BBC wipes 60s pop tapes

[BrazilianFlag]

From The Sun - http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2003171879,00.html

THOUSANDS of TV performances by some of the world’s greatest rock acts have been destroyed by the BBC.

The penny-pinching Beeb recorded over tapes of 1960s appearances by legends including The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks, Beach Boys and Bob Dylan.

Of 3,500 Top of the Pops shows in that decade, only 55 remain in the archive. The rest were wiped when the magnetic tape was reused for other programmes to save cash in the days before cheap video cassettes.

The BBC admitted wiping the clips after broadcasting a Beatles special on nostalgia show TOTP2.

Older viewers asked why it did not include Top of the Pops versions of the band’s hits, such as She Loves You and Please Please Me.

Producer Mark Hagen admitted: “I would have loved to use clips of The Beatles but none survive in the archive. This is not uncommon for 60s editions of the programme.

“The BBC now retains 55 performances — by no means the 55 you would choose to keep now.”

[HMVNipper]

God...that's just sad. I mean, back in the day, who knew, but really...to think what was lost. And not just stuf by the Beatles, either...

It was like that with old TV shows too...you hear all the time about tapes being wiped, and now people'd kill for those performances.

Sigh...

[Siobhan]

I saw the special on TOPT2 and I wondered why they had used clips that were quite well known rather than more obscure ones. Now I know I guess. It's such a shame they only kept so few tapes from back then. I bet they regret it now!

[beatlelover45223]

Too sad that history wasn't preserved graemlins/eyepoke.gif

[beatlebangs1964]

That is very sad and a loss to everyone.

There was just no need to record over these delightful historical shows. Talk about a loss to the world. What a tragic waste.

[Jerry]

Yeah it's sad, but nearly every Beatles performance still exists in one way or another. It would be nice to have the original master tapes, but the bootlegs are more than adequate.

[Tim]

Some of them pop up in file sharing. I have This boy,Twist and Shout,etc.

What also must be remembered re: lost UK TV

In the 1960's videotape was over £200 a spool,so for other than 'important' (i.e. Royal or major events) matters,a lot wasn't archived onto tape.

Also,there were very strict rules about reruns in that era,and that after x reairings,the film/tape must be scrapped.

And most importantly,who in 1963 would think that in 2003 The Beatles,Doctor Who or The Avengers would still be popular? (The first year of pre-Honor Blackmon Avengers no longers exists,bar 1 episode). The concept of home video was a foreign idea in 1963,just as in the 1970's who would think people would want computers in their homes?

[ Apr 17, 2003, 02:26 PM: Message Edited By: Tim ]

[Jerry]

Originally Posted By beatlelover45223:
<font size="2" face="Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif">where does one go about getting copies of these goodies, not as easy as going to the local Best Buy, probably more expensive too?[/QUOTE]

There are many bootleg sets out there that contain most of the songs. Every few years they "upgrade" the sound and add newly discovered tracks and interviews. I'm actually getting ready to sell an older box set. Send me an e-mail if you're interested, and I'll give you more details. They're not as expensive as you think.

[beatlz]

yea, that is a total loss. the same fate TOTP met also happened with DOCTOR WHO. 109 b/w episodes from the 60s were lost due to the BBC being cheap by thinking these episodes had run past their prime and decided to erase or record over them rather than buying new blank videotapes during the 70s. luckily, here and there a few episodes popped up in say new zealand or at film conventions. hope, luckily, tapes of the beatles and other groups from TOTP show up in such a way.

[beatlelover45223]

Originally Posted By Jerry:
Yeah it's sad, but nearly every Beatles performance still exists in one way or another. It would be nice to have the original master tapes, but the bootlegs are more than adequate.<font size="2" face="Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif">where does one go about getting copies of these goodies, not as easy as going to the local Best Buy, probably more expensive too?

[ Apr 17, 2003, 12:38 PM: Message Edited By: beatlelover45223 ]

[Kasey1964]

That's sad that we're losing so much musical history. Too bad the music industry doesn't have someone trying to preserve those pieces of history, like the movie industry has. The movie industry has a preservation project where they try to keep very old films(silents) from turning to dust. It would be a shame that even 50 years from now , people's idea of great music is Brittany and the boy bands.

[durstie]

that's truly sad, I think that for those of us who weren't around in the days that these shows were aired have lost a lot..
the biggest loss as they won't be shared by futher generations truly sad graemlins/sad3.gif