Gone but not forgotten, Hard-to-find, Sampled

The Godfather 3

January 31, 2010May 25, 2012 Craig McAllister

I feel good! And so does my PC. Following a series of bangs, crashes, lost passwords and mis-firing emails, my old 20th century steam powered computer is back in the land of the living. So whilst the Antiques Roadshow were valuing it as a contemporary classic I’ve been busying myself listening to James Brown, the really early doo-wop influenced James Brown. Lo and behold, I get myself back online and discover that one of my pals has posted this on his Facebook page:

Mr Big Stuff, it’s surely a divine sign! I love the way he lets out one of those involuntary phlegmy ‘Huh!s’ towards the end. That’s why James Brown will never be bettered, if you ask me. Sadly, the self-styled Soul Brother #1 would never have done the Mashed Potato or the Tap Dancer to ‘Try Me’ or ‘Please Please Please’. Those dances were reserved for the BAM! 2,! 3! 4! BAM! 2,! 3! 4! funk-soul nuggets that earned him all those superlative-filled outrageous nick names. Tunes like ‘Cold Sweat’ or ‘There Was A Time’ or ‘Say It Loud (I’m Black & I’m Proud)’ sound great, but they look fantastic when The Entertainer breaks out one of his dance routines mid-song (Go to YouTube. Do not pass Go. Do not collect £200. Just Go! Now!)

The James Brown Revue began touring in 1960. Brown hired a tight, tight band who played for their lives with one eye on the crowd and both eyes on their leader. He’d point to the horn player at any given moment and expect him to blast out a note-perfect solo. He’d jab a finger at the drummer and expect him to ‘get wicked’ just like that. His band quickly learned to do just that because he’d fine them if they missed the first bar in any one of those jerky four-to-the-floor masterpieces. If they couldn’t take it to the bridge, it was the end of the road for them as musicians. But you knew all that already. In his Revue he’d always have some female company who would do a set at the start. Many of these women learned to give it up or turn it loose, so to speak, and they became on-the-road girlfriends of James Brown.

‘Marvellous’ Marva Whitney was one such lady. James Brown chose her set, sang duets on stage with her before his performance and generally did with her what he’d do with his other female singers. After a bit, Marva got fed up of Brown choosing her material and after trying but failing to become Mrs James Brown she left in a bit of a huff, though not before she’d recorded half a dozen or so funktastic solo tracks and the odd duet with James. She swapped one religious experience for another by becoming a God-fearin’, soul-stirrin’ minister in Kansas City. Here’s 3 of the most soulful and funkiest (and longest titled) she recorded with JB’s backing band.

Unwind Yourself

You Got To Have A Job (If You Don’t Work You Don’t Eat)

It’s My Thing (You Can’t Tell Me Who To Sock It To) Parts 1 &2

You’ll probably recognise riffs, melodies and tunes from elsewhere, not least other James Brown records.

I got to see James Brown live just the once. It was kinda tragic. Half way throught his set, Soul Brother #1 left for a quick costume change and while he did so, a magician came out and sawed a woman in half to the sound of Brown’s band playing furious funk. No kiddin’! It wasn’t that great really. The time I saw Prince, he was far better. Irony, huh?

Double Nugget, Hard-to-find

Denny Laine is in my ears and in my eyes

January 20, 2010January 20, 2010 Craig McAllister

S’another couple of tracks in my fairly infrequent Double Nuggets series, where I take a couple of rarely heard gems from the 60s and thrust them centre-stage and under the spotlight and give them their 15 minutes of fame.

First up, Say You Don’t Mind by Denny Laine’s Electric String Band. Recorded and released in Year Zero for psych-heads (1967) betwixt and between Laine’s stints in the Moody Blues and Wings, this track is pastoral English baroque-pop personified. Deram had high hopes for the single, but it wasn’t until 1972 that former Zombie Colin Blunstone helped it into the charts with his own version. Ironic, really, as Say You Don’t Mind would give anything from the Zombies Odessey & Oracle album a good run for it’s money. A glass-half-full optimistic strumalong full of upbeat joy (you get the idea), if you like yer Paul Weller pastoralised (is that even a word?) or yer Foxes Fleet of foot, this track’s for you.

