LIVE AT SHEA
2 EP set
label: Freedom Records
matrix: 1A / 1B // 2A / 2B
Release date: December 1970
Country: UK
Side A
1. announcer's intro TWIST AND SHOUT 1:18
2. YOU CAN'T DO THAT 2:26
3. Paul intro ALL MY LOVING 1:58
Side B
4. John intro SHE LOVES YOU 2:12
5. George intro THINGS WE SAID TODAY 2:10
6. ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN 2:12
Side C
7. Paul intro CAN'T BUY ME LOVE 2:02
8. John intro IF I FELL 2:06
9. I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND 2:15
Side D
10. Paul intro BOYS 1:58
11. John intro A HARD DAY'S NIGHT 2:15
12. Paul intro LONG TALL SALLY 1:55
sound quality: EX, mono
source:
1 to 12 Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl – August 23, 1964
COMMENTS
Perhaps the Beatles' most famous (and only professionally recorded) concert, released in part by EMI in 1977. In 1975 Capitol announced the official release of this show, but then the project was shelved for years. Eventually George Martin was called in to remix both the 1964 and 1965 L.A. live appearances and produce the live official LP. An acetate copy of the master for the 1964 show reached the bootleggers, and here's the result, subsequently copied an indefinite number of times. It must be remembered that this show was originally confused with the Shea Stadium show – as the title of this record clearly shows.
RELEASES
The first appearance of this show was on a 2-EP set released by Freedom Records entitled LIVE AT SHEA, with the cover featuring the peace symbol: the matrix numbers of the 2 discs are 1A / 1B // 2A / 2B and the labels have thetrack listing.
A later repressing exists, with a new cover and blank labels.
INTEREST. From a historical standpoint, this is an extremely significant release. Not common in the market. ****
THE KUSTOM REKORDS LP
label: Kustom Rekords
Matrix number: SHEA-1 / SHEA-2 (first stampers)
Country: USA, UK
COMMENTS
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The first LP version was released in February 1971 by Kustom Rekords, catalogue number ASC 002, and was mastered from a tape made off a worn copy of the 2-EP set. It skips at 36" of Can't buy me love and there are glitches between tracks 3 and 4 and between tracks 9 and 10. The original stampers of this LP were identified by the letters SHEA 1 / SHEA 2.
The catalogue number ASC 002, the identical layout of the labels between JUDY and LIVE AT SHEA, the very similar layout of the sleeve, all suggest a very close connection of the two records, which were probably distributed together, with the jacket having been printed in the UK when unsleeved records were sent from the USA.
We have seen the following releases.
February 1971 (photo above). LIVE AT SHEA printed cover, yellow labels with track listing (with fictitious titles). This is the version whose jacket was printed in the UK and mainly circulated in UK and the rest of Europe.
February 1971. Same label and matrix as #1, blue or red rubber-stamped cover titled THE ONLY LIVE RECORDING - BEATLES 1964. Some copies had a further red rubber stamp saying COLLECTORS COPY!. This is how the album was distributed in the USA.
Spring 1971. Same labels and matrix as the previous version, pink insert featuring an outtake of the "Butcher Cover" photo session, titled, on the top right, SHEA THE GOOD OLD DAYS. A copy of this insert was also used for a repressing of LAST LIVE SHOW by TMOQ-Smokin' Pig
May 1971. Pine Tree Records. Pine Tree labels with track listing, butcher cover insert, slightly degenerated, or directly printed on cover in pinkish color. This LP was pressed from new masters, numbered SHEA-1 Δ S 2531 / SHEA-2 Δ S-2532, of slightly, but noticeably, inferior sound quality, derived from the same tape that was used for the original masters.
1972. No manufacturer indicated or Dittolino Records; same insert as above, printed in various colors (blue, black and brown were seen) and more or less degenerated, sometimes of reduced size. Generic Dittolino labels as well as generic labels with small 1/2 or large 1/2 side indications or with big red A/B. Both of the two sets of stampers (SHEA-1 / SHEA-2 and SHEA-1 Δ S 2531 / SHEA-2 Δ S-2532) were available to the producers; they were used in all the possible combinations.
1972. Dittolino discs, same insert with new title LAST LIVE SHOW and track index, Dittolino logo covering the old title; generic Dittolino labels, stampers SHEA-1 / SHEA - 2.
1972. Rubber-stamped sleeve saying LAST LIVE SHOW, stampers SHEA-1 / SHEA-2, Dittolino labels.
Late 1972. Butcher cover insert, Dittolino discs label, with a Wizardo Rekords flyer with hilarious liner notes, or a new insert titled GET YER YEAH-YEAH'S OUT, generic labels with 1/2 side indication, stampers SHEA-1 / SHEA-2. As said by Mr. Wizardo in an interview from August 2020 published on the Pink Floyd bootleg site http://www.floydboots.com/, there were about 500 extra copies of one of the Dittolino versions, that were sold to Wizardo, who quickly prepared the cover. From the interview: "... First and most importantly, we would get to design a new cover for the record, as we would be receiving them in plain white jackets. It would be our first record cover to say Wizardo Records. Secondly, we knew that the recording had nothing to do with "Shea Stadium". It was really a recording of The Beatles evening concert at the Hollywood Bowl in 1964. We knew this because one of our DJ friends at KYMS properly identified it. Not only had he been at the actual concert itself, but he had been at a 1964 Capitol Records Christmas party where a test pressing of a proposed legit version was played. We were proud that we would be the first bootleggers to correctly identify such an important concert. Both Larry and I were still living at home with our parents at this time, but we did most of our Wizardo business out of Larry's bedroom. This is where we were the night we designed the cover and insert for Live At The Hollywood Bowl. I cut out color head portraits of the lads from an old magazine, while Larry handled the rub-off lettering chores." So this is actually the first Wizardo release.
