The Beatles perform in London on June 16, 1966
A 60-year-old tape of what may be the first complete live recording of the Beatles has been found. The concert had been held on April 4, 1963, when the then up-and-coming band performed in the school theatre. The credit for this little jewel goes to John Bloomfield, who at the time decided to test his new reel-to-reel tape recorder during the show. The result, revealed on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row, opens with I Saw Her Standing There. Then continue with Too Much Monkey Business by Chuck Berry.
The recording, according to the Corporation, “captures the glamor of the Beatles’ live act with a blend of their club repertoire of R&B covers. But also the beginning of the collaboration between Lennon and McCartney, with songs from their debut album Please Please Mereleased just two weeks earlier.
The words of the Beatles scholar
Beatles scholar Mark Lewisohn commented on the discovery. “The opportunity this tape presents, completely unexpected, is fantastic because it allows us to hear them right at the apex of the breakthrough to complete worldwide fame.. That is, from the moment each recording is covered by screams».
“So we have the opportunity to hear the Beatles in the UK. In a non-dispersive environment where the tape manages to capture and restore the essence of the group. In a historical moment in which they can also interact with the public », he added.
Bloomfield, who has kept the recording secure over the years but has not disclosed its existence until now, is 70 today. “I think it’s an incredibly important recording,” adds Mark Lewisohn, “and I hope it ultimately leads to something good and constructive and creative.”
Although the Beatles officially disbanded in 1970, the year of the release of Let It Betheir twelfth and final studio album, the legend and the myth continue to stand the test of time.