Beatles 1966 Tour

No, it’s not Dizzy Miss Lizzy. It’s actually Zambezi, a 1956 hit by Lou Busch And His Orchestra - with which the Beatles would of course all have been familiar - that was chosen as the surprise opening number on the December 1965 tour:



I just want to set the record straight on this.

 

It's been mentioned quite a few times here that Owsley (Bear) is the one that came up with their first sound system and was dedicated to helping the Dead spread their music starting in 1966. Bear was a member of the organization whilst he was doing their sound - a friend with a passion for the band and sound application. And he inspired them to constantly seek upgrades to their sound systems thereafter, to never settle for anything less than state-of-the-art (even if you have to commission those innovations yourself), so by the early 70s they've built their own 'Wall of Sound'.

Yet nothing you or I wrote negates our (yours, mine, anyone else's) ability to make a comparison of what those two bands (or some other band) were using for live sound presentation - whether it be in the same year (1966), nor what one or the other band would continue to implement for live sound beyond that year (one band stopped playing out, as we know, and the other increased their live output). (Such comparisons are neither valid or invalid unless you've set strict parameters on what the comparison is or can consist of, or if you're wanting to arrive at a particular end result.)

And regarding conjecture or what-ifs and the talk around the Beatles' own attitudes towards improving their concert sound (or not doing anything about it) - the talk has touched upon different factors and facets of what the Beatles were dealing with, as well as aspects of their live act they were choosing not to be involved in (sound applications and logistics) - including: what the concert promoters were doing to improve things; what was available locally, regionally, or on the open market or with private innovators; what the logistics would have been to haul the stuff around and set it up and run it; what Vox or other companies could have done as their official amplification provider; the sizes of venues and spaces inbetween them; and what other UK and US music contemporaries or venues were up to with their own systems (that's how Dylan and the Dead were brought into the discussion in the first place).

The mini crusade to somehow 'invalidate' a comparison (or 'juxtaposition', better yet - try 'invalid'ating that) of what contemporary musics acts were using (and why) in a given year or era is tres bizarre and goes against the very purpose of discussing the subject at hand.

 

Regarding the We Can Work It Out clip.
I actually think it’s the real deal. Vocal does not sound like it’s double tracked, and does not sound like the video mix either. No discernable tambourine. The organ dies not fade in and out like the harmonium on the album, it is constant instead. And the snare is really punchy and loud which it in no way is on the studio version.

 

If you play them together they match up perfectly; makes me think its a fake.

 

I wish I'd recorded the Liverpool concert but unfortunately, I didn't get my ITT KB Cassette recorder for another year or two. Sorry!
The only thing I can tell you is The Beatles were FANTASTIC and it was a THRILLING night.

 

We finally agree on something. Juxtaposition is a much better term for contrasts you are attempting to make.
But it is true that you can compare apples and oranges, if you acknowledge that they are different genus, different species, grown under different conditions and different climates, they taste different and are a different color.

 

Sure, a lot of that goes without saying going into the comparison - plus, bearing in mind that often such differences only serve to enhance any comparisons.

 

I went to the December 1968 Miami Pop Festival and there were intense rumors that the Beatles were considering playing. Instead we got the Dead, Marvin Gaye, Canned Heat, Procol Harum and Wayne Cochran and the CC Riders among others. Would have been nice to see the Fabs pop up on stage one of those days...

 

Unfortunately, the Detroit '66 tape that was put out on Beatleg by Flo Records and others was found to be a fake and was actually Tokyo '66 doctored to make it sound like a different show. Sadly, this isn't proof they actually played 'I'm Down' on the US '66 tour.

 

I'll take yer word for it. The only '66 recordings I've actually heard in their entirety are the Budokan shows and Candlestick, and haven't listen to any of those in years. I remember downloading the Toronto audience tape back when it came out a few years ago and found it wholly unlistenable- easily one of the worst, if not the worst, audience tapes I've ever heard. My hat goes off to you if could discern any actual music coming from that tape

 

The closest confirmed rumor of them actually playing that almost *did* happen was at the Roundhouse in London in December '68. It was announced in the papers and documentation popped up showing that Neil Aspinall did book the venue for a few nights on behalf of Apple/The Beatles. Alas, it never came to be.

 

I thought the exact same thing on my very first listen. 100% fake.

 

It was all part of the project that became Get Back/Let It Be.

 

Never heard of that project.

 

So was more than 1 show of Budokan 66 recorded?

I've only heard 1 but I've seen a couple 2-cd PD sets lately and wondered if a 2nd show was really recorded.

Thanks.

Mark

 

Yes, June 30 dark green suits, July 1, powder blue suits, both videotaped in full for TV.

 

Ah, ha. That would why I’ve never heard a tape of Detroit ‘66 - there isn’t one circulating.

Seems rather improbable that I’m Down was played at any of the US shows.

 

Wow. I always thought this was one of his best records. To each their own

 

Out of the 5 Japanese shows, have all of them been bootlegged? If so, which one is considered the best?

 

There were no consumer video cameras at the time and consumer 8mm film cameras could only capture 5 min of silent film without reloading, meaning most people made shots of no more than 30 sec at a time to conserve film - and who would even have tried to capture clost to a whole concert on silent film in 66 based on the idea that one day an audio bootleg might surface that you could try to synch it to.

Maybe if you had access to every bit of silent film footage anyone recorded anywhere in the stadium and somehow figure put which part of each song each shot was filming without the help of audio you could compile something if you were really diligent and lucky.

 

I think evening June 30 and afternoon July 1 were the ones filmed and would be in the best quality. Don't know about the other 3.

 

So those were the only two shows filmed ?

 

Yes.

 

There is silent footage of almost the entire Candlestick show. Its pretty distant but it would be cool to see it synched up to the Tony Barrow recording for historical purposes.

 

From one source or compiled from many cameras?