Vinyl L.P · Parlophone Records · EMTV 4.
1977 · U.K.
Labels.
The Beatles:
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John Lennon: Lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar.
Paul McCartney: Lead and backing vocals, bass guitar.
George Harrison: Lead guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals (Roll Over Beethoven, Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby)
Ringo Starr: Drums, lead vocals (Boys).
Liner notes:
SIDE ONE
TWIST AND SHOUT 1:20
B. Russell-P. Medley • Robert Mellin Music Publishing Corp./Belinda Music/BMI
RECORDED AUGUST 30TH, 1965
SHE’S A WOMAN 2:45
J. Lennon-P. McCartney • Maclen Music, Inc./BMI
RECORDED AUGUST 30TH, 1965
DIZZY MISS LIZZIE 3:00
Larry Williams • Venice Music, Inc.,/BMI
RECORDED AUGUST 30TH, 1965
TICKET TO RIDE 2:18
J. Lennon-P. McCartney - Maclen Music, Inc./BMI
RECORDED AUGUST 30TH, 1965
CAN’T BUY ME LOVE 2:08
J. Lennon-P. McCartney • Maclen Music, Inc./BMI
RECORDED AUGUST 30TH, 1965
THINGS WE SAID TODAY 2:07
J. Lennon-P. McCartney • Maclen Music, Inc./BMI
RECORDED AUGUST 23RD, 1964
ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN 2:10
Chuck Berry • Arc Music Corp./BMI
RECORDED AUGUST 23RD, 1964
SIDE TWO
BOYS 1:57
L. Dixon/W. Farrell • Ludix Publishing Co., Inc./BMI
RECORDED AUGUST 23RD, 1964
A HARD DAYS NIGHT 2:30
J. Lennon-P. McCartney • Maclen Music, Inc./BMI
RECORDED AUGUST 30TH, 1965
HELP! 2:16
J. Lennon-P. McCartney • Maclen Music, Inc./BMI
RECORDED AUGUST 30TH, 1965
ALL MY LOVING 1:55
J. Lennon-P. McCartney • Maclen Music, Inc./BMI
RECORDED AUGUST 23RD, 1964
SHE LOVES YOU 2:10
J. Lennon-P. McCartney • Maclen Music, Inc./BMI
RECORDED AUGUST 23RD, 1964
LONG TALL SALLY 1:54
Johnson-Penniman-Blackwell • Venice Music, Inc./BMI
RECORDED AUGUST 23RD, 1964
ORIGINAL REMOTE RECORDING AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL FOR BOTH THE 1964 AND 1965 CONCERTS:
PRODUCED BY VOYLE GILMORE
RECORDING ENGINEER, 1964 CONCERT - HUGH DAVIES
RECORDING ENGINEER, 1965 CONCERT - PETER ABBOT
FINAL MIXDOWN AND SEQUENCING:
PRODUCED BY GEORGE MARTIN
RE-MIX ENGINEER: GEOFF EMERICK
AIR LONDON STUDIOS, JANUARY 1977
MASTERED BY WALLY TRAUGOTT AND GEOFF EMERICK
SPECIAL THANKS TO BRIAN MURPHY FOR HIS VALUABLE ASSISTANCE WITH THE BEATLES MEMORABILIA, OTTO ROTHSCHILD AND TO KEN VEEDER FOR CONCERT PHOTOS.
ART DIRECTION: ROY KOHARA
Over twelve years ago the Beatles appeared for the first time at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. It was not long after they had made their first impact on the United States, but already two years after I had signed them to a recording contract for EMI. Frankly, I was not in favor of taping their performance. I knew the quality of recording could not equal what we could do in the studio, but we thought we would try anyhow. Technically, the results were disappointing; the conditions for the engineers were arduous in the extreme. The chaos, I might almost say panic, that reigned at these concerts was unbelievable unless you were there. Only three track recording was possible; the Beatles had no “fold back” speakers, so they could not hear what they were singing, and the eternal shriek from 17,000 healthy, young lungs made even a jet plane inaudible.
