Beatles / Stowe School / 1CD

he Beatles’ 1963 live recording at Stowe School, whose existence was revealed this spring and shocked enthusiasts around the world. It was a time when there were no recorded live performances other than those appearing on BBC radio, and a full-length show at a unique boys’ school was recorded…and I was intrigued by the fact that it still existed, but it was already public. ・Because it is a domain-registered sound source, a copy has been donated to the British Museum, where it can be listened to.
The item was released last month and enthusiasts from all over the world flocked to it, but the source of the sound source was the library. There was a maniac who took the liberty of recording it while I was listening to it. However, it seems that it was not possible to record with a plug-in, so they were recording by picking up the sound coming from the speakers.
This time’s sound source had a “go” noise that sounded like a boiler between songs and during songs like “Till There Was You,” but since it was a library, I had to turn up the playback volume and record. It was difficult to do this, so instead, I turned up the volume on the recording equipment and recorded, and the result appeared as the noise between songs.
As if to remind us of the recording at the library, before the start of the live performance, classical music that seemed to be the background music of the library, which had nothing to do with Stowe School that day, was playing in the distance. A library is where classical music is played at a low volume. What’s more, in the middle of “A Taste Of Honey” there is a noise that seems to have been made by someone nearby. In addition to the noise, the tape has a low pitch. After the appearance of the preceding item, the condition of the sound source became a hot topic among enthusiasts.

Even so, the quality is still listenable enough for a recording made in 1963, and after all, it is a sound source that enthusiasts all over the world are delighted with because of the extremely valuable performance content. This release is not an online version with the pitch of the item corrected, but a uniquely obtained sound source based on a library recording sent from a British enthusiast. However, even though it is an independently obtained sound source, there is already a precedent item, so there is no point in releasing it as is. How far can the boiler-like noise between songs, which is a chronic problem of this recording, be alleviated? Is that possible?
“GRAF ZEPPELIN” rose to such a proposition. Correcting low pitches is a trivial task for him, so it’s the boiler-like noise that bothers him. Of course, if you suppress it all, it will suddenly change into an extremely unnatural sound, but “GRAF ZEPPELIN” handles that very well. The boiler’s “go” sound was reduced to a “sir” hiss, and it suddenly became easier to hear. The difference is obvious when compared to the versions currently on the market. In the first place, it was a great historical discovery and distribution that I am grateful for the existence of the sound source and even just being able to listen to it, but it is still better to be easy to listen to.

Among enthusiasts, it has long been considered a legendary day in the Beatles’ early live activities after their debut, and it was said that the live performance at Stowe School was held in a quiet atmosphere because it was an all-boys school, but now you can hear it. When you look back, you realize that the atmosphere was completely different from what was being conveyed. As expected, there is no Beatlemania-like scream after the explosion of popularity, but it still shows enthusiastic excitement in places starting with “Misery”, and it becomes even more intense when it becomes “Hippy Hippy Shake”.
On the other hand, the idyllic excitement that seems to be coming before the band’s breakout is also heartwarming, and the gentle clapping that ensues during their debut song “Love Me Do.” Furthermore, “Please Please Me” has a huge chorus worthy of the Beatles’ first number one hit single. I think it’s a reaction that can only be expected from a time when they started receiving attention after their debut, but had not yet become a big hit.
The Beatles, who performed with such ease under these circumstances, are also wonderful. Songs such as “Too Much Monkey Business” have the same atmosphere as the take of BBC “SIDE BY SIDE” recorded that morning, reminding us that they were performed on the same day, while “I Just Don’t Understand” The repertoire that was familiar to the BBC from the same period, such as “I’m Talking About You”, was played in front of an audience, making it a powerful performance. Also, on this day, since George’s voice does not come out, Ringo appears in two songs instead, and it is really rare that they are sung consecutively.
And for the finale, “I Saw Her Standing There” was sung again, but unfortunately the recording ended midway. This time, I did not do a pseudo-complete edit that connects the opening takes, and I intentionally left the tape in an incomplete state as it is, but thanks to this, the performance before the tape ends is longer than the previous item, although it is only about 2 seconds. This is the result to be recorded. On the contrary, the opening is not a fade-in, but is recorded from the moment the recorder switch was pressed, so you can understand that this release is based on the version obtained independently from there.
Stowe School has become a historical excavation of Beatlemania frenzy around the world, but this time, a limited press CD release with a much easier to listen version that fully demonstrates the meticulous restoration unique to “GRAF ZEPPELIN”!