Album Mini-review: The Beatles — Live at the Hollywood Bowl
File next to: 1960s Rolling Stones, 1950s Elvis
The act you’ve known for all these years is back. While the Beatles split in 1969, their shadow has loomed upon the pop landscape ever since. The 6 CDs worth of Anthology material thrilled hardcore fans, but the last of those came out 20 years ago this month. In tandem with Ron Howard‘s new documentary Eight Days a Week comes the first-ever digital-era release of Live at the Hollywood Bowl, the compilation of Los Angeles concerts in 1964 and ’65. For the original LP, producer George Martin cleaned things up as best he could (using available mid ’70s technology) but was clearly underwhelmed with the sonic quality. Working from a superior source tape, producer Giles Martin (George’s son) put together this new version, including some bonus tracks. Now you can hear the fuss, and – more importantly – what the fuss was about.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4000-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he is co-teaching a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: 40 Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.