1976. Mushroom Records. Insert titled HOLLYWOOD BOWL, reproducing the TMOQ-smokin' pig "California Postard" (see TMOQ releases), with the mushroom logo replacing the TMOQ-smokin' pig logo, SHEA-1 Δ S 2531 / SHEA-2 Δ S-2532 matrix numbers, multicoloured vinyl, back cover with "COLLECTOR'S EDITION / COLORED VINYL" rubber stamp, Idle Mind labels, or black vinyl, blank labels. Some copies on multicolored vinyl had an insert reproducing the BACK IN 1964 AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL cover.
September 1976. Wizardo records as KO Records. Old Glory labels, "Butcher Cover" insert with the series number KO 406 added on the top left; stampers SHEA-1 Δ S 2531 / SHEA-2 Δ S-2532.
Late seventies. Great Live Concert Records Blue insert titled BEATLEMANIA. LIVE AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL 1964, blue GLC label with italics fonts, stampers SHEA-1 / SHEA-2.
INTEREST. The first Kustom release is rare and highly valuable, as well as the rubber-stamped version (****). The Pine Tree and Dittolino releases are less interesting and relatively common (***/**), while the other reissues have a limited value (**/*), with the exception of the Mushroom one in multicolored vinyl, which is nice and quite rare (***) and the Wizardo version, which is extremely rare and much sought-after by collectors (*****).
RECORDS DERIVED FROM THE KUSTOM RELEASE
1972. FIGA Records released an album entitled LIVE AT THE SHEA STADIUM, on blank label, matrix numbers Figa 3-A / Figa 3-B. Two versions exist, one with FIGA Records written on cover, orange-printed song titles, yellow blank labels with reddish circles on the outer part, and one with AER Records written on the cover, white-printed titles, light blue labels with song titles. Some copies of this version had the printed S.I.A.E. indication (the Italian copyright collecting agency) on the label. There is a connection between Dittolino's and these releases. The FIGA release was in fact made by the nephew of the distributor of Dittolino records. This guy was also responsible for the Catso and Immaculate Conception record labels. These releases were noted for their fabricated black and white covers and high quality pressings. From Wizardo memories "Since H. and his nephew were Italian, the record labels were named after Italian swear words. H. took great delight in explaining the definition of each one. Over and over again. Anyhow, Dittolino Discs was the current catalog that the nephew was manufacturing and H. was the sole distributer. "Dittolino" means "little finger" and according to H., was much worse than giving someone the finger".
The Figa 3-A / Figa 3-B stampers were used for another record, probably released soon after the original, titled THE SHEA STADIUM CONCERT and pressed by a company called 5D Records. It was released on green vinyl with yellow labels.
1975. A counterfeited copy was released in Japan with matrix J 4 1 / J 4 2, with a slipsheet reproducing the pink insert of the Kustom release #2, with the addition of the song titles copied from the release #1 (written with mistakes, such as Can't furchase me and others).
August, 1980. A picture disc reproduced the "Butcher cover", titled THE BEATLES YESTERDAY AND TODAY, on a matrix numbered SHEA 1 / SHEA 2, but pressed from different masters. This was sold (unofficially, of course), at a Chicago Beatles convention.
INTEREST. All of these releases have a very scarce interest (**/*), with the exception of the picture disc, which is rare and was released for a Beatle Fest, and thus has a high collectible value, especially for those interested in this type of records (***).
THE TMOQ-SMOKIN' PIG RELEASE
TMOQ-smokin' pig copied the Kustom Record version on matrix 1704 A / 1704 B, insert featuring the "California postcard", a collage of various postcards and pictures, one of which gives another reference to Mr. Wizardo. It was titled HOLLYWOOD BOWL. This insert was used for several different records throughout the seventies, pressed from different stampers. Four releases have been examined, released from early 1974 (although, considering the 1704 matrix number, it's possible that a 1973 release, on colored vinyl, exists as well).
1 early 1974. Insert printed in "rainbow" effect; a second insert with a drawing by William Stout was often glued to the back; black vinyl, black-and-white or colored (usually light blue) Smokin' pig labels.
2. late 1974. Same as #1, monochromatic slipsheet.
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3. 1975. Same as #1, TAKRL Side one / Side two generic labels.
4. 1983. Reissue on a new insert and from new stampers numbered TMQ 71065 A / TMQ 71065 B with 1704 erased; TMOQ-Smokin' pig colored labels.
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5. mid eighties. Same insert as #1, same stampers as # 4, green Instant Analysis labels, copied from the original 1974 Instant Analysis labels.
INTEREST. These releases have a very scarce interest. **/*
