The Beatles in Seattle 1964: Internet Archive

Since the advent of the Internet items that were once thought lost to history can actually be rediscovered. One source has been the Wayback Machine, named after the “Peabody’s Improbable History” segments that originated in the legendary Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends cartoons from the 1960s. Beyond the “way back” pun, it was a time machine dubbed the WABAC as a nod to the gargantuan mainframe computers of the day that ended with “AC” such as the UNIVAC. In those episodes, an erudite talking dog named Mr. Peabody and “his boy” Sherman would travel back in time for skewered takes on historical events courtesy of creator Jay Ward.

For the Internet, the Wayback Machine is a method of specifically revisiting websites from the past. It was created by the far more reaching Internet Archive, which is described on its site as a “non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.” For Beatles fans, the archive contains a treasure trove of audio, and on the 60th anniversary of Beatlemania, we can be taken back in time to what it was like to have been present at a particular show during that extraordinary era.

One interesting example is the Beatles’ appearance in Seattle, where they performed on Friday, Aug. 21, 1964, at the Seattle Coliseum. After flying from Las Vegas into SeaTac Airport that day, the band participated in a press conference where they answered many of the same questions posed to them in every other city. (It’s assumed that the press conference was conducted at the airport, though Mark Lewisohn’s The Beatles Chronicles – an essential reference for the Beatles’ daily activities – only lists the performance as an activity for that day.)
 

Unfortunately, there is no original source listed for the recording of that press event, or any of the other items from the Internet Archive including the Seattle performance. It’s well known that back in the day Beatles concerts were pandemonium with teenage girls screaming throughout the show. The recording gives a good indication of what it was like to strain to hear the Beatles tear through their 29-minute set, which consisted of the following selections:

1. “Twist and Shout”
2. “You Can’t Do That”
3. “All My Loving”
4. “She Loves You”
5. “Things We Said Today”
6. “Roll Over Beethoven”
7. “Can’t Buy Me Love”
8. “If I Fell”
9. “I Want to Hold Your Hand”
10. “Boys”
11. “A Hard Day’s Night”
12. “Long Tall Sally”
 

Their set was frustratingly short and the noisiness of the recording is as challenging for the listener as it may have been at the actual concert. Nevertheless, listening to the recording, it’s still amazingly easy to be swept up in the excitement of what it was like to actually have been witnessing history in the making, with the Beatles at the apex of their talents before countless cacophonous shows consisting of nonstop shrieking would bear down on their musicianship.

The final Seattle audio recording surrounding the 1964 show found in the Internet Archive describes the Beatles departing the Edgewater Inn the following day to escape back to SeaTac and fly to Vancouver for their performance there. The narrator was Jim Stagg (AKA Jimmy Staggs), a DJ for Cleveland radio station KYA who was one of the lucky few who were allowed on the Beatles’ private plane for their 1964 tour of North America.
 

While the audio presented here is enticing in itself, there is an amazing document that exists courtesy of the Washington State Historical Society containing a treasure trove of details about the Beatles’ Seattle appearance. A Hard Day’s Night: The Beatles’ 1964 Seattle Concert was written by Patrick F. Diviney and Michael Allen and originally published in the Summer of 1996 by Columbia, The Magazine of Northwest History (Vol. 10, No. 2). The essay reveals information about the excitement surrounding that Beatles show, including how security was beefed up to include the Navy, a vehicle exiting the show was crushed by fans who believed the Beatles were inside (fortunately, they weren’t), the impact to hotel guests, details about the opening acts and the Beatles’ performance (though the running order isn’t correct), facts behind contractual details (including how much the Beatles made from the show), and much, much more.

When opened in a web browser, there are other concerts that appear at the bottom of the Seattle concert archive page, including the subsequent night in Vancouver, their first in Canada. However, there is another noteworthy Seattle-related audio file in the archive: an ~8.5 minute interview conducted by Seattle radio personality Dusty Adams from Aug. 25, 1966, where topics include Paul McCartney quashing rumors of a secret wedding to Jane Asher in Seattle and George Harrison discussing why the band wasn’t interested in recording an album in Memphis. John Lennon also addresses his out-of-context quote about the Beatles being bigger than Jesus, which would ultimately contribute to the end of Beatles tours.
 

It should be noted that for much of the audio mentioned here might already be known from other sources, including YouTube. But the archive provides a one-stop shop for a vast array of sources and subjects, even beyond the Beatles. Anyone who is serious about diving into the Internet Archive should consider making a contribution. Chances are, you’ll be just as surprised at what you might be able to find, and hear, about a given subject from this valuable and essential resource.

© 2024 Mike Tiano. All Rights Reserved