Live at the BBC (The Beatles album)
Encyclopedia
Live at the BBC is a 1994 compilation album featuring performances by The Beatles
that were originally broadcast on various BBC Light Programme
radio shows from 1963 through 1965. The monaural
album, available in multiple formats but most commonly as a two-CD set, consists of 56 songs and 13 tracks of dialogue; 30 of the songs had never been issued previously by The Beatles. It was the first official release by The Beatles of previously unissued performances since The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl
in 1977, and the first containing previously unreleased songs since Let It Be in 1970.
Although the songs were recorded ahead of broadcast, allowing for retakes and occasional overdubbing
, they are essentially "live in studio" performances. Most of the songs are cover version
s of material from the late 1950s and early 1960s, reflecting the stage set they developed before Beatlemania
. Before the album's release, comprehensive collections of The Beatles' BBC performances had become available on bootlegs
.
programmes, beginning with an appearance on the series Teenager's Turn—Here We Go, recorded on 7 March 1962, and ending with the special The Beatles Invite You to Take a Ticket to Ride, recorded on 26 May 1965. Forty-seven of their BBC appearances occurred in 1963 and 1964, including ten on Saturday Club
, and fifteen on their own weekly series Pop Go The Beatles which began in June 1963. As The Beatles had not accumulated many original songs by this time, the majority of their BBC performances consisted of cover versions, drawing on the repertoire that they had developed for their early stage act. In total, 275 performances of 88 different songs were broadcast, of which 36 songs never appeared on their studio albums.
Several of the programmes aired live, but most were recorded days (or occasionally weeks) ahead of the broadcast date. The BBC's studio facilities were not as advanced as those at Abbey Road
, offering only monaural recording (no multitracking
) and basic overdubbing; few retakes of songs could be attempted owing to time limitations. It was not the BBC's practice to archive either the session tapes or the shows' master tapes, owing to storage space and contractual restrictions.
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of their first BBC appearance, the BBC (nicknamed "the Beeb") aired the two-hour radio special "The Beatles at the Beeb" in 1982, featuring a mix of BBC performances and interviews (the show was expanded to three hours when syndicated to other countries). The more comprehensive series The Beeb's Lost Beatles Tapes
was broadcast by BBC Radio 1
in 1988 as 14 half-hour episodes. When gathering material for that series, only a small number of original tapes were found; many more performances were obtained from vinyl recordings of the programmes that the BBC Transcription Department had made to distribute to BBC stations around the world.
By that time, a 13-album bootleg series had appeared under the title The Beatles at the Beeb, featuring many previously unavailable performances. This was surpassed in 1993 by The Complete BBC Sessions, a nine-CD box set released by Great Dane in Italy, where copyright protection for the broadcasts had expired; the set contained performances from 44 of The Beatles' 52 BBC appearances, including many complete shows.
From the available recordings, the tracks for Live at the BBC were selected by longtime Beatles producer George Martin
. Martin's selection criteria included both the quality of the sound and of The Beatles' performance. Of particular interest were the 36 songs that The Beatles never performed on their official releases, of which 30 were selected for the album. Three of the six omitted were from 1962 (none of the 1962 recordings were judged to be of commercial sound quality): Roy Orbison's
"Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)
", The Coasters
' arrangement of "Bésame Mucho
", and Joe Brown's
"A Picture of You", all with Pete Best
on drums. Two others, from early 1963, also were omitted for substandard sound: Stephen Foster's
"Beautiful Dreamer
" and Chuck Berry's
"I'm Talking About You
". The reason for the omission of the final song of the six, Carl Perkins
' "Lend Me Your Comb
" from July 1963, was not clear as it had very good sound quality, and it was speculated that it was held back for inclusion on a later release; the song was indeed issued the following year on Anthology 1
.
The selected songs included "I'll Be on My Way
", the only Lennon/McCartney
composition that The Beatles recorded for the BBC with no available studio version. The Buddy Holly-style ballad was their first composition to be "given away" without The Beatles attempting to record it for their own release. The song was given to Billy J. Kramer
, another artist managed by Brian Epstein
recording for Parlophone
, who released it in the United Kingdom as the B-side of a cover version of "Do You Want to Know a Secret". Also included is a cover version of "Clarabella
", a song that had been written for and recorded by The Jodimars
, a group made up of former members of Bill Haley & His Comets
.
