The Beatles - Decca Sessions 1962

Reloaded 29/May/2015 - another Beehive Candy favourite for so many reasons. The historical aspect speaks for itself, however musically it just makes me wonder what would have happened if Decca had signed them that day. Would the musical styling have altered and would Pete Best have remained on drums for example. All hypothetical I know however perhaps Decca's loss was everyone else's gain as things turned out. It all seems a long time ago now.

The Decca audition is the name given to the now-famous audition by The Beatles for Decca Records at their Decca Studios in West Hampstead, London, England, before they reached international stardom. Decca's decision to reject the group is considered to be one of the biggest mistakes in music history.

Manager Brian Epstein made numerous trips to London to visit record companies with the hope of securing a record contract, but was rejected by many, including Columbia, Pye, Philips, and Oriole.

The Beatles were driven down to London by Neil Aspinall on New Year's Eve in 1961, for a Decca audition, but Aspinall lost his way, and the trip took ten hours. They arrived at 10 o'clock at night, and John Lennon said that they arrived "just in time to see the drunks jumping in the Trafalgar Square fountain." On 1 January 1962, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Pete Best were auditioned by Decca producer Tony Meehan (ex-drummer of the Shadows) performing a total of fifteen songs in just under one hour. All the material was selected by Epstein, who decided on a selection of covers that the band had performed in various clubs over the years, interspersed with three Lennon/McCartney originals. The Beatles later found out that Epstein had paid Meehan to produce the studio recordings.

Eventually, Decca Records rejected The Beatles, saying that "guitar groups are on the way out", although it has since been suggested that their work that day did not yet reflect their true potential, and the "guitar" comment may have been intended as a polite let down.
Decca instead chose The Tremeloes, who auditioned the same day as The Beatles, were local and would require lower travel expenses.
The Beatles went on to sign with EMI subsidiary Parlophone, after their 'comedy album' producer George Martin heard the Decca demos and decided to meet the band. In 2007, Dr. Ebbetts Sound Systems released a CD version of The Decca Audition.

Source: Studio recording.

Sound Quality: Extremely good mp3 @320kbps.

Genre: The Beatles will do.

Set: Complete studio recording session

Track List:

1. "Like Dreamers Do" (Lennon/McCartney)
2. "Money (That's What I Want)" (Gordy/Bradford)
3. "Till There Was You" (Meredith Wilson)
4. "The Sheik of Araby" (Smith/Wheeler/Snyder)
5. "To Know Her Is to Love Her" (Phil Spector)
6. "Take Good Care of My Baby" (King/Goffin)
7. "Memphis, Tennessee" (Chuck Berry)
8. "Sure to Fall (In Love with You)" (Cantrell/Claunch/Perkins)
9. "Hello Little Girl" (Lennon/McCartney)
10. "Three Cool Cats" (Leiber/Stoller)
11. "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" (Buddy Holly)
12. "Love of the Loved" (Lennon/McCartney)
13. "September in the Rain" (Warren/Dubin)
14. "Bésame Mucho" (Consuelo Velázquez)
15. "Searchin'" (Leiber/Stoller)

Band Line Up:

John Lennon: guitar, vocals, harmonica
Paul McCartney: bass, vocals
George Harrison: guitar, vocals
Pete Best: drums

Links: Official Site HERE.

Comments: I have sourced a reasonable amount of the information regarding this recording from Wikipedia, and although these recordings have been in circulation for decades, with some 'semi official' releases of the material often minus the Lennon/McCartney material, this is by far the best audio copy of the sessions I have heard, and is complete.

Some of the sessions were also released as a series of bootleg 'promo' singles on coloured vinyl back in 1976, along with full colour picture sleeves on 'Deccagone records'.

Reloaded - 29/May/2015 - download link in comments. 

The Quarrymen - April 1960 - June 1961 (Part Two).

This is the second of two releases that surfaced on CD as a series 'The Complete Beatles' and captures some of the transistion period from The Quarrymen through to The Beatles.

Material includes some longer home taped improvised instrumentals that are quite listenable however in reality more of a historical collectors item than one for your mp3 player.

The studio material is very good quality and marks another milestone on the road to The Beatles.

