LAST LIVE SHOW
Company: Live Records
Matrix Number: TVC 101-A / TVC 101-B
Release Date: Middle 1970
Country: USA
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SIDE A
1. Paul intro I'M DOWN 2:10
2. INTERVIEWS & ED SULLIVAN INTRO 3:45
3. TWIST AND SHOUT 1:20
4. Paul intro I FEEL FINE 2:09
5. John intro DIZZY MISS LIZZIE 2:54
6. Paul intro TICKET TO RIDE 2:18
SIDE B
7. Paul intro ACT NATURALLY 2:32
8. Paul intro CAN'T BUY ME LOVE 2:11
9. John intro BABY’S IN BLACK 2:13
10. John intro A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (with interviews) 2:30
11. Paul intro HELP! 2:22
12. Paul intro I'M DOWN 1:04
Sound quality: VG-mono
Source:
1 to 6, Paul intro to track 7, 8 to 12: New York, Shea Stadium, August 15, 1965
7 officially released version.
COMMENTS
This record features a recording of what is probably their most successful live performance, filmed for a BBC TV program called The Beatles at Shea Stadium. This broadcast was premiered on BBC 5 on March 1st, 1966 (the performance having been polished up and track 7 having been replaced with the officially released version). Later in 1966 the show was aired in the USA too, and this transmission was the probable source.
THE FIRST RELEASE
The first release (photo below the title) had an insert cover printed in black ink on pink paper, with "Live Records #501" written at the bottom; the disc had dark purple labels with silver printed track listings and the 101 A / 101 B catalogue number. They have the sides reversed with respect to the track list on the insert cover (side A starts with Act naturally, side B starts with I'm down ). There are no subsequent different releases of this record.
INTEREST. An important historical release, indispensable for collectors. ****
THE WCF COUNTERFEITS
This record was immediately copied by the "WCF" people, who counterfeited both the insert and labels of the original release. This version of the concert has a slightly inferior sound quality. As was typical for the company, different masters were cut and used. We saw these releases.
1. late 1970. Same insert as the original issue, printed on white paper and glued to a white or gold cardboard sleeve; the label is nearly identical to the original TVC label, matrix 7001 A / 7001 B. The producers corrected the side error by using the label numbered 101-A on Side B and the label numbered 101-B on Side A.
2. Early 1971. Same insert and label as #1, but Side A was from a new stamper derived from the master originally cut for side B of BATTLE, with the original matrix number RP 24-B erased and 101 A added. This version omits I'm down and a part of the interviews (that remain listed on the label). The reason why the WCF people decided to replace the original master with the incomplete one is unknown.
3. 1973. Same as #2, blank labels.
4. 1974. Folder-type cover with the drawing directly printed on the front and back, blank labels. This is the issue that was attributed to Amazon Etcetra.
INTEREST. Historically interesting for completists, particularly the first pressing. **/*
FURTHER RELEASES
1975. The Japanese label JL Records released a counterfeit on matrix 516 A / 516 B. The disc had black labels copied from those of the original record. A copy of the original insert was directly printed on the cover. This version repeated the inversion of sides A / B, as in the original release.
INTEREST. Useful for completists interested in the complete JL series and for Japanese collectors **
Another counterfeit LP was produced by another company, which copied the WCF pressing #2. This LP has a green printed slipsheet glued to a silver jacket, with white blank labels; its matrix is 101-A / 101-B, with side B originally miswritten A.
INTEREST. Useless counterfeit. *
THE CONTRA-BAND RELEASE
Early 1971. The original release by "Live Records" was the source of another LP, produced by a bootlegger calling himself Contra-Band Music (no relationships to the well-known CBM outfit, that was not yet existing at the time). This bootlegger co-operated on this release with a guy who, at the time, was involved in a couple of Dylan records (Let me die in my footsteps and Burn some more). The album, titled SHEA THE GOOD OLD DAYS, matrix 1234-A S-2315 / 1234-B S-2316, was distributed in a full color printed jacket, copied from a legit record (a deluxe production for the era!); it had a pink label featuring the record title repeated in rows. This cover was available as a stock cover at the pressing plant. The name of the cover was The Four Choir Boys and if you were getting a record pressed and didn’t have a cover, you could use that one and have your own title added.
Some copies had an insert or a sticker with the title and track listing.
A different version of this record had a rubber stamped cover, titled SHEA STADIUM LIVE STEREO, in red, blue or black ink, and the label was similar but with a different font. Some copies with the rubber stamp in black ink had, in addition, a mimeographed track-listing on the cover. We do not know if this release, which is much rarer than the one on the stock cover, appeared before or after the more common one.
INTEREST. Thanks to the stock cover used by the bootleggers, this is the first "de-luxe" Beatles bootleg record. The stock cover version is not particularly rare, but nevertheless it is quite interesting, ***, whereas the rubber-stamped cover version is very rare, ****