Why is there no Rolling Stones BBC Sessions CD?

Well think about, if they start doing it without permission they would have less people willing to play for free. Also it would be little odd for a government to own a record company. Also it may be part of a contract that the BBC won't release anything without permission

 

I bet they could start now, though, with Euro copyright laws as they are. Surprised they haven't, but I suppose the revenue generated wouldn't be worth damaging their relationship with a band as big as the Stones.

 

I really wish that we could get a Stones (and Floyd) BBC sessions set, but I think the market for it is dwindling daily. You have to remember that all those great BBC sessions CD's were released in the 90's and early 2000's, when CD was still a big selling medium.

Maybe make them an archival download release?

 

The standard contract for BBC radio sessions (and TV for that matter) gives the BBC rights to broadcast this material whenever they want (including licencing it for broadcast to other radio companies overseas). The contract does not, however, include rights to any commercial release on record - this has to be negotiated separately and artists have the right of veto.

 

PART THREE – CONSENTS AND GRANT OF RIGHTS 6.1 In consideration of payment of the applicable engagement fee, Musician(s): 6.1.1 give consent to the BBC to: a. record, broadcast or otherwise communicate their Performance(s) to the public; b. conduct all technical tests required including but not limited to sound balance tests and camera rehearsals; and c. make additional recordings (including both audio and audio-visual) of Performance(s), as required, for the purpose of producing BBC Content for promotional and publicity purposes; 6.1.2 assign to the BBC all rights in the Performance(s) or otherwise created in the provision of the Services for all purposes (including use in all media now known or which may hereafter become known) throughout the Universe for the full period of protection for such rights and any extensions, revivals or renewals thereof (“the Rights”) subject to 6.2 below; and

 

The BBC has been notorious over the years for either wiping or losing both audio and visual content during the 1960s and 1970s, unlike European TV stations who over the years have archived the majority of their material from that period. Have you ever noticed over the years that a lot of TV performances from that era are from German TV shows, such as Musikladen? I'm sure the same applies for their audio content recorded for broadcast on the radio as well.

Tape was expensive in those days for the BBC, so reusing it was a lot cheaper than buying new tape every time. This is something that has bugged me for a long time.

 

not only that but they recorded so much stuff that storage space would have been costly

 

You say that, but the European broadcasting services coped OK with storing their tapes. It was mainly due to the cost of tape, so I have read in various articles on this subject. I dare say that everything the BBC does have and the material European TV broadcasters have is now all backed up digitally, so if there are any BBC sessions by The Rolling Stones that did survive it shouldn't be difficult to locate them.

 

The complete Chess sessions should be released in one package.
Easily among their best stuff!

 

The only wrinkle here is the late, great Radio One titan, John Peel was very adept as issuing "Peel Sessions" on vinyl and other media, and I suppose the only difference being that he specialized in material that might be deemed more limited in appeal, so there aren't sessions for huge bands like the Stones in Peel's archive.

But that is one part of the BBC's legacy that was monetized rather mightily back in the day. Wonder who ol' Peely had naked photos of?

 

This quote is from the BBC regarding what they do and what they don't archive:

"If we're disposing of any material from the Sound Archive, then that's offered to the British Library Sound Archive."

I'm presuming that if the British Sound Library Archive don't want audio material that is offered to them by the BBC then this material gets disposed of. That's how it sounds.

 

Luckily all of the tracks that are in the BBC archive have been available in excellent quality (from BBC transcription discs) on bootleg since 1988.

 

Sessions artists for the BBC do not "play for free" - they were / are always paid. And the BBC is not owned by the Government. In fact BBC Records was founded in 1967.

 

The BBC have preserved a wealth of material, even if a certain quantity was wiped. There's masses of Top Of The Pops, Old Grey Whistle Test, In Concert, one-off concerts,... you name it that is all over their channels (particularly BBC4) all the time. They are also constantly assembling music documentaries which open up their archives with some amazing things that come to light - all those Blues Britannia, Heavy Metal Britannia, etc. docus, Country At The BBC, Sings The Beatles,...etc, etc. I'd say that they have far more stuff than other European networks which they show all the time (and the material is also still as crisp as when it was originally transmitted).