Credit and respect should be given to Tony Sheridan who was also clearly part of this era of the bands development, it remains ironic that Polydor Records viewed him as the talent and artist to go with and tended to 'bury' members of The Beatles involvement.

Source: Studio and home (reel tapes).

Sound Quality: Listenable home recording to studio quality mp3@variable bit rates.

Genre: Skiffle, Rock & Roll.

Set: Various home & studio recordings.

Recording List:


April - May 1960: The Beatles - Pauls home and possibly other Liverpool locations.

1. Instrumental Improvisation 11.50
2. Instrumental Improvisation 7.45
3. Instrumental Improvisation 11.12
4. That's The End (?) 17.52

June 22nd - 23rd 1961: Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers (except track 9 The Beatles) Friedrich Ebert Halle Hamburg.

5. My Bonnie (German Intro) 0.36
6. My Bonnie (lies over the ocean) 2.41
7. When The Saints Go Marching In 3.18
8. Why (cant you love me again) 2.58
9. Cry For A Shadow 2.23
10. Nobodys Child 3.55

June 24th 1961: Track 11 The Beatles - Track 12 Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers, Studio Rahlstedt Hamburg.

11. Ain't She Sweet 2.10
12. Take Out Some Insurance On Me 2.53

Links: Wikipedia Quarryman History HERE. Tony Sheridan Wikipedia HERE.

Comments:

OK lets be upfront on this, some of this material with careful searching can be found on what appears to be official versions of Tony Sheridan with The Beatles, however the majority seem to be 'imports' or on highly spurious record labels, and the prices for some are outrageous, it is one thing to pay a small fortune for a genuine collectors item, another to cash in and rip off fans.

So we feature some material for purchase below that is nearly all realistically priced (spot the odd one out) and remember you will probably find it is the same or similar songs on each release so please check the track listings.

Reloaded - 25/May/2015 - download link in comments.

The Quarrymen - 1957 to 1960 (Part One).

This is another selection of material from The Quarrymen dating back to 1957.

Some of this material is a duplication on the first Quarryman bootleg featured on Beehive Candy, however this is from an alternative CD source and the sound quality is much cleaner.

With the amount of interest generated by John Lennon's first band (joined by Paul McCartney & George Harrison along the way) it is not surprising that many versions of the same material have surfaced down the years. The obvious historical nature of the recordings continues to fascinate fans over four decades on.

This is the first of three features and inevitably the sound quality is average (but quite listenable) and their will be some more duplication of material.

Art work from the CD boots is included in the download files.

Source: Live, studio and home (reel tapes).

Sound Quality: Very Listenable mono mp3@variable bit rates.

Genre: Skiffle, Rock & Roll.

Set: Various home & live recordings.

Recording List:

July 6th 1957.

1. Putting on the Style

Spring - Summer 1958.

2. That'll Be The Day
3. In Spite Of Danger

April - May 1960.

4. I'll Always Be In Love With You
5. Matchbox (?)
6. Somedays (?)
7. I Dont Need No Cigarette Boy (?)
8. One After 909
9. One After 909
10. Cayenne
11. Hallelujah - I Love Her So
12. Johnny Johnny
13. Hello Little Girl
14. Thas Whwen Your Heartaches Begin
15. Well Darling (?)
16. You'll Be Mine
17. The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise
18. I'll Follow The Sun
19. You Must Write Everyday (?)
20. Movin' N' Groovin' - Ramrod
21. Wild Cat
22. Wild Cat
23. Turn The Bitches Off (?)
24. An Important Number (?)

Links: Wikipedia Quarryman History HERE.

Comments:

Better quality versions of tracks two and three are also included on the official Beatles album Anthology One.

Reloaded - 25/May/2015 - download link in comments.

A Trip With The Beatles - The Alternate Sgt Pepper and a Little More

The Beatles - The Alternate Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and A Little More, was released by Dolphin Productions (CDP 790103 - 2 CD set) in 1997.

Like a lot of bootleg CD releases, the packaging attempted to make the album look official, however the back cover failed to list the track contents accurately, and the front shown here was a little predictable.

However the music is the key factor, and on this occasion the album is something of a gem to put it mildly.

For nearly every track there's the mono mix at some stage in production, and a few stereo versions along the way.

There are a lot of fragments from 'The Making Of Sgt. Pepper's' with George Martin playing back the individual tracks and explaining things.

