Beatles Live at the BBC

The Beatles On Air

Live at the BBC Volume 2

The Beatles ‘On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2‘ is a two-disc CD set to be released on November 11, 2013, almost 20 years after Volume 1 came out (see below). ‘On Air’ features 63 live recordings, none of which overlap with The Beatles’ first BBC release. According to the press release, ‘On Air’ includes 37 previously unreleased performances and 23 previously unreleased recordings of in-studio banter and conversation between the band’s members and their BBC radio hosts.

The Beatles appeared on various BBC radio shows including Saturday Club and Easy Beat. In June 1963, The Beatles got their own BBC weekly radio show called “Pop Go The Beatles.” Between March 1962 and June 1965, the BBC broadcast 275 unique musical performances by The Beatles in the U.K.

Ten of the songs on The Beatles ‘On Air Live at the BBC Volume 2‘ were never officially recorded by the group for EMI, including two never before released performances: The Beatles’ direct-to-air performance of Chuck Berry’s “I’m Talking About You” and a rocking cover of the standard “Beautiful Dreamer.” ‘On Air’ also includes different versions of six rarities heard on the 1994 BBC collection: Little Richard’s “Lucille,” Chuck Berry’s “Memphis, Tennessee,” Chan Romero’s “The Hippy Hippy Shake,” Ray Charles’ “I Got A Woman,” and two songs they learned from records by Carl Perkins, “Glad All Over” and “Sure To Fall.”

Also included for the first time are the Beatles’ candid interviews for the Pop Profile series recorded in November 1965 and May 1966.

Track Listing

Disc 1
1.         And Here We Are Again (Speech)
2.         WORDS OF LOVE
3.         How About It, Gorgeous? (Speech)
4.         DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET
5.         LUCILLE
6.         Hey, Paul… (Speech)
7.         ANNA (GO TO HIM)
8.         Hello! (Speech)
9.         PLEASE PLEASE ME
10.        MISERY
11.        I’M TALKING ABOUT YOU
12.        A Real Treat (Speech)
13.        BOYS
14.        Absolutely Fab (Speech)
15.        CHAINS
16.        ASK ME WHY
17.        TILL THERE WAS YOU
18.        LEND ME YOUR COMB
19.        Lower 5E (Speech)
20.        THE HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE
21.        ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN
22.        THERE’S A PLACE
23.        Bumper Bundle (Speech)
24.        P.S. I LOVE YOU
25.        PLEASE MISTER POSTMAN
26.        BEAUTIFUL DREAMER
27.        DEVIL IN HER HEART
28.        The 49 Weeks (Speech)
29.        SURE TO FALL (IN LOVE WITH YOU)
30.        Never Mind, Eh? (Speech)
31.        TWIST AND SHOUT
32.        Bye, Bye (speech)
33.        John – Pop Profile (Speech)
34.        George – Pop Profile (Speech)

beatles bbc london

The Beatles at the BBC Playhouse Theatre in London
(photo credit: Apple Corps Ltd)

Disc 2
1.         I SAW HER STANDING THERE
2.         GLAD ALL OVER
3.         Lift Lid Again (Speech)
4.         I’LL GET YOU
5.         SHE LOVES YOU
6.         MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
7.         HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR SATURDAY CLUB
8.         Now Hush, Hush (Speech)
9.         FROM ME TO YOU
10.        MONEY (THAT’S WHAT I WANT)
11.        I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND
12.        Brian Bathtubes (Speech)
13.        THIS BOY
14.        If I Wasn’t In America (Speech)
15.        I GOT A WOMAN
16.        LONG TALL SALLY
17.        IF I FELL
18.        A Hard Job Writing Them (Speech)
19.        AND I LOVE HER
20.        Oh, Can’t We? Yes We Can (Speech)
21.        YOU CAN’T DO THAT
22.        HONEY DON’T
23.        I’LL FOLLOW THE SUN
24.        Green With Black Shutters (Speech)
25.        KANSAS CITY/HEY-HEY-HEY-HEY!
26.        That’s What We’re Here For (Speech)
27.        I FEEL FINE (STUDIO OUTTAKE)
28.        Paul – Pop Profile (Speech)
29.        Ringo – Pop Profile (Speech)

Along with the Volume 2 release, a remastered reissue of The Beatles Live at the BBC Volume 1 is also being released in 2013. When Volume 1 was originally released in 1994, it sold 5 million copies in the first six weeks reaching number one in the UK and number three in the US.

