As is only customary in the run up to the release of literally any 'new' Beatles material the media world has once again kicked itself into a frenzy. That the releases in question are simply remasters of previously available LPs does somewhat beggar belief at the level of hysteria surrounding them. "Sure I Wanna Hold Your Hand is great song but I wish those claps were available in Dolby Surround Sound" is a thought that has rarely crossed my mind.
Never a corporation to miss out on a line-up of lifeless Saturday night programming however, the Beeb coordinated a somewhat less than holy trilogy of Timewatch: Beatlemania, The Beatles on Record and The Beatles: The First US Visit in anticipation. Timewatch was the rough diamond in the crown, a decent documentary on their early rise up to their departure from touring that suffered from a lack of heavyweight collaborators.
On Record and The First US Visit let the side down drastically though due the typical Apple Corps reverence of any artefact to emerge from The Beatles cannon. Cue as equal significance handed to Yellow Submarine as Revolver and endless shots of Ringo smoking in favour of a simple narrative. It's unlikely that the same liberal handedness would be given by BBC execs to any other band which is a shame considering they've previously upheld a high standard of musical programming from the Seven Ages of Rock to Blondie: One Way or Another.
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