INTRODUCTION
PART 1: THE UNRELEASED BEATLES MUSIC
Chapter 1: 1957-1961: From the Quarrymen to the Beatles
Highlights: The tape of the Quarrymen, led by
John Lennon, playing on July 6, 1957, the very day on which John met
Paul McCartney for the first time; the two demos the Quarrymen recorded
to acetate in 1958; the two hours or so of home tapes dating from 1960;
the record they made at a do-your-own-record booth in Hamburg in 1960,
backing a singer from Rory Storm & the Hurricanes (Ringo Starr's
first group), with Ringo on drums. Sidebar: "The Missing Beatles,"
going through what a live tape of the Beatles in the early 1960s might
sound like, working from a surviving mid-1960s set list. Also a section
on non-circulating recordings, known and rumored, from this period.
(Such a section is included in each of the chapters in part 1.)
Chapter 2: 1962: Hello EMI, Good-bye Star-Club (click here to read excerpt )
Highlights: The fifteen songs they recorded at
their unsuccessful audition for Decca Records on January 1, 1962; their
only BBC radio sessions with Pete Best as drummer, March 1962 and June
1962; their EMI audition with George Martin, June 1962; live recording
of "Some Other Guy" from the Cavern Club in August 1962, as soundtrack
of first sound film footage of the Beatles (also one of Ringo Starr's
first shows with the band); recording of private Cavern Club rehearsal,
late 1962; their live Hamburg Star-Club recordings, December 1962. Also
a section on non-circulating recordings, known and rumored, from this
year. Sidebars: "The Beatles at the BBC," an introductory overview of
their BBC recordings; their song list at their June 1962 EMI audition;
"A
Brief Guide to the Songs on the Hamburg Star-Club Tapes."
Chapter 3: 1963: Today Britain, Tomorrow the World
Highlights: A truckload of BBC radio session
recordings; studio outtakes from the sessions for the Please Please Me and With the Beatles albums, as well as
the session for the "From Me to You" single; several live concerts, the
most notable including their Stockholm radio broadcast of October 24,
1963, the Royal Variety show appearance in November, and Liverpool on
December 7. Also a section on non-circulating recordings, known and
rumored, from this year. Sidebars: "The Dick James Acetates"; "The
Beatles' Christmas Records."
Chapter 4: 1964: The Beatles Conquer America—And the World
Highlights: Another wealth of BBC radio session
recordings, though not as many as they did in 1963; studio outtakes
from throughout the year, including from the A Hard Day's Night and Beatles for Sale albums; live
concerts from throughout the year, the most notable including their Ed
Sullivan shows in February 1964, their first American concert in
Washington, DC the same month, and their complete first Hollywood Bowl
show in August. Also a section on non-circulating recordings, known and
rumored, from this year. Sidebars: "Unreleased Beatlemania Live"; "The
Beatles on Tour in Britain, 1964."
Chapter 5: 1965: Beatlemania, More and Less
Highlights: Their final few BBC radio session
recordings; studio outtakes from throughout the year, including from
the Help! and Rubber Soul albums; live concerts
from throughout the year, the most notable including Paris in June,
Shea Stadium in August, and the complete second Hollywood Bowl show
(also in August). Also a section on non-circulating recordings, known
and rumored, from this year. Sidebar: "The 1965 British Tour."
Chapter 6: 1966: The End of Touring and a Retreat to the Studio
Highlights: Studio outtakes from throughout the
year, including from the Revolver
album and a wealth of early versions of "Strawberry Fields Forever,"
from John Lennon home demos to finished product; live concerts from
their final world tour in the summer, the most notable including their
shows in Tokyo in June and July (among the best-sounding live Beatles
tapes as they were done in conjunction with a TV broadcast) and their
final official live concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco,
August 29, 1966. Also a section on non-circulating recordings, known
and rumored, from this year. Sidebar: "The End of Touring."
Chapter 7: 1967: The Studio Year
Highlights: Studio outtakes from throughout the
year, including from their Sgt.
Pepper and Magical Mystery
Tour albums; alternate version of "All You Need Is Love" from
worldwide June 1967 live TV broadcast. Also a section on
non-circulating recordings, known and rumored, from this year. Sidebar:
"The Beatles Mixology," on the numerous mono/stereo variations of
officially released Beatles tracks.