A year later, in 1965, John, Paul, George and Ringo appeared again at The Hollywood Bowl and again Capitol taped the show for posterity, and there the tapes remained for over a decade. Neither the boys nor I considered they should be used because they consisted of titles that had already been issued as studio recordings, we often spoke of making a live recording, and in fact the ill-fated “Let It Be” album began as an attempt to make a live record of new material.
It was with some misgivings therefore that I agreed to listen to those early tapes at the request of Bhaskar Menon, Capitol’s president. The fact that they were the only live recordings of the Beatles in existence (if you discount inferior bootlegs) did not impress me. What did impress me, however, was the electric atmosphere and raw energy that came over.
And so, together with my recording engineer, Geoff Emerick, I set to work to bring the performance back to life. It was a labor of love, for we did not know if we could make them good enough for the world to hear – let alone John, Paul, George and Ringo.
We transferred the vintage three track tapes to modern multi-track, remixed, filtered, equalized and generally polished the tapes. Then, by careful editing from the two performances, we produced the performance that you hear now, obviously there has been no overdubbing. All the voices and instruments are the original performance (some of the vocal balances, with three singers on one track are evidence enough). But it is a piece of history that will not occur again.
Those of us who were lucky enough to be present at a live Beatle concert – be it in Liverpool, London, New York, Washigton, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Sydney or wherever – will know how amazing, how unique those performances were. It was not just the voice of the Beatles: it was expression of the young people of the world.
And for the others who wondered what on Earth all the fuss was about, this album may give a little clue. It may be a poor substitute for the reality of those times, but it is now all there is.
In the multiplatinum, sophisticated world we live in today, it is difficult to appreciate the excitement of the Beatles breakthrough. My youngest daughter, Lucy, now nine years old, once asked me about them, “You used to record them, didn’t you, Daddy?” she asked, “Were they as great as the Bay City Rollers?” “Probably not,” I replied. Some day she will find out.
Those who clamour for a Beatle reunion cannot see that it can never be the same again. The boys in their own way gave a great deal of their lives to us by being Beatles. And now they have found their own individual selves. Good luck to them. I am very proud to have been part of their story.
Thank you John, Paul, George and Ringo.
George Martin
ReplyDeleteThe Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl is a live album by the Beatles, released in May 1977, featuring songs compiled from three performances recorded at the Hollywood Bowl in August 1964 and August 1965.
The album was released by Capitol Records in the United States and Canada and on the Parlophone label in the United Kingdom. It was the band's first official live recording.
A remixed, remastered, and expanded version of the album, retitled Live at the Hollywood Bowl, was released on 9 September 2016, on CD for the first time, to coincide with the release of the documentary film The Beatles: Eight Days a Week, directed by Ron Howard.
The album was originally released as a vinyl LP in 4 May 1977. Though the recordings were 12 and 13 years old, the album reached number one on the New Musical Express chart in the UK and number two on the Billboard chart in the US. In France, a single was released featuring two songs from the LP: "Ticket to Ride" with "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" on the B-side.
As of 12 June 1977, it was one of three live albums in the Top Ten of the Billboard chart, alongside Barry Manilow Live (at number seven) and Marvin Gaye's Live at the London Palladium (at number nine), with the Beatles at number two.
The original 1977 album was also officially released simultaneously on 8-track tape and cassette but was not officially released on compact disc until 9 September 2016, when it was re-released worldwide as Live at the Hollywood Bowl. Shortly before the re-release date, a number of tracks were available for purchase and streaming early, and the album was available for pre-order on the iTunes Store.
The re-released album was simultaneously released as a digital download and made available on streaming services. It was also released on vinyl on 18 November 2016.
A music video of the performance of "Boys" was released to promote the remixed album.
Before the official digital release of the album, bootleggers circulated transfers of the LP, and complete recordings of the three concerts, on CD and the Internet.