Beatles/FM Broadcast Special 1978

When you’re a music lover and you’re an adolescent, the act of buying an album was a struggle with your wallet. During the Showa era, a program that became a strong ally for us was an FM radio program that would play albums in their entirety in the evening. Starting at 16:00 on weekdays is a convenient time to check the air after returning from school, and all the more, there are probably many music lovers who have benefited from the broadcast of this program. At the same time, it was a long-running program, continuing to be broadcast until the early Heisei era, when FM music programs declined. Therefore, I think there are many people of the generation who couldn’t buy not only LPs but also CDs and checked the air. Naturally, Beatles albums were often played on this program, but the one that was released was the one that aired in August 1978 when they played early Beatles albums. The first thing that makes me feel nostalgic when I play it is the very calm tone of the story. Back then, if you turned on the radio, this feeling was commonplace. Isn’t it just that sad? Also, in Japan in the 1970s, Beatles albums from various countries were released as domestic editions, and there were even edited versions unique to Japan. Therefore, the first broadcast in this episode is the American compilation “MEET THE BEATLES”, which is reminiscent of the times. During this time, “MEET THE~” was more popular in Japan than “WITH THE BEATLES” for the same jacket. Furthermore, it begins with elaborate editing that connects the narration of “BEATLES’ STORY” at the opening, but this is also unique to the era when Capitol compilations were easy to obtain. What’s interesting about this episode is that after playing their first album in America, they continued with their first album in England, “PLEASE PLEASE ME”. It’s also interesting that he refused and said that he would omit the duplicated song “I Saw Her Standing There.” After playing some songs that were not included in these albums, “A HARD DAY’S NIGHT” was played. The sound quality is also very good because this air check was recorded on a reel rather than a cassette. However, due to the reel being replaced, “Things We Said Today” was not recorded, but since they are all album versions, I think it was a big loss. More than that, the narration that is told between programs makes you feel the era again. For example, the line, “Even the children born when the Beatles debuted are now 14 years old,” is deeply emotional considering the fact that nearly 60 years have passed since their debut. Of course, they are all album versions, but in 2020, which was turbulent due to the coronavirus, this air check sound source is soothing. Broadcast Date: 28th August 1978 (4:10-6:00PM) Disc 1 (65:06) 1. DJ Talks 2. Beatlemania 3. I Want To Hold Your Hand 4. I Saw Her Standing There 5. This Boy 6. It Won’t Be Long 7. All I Gotta Do 8. All My Loving 9. DJ 10. Don’t Bother Me 11. Little Child 12. Till There Was You 13. Hold Me Tight 14. I Wanna Be Your Man 15 . Not A Second Time 16. DJ Talks 17. Misery 18. Anna 19. Chains 20. Boys 21. Ask Me Why 22. Please Please Me 23. DJ Talks 24. Love Me Do 25. PS I Love You 26. DJ Talks 27. Baby It’s You 28. Do You Want To Know A Secret 29. A Taste Of Honey 30. There’s A Place 31. Twist And Shout 32. DJ Talks Disc 2 (40:44) 1. DJ Talks 2. She Loves You 3. Please Mr Postman 4. Rock And Roll Music 5. DJ Talks 6. A Hard Day’s Night 7. I Should Have Known Better 8. If I Fell 9. I’m Happy Just To Dance With You 10. And I Love Her 11. Tell Me Why12. Can’t Buy Me Love 13. DJ Talks 14. Anytime At All 15. I’ll Cry Instead ★Missing in the middle Tape change → Things We Said Today All songs are missing 16. When I Get Home 17. You Can’t Do That 18. I’ll Be Back 19. DJ Outro