THE BEATLES BOOTLEG RECORDINGS 1963

Unreleased Tracks and Demos from the Year Beatlemania Was Born

The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963 is a compilation album that was quietly released by Apple Records on December 17, 2013, exclusively on iTunes. It includes 59 tracks of rare and previously unreleased material by The Beatles from the year 1963, most of which were never available on official albums before this.

Here’s the context and what's in it:

---

🎙️ Why was it released?

To extend the copyright protection of these recordings under EU law. Under the 2011 EU Copyright Directive, recordings not officially released within 50 years of their creation could fall into the public domain. By releasing this material in 2013, Apple Corps kept the rights to it.

Basically: "Release it or lose it." The Beatles chose to release it—barely.

---

📀 What does it contain?

A mix of:

• BBC radio session recordings (songs recorded for shows like Pop Go The Beatles and Saturday Club)

• Studio outtakes

• Demos and alternate takes

• A few speech tracks and dialogue snippets

Notably:

• Early live-in-studio versions of hits like "She Loves You," "From Me to You," "Please Please Me"

• Raw takes from the Please Please Me and With the Beatles sessions

• George Martin count-ins, studio chatter, and mistakes—Beatles in the raw, basically

---

🎧 Is it available now?

It was a limited digital-only release—almost stealth-dropped. Apple removed it from iTunes not long after, and it has never been released physically. But… ahem… let's just say it’s found its way into the bootleg universe and YouTube corners of the world.

---

🧐 Is it worth listening to?

If you’re a hardcore Beatles fan, absolutely:

• You’ll hear the evolution of their sound, and

• Get a feel for how tight they were even in one-take live settings

It’s not for casual fans—no polish, lots of repetition, and variable sound quality—but if you like your Beatles with a bit of studio grease and tape hiss, it’s a treasure trove.

---

Here's a highlight reel from The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963, featuring the juiciest, rawest, and most fascinating bits for Beatles nerds and sonic archeologists alike:

---

🎯 TOP PICKS & RARE GEMS

1. “Bad to Me” (Demo)

• A Lennon solo demo of the song later given to Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas.

• Rough, charming, and very intimate—John’s voice with just an acoustic guitar. A glimpse into his songwriting process.

2. “I’m in Love” (Demo)

• Another Lennon/McCartney giveaway, this time to The Fourmost.

• McCartney sings lead, and the melody has early Beatle DNA all over it.

3. “Money (That’s What I Want)” – BBC Version

• A live-in-the-studio BBC version with even more grit and growl than the studio take.

• Lennon’s vocal is pure molten rock 'n' sneer.

4. “She Loves You” – BBC Version

• One of the only live(ish) performances of this song caught on tape.

• Has a rawer energy than the polished single version, and Lennon sometimes flubs lines—human, frantic, thrilling.

5. “I Saw Her Standing There” – Take 2

• A studio outtake from the Please Please Me sessions.

• Paul shouts the count-in with even more gusto than usual. It’s like Beatlemania in embryo.

6. “Please Please Me” – Take 9

• Includes studio chatter and a slightly less polished take. You'll hear the precision they were striving for, even this early.

7. “There's a Place” – Take 5

• Slower and moodier than the final version.

• Great for hearing the harmonic tension between Lennon and McCartney.

8. “From Me to You” – BBC Session

• Less echo, more immediacy. And that harmonica solo? Crisp and front-and-center.

9. “Do You Want to Know a Secret” – BBC Version

• George Harrison’s early vocal—shaky but sincere.

• Captures the vulnerability of young George before he found his full confidence.

---

🎙️ Bonus: Dialogue Tracks

Sprinkled between songs are snippets like:

• George asking if it’s okay to do a solo again

• Paul joking with engineers

• Studio directions and mic checks

It’s a time capsule of the Fab Four before they became legends—still boys, still goofing, still figuring it all out.