In all, 56 songs were chosen for the album, along with some banter among the group and the hosts. Abbey Road engineer Peter Mew
used audio manipulation software to reduce noise, repair minor dropouts, and equalise
to a more consistent sound from one track to the next. The resulting sound quality was considered generally better than the best equivalent bootlegged versions available at the time, although a small number of tracks were noted as exceptions.
Live at the BBC was released on 30 November 1994 in the UK (Apple/Parlophone PCSP 726), and on 6 December 1994 in the United States (Apple/Capitol CDP 7243-8-31796-2-6). The track listing on the back of the CD case inadvertently included the word "Top" at the start of the song title "So How Come (No One Loves Me)"; the listing was corrected for the 2001 reissue. When "Baby It's You" was released as a single in March 1995, it contained three other BBC songs that were not included in the album.
album chart and reached number 1 on the UK Albums Chart
. The album sold an estimated 8 million copies worldwide during its first year of release.
A reviewer for Time
said that the collection contained "few buried treasures", but "as a time capsule, the set is invaluable." Another reviewer described it as "worth hearing" even though the album is a "quaint memento" in which The Beatles sound "scruffy and fairly tame". Anthony DeCurtis
, writing for Rolling Stone
, was more enthusiastic, calling the album "an exhilarating portrait of a band in the process of shaping its own voice and vision" while noting the "irresistible" spirit and energy of the performances.
This album would go on to receive a Grammy nomination for Best Historical Album, although it did not win the award.
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
that were originally broadcast on various BBC Light Programme
BBC Light Programme
The Light Programme was a BBC radio station which broadcast mainstream light entertainment and music from 1945 until 1967, when it was rebranded as BBC Radio 2...
radio shows from 1963 through 1965. The monaural
Monaural
Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path...
album, available in multiple formats but most commonly as a two-CD set, consists of 56 songs and 13 tracks of dialogue; 30 of the songs had never been issued previously by The Beatles. It was the first official release by The Beatles of previously unissued performances since The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl
The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl
The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl is a live album released in May 1977 featuring songs by The Beatles compiled from two live performances at the Hollywood Bowl during August 1964 and August 1965...
in 1977, and the first containing previously unreleased songs since Let It Be in 1970.
Although the songs were recorded ahead of broadcast, allowing for retakes and occasional overdubbing
Overdubbing
Overdubbing is a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance....
, they are essentially "live in studio" performances. Most of the songs are cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of material from the late 1950s and early 1960s, reflecting the stage set they developed before Beatlemania
Beatlemania
Beatlemania is a term that originated during the 1960s to describe the intense fan frenzy directed toward The Beatles during the early years of their success...
. Before the album's release, comprehensive collections of The Beatles' BBC performances had become available on bootlegs
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
.
Recording
The Beatles performed for 52 BBC RadioBBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
programmes, beginning with an appearance on the series Teenager's Turn—Here We Go, recorded on 7 March 1962, and ending with the special The Beatles Invite You to Take a Ticket to Ride, recorded on 26 May 1965. Forty-seven of their BBC appearances occurred in 1963 and 1964, including ten on Saturday Club
Saturday Club (BBC radio)
Saturday Club was an influential BBC radio programme in Britain, broadcast on the Light Programme and later Radio 1 between 1957 and 1969. It was one of the earliest - and for several years almost the only - radio programme in the country to broadcast pop music...
, and fifteen on their own weekly series Pop Go The Beatles which began in June 1963. As The Beatles had not accumulated many original songs by this time, the majority of their BBC performances consisted of cover versions, drawing on the repertoire that they had developed for their early stage act. In total, 275 performances of 88 different songs were broadcast, of which 36 songs never appeared on their studio albums.
Several of the programmes aired live, but most were recorded days (or occasionally weeks) ahead of the broadcast date. The BBC's studio facilities were not as advanced as those at Abbey Road
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
, offering only monaural recording (no multitracking
Multitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
) and basic overdubbing; few retakes of songs could be attempted owing to time limitations. It was not the BBC's practice to archive either the session tapes or the shows' master tapes, owing to storage space and contractual restrictions.
