Concierto en Madrid 2 de julio de 1965 — The Beatles

This isn't the polished, multi-tracked perfection of Abbey Road or the curated nostalgia of The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl. This is a visceral, sweat-soaked document of four young men at the eye of a global hurricane, performing in the oppressive heat of a Madrid bullring.

The sound is thick with the ghosts of 1965: the mid-range punch of Vox amplifiers pushed to their breaking point and the relentless, rhythmic roar of a crowd that is as much a part of the instrument as the guitars themselves.

Moments Worth Listening For

the way the crowd noise swells into a physical wall of sound during the opening of she's a woman

john lennon's raspy, throat-tearing delivery on the closing version of twist and shout

the brief, fragile moment of clarity during yesterday before the stadium roar returns

Reviews

Also reviewed byshakinstreetblog.wordpress.comshivamusic.es

Where This Album Departs

How does Concierto en Madrid 2 de julio de 1965 sound next to the rest of The Beatles's catalogue?

This album stays in step with the catalogue across the board — no axis departs enough to be worth its own note. Hover the dots to see where each one sits.

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