Beatles "I Saw her Standing There" from the 2/11/64 concert

I was watching the documentary "The Beatles First U.S. Visit" last night for the first time in a while. Great, great movie.....part of the film is some excerpts from the Beatles' 2/11/64 Washington DC concert, their first US show. I have had the film of this show for 20+ years, but haven't watched it in ages. I also haven't watched "Anthology" in a few years, so I forget whch moments from the 2/11 show made it on to there.

The "I Saw Her Standing There" from this show rocks so hard it is unbelievable. McCartney gets off a shouted "1,2,3,4!", and then the camera angle immediately cuts dramatically to a back-view as he starts the song. It might be the most hard-rocking footage I've ever seen of the Beatles. George rips off a fantastic solo, and Ringo is a killer on this song, he goes absolutley beserk.

I literally can't even imagine the adreneline that must've been surging through the Beatles at this show. They've finally made it to America, they just did the Ed Sullivan Show, and now at their first paid show the screaming is intense

People who think the Beatles couldn't rock out as hard as the Stones need to see this footage.

 

Oh, sorry Steve, good point~!

I watched it on a copy of the "First US Visit", but, of course it is also on You Tube:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnNL8FQnO-w&p=A7A8C2D6EDDE7006&playnext=1&index=41


This ROCKS!

 

Yes, yes it does.

 

An alleged high-quality videotape, allegedly superior to the versions we've seen to this point (unless you were there or went to a theater to see the closed-circuit show a month later) was auctioned off in 2005.
If it's real, I'd love to see it.
Even in poor quality we've seen to this point it's an awesome show.

Here's some more info:

http://www.beatlesource.com/bs/to-washinton1.html

http://www.pophistorydig.com/?tag=the-beatles-in-washington-dc

 

Well, speaking as a Stones devotee, this footage is fun, and the excitement is palpable in that crowd...but if this is the best case that can be made that the Beatles "rocked" as hard as the Stones, it comes up quite short, IMHO.

There are those who suggest that the Stones were out of their league in the "TAMI Show" vs. James Brown...but at least Jagger gave it a go, and acquitted himself pretty well, even if he also proved he isn't/wasn't James Brown. Put the Beatles in that same "TAMI Show" broadcast, and we would be comparing them to Jan & Dean....the same kind of silly-but-fun pop songs.

 

...so what if the Beatles started out as devotees of Buddy Holly. They rocked hard enough for what they're trying to do.

 

Agreed.

Ain't nothing wrong with pop songs, Buddy Holly, Jan & Dean or the Beatles.

 

The DC '64 version is probably the best live version of ISHST ever - because as a solo Beatle, Paul has made a mess of it 99 percent of the time. And I reckon it all started with that crap version on Jonathan Ross in 1987 - with Steve Nieve's wheezy organ mixed WAY up.

Best solo beatle live version is the Run Devil Run Cavern Club version - which rocks a thousand times more than ANY post-beatles McCartney version. Of course, with Gilmour on lead, it SHOULD.

 

Is this the song/version where the original video footage used for the closed circuit broadcast is mixed with film footage shot by the Maysle brothers? (Sorry, but I can't watch the video right now.)

 

Not "alleged", it IS high-quality. That's the master tape which Apple now has a copy of, and was used in Anthology. You've seen parts of it, and it looks great! Now if only Apple would release the whole concert on DVD & Blu-Ray!

Derek

 

Are you sure the tape that was auctioned in 2005 was the same source as the one partially-aired a decade earlier in Anthology?.

It would be awesome to see the whole thing.

 

Almost a punk version...

 

You're right! That was a blistering version! (The profile shot of Ringo going bonkers on the drums is fantastic!)

It's only too bad the Carnaby Street fashion scene was still some time off. "Frumpy" and "matronly" must have been the D.C. style buzzwords in early '64...

 

I've gotta jump in here fairly late to disagree.

Now, I'm a really big Rolling Stones fan also, so I'm not trying to start a range war here but let's look at this..at this point in both bands careers and compare the potential song lists.

