On February 12th, the Beatles passed the audition at the BBC's Broadcasting House in Manchester, something other Liverpool groups such as Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy J Kramer and the Big Three failed to do. John, Paul, George and Pete made their BBC Radio debut on March 8th on the program Teenagers Turn - Here We Go. (Pete Best would make only one more radio appearance with the group in June before being replaced by Ringo.)
Once their records hit the charts, their popularity quickly grew and the Beatles made frequent appearances on various BBC programs, culminating in their own series Pop Go the Beatles in the summer of '63. It was a television appearance, however, on Val Parnell's Sunday Night at the London Palladium on the ATV network, that truly sparked Beatlemania that October. TV naturally became more prominent from that moment on, and visits to BBC Radio became fewer and further between.
Most of the selections on side three of this collection are from those latter months of 1963, and primarily from the programs Saturday Club and Top Gear.
I Saw Her Standing There - This great rocker which opens the first album Please Please Me was one of the numbers they most frequently played on the BBC. Paul counts the band in as on the record. They choose not to repeat the bridge, however, thereby slightly truncating the song.
Glad All Over - As usual, George excels on this cover of a Carl Perkins rockabilly tune. Host Brian Matthew announces the song over the instrumental introduction.
Lift Lid Again - Paul opens an elaborate box sent in by a listener to make a request.
I'll Get You - As on most BBC recordings, this one lacks John's harmonica part as heard on the B-side of the group's fourth single.
She Loves You - All of the good-natured, boyish enthusiasm of early Beatlemania is on display in this monster hit. George seems to join in here vocally more than on the record.
Memphis, Tennessee - John sang this Chuck Berry classic several times on the BBC. This version seems a bit shaky compared to the one previously released on the earlier collection.
Happy Birthday Dear Saturday Club - The Beatles celebrate the fifth anniversary of what was probably the most prominent pop program of its time in the UK by playing a rocked up version of this song we all sing to one other.
Now Hush, Hush - Before a live studio audience on the program Easy Beat, Paul confirms that the group has been chosen to appear in the upcoming Royal Variety Performance. The boys then launch into...
From Me to You - ...the song they performed more than any other on BBC Radio.
Money (That's What I Want) - The first of four special programs called From Us to You was broadcast on Boxing Day 1963. To promote their recently released second album With the Beatles, they performed this raucous cover of the Barrett Strong number which closes that album.
I Want to Hold Your Hand - On the same program, they played their latest hit single, the one which would soon kick the door wide open not only for themselves but for the entire British Invasion in the USA. On this occasion, they overdubbed handclaps onto the song, as they had on the record, then applauded themselves at the end of the number.
Brian Bathtubes - The boys give a good amount of grief to host Brian Matthew while reading more requests.
This Boy - This Saturday Club performance of the great three-part harmony B-side is more relaxed and assured than the one heard on Anthology 1 for the television program Morecambe and Wise. Some reverb is added, John double tracks his vocal part in the bridge, and the song fades out as on the record.
If I Wasn't in America - While some BBC appearances were presented live, most were recorded in advance. Here, the boys talk about relaxing in Miami once this edition of Saturday Club is eventually broadcast.
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