Earlier collections and presentations
The first collection of Beatles BBC performances was the bootleg album Yellow Matter Custard, issued in 1971, consisting of 14 songs that were probably off-air home recordings made during the original radio broadcasts. Some additional performances with similar "tinny" sound appeared on other bootlegs in the following years; then in 1980, the bootleg The Beatles Broadcasts was released featuring 18 BBC songs with superior sound quality.To commemorate the 20th anniversary of their first BBC appearance, the BBC (nicknamed "the Beeb") aired the two-hour radio special "The Beatles at the Beeb" in 1982, featuring a mix of BBC performances and interviews (the show was expanded to three hours when syndicated to other countries). The more comprehensive series The Beeb's Lost Beatles Tapes
The Beeb's Lost Beatles Tapes
The Beeb's Lost Beatles Tapes was a music documentary series presented by Richard Skinner, comprising 14 half-hour episodes, broadcast on BBC Radio 1 between October 1 and December 31, 1988...
was broadcast by BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
in 1988 as 14 half-hour episodes. When gathering material for that series, only a small number of original tapes were found; many more performances were obtained from vinyl recordings of the programmes that the BBC Transcription Department had made to distribute to BBC stations around the world.
By that time, a 13-album bootleg series had appeared under the title The Beatles at the Beeb, featuring many previously unavailable performances. This was surpassed in 1993 by The Complete BBC Sessions, a nine-CD box set released by Great Dane in Italy, where copyright protection for the broadcasts had expired; the set contained performances from 44 of The Beatles' 52 BBC appearances, including many complete shows.
Compilation and release
An official Beatles BBC album was being planned as early as 1989, and it was reported that "EMI was preparing an album" of the BBC material by late 1991. To supplement the archive he had partially rebuilt for The Beeb's Lost Beatles Tapes, BBC Radio producer Kevin Howlett sought out additional sources, such as tapes kept by people involved in the original sessions; others had contacted him after the series aired to inform him of their own home recordings of additional broadcasts. Remaining gaps were filled by recordings taken from available bootlegs.From the available recordings, the tracks for Live at the BBC were selected by longtime Beatles producer George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
. Martin's selection criteria included both the quality of the sound and of The Beatles' performance. Of particular interest were the 36 songs that The Beatles never performed on their official releases, of which 30 were selected for the album. Three of the six omitted were from 1962 (none of the 1962 recordings were judged to be of commercial sound quality): Roy Orbison's
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
"Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)
Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)
"Dream Baby " is the title of a song written by Cindy Walker which was first recorded and released by Roy Orbison in 1962....
", The Coasters
The Coasters
The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group that had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and "Young Blood", their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing team of Leiber and Stoller...
' arrangement of "Bésame Mucho
Bésame Mucho
"Bésame Mucho" is a Spanish language song written in 1940 by Mexican songwriter Consuelo Velázquez.-Inspiration:According to Velázquez herself, she wrote this song even though she had never been kissed yet at the time, and kissing as she heard was considered a sin.She was inspired by the piano...
", and Joe Brown's
Joe Brown (singer)
Joe Brown, MBE is an English entertainer.He has worked as a rock and roll singer and guitarist for more than five decades. He was a stage and television performer in the late 1950s and a UK recording star in the early 1960s...
"A Picture of You", all with Pete Best
Pete Best
Pete Best is a British musician, best known as the original drummer in The Beatles. He was born in the city of Madras, British India...
on drums. Two others, from early 1963, also were omitted for substandard sound: Stephen Foster's
Stephen Foster
Stephen Collins Foster , known as the "father of American music", was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century...
"Beautiful Dreamer
Beautiful Dreamer
"Beautiful Dreamer" is a parlor song by Stephen Foster . It was published posthumously in March 1864 by Wm. A. Pond & Co. of New York. The first edition declares on the title page that "Beautiful Dreamer" is "the last song ever written by Stephen C. Foster. Composed but a few days prior to his...
" and Chuck Berry's
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
"I'm Talking About You
I'm Talking about You
I'm Talking About You is a song by Chuck Berry, released by him in 1961.Cover versions: The Hollies , The Animals, The Yardbirds, The Rolling Stones, Roger Chapman, The Beatles I'm Talking About You is a song by Chuck Berry, released by him in 1961.Cover versions: The Hollies (in Stay with the...
