The Beatles Archives / Beatles on DVD: FAQ

The Beatles Archives / The Beatles on DVD FAQ

• What is the purpose of these twin sites?
• How are they different from all the other Beatles sites?
• How do I find my way around?
• What do the various colours on each page mean?
• Do you offer any downloadable audio or video files?
• Why can't I find some of the videos/bootlegs I have on your sites?
• Why do some of the timings you indicate differ from my sources'?
• Do you sell bootlegs?
• Which Beatles books do you recommend?
• Which Beatles websites do you recommend?
• 'I spotted a mistake.'

What is the purpose of these twin sites?

The Beatles Archives and its sister site The Beatles on DVD offer chronologically- and thematically-arranged guides of every circulating audio and video recording made by George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr between 1957 and the present day.

I have restricted the scope of this mammoth undertaking somehow by excluding all legitimately released audio recordings, except when the edited or abbreviated versions found on the official albums are available in their unalterated state on an underground release. the unedited How Do You Do It is therefore listed here since it appears in edited form on 'The Beatles Anthology, Vol. 1' whereas You'll Know What to Do is missing from these pages because the only available version originates from that same (legitimate) release.

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How are they different from all the other Beatles sites?

First and foremost, they focus on the Beatles' unreleased recordings. What you won't find in these pages include Beatles guitar tabs, lyrics of Beatles songs, or Beatles-related news. on the other hand, you will find information on every circulating home recording, studio session, concert, television, cinema, video and radio appearance.

Furthermore, The Beatles Archives and The Beatles on DVD are organised around recording events, not releases. Each page is devoted to a particular date in Beatles recorded history, combining a variety of audio and video sources to offer a full rundown of all available outtakes. the most complete version of the Revolution 1 offline recording, for instance, can only be obtained by combining VigOtone's 'From Kinfauns to Chaos' with a 1:10 fragment missing from that release, but found on the same label's 'Revolution.'

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How do I find my way around?

Songs on a given page are listed in the order they were recorded, unless data is uncertain or non-existent (particularly where home recordings and solo-era studio sessions are concerned), in which case they follow either A. the sequencing on the legitimate release (e.g. all outtakes and rough mixes of Crippled Inside precede those of How Do You Sleep in the 'Imagine' section, even though they may not appear in that order on the various bootlegs); B. the sequencing on a given source (e.g. Dervish Crazy Moog comes before Fishy Matters Underwater on the 'Rude Studio Demos' tape); or, C. the alphabetical order.

The listing for each song includes: 1. one, or more, box(es) referencing the source(s) needed to obtain the most complete version; 2. a number (usually indicative of the order in which it was recorded or broadcast); 3. its title (in quotation marks if uncertain), with take number where applicable; and 4. the recording's length (i.e. the portion of tape available from the moment a sound is heard until the recording is interrupted.) a capella renditions are not listed on a page, unless they belong to a speech-only item. An asterisk (*) symbol on either or both sides of the timing denotes an incomplete fragment, whereas an (inc.) mention after the title indicates a missing portion within the song itself.

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What do the various colours on each page mean?

Song titles are ascribed any of six colours, depending on the nature of the material:

home (demo) recordings (those made in semi-professional surroundings, i.e. a private home studio, are considered studio recordings.)
studio recordings, home studio recordings, or taped rehearsals.
concerts and soundchecks (rehearsals and soundchecks performed on a day when no concert was given, or recorded at a different venue than the actual concert, are considered taped rehearsals.)
radio sessions.
television, movie or video performances.
circulating recordings which are not part of my personnal collection.

These six colours should not be confused with those ascribed to each tape, bootleg or video at the top of each page, which are used to identify the combination of sources (if any) needed for each track. For instance, the following entry --- 22.96 I've Got a Feeling (jam) (7:11) --- indicates that two sources ( & ) must be composited to obtain the most complete version of this performance, and that the recording was made for television, movie or video purposes (the colour red).

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Do you offer any downloadable audio or video files?

Not really. Although I have posted short MP3 samples on most of the Live Appearances pages and in a few other instances, they're really just there to let you have an idea of what a particular audience, inline or soundboard recording sounds like. the files are heavily compressed (mono, 11025 Hz) in order to save space, so naturally the originals sound much better. You should also be aware that there are absolutely no video files available for download on the sites. The Beatles on DVD only features images documenting what's available.

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Why can't I find some of the videos/bootlegs I have on your sites?

These sites only list what's currently in my collection, or what other recordings () are circulating on a date where I already have some of the material. If you don't see a title which you own yourself, it's either because: A. the video/bootleg you have features material already found on another title listed here, or B. I simply don't have it yet.

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Why do some of the timings you indicate differ from my sources'?

When more than one song appears on a particular tape (e.g. on a concert recording) I have re-indexed that tape into sub-segments, the length of which was established arbitrarily by using the moment one song was announced, until the next announcement was heard, or the tape cut, whichever came first. I have also combined two incomplete sources on occasion, to obtain the complete version of a performance.

In addition, it should be noted that every audio recording was also speed-corrected for The Beatles Archives, shortening the running time of tapes or CDs which used to play too slow, and vice versa.