There's Anthology stuff, snippets from interviews, songs previously released on the Unsurpassed Masters series by Yellow Dog, tracks from 'The Lost Pepperland Reel' (like the Good Morning Good Morning animal noises) and more.

In summary these Cd's seem to be a complete overview of the making of the Beatles' Sgt Pepper, with commentary from George Martin, Paul McCartney, and John Lennon.

The studio quality, and 'the story with music' production, is well thought out, it is a collectors 'must have', and of real interest for anyone with just a passing interest in The Beatles, and the development of popular music in the '1960's.

The complete track listing is I believe as follows:

Disc 1

1. George Martin & Paul McCartney - about Sgt. Pepper
2. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - mono remix 3 from take 10
3. With A Little Help From My Friends - mono remix 15 from take 11
4. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite - mono remix 4 from take 9
5. Only A Northern Song - remixed mono version from take 3 and 11
6. Fixing A Hole - mono remix from take 2
7. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (one) - remix 11 from take 7
8. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (two) - mono remix 4 from take 8
9. Getting Better - mono remix 3 from take 15
10. She's Leaving Home - mono remix 6 from take 9
11. Strawberry Fields Forever (one) - John demo tape and the songs development
12. Strawberry Fields Forever (two) - trumpet & cello development
13. Penny Lane (one) - overdub sessions
14. Penny Lane (two) - remix 11 from take 9
15. Joking - like! your having a laugh !

Disc 2

1. Within You Without You (one) - the basic track was recorded 15th March 1967
2. Within You Without You (two) - mono remix from take 2
3. When I'm Sixty-four - mono remix 8 from take 4
4. Lovely Rita - mono remix 15 from take 11
5. Good Morning Good Morning (one) - rough stereo mix of take 8
6. Good Morning Good Morning (two) - mono remix 2 of take 11
7. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) - rough mix of take 5
8. A Day In The Life (one) - rough mix of take 5 (five)
9. A Day In The Life (two) - early mix of take 7
10. Everywhere It's Christmas - excerpt from fourth fan club xmas flexi disc
11. Excerpts From The Family Way Soundtrack - George Martin Orchestra (written by Paul McCartney - 1966)
12. All You Need Is Love - take 58 - with pre-recorded rhythm track take 11 (basically the ‘live’ version)
13. It's All Too Much - from the alternative ‘magical submarine tour’ CD
14. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Jimi Hendrix Version

Although not all the material ended up on Sgt. Pepper there is a chronological order to the album in terms of the work undertaken by The Beatles at the Abbey Road Studios between November 24th 1966 and June 25th 1967, hence the 'Little More' referring not only to the commentary. The Jimi Hendrix cover at the end does seem out of place, but hey - it's Hendrix!

Reloaded - 03/June/2015 - download link in comments.

A Trip With The Beatles - And In The End

This is a tidy little Beatles bootleg, that comes under the name 'And In The End'.

It finds the band at their rather difficult 1969 and early 1970 period.

Despite all the strains and tensions of that time, musically they were still producing adventurous and excellent material.

Worthy of note are 'The Long Medley' (both parts) which are from EMI master tapes in their original form, with 'Her Majesty' in it's original position.

The Trident Studios Acetate of 'I Want You', sees Paul handling the lead vocals on the Lennon song.

Intriguingly 'I Me Mine' and 'Let It Be'. are both being recorded with only Paul, George and Ringo, together in the studio. Johns absence is noted by George when he mentions, "Dave Dee is no longer with us".

The full track listing is:

1. Come Together (Take 1) (John's Acetate) (7-21-1969).
2. I Want You (Trident Acetate) (2-22-1969).
3. I Need You (Trident Acetate) (2-22-1969).
4. Oh Darling (Early Version) (4-20-1969).
5. Maxwell's Silver Hammer (Alternate Stereo Mix) (8-6-1969).
6. Octopus's Garden (Early Stereo Mix) (4-29-1969).
7. You Never Give Me Your Money (Acetate) (7-11-1969).
8. The Long Medley (Part 1) (Uncut EMI Tape Reel) (7-30-1969).
9. The Long Medley (Part 2) (Uncut EMI Tape Reel) (7-30-1969).
10. Her Majesty (Take 3) (Mono) (7-2-1969).
11. KMET Los Angeles Radio (January 1970).
12. I Me Mine (Take 1) (1-3-1970).
13. I Me Mine (Take 2) (1-3-1970).
14. I Me Mine (Acetate) (1-3-1970).
15. I Me Mine (Take 15) (1-3-1970).
16. Let It Be (Acetate) (1-4-1970).
17. The Long And Winding Road (Overdub Session) (4-1-1970).

click on the link below to download:

REPLACEMENT LINK IN COMMENTS BELOW OR CLICK ON THE PICTURE (04TH OCTOBER 2009).