". The reason for the omission of the final song of the six, Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins
Carl Lee Perkins was an American rockabilly musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning during 1954...
' "Lend Me Your Comb
Lend Me Your Comb
"Lend Me Your Comb" was a song written by Kay Twomey, Fred Wise and Ben Weisman and published by Alamo Music, ASCAP. It was originally the B-Side of Carl Perkins' "Glad All Over" single, released December 1957 on Sun Records as Sun 287 by "The Rockin' Guitar Man". This was Carl Perkins' last single...
" from July 1963, was not clear as it had very good sound quality, and it was speculated that it was held back for inclusion on a later release; the song was indeed issued the following year on Anthology 1
Anthology 1
Anthology 1 is a compilation album by The Beatles, released by Apple Records in November 1995. It was released as the first part of the Anthology trilogy of albums with Anthology 2 and Anthology 3, all of which tie-in with the televised special The Beatles Anthology. It contains "Free as a Bird",...
.
The selected songs included "I'll Be on My Way
I'll Be on My Way
"I'll Be on My Way" is a Lennon–McCartney song, which was first released on 26 April 1963 by Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas as the b-side of their single "Do You Want to Know a Secret", a song also written by Lennon–McCartney. The single reached number two in the UK charts while "From Me to You"...
", the only Lennon/McCartney
Lennon/McCartney
The Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership is one of the best-known and most successful musical collaborations in history...
composition that The Beatles recorded for the BBC with no available studio version. The Buddy Holly-style ballad was their first composition to be "given away" without The Beatles attempting to record it for their own release. The song was given to Billy J. Kramer
Billy J. Kramer
Billy J. Kramer is a British Invasion/Merseybeat singer. In the 1960s he was managed by Brian Epstein, who also managed The Beatles, and he recorded several original Lennon and McCartney compositions.-Early life and career:He grew up as the youngest of seven siblings and attended the St George of...
, another artist managed by Brian Epstein
Brian Epstein
Brian Samuel Epstein , was an English music entrepreneur, and is best known for being the manager of The Beatles up until his death. He also managed several other musical artists such as Gerry & the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Cilla Black, The Remo Four & The Cyrkle...
recording for Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
, who released it in the United Kingdom as the B-side of a cover version of "Do You Want to Know a Secret". Also included is a cover version of "Clarabella
Clarabella (song)
Clarabella is a pop song composed by Frank Pingatore and recorded by The Jodimars in 1956. Today, it is best known for being recorded by The Beatles for the radio programme "Pop Go the Beatles" on 2 July 1963, which was broadcast on the 16th of that month...
", a song that had been written for and recorded by The Jodimars
The Jodimars
The Jodimars was an American rock and roll band that was formed in the summer of 1955 and remained active until 1958. The band was created by former members of Bill Haley & His Comets who had quit that group in a salary dispute...
, a group made up of former members of Bill Haley & His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets was an American rock and roll band that was founded in 1952 and continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band, also known by the names Bill Haley and The Comets and Bill Haley's Comets , was the earliest group of white musicians to bring rock and roll to the attention of...
.
In all, 56 songs were chosen for the album, along with some banter among the group and the hosts. Abbey Road engineer Peter Mew
Peter Mew
Peter Mew is a British music audio engineer at Abbey Road Studios where he is now senior mastering engineer. He came to Abbey Road in 1965 as a tape operator and has since worked with many artists at the studio...
used audio manipulation software to reduce noise, repair minor dropouts, and equalise
Equalization
Equalization, is the process of adjusting the balance between frequency components within an electronic signal. The most well known use of equalization is in sound recording and reproduction but there are many other applications in electronics and telecommunications. The circuit or equipment used...
to a more consistent sound from one track to the next. The resulting sound quality was considered generally better than the best equivalent bootlegged versions available at the time, although a small number of tracks were noted as exceptions.
Live at the BBC was released on 30 November 1994 in the UK (Apple/Parlophone PCSP 726), and on 6 December 1994 in the United States (Apple/Capitol CDP 7243-8-31796-2-6). The track listing on the back of the CD case inadvertently included the word "Top" at the start of the song title "So How Come (No One Loves Me)"; the listing was corrected for the 2001 reissue. When "Baby It's You" was released as a single in March 1995, it contained three other BBC songs that were not included in the album.