Next, a band who came straight outta Mod Central. Sounding naffink like the track above, Brighton-based Penny Peeps were named (my grandfather tells me) after those saucy seaside gizmos you could put a penny in and see a girl undressing. Cheeky scamps. This is a band who, had they been invented way back then, would’ve had The Who’s first album on constant repeat on the old iPod. The guitars ring like Townshend’s and the backing vocals ‘ooh‘ and ‘ahh‘ like a lost demo of Substitute (listen out too for the “I can sit for hours and hours and hours and hours” line just after the minute mark – pure ‘oo!) Aye. A harmony-heavy hammond-enhanced mod stomping 2 minutes 54 seconds, these kids are alright. Here you go.

Blur Fanclub Singles, Cover Versions, demo, Dylanish, Gone but not forgotten, Hard-to-find, Kraut-y, Live!, Most downloaded tracks, Studio master tapes

Three! Free! Fae Me!

January 3, 2010January 4, 2010 Craig McAllister

Plain Or Pan is 3 years old and what better way to celebrate than with a compilation CD…..

Add your own Ronco/K-Tel voiceover:

Featuring the most popular downloads from last year’s blog, this compilation is the ideal taster for what Plain Or Pan is about. Covers, curios and the odd hard-to-find classic, this fantastic double CD is not available in the shops or from any good online retailers. Get it only at myTunes! Free! Today! Now!

Aye. It’s the ideal companion to last year’s double CD (still available here). Kicking off with the notorious Beatles Revolution take 20 outtake/outfake? that nearly melted Plain Or Pan for good in January last year, I’ve included some odd ball covers (Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed, the Dead Weather track), Fleet Foxes spin-offs (White Antelope), one of Johnny Marr’s favourite records (The Equals), rare fanclub-only releases (Blur), hardly-heard studio gems (The Temptations), demos (Marvin Gaye, The Pretenders), rarities (The La’s white label version of Timeless Melody – only 500 exist) and a whole lot more over 2 CDs. I’m rather proud of this wee compilation. It includes some nifty home-made artwork too! Right click on CD1 and CD2 below to download each CD in one go.

CD1 CD2

Complete tracklisting:

Disc 1

The Beatles – Revolution (take 20)

The Kinks – I Need You

Pop Levi – Blue Honey

The Temptations – Ball Of Confusion (unreleased version)

Booker T & the MGs – Sing A Simple Song

Ike & Tina Turner – Bold Soul Sister

Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed & the Trueloves – Ace Of Spades

Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On (demo)

Arctic Monkeys – Baby I’m Yours

Afghan Whigs – Band Of Gold

Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit (live)

The Soup Greens – Like A Rolling Stone

The La’s – Timeless Melody (GOLAS3 version)

Trash Can Sinatras – Snow

Super Furry Animals – Citizens Band

The Sundays – Wild Horses

Sparkelhorse/Danger Mouse feat Nina Persson – Daddy’s Gone

Disc 2

Glasvegas – The Prettiest Girl On Saltcoats Beach (full length version)

The Pretenders – Brass In Pocket (demo)

The Byrds – Mr Tambourine Man (vocal track)

Frank Blake – You Don’t Have To Cry

The Equals – Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys

The Fall – Lost In Music

Dead Weather – Are Friends Electric?

John Kongos – He’s Gonna Step On You Again

Grace Jones – Pull Up To The Bumper (12” mix)

Blur – Sing (To Me) (demo)

Inspiral Carpets – 96 Tears

Beck – Sunday Morning

White Antelope – It Ain’t Me Babe

Eddi Reader – Blues Run The Game

Stone Roses – Love Spreads (Guitar Track)

Neu! – Hallogallo

Cover Versions, Dylanish, Hard-to-find

Strokes Of Genius

December 20, 2009December 20, 2009 Craig McAllister

Huge big massive “Happy Christmases!” all round to anyone who visits here regularly, irregularly or by sheer pot luck. Aye, I’m looking at all you faceless trouser arouser browsers who stumble onto Plain Or Pan when your search engine inadvertedly directs you this way in your quest for ‘teenage fanny‘. Norman Blake & co would die if they knew how half the hits on their website materialised. Anyway, now you’re here, feel free to browse around at the tunes on offer. Like these two three belters….

Now That’s what I Call A Christmas Single!

The Doe-Eyed Doonican Delivers!

Julian Casablancas has released an uber-rare, uber-cool 7″ Christmas single. ‘I Wish It Was Christmas Today’ is limited to 500 copies worldwide, so if you’ve not already got it you’ll need to rob a bank before contemplating eBay. Aye. 500 copies. Worldwide. Which is a real catastrophe, as, no pun intended here, this record is a cracker. It reminds me a whole lot of Buzzcocks’ ‘Everybody’s Happy Nowadays’ (or is it Altered Images ‘I Could Be Happy‘? – Shit. It reminds me of both!) It’s a contemporary new wave classic that just happens to mention Christmas in the lyrics. And the song title. And the record sleeve. Which is a pity, cos I’m going to feel pretty stupid playing this on Saltcoats beach next July. But I shouldn’t.

