Beatles Dr Ebbetts Japan Cd - First US Concert

First U.S. Concert (Dr. Ebbett DBM-040)

1. Introduction 0:54 2. Roll Over Beethoven (Berry) 2:24 3. From Me To You (Lennon/McCartney) 2:07 4. I Saw Her Standing There (Lennon/McCartney) 3:35 5. This Boy (Lennon/McCartney) 2:41 6. All My Loving (Lennon/McCartney) 2:29 7. I Wanna Be Your Man (Lennon/McCartney) 3:10 8. Please Please Me (Lennon/McCartney) 2:35 9. Till There Was You (Wilson) 2:28 10. She Loves You (Lennon/McCartney) 2:39 11. I Want To Hold Your Hand (Lennon/McCartney) 3:09 12. Twist And Shout (Russell/Medley) 1:55 13. Long Tall Sally (Johnson/Penniman/Blackwell) 1:56

The Beatles – First U.S. Concert (Unreleased US Mono LP – Capitol) was released by Dr. Ebbetts [TAO 0264] in 2002 in very good mono.

DBM-040 captures the Beatles live at the Washington Coliseum on 2-11-64 for their first U.S. concert performance. The crowd hysteria comes into play immediately with the “Introduction” as the Beatles are tuning up. A tight bass is evident in “Roll Over Beethoven” that compensates for the weak sounding percussion. Some minor distortion is heard with the vocals on “From Me To You” but a solid rendition is rendered. The crowd noise is at a frantic level with “I Saw Her Standing There”. Intermittent high-pitched piercing crowd shrieks are heard in a measured performance of “This Boy”. The guitars and drums are more prominent in “I Wanna Be Your Man”.

The Beatles, particularly John + Paul, provide comic relief and worthy banter between most of the tracks showcasing their wit and sense of humor. Their harmonies, enthusiasm and performance is top notch throughout. There was no introduction to “She Loves You”. “I Want To Hold Your Hand” starts off key and Lennon is simply unable to reach the high register on this track. The Beatles keep thanking the audience throughout repeatedly and were obviously comfortable interacting with their frenzied audience. “Twist And Shout” abruptly ends and cuts at 1:55 just as they were going to take off and jam. The concert ends with “Long Tall Sally”.

This is one fresh and measured concert that has a comfortable pace. Unlike some other Beatles early period concerts, this show was not rushed and I found it to be thoroughly enjoyable. The bass is solid in the mix and gives a nice sustained punchy wallop to the performance. The crowd hysteria actually served as another instrument, if you will, just adding a welcome dimension. DBM-040 comes highly recommended for its fidelity and for effectively capturing the Beatles for this exciting historical performance!