| According to Beatle folklore,
promotional copies of their unreleased 1969 Get Back LP were distributed to radio
stations in the United States. In fact, no promotional copies of the album were issued,
although many radio stations aired tapes which were in circulation at the time. Some
stations (such as WBKW in Buffalo, and WEBN in Cincinnati) aired an undocumented mix of Get
Back (available only on an obscure bootleg entitled O.P.D.), which mirrors
the "final" track listing of the LP, as documented in The Beatles: Recording
Sessions.
A second source for the Get
Back material was a reference acetate prepared by the Beatles producer Glyn Johns on
March 10, 1969. This was also aired by a number of American stations, including WBAI
in New York, KCOK AM in St. Louis, and WBCN in Boston (which is our source here).
This tape is significantly
different than the "final" mix, which is widely available on various illicit
records. It's noticeably less processed than the other both in terms of editing and
the use of reverb. It also includes an extra performance of "Get Back",
and a cover of Jimmy McCracklin's "The Walk".
What's noticeable here, though,
is that this is far and away the best sounding tape of this material you're ever likely to
hear. WBCN obtained a reel-to-reel tape of actual reference acetates. Their
broadcast of this was preserved on another high-quality reel, and a digital copy of that
tape was used to master this LP. We've also elected to leave in most of the actual
commercials and announcements from the WBCN DJ. This provides a charming framework,
and sadly reminds us how much radio has changed.
This is an artifact of an era
that won't come again. Enjoy it! |