Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Thought you guys might want the heads up on the Beatles Weekend on BBC Radio 2.
Its all eveneng and late so for you guys in the States you can listen online during the day ( bbc.co.uk/radio2 )
It actually starts on Friday evening with a Beatles all request drive time from 5pm and then documentaries later about the day Paul and John met and the story of the Beatles days in the Reeperbahn "In the beginning" presented by Holly Johnson formerly singer in Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
On Saturday theres a George Harrison documentary at 10pm "what is life" followed at 11pm by the story of the infamous (and oft. mis quoted) 1966 London Evening Standard interview with John Lennon "bigger than Jesus" .
Interesting for us musos at 12 midnight until 2am its "Sgt Pepper re-created" looking at the techniques the Beatles used to create the album.
On Sunday afternoon theres a Paul McCartney special "Sounds of the 70s" exclusive interview with Paul about his solo years with Wings and beyond.

I caught that the other morning whist listening to pop master... cheers Pete.

Speaking of the BBC... I've always felt that the whole set of recordings that The Beatles made for BBC radio (along with the 'Please Please Me" album) are the best way for anyone to evaluate the group as a live band. While the later studio recordings are great, hearing the band without overdubs and multi-tracking simply shows how great they were..... and is the closest thing we'll get to hear what all those early ('62 - '63) unrecorded gigs were like.

If a visitor from another planet asked me about the Beatles, I'd (ignoring Quarrymen for the moment) tell them to begin at the beginning .... Star Club, Please Please Me, BBC....... and then go on to the other studio recordings.

http://www.jpgr.co.uk/beeb1.html

Lennon should have stuck with those glasses..he was years ahead in style,
Stu Sutcliffe would have approved!

Dont forget Bank Holiday Monday starts 12 noon with Beatles at The Beeb with Bill Kenwright playing music and interviews with the Beatles including a not heard since 1965 "Pop Inn" show interview about the new Beatles film "Help!" and the lost master tape of the Lennon McCartney Songbook last broadcast August 1966.
7pm is The Record Producers with Steve Levine about George Martin.
10.30pm a repeat of the 2005 McCartney-sold on song from Abbey Road where Paul discusses in detail his songwriting craft and working with John.

Looks like the memory on my digital recorder is going to be full!

brammy wrote:Speaking of the BBC... I've always felt that the whole set of recordings that The Beatles made for BBC radio (along with the 'Please Please Me" album) are the best way for anyone to evaluate the group as a live band. While the later studio recordings are great, hearing the band without overdubs and multi-tracking simply shows how great they were

Absolutely agree, Kent. When I first heard those, I thought they were lost studio tracks. Granted, they WERE recorded in a studio...but live and just spot on. They chat, giggle and joke, then WHAM they're off and flying on some perfect track.

Beatles get slammed as a live band quite regularly around the net, and I usually direct people to the BBC recordings, and a confession booth.

Some preview clips here.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8238384.stm

Yes, it very much appears that British popular media, spearheaded by the BBC, is about to go into something of a Beatles overdrive. What has caused such a move is the long-awaited release by EMI of remastered versions of the Beatles’ albums which will soon be upon us.

While the publicity machine begins to crank up public interest in these forthcoming offerings, as evidenced by this (click here) full online Telegraph spread devoted to near all things Beatles. There have however been a few dissident voices bemoaning the crass commercialization behind it all.

For example (click here) to read Charles Spencer of the Daily Telegraph cynical take on the matter.