The usual selection of all things Beatles can be found HERE.

The music quality on this recording is of course studio sourced, with some excellent rarities and gems.

A Trip With The Beatles - Ultra Rare Trax Volume's One and Two

Ultra Rare Trax Volumes One and Two may well have been the first two Beatles boot CD's released in Europe.

They had previously been on vinyl and allegedly originates from master tapes "borrowed" from Abbey Road, which obviously upset some EMI exec's.

Released by prolific bootleggers Swinging Pig records on CD and made in Luxembourg, they were certainly in circulation by 1988.

These are a selection of studio outtakes, and similar to material released on the official Anthology series.

They are another piece of Beatles history, and make fascinating listening.

Volume One track list is:

1. I Saw Her Standing There (take two)
2. One After 909 (take two)
3. She's A Women (take two)
4. I'm Looking Through You (take one)
5. If You've Got Trouble (take one)
6. How Do I Do It (take two)
7. Penny Lane (take nine)
8. Strawberry Fields Forever (take 26)
9. From Me To You (take two)
10. Besame Mucho (1962 Pete Best on drums)
11. The Fool On The Hill (demo take one)
12. Paperback Writer (take two)

Volume Two track list is:

1. Cant Buy Me Love (take two)
2. There's a Place (take three)
3. There's a Place (take four)
4. That Means a Lot (take two)
5. Day Tripper (take two)
6. Day Tripper (take three)
7. I Am The Walrus (take seventeen)
8. Misery (take one)
9. Leave My Kitten Alone (take five)
10. We Can Work It Out (take two)
11. A Hard Days Night (take 3b)
12. Norwegian Wood (take four - with two false starts)

These are studio sourced and predominately in stereo, some tracks have aged in terms of quality, none of which distracts from the listening experience - in other words any Beatles fan or collector who have not got these will love them!

REPLACEMENT LINKS IN COMMENTS BELOW (4TH MARCH 2009).

As always some official material options HERE.

My thanks to Chris again, for providing this fine material.

A Trip Before The Beatles - The Quarrymen 1960

If you are not familiar with The Quarrymen, John Lennon's 'skiffle' group, that eventually became The Silver Beatles, and then of course The Beatles, the Wikipedia article HERE is really interesting.

I thought of just providing some selected parts within this posting, but the whole article provides excellent background to this recording.

This rehearsal recording was made just four weeks before they changed name to The Silver Beetles, and John Lennon's friend Stuart Sutcliffe made up the quartet.

This recording was made at Paul McCartney's home early in 1960, prior to Pete Best joining as drummer, and of course the Hamburg, Germany era.

This is obviously a wonderful piece of musical history, and the audio quality reflects the historical aspect, home taping circa 1960, likely on one microphone, and with a muffled sound and hiss, that an old tape would retain however much you try to clean it up.

That said I find it fascinating, and a must have for any Beatles fan, and for anyone who values rock and pop musics heritage.

Track listing:

1 I Love Her So - vocals Paul McCartney
2 The One After 909 - vocals John Lennon and Paul McCartney
3 I'll Always Be In Love With You - vocals John Lennon
4 You'll Always Be Mine - vocals John and Paul
5 Match Box - vocals George Harrison
6 You Just Don't Understand - vocals Paul
7 Some days - vocals Paul
8 Thinking Of Linking - Instrumental
9 I'll Follow The Sun - vocals Paul
10 The One After 909 - Version Two vocals John & Paul
11 Hey Darling - vocals George and Paul
12 You Must Lie Everyday - vocals unknown
13 Guitar Bop - Instrumental
14 That's When Your Heartaches Begin - vocals John
15 Hello Little Girl - vocals John and Paul
16 That'll Be The Day - vocals John

OK so the audio ain't brilliant, but as collectors items go this has to be right up there - enjoy!

