Riding a cresting wave of popularity that had not yet broken on the shores of the US, the Beatles embarked on a 21 date UK tour paired with Roy Orbison in May of 1963. The Beatles had scored a number one UK hit with the “Please Please Me,” single in January and followed that up with another hit with “From Me to You,” in April. Both songs were non-album tracks in support of their debut album Please Please Me,  which was released in March.

On the cusp of their burgeoning fame, the Beatles embarked on the UK tour, a tremendous step up from their usual venues. For the sixth show of this run, on May 24, 1963, the Beatles performed at the Granada Cinema in Walthamstow, London. The ornate 3,000-seat venue was bursting at the seams with excitable new coverts to the Beatles combination of Merseybeat magic and a new original blend of driving rhythms and endearing lyrical prowess, the likes that had never been witnessed.

Recently, a rare audience recording from this performance has dropped into public circulation. The field recording perfectly captures the Beatles ascendance to rock and roll royalty, replete with the droning din of enthusiastic fans that would sonically mark and drown out every Beatles live performance moving forward.

The tape can be heard online and located on a soon to be released, yet unofficial HMC (His Masters Choice) collection. Despite some cuts and blips, the nine-minute recording is a welcome addition to the Beatles oeuvre. Just when we think there can’t be anything else to appear from the well of the Beatles past, something like this tape appears.

Historically vital, the audio quality is more than acceptable and finds the Beatles playing with a brisk enthusiasm. While historical artifacts and screaming mark the tape, the Beatles early aesthetic seeps through in ways that professional recordings can’t touch.

It’s incredible, that even with the crowd’s endless howl the Beatles youthful professionalism and instrumental energy can be felt. This is a fantastic era for inspection because the Beatles are balanced on the precipice of world domination. The band is brimming creatively, and their music still holds a tangible freshness and wonder of discovery. The recording includes, rare readings of “Some Other Guy,” still holding on from their Cavern Club sets as well as the “B” side “Thank You Girl,” from their most recent single.

Similar to the band’s performance in Sweden in the fall of 1963 reviewed here,  the group is fast and tight and all professionalism. They whip into the room blast out flawless songs, peerless songwriting, and masterful melodies, and before you know it, they are gone ….

While the crowd screams in a mantra, the Beatles blast through a seven-song set, five of which are available of this field recording.

“Some Other Guy,” a Leiber/Stoller/Barrett song, opens the recording and the performance. The song was a popular 1962 single by Richie Barrett and was quickly coopted by musicians of the Mersey. The song features elements of Ray Charles “What I’d Say,” and the Beatles were well familiar with both.

Their version replaced the keyboard that was central to Barrett’s reading with bristling guitars. Dual vocals by Lennon and McCartney highlight a silvery punctuated chant. The groove is driven by Lennon’s chrome covered Rickenbacker chime. The performance of this song straddles two eras for the group, the club days gone by … and the stadium nights on the horizon.

“Thank You Girl,” the ‘B’ side to “From Me to You is a rare treat in the context of Beatles live recordings and is played flawlessly.

A breathless reading of “I Saw Her Standing There,” follows, quivering with a charged rhythm that leaves the studio recording gasping for air. The crowd claps in double time while Harrison’s prickly guitar urges them into a euphoric tizzy.

“Please, Please, Me,” the title track of the band’s 1963 debut is played to pop perfection. Lennon sings the Orbison inspired number that cuts in at the first verse, in front the very man who inspired it. The Beatles strut confidently through the changes. It’s notable the incredible wealth of material the band had at this early juncture. The group’s originals were plentiful and groundbreaking, and the tap was on full flow. As an aside, you can hear someone say, “Yeah,” on the tape when Harrison hits on the songs central lick.

The brief set and shorter tape concludes with the band’s current chart smash, “From Me to You, which is played to a shall we say appreciative crowd.

There’s not much more to say, it’s the bloody Beatles! Thankfully, there are still reels in cupboards, tapes in trunks, and surprises still to be discovered. This new audience tape is a thoughtful glimpse into the birth of Beatlemania, and the evolution of the band that changed everything.