Reception
Live at the BBC peaked at number 3 on the U.S. Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
album chart and reached number 1 on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. The album sold an estimated 8 million copies worldwide during its first year of release.
A reviewer for Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
said that the collection contained "few buried treasures", but "as a time capsule, the set is invaluable." Another reviewer described it as "worth hearing" even though the album is a "quaint memento" in which The Beatles sound "scruffy and fairly tame". Anthony DeCurtis
Anthony DeCurtis
Anthony DeCurtis is an American author and music critic, who has written for Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Relix and other publications.-Career:...
, writing for Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, was more enthusiastic, calling the album "an exhilarating portrait of a band in the process of shaping its own voice and vision" while noting the "irresistible" spirit and energy of the performances.
This album would go on to receive a Grammy nomination for Best Historical Album, although it did not win the award.
Track listing
Source programmes
The show's title and original broadcast date for each track, with the recording date in parentheses:- Track 1 – The Public Ear, 3 November 1963 (9 October 1963)
- Tracks 2, 32, 33, 34, 38, 39, 40, and 41 – From Us to You, 30 March 1964 (28 February 1964)
- Tracks 3, 43, 52, and 53 – Top GearTop Gear (radio show)Top Gear was originally a short-lived pop music show on the BBC Light Programme in the mid-1960s.- Origin and format :It was one of the Corporation's few attempts to compete with the pirate radio stations and Radio Luxembourg, who had attracted large audiences of young British pop music listeners...
, 26 November 1964 (17 November 1964) - Tracks 4 and 26 – Pop Go The Beatles, 13 August 1963 (16 July 1963)
- Track 5 – Pop Go The Beatles, 10 September 1963 (3 September 1963)
- Track 6 – Saturday ClubSaturday Club (BBC radio)Saturday Club was an influential BBC radio programme in Britain, broadcast on the Light Programme and later Radio 1 between 1957 and 1969. It was one of the earliest - and for several years almost the only - radio programme in the country to broadcast pop music...
, 26 January 1963 (22 January 1963) - Track 7 – Side by Side, 24 June 1963 (4 April 1963)
- Tracks 8, 13, 14, 62, and 63 – Pop Go The Beatles, 11 June 1963 (1 June 1963)
- Tracks 9, 64, 65, and 66 – Pop Go The Beatles, 27 August 1963 (1 August 1963)
- Track 10 – Pop Go The Beatles, 18 June 1963 (1 June 1963)
- Tracks 11 and 12 – Easy BeatEasy Beat (BBC radio)Easy Beat was a BBC radio programme broadcast nationally in the UK on the Light Programme on Sunday mornings, between 1960 and 1967. It was one of the earliest BBC programmes to broadcast pop music...
, 23 June 1963 (19 June 1963) - Tracks 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 – Pop Go The Beatles, 16 July 1963 (2 July 1963)
- Tracks 20, 21, 24, 28, and 58 – Pop Go The Beatles, 6 August 1963 (16 July 1963)
- Tracks 22 and 23 – Saturday Club, 24 August 1963 (30 July 1963)
- Tracks 25, 44, 45, 46, 47, 51, and 69 – Pop Go The Beatles, 23 July 1963 (10 July 1963)
- Track 27 – Easy Beat, 20 October 1963 (16 October 1963)
- Track 29 – Saturday Club, 15 February 1964 (7 January 1964)
- Tracks 30, 48, 59, and 60 – Pop Go The Beatles, 30 July 1963 (10 July 1963)
- Track 31 – Saturday Club, 5 October 1963 (7 September 1963)
- Tracks 35, 36, 37, and 42 – Top Gear, 16 July 1964 (14 July 1964)
- Tracks 49, 50, and 67 – Pop Go The Beatles, 20 August 1963 (16 July 1963)
- Tracks 54 and 55 – Saturday Club, 26 December 1964 (25 November 1964)
- Tracks 56 and 57 – The Beatles Invite You to Take a Ticket to Ride, 6 June 1965 (26 May 1965)
- Track 61 – From Us to You, 18 May 1964 (1 May 1964)
- Track 68 – Pop Go The Beatles, 3 September 1963 (1 August 1963)
Personnel
- John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes... - Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
– vocals, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - George HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, vocals - Ringo StarrRingo StarrRichard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, vocals