“I don’t care ’bout anything ‘cept hearing those sleigh bells ring a ding ding”

Heard it yet? Whatcha waitin’ for?!?

Well. From the sublime at one end of the spectrum to the sublimer at the other. Sublimer? Is that even a word? Bob Dylan‘s Christmas album has came in for all sorts of snigger-snigger chuckle-chuckle reviews. Which I suppose was only to be expected. Old wheezy guy not known for jollity sings songs about Santa blah blah blah. Well, let me tell you this. The reviewers were wrong. Every last one of them. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Christmas In The Heart is a decent Dylan album. Decent inner sleeve too – see Betty Page above. Top notch production by Bob himself under the aptly named Jack White pseudonym. Like that Julian Casablancas single, I’d be happy listening to some of these songs in the height of the Scottish summer. It’ll probably be snowing then anyway. They’re (whisper it) better than some of the tracks on Dylan’s recent Together Through Life Tex-Mex snooze-fest. Judge for yourself…

Here Comes Santa Claus

Winter Wonderland

It’s only taken 20 years, but finally! Something to rival The Pogues for airplay in my house at this time of year.

With Christmas Day 5 sleeps away, this might be my last post until sometime between then and New Year. I hope to have some sort of audio present available for you to download at some point in the next fortnight. Drop by again. Even if you were only hoping to find some hardcore porn. A very different sort of strokes etc etc ad infinitum…

Jack Frost nipping at your nose. And ears.

Cover Versions, Gone but not forgotten, Hard-to-find, Sampled

A Right Coupla Tramps

December 20, 2009December 20, 2009 Craig McAllister

Now and again I’ll get emails from people requesting stuff. Sometimes specific (“Got any Mogwai outtakes?” – Nope.) Sometimes more general (“Can you re-post that (insert anything from the past 3 years) please – Come on! Gie’s a break! “More Smiths!” “Radiohead!” “White Stripes!” “More soul please!”) OK! OK! More soul I can do. I like my soul music a lot. I think I have all the relevant bases covered in my collection. Just to make sure, I listen every Saturday night to Craig Charles‘ excellent Funk and Soul show on BBC 6 Music. As it says on the tin, the show covers a whole range of funk and soul, from the rarest northern to the most commercial Motown, the downright wilfully obscure and elitist to the phatest tooth-loosening funk-heavy slab of right up to date contemporary release. It’s probably my favourite show on the radio, ideal for cooking to if the mood takes me. You’d like it. Click on the link above and give it a try.

Otis Redding and Carla Thomas.

Anyone know who the piano player is?

Nothing particularly obscure and elitist here though. I’ve had a bit of a Stax attack recently. My 9CD 68-71 Complete Stax/Volt Singles Box Set has been given a good going over and Carla Thomas & Otis Redding‘s Tramp has had a fair few plays. When you hear the pistol crack drums and tight-as-a-teenage boy’s trousers horn section, it’s no surprise to learn it’s been heavily sampled by hip hoppers across the globe. Especially as there’s an instrumental version that made it out the Stax vaults a few years ago. The piano riff, with it’s big bluesy bass notes really does it for me. Who says white men can’t dance? If you want to listen to the complete track, here it is. If you fancy a bit of bedroom remixing, here‘s the instrumental track.

Tramp was also covered by Lowell Fulson. A fairly straightforward rendition, it’s still worth a listen. The guitar sound during the solo on Lowell’s track reminds me a lot of this…

‘Baby Let Me Take You (In My Arms)’ by the Detroit Emeralds. I posted it a while ago, and I’m putting it back up purely because it’s a stone cold soul classic. It’s maybe not a piece you’re familiar with, but you’ll certainly recognise it. Doing their best John Peel impression, De La Soul took the intro, played it at 45 instead of 33 and used it as the basis for their ‘Say No Go’ single. You can read more about De La Souls’ other sampling delights here and here. And before you ask – Sorry. I cannae re-post the files. They’ve been missing since the internet police found them and nearly closed this blog down. Hence the reason I don’t re-post old stuff. The Grinch, that’s what they call me at home.

