Beatles 1966 Tour

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by jwb1231970, Nov 8, 2017.

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  1. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    It looks like the stage in 1966 was much closer to the bleachers compared to the 1965 show (which had the stage at second base)


    [​IMG]
     
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  2. nikh33

    nikh33 Senior Member

    Location:
    Liverpool, England
    The Beatles coming to town was an event, the music was very secondary. When the newsreel and TV camera crews arrived, it was to record the event- the kids screaming mainly. Curiously enough, the one occasion the newsreels bothered to film more than a few seconds of stage action was at the Hollywood Bowl where two camera crews filmed around 20 minutes of the show, some of it good enough to watch! But in 1966, three shows were videotaped, one in Germany, two in Japan. None in the US.
     
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  3. Emil Zatopek

    Emil Zatopek Forum Resident

    Location:
    Almost there
    A few, but before 1985:

    Santana in 1971 and 1973, Alice Cooper in 1974 (last gigs with the original band, I think), Jackson 5 in 1974, Genesis in 1977, Queen in 1981, the Police in 1982, Van Halen in 1983, Kiss in 1983.
     
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  4. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Do you know which countries that Santana performed in?
     
  5. Emil Zatopek

    Emil Zatopek Forum Resident

    Location:
    Almost there
    Oh, sorry. The whole list is about shows in Brazil.
     
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  6. andrewskyDE

    andrewskyDE Island Owner

    Location:
    Europe
    I read, apart of Mal who taped the show, some audience member also recorded it with a full 'Long Tall Sally'.
    It was speculated that John played a few notes of 'In My Life' afterwards but "reportedly" this couldn't be heard on the fan's tape.
     
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2018
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  7. owsley

    owsley Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston
    Ditto. I don't know why the Fabs only played 'We Can Work It Out' on this UK '65 tour. They should have kept it in the set list for '66 because it was a great recent song and was easy to play. I always wondered if Paul sang 'Yesterday' in E when he played the organ. The version they did on the '66 tour in G was a bit out of Paul's reach, he had to do a lot of straining to hit the high notes and it didn't come off very well. I'll bet you they changed the key simply because John wanted to play easy 1st position chords.

    For those that want more live Beatles '66, there is a tape of a complete show from Essen, Germany. It has to rank as one of the worst audience tapes ever.....it sounds like it was recorded by someone who was OUTSIDE the venue(!)
     
  8. andrewskyDE

    andrewskyDE Island Owner

    Location:
    Europe
    Maybe the mike was under someone's coat.
     
  9. owsley

    owsley Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston
    Could be but the sound is so bad, it makes Dylan's Forrest Hills '65 concert tape sound like Live At Leeds
     
  10. BDC

    BDC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tacoma
    None that circulate or that has been publicly broadcast, at least. You may be right, but I still find it hard to believe that at least a newsreel of a complete show doesn't exist. These were 1/2 hour shows.

    I'm not buying it, John had as good of facility with bar chords as Paul or George, and he did play it in 65 as you mention. Also on an acoustic song (in an electric go at it)you usually want ringing open chords anyway, as much as possible. Being in the key of E or G would allow a certain amount of open chords either way. It's not like John was only comfortable with open string major chords.

    Now that said, if your the session guy who post's, I'll defer
     
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2018
  11. varispeed

    varispeed what if?

    Location:
    Los Angeles Ca
    Cool pic. 6 SuperBeatles on one stage, even if a couple of em aren't plugged in. The most I ever saw cranking at the same time in person was 3 (and one was mine). That must be the Cyrkle's drum set over towards the right. I like that Ringo isn't on a riser for this show. I haven't looked much at 1966 tour pics. Was he permanently off risers for that tour?

    I also like the sorta-looks-kinda-like-an Altec speaker cab on the ground facing out and the three horns sitting on the ground at the right at weird angles. WHO did anyone expect those to service? Maybe they're not plugged in. If someone would've thought to swivel those around towards the guys, the band would have at last had something resembling monitors. Could've perhaps changed historical decisions that month.
     