The Beatles merchandise HERE

Reloaded - 25/May/2015 - download link in comments.

A Trip With The Beatles - The Esher Demos

Also known as Acoustic Masterpieces, I am very pleased to be able to share the Esher demos from 1968.

These were recorded in late May 1968, at the home of George Harrison, and how is this for detail, his home was Kinfauns, a bungalow-style house, located at 16 Claremont Drive, Esher, Surrey, England, KT10 9LU, on the Claremont Estate, and only a short drive from the homes of John Lennon (Kenwood) and Ringo Starr (Sunny Heights).

Hmmm - I need to get out more...

These demo recordings would eventually develop, with a few exceptions, into 'The White Album'. (Seven of the actual demos also appear on The Beatles Anthology, Vol. 3).

They were made on George Harrison's Ampex four-track reel-to-reel tape recorder.

The songs are performed by John, George and Paul, recording some of the material, they had written during their time in India, along with other recent numbers.

Track listing as follows:

1. Back In The USSR
2. Blackbird
3. Child Of Nature (eventually Jealous Guy on Imagine).
4. Circles
5. Cry Baby Cry
6. Dear Prudence
7. Every body's Got Something To Hate
8. Honey Pie
9. I'm So Tired
10. Julia
11. Sour Milk Sea
12. Mother Nature's Son
13. Not Guilty
14. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
15. Piggies
16. Revolution
17. Rocky Raccoon
18. Sexy Sadie
19. Junk
20. The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill
21. What's The New Mary Jane
22. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
23. Yer Blues

Total duration: 67:18

These as far as I can establish, are all of the recordings, made at that time, and are sourced from an older boot (tape) of good quality. With the exception of those songs that made it on to 'Anthology 3', my understanding is that these, are as good as you can get.

If you have more songs, or better quality versions, please, please let me know!

Replacement link in comments below or click on the picture (11th January 2010).

Worth a thought? Considering these are (very nearly) forty year old demo tapes, never intended for more than an early run through, pre studio, a chance for the other band members to get a feel for the songs, why are we so interested? I guess whatever you may think of The Beatles, they certainly left their fans wanting more!

Check out Anthology Three HERE, along with other Beatles Cd's.

More Beatles material will follow in due course.

A Trip With The Beatles - Ultimate Live Masters

In my own humble opinion the following live Beatles recordings are incredible.

Boots from the early 1960's are often disappointing, and for obvious reasons. They are not official, they are copies of copies of copies... you get the point!

The equipment used (even if professional) had limitations, often the crowd noise is more dominant and... OK this is over kill - point made !!!

However very recently some new tape sources of The Beatles have emerged, which are close to pristine for their time.

You may note the odd speed fluctuation or adjustment as some very tender remastering has been undertaken. However this is very much The Beatles as they sounded live in 1963 and 1964. It is a must for any Beatles fan, or fan of early guitar rock bands.

This is the track order:

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - OCTOBER 24, 1963 (From best known source to date).
1. Intro 0'46''
2. I Saw Her Standing There 2'46''
3. From Me To You 2'01''
4. Money (That's What I Want) 2'59''
5. Roll Over Beethoven 2'19''
6. You Really Got A Hold On Me 3'07''
7. She Loves You 2'30''
8. Twist And Shout 2'47''

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 7, 1963 (From a newly discovered tape source)
9. I Want To Hold Your Hand 2'07''
10. Intro - Money (That's What I Want) 3'51''
11. Twist And Shout 2'07''
12. From Me To You 1'15''

PARIS, FRANCE - JANUARY 19, 1964 (From a newly discovered and much longer source tape).
13. Beatles' interview at the Bourget airport 0'45''
14. (Trini Lopez song) If I Had A Hammer 1'11''
15. Robert Marcy's comment 0'50''
16. From Me To You 1'52''
17. This Boy 2'25''
18. I Want To Hold Your Hand 2'27''
19. She Loves You 2'49''
20. Twist And Shout 2'38''
21. Robert Marcy's comment 0'33''
22. I Saw Her Standing There 2'42''
23. This Boy (partial) 0'07''
24. Twist And Shout 2'35''
25. From Me To You (incomplete instrumental) 0'25''
26. Long Tall Sally 1'54''
27. From Me To You (incomplete instrumental) 0'07''
28. From Me To You 1'57''

I think I have made the point - sound quality as good as you can get, the actual performances, totally Beatles at that time !!!