Postscript – I’m A Numpty

Oh dear! Thanks to the ever vigilant amongst you I now know that;

1. That’s Booker T in the picture above. How could I fail to recognise the greatest ever organ grinder alive? Duh.

2. Lowell Fulson wrote and recorded the original version of Tramp. Otis & Carla’s version is, indeed, the cover version. Oops.

My team of highly paid researchers are at this moment being emailed their P45s. Thanks to James and Cold Iron Kevin who pointed this out.

Cover Versions, entire show, Hard-to-find

All Tomorrow’s (Christmas) Parties

December 15, 2009 Craig McAllister

D’you think the irony has been lost on the three quarters of a million sheep-like Facebook users who’ve signed up to get Rage Against The Machine to number 1 with a song who’s main hook repeats “Fuck you I won’t do what you tell me” about 327 times?

A better choice of download for Christmas number 1 would be this, if it were commercially available. Beck does the Velvet Underground‘s ‘Sunday Morning‘. It’s gorgeous. It’s the first track on the Velvet Underground & Nico album. But you knew that already. It’s also the first track from the first album in Beck’s irregular Record Club, available to view in video form over at beck.com. But you probably knew that already too. He’s since put up the second instalement (Songs of Leonard Cohen), but, hey, you know me, Hardly hip to the jive, I’m always half a funky footstep away from what’s goin’ down with the kids.

The whole album has been recorded with an assortment of special guests, and it’s a pretty faithful re-recording. Bits of it sound like the Beta Band (especially the pots n’ pans rattling take on I’m Waiting For The Man) Other parts sound a bit like (dig the irony again) Spiritualized and Spacemen 3, two bands who’d arguably never have been born without a love affair with all things Velvet. Anyway, the whole thing is worth hearing. Download slowly and see, here.

See you later, gotta run run run. Ouch.

Cover Versions, Gone but not forgotten, Hard-to-find

Led Zeppelin. Lionel Richie and Buddy Holly. My 6 Degrees of Separation.

December 7, 2009 Craig McAllister

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. Not only the words of the most famous golfer on the planet, also the words of me, the laziest blogger on the planet. It’s been over a month since my last post. I don’t really know where the time’s gone, but since that last post I’ve managed to turn 40, see the Trashcan Sinatras live 3 times (and it would’ve been 4 if I hadn’t been car shopping) and developed an unhealthy addiction to The Beatles Rockband on the Wii. So, time put to good use then. But I need to get back in the groove. I’ve got lots of blogging to do and seemingly not enough time to do it. So tonight I’m giving you 4 tracks – 3 obscurios and a Buddy Holly-related stone-cold rock n roll classic (more of that later).

First up, Alex Chilton‘s fantastic swing-jazz acoustic version of My Baby Just Cares For Me. If I was good enough on the guitar, this song would be my New Year party piece. Released in 1994, My Baby… found it’s way onto the record racks via Alex’s ‘Cliches‘ album, a vastly under-rated album of covers of standards that sold just less than zilch (Rod Stewart hit paydirt with a similar set of songs a few years later. Tssk.) As always, Chilton’s guitar playing on the album is to the fore. Soulful, jazzy and unpretentious, but flashy as fuck when he wants to be. Seek it out.

I’ve written a few bits ‘n pieces about Blondie before, but I don’t think I’ve posted this track. It’s the mega-rare French vocal version of Sunday Girl. Debbie Harry! Singing in French! Are you sitting down? It made me go weak at the knees. Beware!

Next up, a screamin’ and a hollerrin’ Little Richard pounding the Stones Brown Sugar into submission. High of pompadour and high of camp, I’m sure he sings ‘hear him screaming just about midnight’ at one point, making it more ambiguous and less about the black girls that Mick Jagger sang about. SuBO and your advisers take note, this is how a Rolling Stones cover should sound.

I’ve kept the best till last. I Fought The Law is better known in it’s incarnation as the all-out sonic assault on the ears by yer Clash, but you knew that already. You probably also know that the original was recorded in 1959 by a post-Buddy Holly Crickets, with Sonny Curtis on vocals. The Bobby Fuller Four recorded the best known of these early versions in 1965, and its this version that provided The Clash with the blueprint for their track. Listen out for the drum break at the ‘robbin’ people with a six gun’ bit if you don’t believe me. Apparently it’s none other then Barry White in pre Walrus Of Love days providing that very drum break, even if he didn’t make the group shot for the album sleeve above. Alex James from Blur said it on Radio 6 a few months ago and it’s a fact (?) that’s stuck with me since.

