Bootlegs Back again

Photo: Apple Corps Ltd.

Lo and behold, it's now up again at iTunes and for the first time also in the US. But rather more expensive than the initial New Zealand release, which translated to 12 US Dollars, the price in the US is three times that amount.

US iTunes link
UK iTunes Link

iTunes Editor's Notes:

With more than two hours of previously unreleased material, The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963 tells the story of the band during a period of remarkable transformation: a year that begins with the Liverpool quartet working out arrangements during the "Please Please Me" sessions and culminates in the BBC radio sessions. With subtly different lyrical phrasing and instrumental performances, the 15 aternative studio versions of tunes like "From Me To You", "Do You Want To Know A Secret", and "I Saw Her Standing There" are deeply rewarding, as is the richly harmonized pop standard "A Taste Of Honey".

But, the 42 live performances for BBC underscore the transition from local stars to the peak of Beatlemania in Britain. They respond to a call-in request with a crackling version of "Love Me Do", burn through a cover of Chuck Berry's "Got To Find My Baby", and offer a bright, uptempo reading of "All My Loving". This compilation is rounded out by two demos of songs the group never released: the midtempo "Bad To Me" and the lovely, piano-accompanied closer, "I'm In Love".