The Beatles didn't release an official live album during their lifetime. In 1977, Capitol Records dug one up to give us some product. These tapes were recorded by Capitol when The Beatles played the Hollywood Bowl just up the street from their headquarters near Hollywood and Vine in 1964 and 1965.
The result was this live album
The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl (Capitol 1977).
As noted in the liner notes, the original tapes were unusable due the the roar of the crowd. George Martin did his best, but there are bootlegs that sound better. Those who attended the shows have said they couldn't hear a thing. To make matters worse, there were no stage monitors, so The Beatles couldn't hear themselves either.
But Capitol needed product and there was a finite amount of things they could release.
The cover was classy with raised type and images. Replicas of tickets have fake perforations. They had better seats in 1965.
Even a gatefold where someone decided it would be a good idea to throw cheap merchandise on top of a historic photo.
The inner sleeve depicts fans grooving to the show. I've always been suspect of this photo. I think it was staged in 1977. The hairstyles ain't right. They're the only ones standing. They're too perfectly lit. They happen to be in the same box as the 1965 ticket on the cover. They're screaming with the house lights on. You be the judge. Authentic or fake.
If I'm near a screamer at a show, I try my best to move. For a Beatles show, I'd probably have to go down the street.
And as a precursor to the psychedelic years to come, The Beatles signed the sky.
And we got a custom label.
This album, although a legitimate release, has vanished into obscurity. It wasn't released on CD when the big campaign happened in the '80's. It's not available on any streaming service.
The Hollywood Bowl remains as one of the finest and most prestigious concert venues in Los Angeles.
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