Also being released is the book, The Beatles: The BBC Archives: 1962-1970 by producer Kevin Howlett who compiled and researched the CD set along with Mike Heatley. The booklets for both collections include Kevin Howlett’s essays on the history of The Beatles’ BBC radio sessions and his detailed commentaries on all of the tracks.

Watch video promo for The Beatles ‘On Air: Live at the BBC Volume 2’

The Beatles Live at the BBC

Volume 1

The Beatles ‘Live at the BBC‘ is a two-disc CD set that was released in 1994 that features live recordings that The Beatles made on BBC radio between 1963 and 1965.

The Beatles ‘Live at the BBC’ is a compilation of various performances by The Beatles on several different BBC radio shows. The set includes 56 performances and 13 tracks of dialogue of The Beatles talking in-between songs.

Track Listing

Disc 1
1. Beatle Greetings [Speech] – The Beatles
2. From Us to You
3. Riding on a Bus [Speech] – The Beatles
4. I Got a Woman
5. Too Much Monkey Business
6. Keep Your Hands off My Baby
7. I’ll Be on My Way
8. Young Blood
9. Shot of Rhythm and Blues
10. Sure to Fall (In Love With You)
11. Some Other Guy
12. Thank You Girl
13. Sha la la la La! [Speech]
14. Baby It’s You
15. That’s All Right (Mama)
16. Carol
17. Soldier of Love (Lay Down Your Arms)
18. Little Rhyme [Speech] – The Beatles
19. Clarabella
20. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You)
21. Crying, Waiting, Hoping
22. Dear Wack! [Speech] – The Beatles
23. You Really Got a Hold on Me
24. To Know Her Is to Love Her
25. Taste of Honey
26. Long Tall Sally
27. I Saw Her Standing There
28. Honeymoon Song
29. Johnny B. Goode
30. Memphis
31. Lucille
32. Can’t Buy Me Love
33. From Fluff to You [Speech]
34. Till There Was You

Disc 2
1. Crinsk Dee Night [Speech]
2. Hard Day’s Night
3. Have a Banana! [Speech]
4. I Wanna Be Your Man
5. Just a Rumor [Speech] – The Beatles
6. Roll over Beethoven
7. All My Loving
8. Things We Said Today
9. She’s a Woman
10. Sweet Little Sixteen
11. 1822! [Speech]
12. Lonesome Tears in My Eyes
13. Nothin’ Shakin’ (But the Leaves on the Trees)
14. Hippy Hippy Shake
15. Glad All Over
16. I Just Don’t Understand
17. So How Come (No One Loves Me)
18. I Feel Fine
19. I’m a Loser
20. Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby
21. Rock & Roll Music
22. Ticket to Ride
23. Dizzy Miss Lizzy
24. Medley: Kansas City/Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
25. Set Fire to That Lot! [Speech] – The Beatles
26. Matchbox
27. I Forgot to Remember to Forget
28. Love These Goon Shows! [Speech]
29. I Got to Find My Baby
30. Ooh! My Soul
31. Ooh! My Arms [Speech]
32. Don’t Ever Change
33. Slow Down
34. Honey Don’t
35. Love Me Do

The recordings reflect The Beatles repertoire in the early days as a live act covering songs by many American rock and roll and R&B acts including Chuck Berry, The Miracles, The Shirelles, Buddy Holly and Ray Charles.

To learn more about The Beatles appearances on the radio, read The Beatles at The BBC: The Radio Years 1962-1970

The Beatles also appeared frequently on BBC Television. Here is a live performance of The Beatles at Liverpool Empire Theatre from December 7, 1963 filmed by the BBC called ‘It’s The Beatles!’