The Stones assessed their song arsenal and these are the best songs they could come up with for the TAMI show apparently :

Around and Around
Off the Hook
Time Is On My Side
It's All Over Now
I'm Alright

At this point in their career the Beatles could have played :

I Saw Her Standing There
She Loves You
Please Please Me
A Hard Day's Night
Twist and Shout



You don't honestly think the Beatles would have smoked the Rolling Stones with these songs at the TAMI show ? I would think the Stones would have sounded pretty limp if they had to follow that Beatles set. The Beatles set has about ten times more rock and roll energy. I certainly don't agree that people woould be comparing the Beatles to Jan and Dean and their "silly pop songs". Listen to the version of "I Saw Her Standing There" that the OP linked and tell me that doesn't rock as hard as the Stones did at that point.

In just a year or so I agree that the Stones could hold their own, but at THIS POINT in time, the Stones look and sound kind of like a semi amateur R & B band, IMO. Interesting, but they certainly aren't a powerhouse band.

A year or two later, look out... but not at this point in their development.

 

The cynic in me wonders if they were all on uppers to keep up with their insane schedule demands? Still a great performance.

 

That concurs with the history I remember.

 

I like this cover of the song, sloppy, rockin and fun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYVCKJ05lsw

"it doesn't feel like it's ended, yet."

 

You're comparing apples and oranges here, musically.

Does that Beatles setlist "smoke" the Stones' setlist from TAMI? In terms of audience excitement, yeah, sure, no question. By those standards, that Beatles setlist also smokes James Brown's impeccable r'n'b setlist and white-hot performance, too, in terms of audience excitement and reaction.

But were they "rocking out" here? I suppose, as hard as you can rock with lightweight, fun pop songs.

 

You can try and call them lightweigt pop songs all you want to, but the real truth is that the Beatles took those songs and turned them into all out hard rockers!

Also McCartney has done just fine with ISHST in his solo career, show me a crowd that didn't enjoy every single rocking performance of the song? His performance of the song at the 09 grammys was definitely rocking!

Another truth is, the Beatles would blow any band away at any stage in their career! Yes that's right, at any stage in their career that could pull out material that rocked right along with anyone else!

In fact as soon as they walked out on stage it would be all over, the crowds would forget whoever performed before or after them! If it was the early days, they would hit you with...

I Want To Hold Your Hand
I Saw Her Standing There
Twist and Shout
I'm Down
Dizzy Miss Lizzy
Can't Buy Me Love
I Feel Fine
Money
Roll Over Beethoven
Rock and Roll Music
Bad Boy
Boys
All My Loving
You Can't Do That
slow Down

In their later career their guitar sound became even more raw, rocking and distorted, they could of hit you with...

Revolution
Birthday
Back In the USSR
Come Together
The End
Everybody Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkee
One After 909
I've Got A Feeling
Helter Skelter
I Me Me Mine
Polythene Pam
Get Back

You can't judge by the rooftop gig either, because that wasn't really in front of a ready to rock screaming crowd. Imagine the adrenaline really flowing and the Beatles on stage really going for it. Every other band might as well sit and watch!

 

That's different to what I heard regarding that tape. Why do you believe that's NOT the edited 2" master tape as claimed?

Derek

 

How am I comparing apples and oranges here musically ? I'm putting up a hypothetical Beatles set against the actual Stones set.That's the best I can do, because the Beatles weren't there.

You say that the Beatles would be performing "lightweight fun pop songs".
If the Beatles played (let's say) "I Saw Her Standing There" as shown in the linked video clip how is that any more lightweight than the Stones playing warmed over R& B covers, because they basically had no catalog of their own songs to draw from at this point ? I don't think the Stones are exactly scorching the set with this perfomance. Nice but nothing earthshaking.
Do the Beatles have to be doing R&B covers to have credibility and not be doing "lightweight fun pop songs?"

That's my question to you I guess. Please explain to me how the Stones songs played and their performance at the TAMI show have any more credibility than what the Beatles could/would have played, and why the Beatles would somehow be lumped in as Jan and Dean lightweights in retrospect.

It's not like the Stones are playing "Brown Sugar" and the Beatles would be playing From Me To You", you know ?

 

Have you seen the 1964/65 NME Poll Winners Concerts? The Beatles smoke the Stones at those shows (and I'm a big Stones fan as well), IMO. Can't Buy me Love from the 64 show, and She's a Woman from the 65 show rock harder than anything the Stones did at the same concerts. Another filmed example of where the Beatles really rocked is the 1963 show in Sweden (the version of Long Tall Sally for example).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGWUUEQ0Bt0