 

ok they are paid a small fee.

"And the BBC is not owned by the Government." saying the bbc is not owned by the government is like saying the roads are not owned by the government.
BBC - GOV.UK »

 

They don't have very much at all from the 1960s and early 70s. Most of their documentary series repeat the same performance clips.

The Germans know the value of their archives. Every episode of The Beat Club has been released. Also Musikladen. Top quality all of it and so many more.

 

Would Abcko (sic?) still have a hand in this? I think the Klein estate still has a hand in the publishing

 

Yes, the material that does still exist is crystal clear just like it was when it was first broadcast. Luckily, the BBC are in the middle of backing up everything they still have in their archives to digital. Most episodes of Top Of The Pops before 1976 were wiped, apart from some Christmas specials and maybe a few other sporadic episodes. They even wiped a rare live David Bowie performance of The Jean Genie from (I think) Top Of The Pops. It's only because one of the cameramen kept a copy which he found in his attic a few years back that we're now able to see it again.

When I said European stations I was mainly talking about German TV. Maybe I should made that more clear. Far more of their stuff was kept than the BBC's material from the past. Noddy Holder from Slade recently said on a chat show that the majority of performances by Slade from the archives are from German TV music shows because the BBC had wiped a lot of them.

The documentaries you mentioned do show a lot of archive material, but only what still exists. There is a lot more that was wiped. All of this has been well documented over the last few years.

This doesn't mean to say that the BBC have wiped these audio recordings from The Rolling Stones. Seeing as they were (and still are) one of the most popular bands around I would've thought that the BBC would've kept them. Audio tape must of cost less for the BBC than video tape. The price of video tape at the time is the main reason why so much stuff was wiped. Even if the BBC did want to dispose of them I can't see the British Sound Library Archive turning them down. I would've thought that if they were offered to the BSLA then they would see good reason to keep them.

 

Yes, but the BBC own the rigths of all sessions recordings... that´s the problem. Sadly

 

Until today Bootlegs remain the main source to listen to these recordings.

Another extremely important material not yet published are the outtakes of the sessions of Decca Records.

 

If the Stones wanted them released then they would be out officially. My understanding is Mick Jagger is not interested in releasing them. However, they did release a few on the Super Deluxe Version of Grrr.

 

Yes, you're right, I think about two or three songs on an EP of the show at the Camden Theatre (1964).

If I remember correctly, in the late 80s there was the intention to publish the sessions on the BBC but there were legal problems between Abkco, The Stones and the BBC for the rights of the recordings. on that occasion it was announced that the publication of these recordings was canceled until the parties reach to a legal settlement.

Since then the bootlegs are the only way to listen to this stuff ...

 

It's a shame how such a legendary band has a frontman with such disrespect for the past.
Vintage BBC recordings from the 60's?
Too passé for the hipster.

 

I have not many bootlegs, but these are worth mentioning because they collect "part" of the recordings from the BBC and other unpublished material from The Rolling Stones with great sound quality, especially the outtakes of recordings on Chess Records (nice presentation, four Ep's in Cd format in plastic slide-cases)

Swingin 'Pig EP Collection

Camden Theatre 1964
-Route 66
-Cops & Robbers
-You Better Move On
-Cute

Cops & Robbers
-Cops & Robbers
-Menphis Tennessee
Over -Roll Beeethoven
Fanny Mae

Chess Chicago Outtakes
-High Heels Sneakers
-Tell Me Baby
-Down In The Bottom
-Looking Tired
-Stewed & Keefed

IBC Demos
Daddy -Didley
-Road Runner
-Brigth Lights Big City
-Baby What's Wrong
-I Want To Be Loved

This site Iis good ! You can see information about the Stones at the BBC and some (in)famous bootlegs recordings (now classics) with historical interest on the sources available for some time for these sessions

Rolling Stones - On The BBC »

 

It's probably either or both of these things:

1. The remaining BBC sources are not up to the standard he wants, or...
2. He doesn't want to compete with his 20-year old self. And who would?