The reason I’ve included the Bobby Fuller track is purely for the crass excuse to name drop. After one of those Trashcan’s shows I mentioned, I was introduced to their new bass player, Frank Divanna. A fantastic musician who plays the bass like he’s wrestling a 12 foot long python, he regailed me with tales of session work with Lionel Richie, who had made for him a customised set of on stage ear pieces, presumably so that when Lionel sang ‘Hello…’, Frank could actually hear him say those words. (Laugh now.) He told me about the session work he does with any number of established musicians (Pearl Jam) as well as up and coming artists. And he told me about the project he’s working on with Tracy Bonham, daughter of Led Zep sticksman John Bonham. Apparently her house is full of original Zeppelin equipment, artifacts and the likes, but Frank seemed quite blase about this fact. Not so the next part. Recording a track, Tracy said that the song needed some dobro guitar on it and handed him this exquisite old instrument. “Be careful with that,” she said. “It was my dad’s…..and it belonged to Buddy Holly before him.” (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I’ve shook the hand of someone who’s held Buddy Holly’s guitar. That makes me part of rock ‘n roll’s true bloodline, surely?

Cover Versions, entire show, Gone but not forgotten, Hard-to-find, Live!

Free Us From Nancy Spungen-Fixated Heroin A-Holes Who Cling To Our Greatest Groups and Suck Out Their Brains

October 28, 2009October 28, 2009 Craig McAllister

Halloween’s Coming, Halloween’s Coming. Skeletons will be after you. No they won’t, but at least it gives me a half-arsed excuse to post some Nirvana on here for the first time.

I like Nirvana a lot. I’ve been going through something of a reunion with them every day in the car to work this week. They blow the cobwebs off before a hard day at the coal face, that’s for sure. Nevermind still sounds freakin’ A or awesome or whatever superlative those college frat boys would use to describe it back in the day. That the band became globally massive because of it (and ultimately why Kurt Cobain chose to blow his stupid brains out a few years later) is not up for debate. In 1991, music lovers needed something new and, unless you were Luke Haines (see Wikipedia, buy his book) Nevermind arrived at just the right moment in time. In my own wee part of the world Joe Bloggs flares had become recognised as the joke they always were. Morrissey quiffs that had already been outgrown into crappy bowl cuts (mine included) were looking for another new hairstyle to approximate. Reni hats had been put to the back of the drawer and wouldn’t see the light of day until the wattery fart that was The Second Coming. I’m sure your own wee part of the world was no different. Nirvana’s Nevermind blew all that away. And how. But you knew that already.

nirvana

I worked in Our Price when Nevermind came out. I had been there for 2 weeks. The album sold out the first day (the Our Price buying team at Head Office were notoriously frugal with first day orders – we probably had 5 copies to sell). The distributors couldn’t keep up with demand and it was a full week later before we had any more copies in stock. Round about this time, Nirvana played Glasgow University’s QM Union. An old throwback to the 70s rep visiting the store put the store manager plus 3 on the guest list for the gig. Magic. Except that the store manager didn’t want to go. “Heavy metal shite” was what he said. Seeing as he was the only driver, the fact that it would be a late show and that none of us knew anyone with a floor to go back to in the wee small hours, none of us went. I’m still pissed off about it to this day. Aye, Hollins. I’m talking about you.

kurt

Anyway…..On 31st october 1991, Halloween night itself, Nirvana found themselves playing to a hometown crowd at Seattle’s Paramount Theater. Nevermind was only about 2 months old by this point. Nirvana had just returned from a triumphant British tour (Grrr) and the band were far from the jaded, cynical version that would tour subsequent albums. Their set was captured by the sound desk in all its ragged punk glory. It was such a good set (see below) and recording that it was once mooted as an official live Nirvana release. The version of School from the show made its way onto the b-side of the Come As You Are single. If you have that at home, you’ll know how pristine, exciting and definitive a recording this is, but the rest of the tracks remained in the vaults until some enterprising bootleger liberated it and put it on the internet.

Jesus Doesn’t Want Me For A Sunbeam
Aneurysm
Drain You
School
Floyd The Barber
Smells Like Teen Spirit
About A Girl
Polly
Breed
Sliver
Love Buzz
Lithium
Been A Son
Negative Creep
On A Plain
Blew
Rape Me
Territorial Pissings
Endless, Nameless

Try before you buy – here’s mp3s of Smells Like Teen Spirit and About A Girl. Good, eh? Now get the whole shebang here.

*BONUS TRACK!

