'Beatles For Sale' (1964) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/beatles-beatles-for-sale-1964-news.html
'Help!' (1965) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2008/07/review-3-beatles-help-1965.html
A now complete list of Beatles links available at this website:
'Please Please Me' (1963) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/news-views-and-music-issue-92-beatles.html
'With The Beatles' (1963) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2008/07/review-1-beatles-with-beatles-1963.html
'A Hard Day's Night' (1964) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2008/07/review-2-beatles-hard-days-night-1964.html
'Beatles For Sale' (1964) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/beatles-beatles-for-sale-1964-news.html
'Help!' (1965) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2008/07/review-3-beatles-help-1965.html
'Rubber Soul' (1965) http://www.alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/the-beatles-rubber-soul-1965-album.html
'Revolver' (1966) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2008/07/review-6-beatles-revolver-1966.html
'Revolver' (1966) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2008/07/review-6-beatles-revolver-1966.html
'Sgt Pepper's Lonely
Heart's Club Band' (1967) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/the-beatles-sgt-peppers-lonely-hearts.html
'Magical Mystery Tour' (1967) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/news-views-and-music-issue-45-beatles.html
'The Beatles' aka 'The White Album' (1968) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2008/07/review-25-beatles-beatles-aka-white.html
'Magical Mystery Tour' (1967) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/news-views-and-music-issue-45-beatles.html
'The Beatles' aka 'The White Album' (1968) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2008/07/review-25-beatles-beatles-aka-white.html
'Yellow Submarine' (1969) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-beatles-yellow-submarine-1969.html
‘Abbey Road’ (1969) http://www.alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/the-beatles-abbey-road-1969.html
'Let It Be' (1970) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/news-views-and-music-issue-130-beatles.html
'Live At The BBC' (1994) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2009/03/news-views-and-music-issue-24-beatles.html
'Christmas Fanclub Flexi-Discs' (1963-69) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/news-views-and-music-issue-85-beatles.html
'Let It Be' (1970) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/news-views-and-music-issue-130-beatles.html
'Live At The BBC' (1994) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2009/03/news-views-and-music-issue-24-beatles.html
'Christmas Fanclub Flexi-Discs' (1963-69) http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/news-views-and-music-issue-85-beatles.html
The Best Unreleased Beatles Recordings http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/what-we-want-to-see-on-beatles.html
A Complete AAA Guide To The Beatles Cartoons http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/an-aaa-guide-to-beatles-cartoons.html
A Complete AAA Guide To The Beatles Cartoons http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/an-aaa-guide-to-beatles-cartoons.html
The Beatles: Surviving TV Appearances http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/the-beatles-surviving-tv-appearances.html
A 'Bite' Of Beatles Label 'Apple' http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/a-bite-of-apple.html
The Beatles: Non-Album Songs Part One: 1958-63 http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/the-beatles-non-album-songs-part-one.html
The Beatles:
Non-Album Songs Part Two: 1964-67 http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/the-beatles-non-album-songs-part-2-1964.html
The Beatles: Non-Album Songs Part Three: 1968-96 http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/the-beatles-non-album-songs-part-three.html
The Beatles: Compilations/Live Albums/Rarities Sets
Part One: 1962-74 http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/the-beatles-compilations-live-sets-and.html
The Beatles: Compilations/Live Albums/Rarities Sets
Part Two: 1976-2013 http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/the-beatles-compilations-live-albums.html
Beatles Bonuses: The Songs
John and Paul Gave Away To The World/To Ringo! http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/beatle-bonuses-songs-given-awayringos.html
Essay: The Ways In Which The Beatles Changed The World For The Better https://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/the-beatles-essay-ways-fab-four-changed.html
Essay: The Ways In Which The Beatles Changed The World For The Better https://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/the-beatles-essay-ways-fab-four-changed.html
Five Landmark Concerts and
Three Key Cover Versions https://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/the-beatles-five-landmark-concerts-and.html
