The Beatles perform for BBC documentary ‘The Mersey Sound’ in Southport, England 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 27 1963)


Video: 'The Beatles - Twist And Shout - The Mersey Sound (Best Available Quality)'

(Tuesday, August 27, 1963, filming began at 9:30 a.m. British Summer Time) — The Beatles were filmed today performing for The Mersey Sound, a TV special that focused on the current uprising of musical talent coming out of Liverpool, England.


Video: 'The Beatles Twist And Shout (The Mersey Sound)'

On this first day The Beatles were filmed at the Little Theatre on Hoghton Street, Southport, performing on stage without an audience. Manchester-based BBC producer Don Haworth knew that if he filmed a real concert the sound and the fury from the fans would have made the footage unusable.


Video: 'The Beatles - She Love You [Live at Mersey Sound - 27-30 August 1963]'

The Beatles performed versions of “Twist And Shout” and “She Loves You,” while wearing their grey collarless suits.

They then changed into black collarless suits and performed ‘”Love Me Do,” with a curtain behind them to suggest a different location.


Video: 'The Beatles - She Loves You (Mersey Sound) [COLORIZED]'

Haworth later edited in footage of fans from The Beatles’ concert on the previous night at the Odeon Cinema in Southport. In the final cut, however, the EMI recordings of the songs was dubbed onto the footage in place of the live audio.


Video: 'The Beatles - Love Me Do [Extended, "rare" live audio]'

An instrumental version of “I Saw Her Standing There” that appears as incidental music over various scenes of the group offstage in the documentary definitely sounds like a Beatles performance, complete with George playing a climbing riff from his standard “Long Tall Sally” solo.


Video: 'The Beatles - I Saw Her Standing There - Live At The Mersey Sound'

Filming for the documentary, which would air on Oct. 9, 1963, John Lennon’s 23rd birthday, would continue over next three consecutive days in and around Southport, Manchester & Liverpool.