A band who’s quiffs defiantly stand proud to this day – Glasvegas do Come As You Are. Downbeat, slow and wee Glasgow ned-like in delivery, it’s something approaching aural methadone (I imagine). S’good! Here ye go.

POST SCRIPT

After Kurt Cobain killed himself, Julian Cope took out full page ads in the UK music press denouncing Courtney Love. The ads were brilliant. I’ve searched in all the darkest corners of the internet, but I can’t find a picture of any of them. I’m sure Cope wrote a whole big long rant, but I can’t find anything other than the quote I used to title this piece:

‘Free Us From Nancy Spungen-Fixated Heroin A-Holes Who Cling To Our Greatest Groups and Suck Out Their Brains.’

But, yeah, you knew that already.

Hard-to-find

Get Well Soon Morrissey!

October 25, 2009 Craig McAllister

Taken from the BBC website a couple of minutes ago…

Morrissey collapses during show

Morrissey suffered breathing difficulties

Former Smiths singer Morrissey has been taken to hospital after collapsing on stage with breathing difficulties.

Eyewitnesses said the 50-year-old fell to the floor during a performance of his former band’s song This Charming Man at Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon.

Two of his current band’s members took him off stage and an ambulance took him to Great Western Hospital, where his condition was described as “stable”.

The singer has cancelled several dates this year because of illness.

You can get the rest of the story here. It should provide a feast of puntastic headlines for clueless NME writers – Morrissey – Still Ill! etc etc blah blah blah…

Cover Versions, entire show, Gone but not forgotten, Hard-to-find, Live!

Requests, Repeats and a Rockin’ Ringo Starr

October 23, 2009October 23, 2009 Craig McAllister

I’d been meaning to re-post this excellent Beatles show a couple of weeks ago when the world was going Beatles mad and I re-posted the best of the Beatles posts I’d done, but somehow I forgot to upload it at the time and I thought, “Ach, I’ll do it later…” Spurred on by a request from reader FC3 (as well as other requests in the past) I’m re-posting it here, right now, today. The original files were deleted by persons unknown during the great DMCA clampdown of November 08. Don’t be surprised if the new files are also removed by the internet police. Act fast! What follows is the original post from November 2007 along with newly updated download links and an MP3 sample.

“WE LOVE DISTORTION!”

So sayeth John Lennon. I can’t believe I haven’t posted anything Beatles-related at all until now. This post more than makes up for it. The music contained herein is cracking. What makes it all the more amazing is that this recording is of a radio show and is over 40 years old. It’s amazing to think these recordings exist, let alone in good quality. God knows who originally recorded it, or how they recorded it, but somehow they did, and thanks to the wonders of the internet, it’s all here. First though, the history part.

In 1963, as a live phenomenon, The Beatles were at the top of their game. Their years of playing extended sets in Hamburg had taught them how to handle a crowd. Their own fantastic songwriting talent was emerging and many of these songs were yet to be committed to vinyl. In a couple of years time they would be a spent force on the live stage. Limitations in their equipment couldn’t match the increasingly bigger venues the band were playing. This show was recorded for Swedish Radio at Karplan Studios in Stockholm on October 24th 1963. It captures the Beatles playing their early 60s set, drawing on a mixture of originals and covers. From Paul’s “2, 3, 4″ count-in onwards, this set sounds like proto-punk. The playing is spot-on. The vocal harmonies are tight and Ringo’s backeat holds it all together. There’s a John one (From Me To You), a Paul one (I Saw Her Standing There), a George one (Roll Over Beethoven), a fast one (Money), a slow one (You Really Got A Hold On Me) and all the big hits (She Loves You, Twist & Shout). And it’s all in crystal clear high fidelity mp3 (!)

Hans Westman was the studio engineer for Swedish radio. “The worst recordings I’ve ever made,” he said. “Totally chaotic. No time for rehearsals.” The studio wasn’t best equipped for recording a ‘beat group’ and there were problems overcoming the UK plugs on the Vox amps. But once sorted, The Beatles simply plugged in and played. Westman couldn’t apologise enough for his poor sound, but Lennon loved this recording. “We love distortion!“ Not long before he died in1980 he said that these were the best live recordings The Beatles ever made. And who can argue?

1. Introduction
2. I Saw Her Standing There
3. From Me To You
4. Money
5. Roll Over Beethoven
6. You Really Got A Hold On Me
7. She Loves You
8. Twist And Shout

You need this. It’s brilliant. Try before you buy? Here‘s an mp3 of Twist & Shout. The entire show is available here as a rar file., from me to you (arf).