Fifty-one years ago, in January 1962, recently appointed manager Brian Epstein signed an application form for the Beatles to perform on the BBC. Unlike a number of their notable peers the Beatles passed their BBC audition and their firstthree songs were broadcast on radio on March 8 1962. This was three months before they were signed by EMI, and seven months ahead of their first single, Love Me Do.
This two-CD set finds the Beatles in a confident and energetic mood, already sounding tight and unique. As well as their own songs, like Please Please Me, I Saw Her Standing There, She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand, This Boy through to 1964's I Feel Fine, we get to share their takes on the likes of Buddy Holly's Words Of Love, Little Richard's Lucille, Jerry Goffin and Carole King's Chains, and of course Chuck Berry's Roll Over Beethoven.
Not only is this a treasure trove from a historical perspective, its calibre is also of a high musical standard, and as fresh today as it was back then. It's been a while since I revisited one of the Beatles albums, and this is a worthy reminder of just how much they were on course to change our world, five decades ago. Tony Nielsen