REPLACEMENT DOWNLOAD LINKS IN COMMENTS BELOW (7TH MAY 2009).

Beehive Candy has plenty of Beatles Cd's in store HERE.

My thanks to 'It's Just Me' for making this material available. Feedback on this one more than welcome. More Beatles material to follow, that may well top this! So check back soon...

A Trip With The Beatles - Lord Of Madness

Back in March I featured a couple of tracks from the 'Lord of Madness' boot. I have kind of got my act together since then, and am now pleased to share the whole album.

To recap - In 1968 The Beatles were both at Trident and EMI studios in London. Some excellent (performance and recording quality) material was created, final versions of which are found on The White Album.

Lord of Madness are versions in production, another piece of The Beatles history, for collectors.

The album comprises of:

01 - Hey Jude
02 - Revolution
03 - I'm So Tired
04 - Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
05 - Sour Milk Sea
06 - Circles
07 - While My Guitar Gently Weeps
08 - Julia
09 - Not Guilty
10 - What's The New Mary Jane
11 - Yer Blues
12 - Helter Skelter
13 - Cry Baby Cry
14 - Revolution No. 9
15 - Good Night

This is studio quality material - enjoy.

FULL REPLACEMENT LINK NOW IN COMMENTS BELOW (18th APRIL 2009).

More Beatles material to follow, so check back soon. You can browse The Beatles Cd's HERE.

A Trip With The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour

It's been some time since part three of 'a trip with the Beatles', for which I apologise, and no, I have not yet edited the 'Get Back sessions' to share, I feel another apology coming on.

So this is part four, and I make no apologies for this!

A twenty three track album, the copy I have obtained goes under the name of 'Magical Mystery Tour Outtakes', it is however far more than that.

Lets go interactive for a moment. If you have the time, read the Wikipedia entry for the Magical Mystery Tour (click HERE). It's easy to forget the 'TV' film version bombed originally outside the UK. and was panned by the critics of that time. It's a reflection on my personality I guess, that I loved it, it is however the music that in typical Beatles style has demonstrated longevity.

I think it reasonable to say that against the Wikipedia background, this series of recordings are an absolute must for all Beatles fans, and curious parties.

The album is as follows:

The Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour Outtakes.

01. Magical Mystery Tour (unknown take)
02. The Fool On The Hill Piano demo take 1
03. Aerial Tour Instrumental Mono Mix take 8
04. Blue Jay Way "overdub session"
05. Your Mother Should Know Alternate Mix
06. I Am The Walrus take 7, external. Monitor mix.
07. I Am The Walrus take 9
08. I Am The Walrus take 17
09. Hello Hello take 1
10. Strawberry Fields Forever Paul singing at the piano
11 Medley
12. Strawberry Fields Forever Kenwood demos: electric guitar composing sequence + mellotron & overdubs onto composing sequence.
13. Strawberry Fields Forever the wonderful take 1
14. Strawberry Fields Forever take 25
15. Penny Lane Brass Overdub.
16. Penny Lane mono mix
17. Baby, You're A Rich Man take 2 RS? - UK/Germany
18. All You Need Is Love TV, Take 58
19. Jessie's Dream Film Music
20. Magical Mystery Tour unidentified
21. Your Mother Should Know German stereo LP mix
22. Strawberry Fields Forever German stereo LP mix
23. Hello Goodbye German stereo LP mix

The sheer sound quality of this collection is astounding, a wonderful piece of history, that for all the wrong copyright reasons, could never be officially released.

Clearly there are many other 'takes' around, this collection has, at least surfaced and been shared, if you are sitting on any gems, go on - let us know!

REPLACEMENT LINK IN COMMENTS BELOW (24TH FEBRUARY 2009).

You can purchase The Magical Mystery Tour & other Beatles Cd's HERE.

A Trip With The Beatles - Part Three

The 'Get Back' or 'Twickenham sessions', took place in 1969.

Paul McCartney, wanted to get The Beatles playing together again as opposed to just recording. It was an opportunity to help the band gel together again, have some fun, and maybe lead to some new live performances.

