I discovered this in my Mum’s vinyl collection when I was 13. It wasn’t long before she noticed my enthusiasm for it and ‘let me have it’. The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl was my first time hearing The Beatles. I’m grateful this was how I first heard them, as you can literally hear Beatlemania itself, alongside the music.
The energy and excited screams from fans just added to what I was hearing. I had never heard anything like it – at times the crowd virtually drowns out the band. The lack of foldback in those days is evident too, with Paul making the mistake of asking at one point, “can you hear us?” – which just causes the crowd to scream louder!
The musicianship of the guys, the harmonies, the onstage banter. It is all captured perfectly here and when combined, caused me to fall in love with The Beatles first listen. Thanks Mum!