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  12. walrus

    walrus Staring into nothing

    Location:
    Nashville
    John is playing the exact voicings Paul did on the studio version, but I guess in those days it wasn't feasible to carry around extra guitars in alternate tunings just for one song, like artists do now. It's a very curious choice all around to have even played that song in that way.
     
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  13. jwb1231970

    jwb1231970 Ordinary Guy Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    He played it in g on the record but was tuned down a whole step (making it f). I suppose on tour his guitar was in tune to standard tuning making it a real G, thus the higher singing. My guess is that he played in g because it was easier for the others to play in that jet on
     
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  14. notesfrom

    notesfrom Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC USA
    To add to this, to my knowledge, thus far, there are no extant live Beatles recordings from '65-'66 where George is playing a Gibson guitar with humbuckers - which is what he plays at the NME '66 show (the SG) and on the '65 UK tour (the Gibson 345).

    UK Tour (or rehearsal) gear, c. Dec. '65 (with John's black Stratocaster and George's 345):

    [​IMG]

    Guitars Beatles brought to Japan and the Philippines, July, 1966; backstage at the Budokan (SG seen, but not played, apparently):

    [​IMG]
     
  15. steve_miller

    steve_miller Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago,IL
    How many of these guitars have ended up at auction over the years, I wonder ?

    The last Lennon guitar went for around $2.4 mil US I believe.
    Based on that, that pile is worth around $10 mil US or so :)

    The Gibson SG sold for about £270,000 around 2013.
    So maybe not $10 mil...
     
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  16. Avenging Robot

    Avenging Robot Senior Member

    From my old business contacts in Japan, it was explained to me that getting the Beatles was a big deal. Japan got the Ed Sullivan show a week after North America did and they were very aware of them.

    It was explained to me that along with the 1964 Tokyo Olympics it was a way of showing the world of the post-war economic boom taking place there.

    So in short, Japan was hell bent on getting the Beatles, regardless of whether they would be playing other shows in other Asian countries or not...
     
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  17. longdist01

    longdist01 Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    I hadn't realized the Gibson SG was ever used for Live performances and taken on Japan/Philippines Tour dates, but not used in concert.

    [​IMG]
    The same guitar later given to Pete Ham.
     
  18. Thommo577

    Thommo577 Forum Resident


    They played Germany, then Japan, then the Phillipines in June and July. The U.S. tour was only from August 12th through August 29th, 19 shows. Whew
     
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  19. longdist01

    longdist01 Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    What was the thought behind those ridiculous Mike stands? Considering the group played two separate shows - that would be a quick fix.

    Just as the Beatles are singing away the poor microphones shifting, turning away from them. I can't believe Mal or Neil wouldn't drape a long piece of heavy tape across the top of the mike to stick along the sides of the stand, to stop the jiggling action.

     
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  20. notesfrom

    notesfrom Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC USA
    The only two instances I know of where George actually plays it live are the May NME '66 concert:

    [​IMG]

    And this rare SG stage sighting in Munich, Germany, in June '66. Not sure if he even brought it to the US for their last tour or not.
    [​IMG]
     
  21. ohnothimagen

    ohnothimagen "Live music is better!"

    Location:
    Canada
    Tony Barrow, actually, at Paul's request, from a tape recorder right on the stage. Not a bad quality recording, given the era.
     
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  22. nikh33

    nikh33 Senior Member

    Location:
    Liverpool, England
    It may have been easy to play but The Beatles didn't do it too well at the Liverpool Empire in December 1965.
     
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  23. Trashman

    Trashman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    The microphone stand issues seem to have been only in the June 30 evening show (the dark suits show). By the July 1 afternoon show (the light suits show), they are staying in place.
     
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  24. DrBeatle

    DrBeatle The Rock and Roll Chemist

    Location:
    Midwest via Boston
    I know both Led Zeppelin and the Stones planned South American jaunts in 1975 that never came to fruition.
     
  25. DrBeatle

    DrBeatle The Rock and Roll Chemist

    Location:
    Midwest via Boston
    IIRC this is the only one of the Beatles tours that hasn't been documented with ANY recordings.
     
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