It was also a chance for band members to share new material, some of which would surface later on solo albums.

In the end the now legendary roof top performance, was all that was to happen, as public performance's go.

The actual sessions were filmed, and each film reel was accompanied by a mono soundtrack.

The soundtrack has surfaced in different forms down the years. Recently I acquired the full soundtrack set, from a generation of copies quite close to the originals (so the sound quality is very good).

These copies are not broken down into individual songs, rather they are inclusive of what was included on the film reel in use. I will when time permits try and edit these down to songs, to help, I do at least have a full song listing from a boot series circulated some time ago.

One of the best known bootlegs from these performances, that has done the rounds for some time is 'The Corn Of Apple', or 'The Core of Apple'. Lost in translation, the 'Corn' typing error seems to be the more widely circulated version, indeed the cover of my copy has 'corn' rather than 'core'...

REPLACEMENT DOWNLOAD LINK OF FULL ALBUM IN COMMENTS BELOW OR CLICK ON THE PICTURE (5TH JANUARY 2010).

Those days playing in Hamburg, certainly paid off, they are up there with Elvis Presley's Wooden Heart. Mind you Elvis did his army conscription in Germany.

Perhaps it should me mandatory for all 'boy' bands to play live in Germany for a couple of years before hitting the big time in the UK, if you follow my drift.

The Beatles are included in The Beehive Candy Store.

A Trip With The Beatles - Part Two

In part one of this series, I used the first CD from the mythology boot series. Mythology is such a large collection, that it would be easy just to source from that.

It seems rather pointless to just keep dipping into this, especially as you can purchase the official Anthology series, especially if various outtakes, or work in progress versions are your bag.

So I will try and expand out on The Beatles rarities trail. The Beatles took a conscious decision to stop performing live, and most live recordings from the USA tours that I have heard feature the screaming audience rather than the band.

As a consequence the rehearsals for albums in the studio, have thrown up some real gems, as often the band would play 'live' without the audience. One of the best set of sessions are the 'Twickenham' or 'Get Back' sessions. This is a story in it's own right, and will be featured another time, it deserves the attention.

In 1968 The Beatles were both at Trident and EMI studios in London. Some excellent (performance and recording quality) material from sessions played, are on the bootleg 'Lord of Madness'. I have uploaded tracks 1 & 3, for your enjoyment.

The Beatles - Hey Jude - Lord of Madness.mp3

The Beatles - I'm So Tired - Lord of Madness.mp3

I have added the first Beatles dedicated page in The Beehive Candy Store, with as usual some absolute bargains to consider. Click HERE to visit.

A Trip With The Beatles - Part One

My first recollection of The Beatles, was watching them perform on the BBC probably in October 1963 at the London Palladium (no I do not have a fantastic memory, its a calculated guess, they were on the bill, and it was the sort of programme my parents would have had on).

Yes I was very young !!!

Keeping it simple, I have always liked the Beatles, if ever there was an example of popular music that stands the test of time, its them.

In this occasional series, I hope to share some of their rarities, and in doing so probably only just scratch the surface.

There are so many Beatles boots around it's a job to know where to start. In recent years however digital technology has allowed the ardent fan, not only to circulate the material more easily, but to clean up the sound quality, and in some cases, do such a fantastic job, it can rival 'officially' released material.

I am going to ignore any chronological order, to support the fact my collection is growing as I type.

However let's start close after success had come their way.

From Mythology - Volume One - CD One - comes track one. Not to be mistaken with The Anthology series released by the Beatles, and shown on TV at the same time, Mythology is a bootleg series, that dug a little deeper.

On the downside rather than share the material, those behind Mythology were trying to make a profit without royalties. However in more recent times, the collection has surfaced free on the web.

The Beatles - A Taste of Honey.mp3 - BBC Radio - Light Service - 25-10-1962

Or check out this, recorded again for BBC radio's 'Light Programme' as it was back then ( a whole two hours of pop music per week! - this was 1963, who arrived in 1964 ???).

The Beatles - Love Me Do.mp3 - Recorded January 22nd 1963 - Playhouse Theatre London

So who arrived in 1964 ?

To purchase The Beatles - White Album or check out similar Beatles Cd's click here, or on the picture above.