Chapter 8: 1968: Out of the Cosmos, and Back to Earth (click here to read excerpt )
Highlights: A double-album's worth of
predominantly acoustic home demos for The
White Album, recorded at George Harrison's house in May;
outtakes from The White Album
and the "Hey Jude" and "Lady
Madonna" singles; TV performances of "Hey Jude" and "Revolution";
informal Paul McCartney-Donovan studio outtakes. Also a section on
non-circulating recordings, known and rumored, from this year.
Chapter 9: 1969: Get Back to Abbey Road
Highlights: The mammoth body of unreleased
rehearsals and studio outtakes from the Get Back/Let It Be sessions,
January 1969; the complete concert on the Apple rooftop in London on
January 30, 1969, the Beatles' last live performance; outtakes from Abbey Road; assorted solo
non-studio John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison
tapes/demos. Also a section on non-circulating recordings, known and
rumored, from this year. Sidebars: "Songs Performed By the Beatles on
Tapes Circulating from the Get Back sessions"; "Paul Is Dead—The Album."
Chapter 10: 1970: All Things Must Pass Away
Highlights: Solo demos and studio outtakes
recorded while the Beatles were breaking up and immediately after the
split, including a huge number of George Harrison demos/outtakes from
the All Things Must Pass
album era, and a good number of John Lennon demo/outtakes from the Plastic Ono Band album era. Also a
section on non-circulating recordings, known and rumored, from this
year. Sidebars: "Let It Be...Released" (on the numerous unreleased
variations of Let It Be compiled
and considered for release between January 1969 and May 1970);
"December 31, 1970: And in the End..."
Part 2: THE UNRELEASED AND RARE BEATLES ON FILM
1962: The Beatles doing "Some Other Guy" at the Cavern Club in August
1962, the first sound film of the group.
1963: Clips of note from this year include the BBC TV documentary The Mersey Sound, the October 1963
Swedish TV show Drop In, and
the November Royal Variety
show.
1964: The entire first US concert in Washington DC on February 11, 1964
(released on video, but in incomplete form); the unreleased Ed Sullivan Show dress rehearsal;
the April 1964 British TV special Around
the Beatles; the April 1964 NME
Pollwinners Concert; the June 1964 Australian TV special The Beatles Sing for Shell. (click here to read excerpt )
1965: The 1965 NME Pollwinners
Concert; their June 20, 1965 shows in Paris, broadcast on French
TV; the August 1, 1965 British TV show Blackpool Night Out; The Beatles at Shea Stadium TV
special; the ten promo films they did in November 1965.
1966: Promo films for "Paperback Writer" and "Rain"; their June 24,
1966 concert in Munich, filmed for German television; their June 30 and
July 1 shows in Tokyo, filmed in color for Japanese television.
1967: Promo films for "Strawberry Fields Forever," "Penny Lane," "A Day
in the Life," "All You Need Is Love," "Hello, Goodbye."
1968: Promo films for "Lady Madonna"; film of them playing informally
during their stay in Rishikesh, India in early 1968; promo films for
Apple Records and Apple Films; "Hey Jude" rehearsals, used in a TV
special; promo films for "Hey Jude" and "Revolution."
1969: Outtakes from the Let It Be
film from January 1969 rehearsals and studio sessions; promo films for
"Get Back," "Let It Be," "Don't Let Me Down," "The Ballad of John and
Yoko," "Something," "Cold Turkey."
1970: Promo films for "Instant Karma!" and "Maybe I'm Amazed."
Also: sidebars on the Beatles' promotional films and the director's cut of The
Beatles Anthology.
Part 3: HERE, THERE, BUT NOT EVERYWHERE
Chapter 1: The Songs the Beatles Gave Away
Songs written by Lennon-McCartney (and by George
Harrison) that were not recorded by the Beatles, but were recorded by
other artists in the 1960s. Also includes sidebar on "The Songs the
Beatles Almost Gave Away."
Chapter 2: For No One: Beatles Compositions That Were Never Recorded
Songs known to have been written by
Lennon-McCartney and Harrison in the 1960s, but which were never
officially recorded by anyone. Divided into sections on "The Pre-EMI
Years," "The EMI Years," and "Beatles Songs That Never Existed" (i.e.
songs that the Beatles were reported to have written/recorded, but
never did). Also sidebar on "In With the Outfakes" (songs often rumored
to be Beatles recordings, but which don't feature the Beatles at all).
Chapter 3: The Beatles on Bootleg
An overview of how Beatles music has made it onto
bootlegs.
Chapter 4: The Last Word: The Official Legacy of the Unofficial Beatles
An overview of how the Beatles themselves have
viewed and marketed their unreleased material.
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