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Do you sell bootlegs?

Selling bootlegs is illegal, so the answer is an emphatic no. a few websites offer such things however, but I will not name them either! the easiest, friendliest, and cheapest way, of acquiring unreleased recordings, is by setting up trades with fellow Beatles collectors.

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Which Beatles books do you recommend?

Suggested reading for anyone interested in the Beatles audio and video recordings includes...

• Engelhardt, Kristofer. Beatles Undercover. Burlington, MI: Collector's Guide Publishing Inc, 1998.
• Gottfridsson, Hans O. The Beatles: From Cavern to Star-Club. Stockholm: Premium Publishing, 1997.
• Howlett, Kevin. The Beatles at the BBC: The Radio Years 1962-1970. London: BBC Books, 1996.
• King, L.R.E. Unfinished Music: An Unauthorized Companion to the Lost Lennon Tapes. Tucson, AZ: Storyteller Productions, 1992.
• Lewisohn, Mark. 25 Years in the Life. London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1987.
• Lewisohn, Mark. The Beatles: Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books, 1988.
• Lewisohn, Mark. The Complete Beatles Chronicle. London: Pyramid Books, 1992.
• MacDonald, Ian. Revolution in the Head. London: Fourth Estate, 1994.
• Madinger, Chip & Mark Easter. Eight Arms to Hold You. Chesterfield, MO: 44.1 Productions, LP, 2000.
• Martin, George with William Pearson. Summer of Love: The Making of Sgt Pepper. London: Macmillan, 1994.
• Moltmaker, Azing. The Beatles in Nederland 1964-1993. Alkmaar: Stichting Beatles Fan, 1998.
• Robertson, John. The Art & Music of John Lennon. London: Omnibus Press, 1990.
• Robertson, John. Lennon. London: Omnibus Press, 1995.
• Sulpy, Doug. Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image (with Ray Schweighardt). Princeton Junction, NJ: The 910, 1994.
• Sulpy, Doug. Get Back (with Ray Schweighardt). New York: Saint Martin's Press, 1997.
• Sulpy, Doug. The 910's Guide to the Beatles' Outtakes (Third Edition). Jackson, NJ: Poptomes, 1999.
• Sulpy, Doug. The 910's Guide to the Beatles' Outtakes : The Complete Get Back Sessions. Jackson, NJ: The 910, 2001.
• Winn, John C. Way Beyond Compare: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Vol. 1 (1957-1965). Sharon, VT: Multiplus Books, 2003.

Also...

• Badman, Keith. The Beatles After the Break-Up 1970-2000. London: Omnibus Press, 1999.
• Baker, Glenn A. Down Under: The 1964 Australian and New Zealand Tour. Lane End: The Magnum Imprint, 1996.
• Miles, Barry. Many Years from Now. London: Secker & Warburg, 1997.
• Pang, May and Henry Edwards. Loving John. London: Corgi Books, 1983.
• Rayl, A.J.S with Curt Gunther. Beatles '64: A Hard Day's Night in America. London: Sidgwick & Jackson, 1989.
• Seaman, Frederic. Living on Borrowed Time. London: Xanadu Publications, 1991.
• Wiener, Jon. Come Together. New York: Random House, 1984.

A few Beatles-related tomes...

• Heylin, Clinton. Dylan: Behind Closed Doors: The Recording Sessions 1960-1994. London: Penguin Books, 1996.
• Karnbach, James and Carol Bernson. The Complete Recording Guide to the Rolling Stones. London: Aurum Press, 1997.
• Rawlings, Terry and Keith Badman with Andrew Neill. Good Times Bad Times. London: Complete Music Publications, 1997.

And the following reference books...

• Billboard - Top 1000 Singles 1955-1987. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Books, 1988.
• The Guiness Book of British Hit Singles - 11th Edition. London: Guinness Publishing, 1997.
• Strong, Martin C. The Great Rock Discography. Edinburgh: Canongate, 1998.

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Which Beatles sites do you recommend?

• AbbeyRd's Beatles News Briefs (http://abbeyrd.best.vwh.net/fabnews.htm)
• Beatlefans (http://www.beatlefans.com)
• Collecting the Beatles (http://www.xs4all.nl/~pevschie/index.htm)
• Eight Arms to Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium (http://www.8-arms.com/)
• Free as a Boot (http://faab.pro.tok2.com/frame/frame.html)
• Hari's on the Web (http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/~garp/hari/george.htm)
• Inches on the Reel-To-Reel (http://members.aol.com/dinsdalep/tapes.html)
• The Macca Report (http://www.photos.mccartney.net/report.htm)
• Paul McCartney Latest News (http://mcbeatle.de/macca/lnews.php)
• Steve's Beatles Page (http://web.ukonline.co.uk/rickenbacker/)
• Things They Said That Day (http://aabou1.hp.infoseek.co.jp/)

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'I spotted a mistake.'

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGHHHHHHHH!!! Oh, alright then. Although I have tried to check every fact, no doubt many errors crept in these 3000+ pages. E-mail me at beatles@bamiyanshiff.com so I can rectify the situation, and I will credit you on the page(s) in question.

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