The Beatles performed live for 52 radio broadcasts by the BBC between March 7th, 1962 and May 26th, 1965. The programs offered a mixture of rare performances, often of tunes from the group's early stage shows that were never officially recorded, and charming interviews. The presence of classics by Elvis, Buddy Holly, and Chuck Berry, juxtaposed with Beatles originals, is a kind of time capsule that captures the 1950s pop music the band found when they arrived on the scene, and where they took music as innovators into the 1960s. A small percent of those recordings was compiled into a 2-cd set in 1994. Listeners who missed the original shows were able to hear most of the remaining tapes in a 1982 radio documentary, The Beatles at the Beeb. This project added interesting history and insider commentary to the Beatles radio shows. Many bootleg cd and lp collections of the group's performances followed, including an excellent 9-cd anthology box set. The Beatles at the Beeb is airing once again on BBC Radio 6. Don't miss it!
