The Beatles recorded a session for the BBC radio show Side by Side at the BBC's Paris Studio in London. The recording took place between 11 am and 2 pm and featured performances of several songs, including "Too Much Monkey Business," "Love Me Do," "Boys," "I'll Be On My Way," and "From Me To You." The episode aired later that day at 5 pm on the BBC Light Programme. Although "I'll Be On My Way" wasn't initially released, it eventually appeared on the 1994 Live At The BBC collection.
During the recording session, Dezo Hoffmann and his assistant David Magnus captured some photos outside the studio. Some of these photos were later used on Apple's Live At The BBC album cover, albeit with significant alterations. Additionally, an 8mm color film was shot during the photo session outside the studio, which was later featured in the 1994 Baby It's You promo video.
The Beatles also performed at Stowe School in Buckinghamshire, an event organized by a pupil who contacted their manager, Brian Epstein. The concert took place in the school's Roxburgh Hall, where the audience, consisting of boys from the school, notably remained composed without the typical hysteria associated with Beatles performances.
A recording of the event surfaced in 2023, thanks to John Bloomfield, then a 15-year-old schoolboy who served as the show's stage manager. The recording, almost complete, was made by Bloomfield using his own equipment, capturing 22 tracks of the performance before running out during a reprise of "I Saw Her Standing There." The setlist includes well-known Beatles songs such as "Love Me Do," "Twist And Shout," and "Please Please Me."
BBC Radio 4's Front Row covered the discovery of this recording, with journalist Samira Ahmed leading the investigation. Ahmed's report, aired in April 2023, shed light on the significance of the recording and efforts to preserve it in a national cultural institution, rather than allowing it to remain in private hands. Discussions were underway to clean up the recording, buoyed by the success of Peter Jackson's audio restoration work on The Beatles' "Get Back" series.
The story offers a glimpse into a lesser-known Beatles performance and underscores the ongoing efforts to preserve and celebrate their musical legacy.