Favorite live version of I Saw Her Standing There on streaming services?
Of the three live versions of I Saw Her Standing There by The Beatles on streaming services, the October 5th 1963 version on Live At The BBC Vol 1, the October 20th version on Live At The BBC Vol 2, or the October 24th version on Anthology 1, which one is your preferred way to listen to this tune live? I find that there's strengths and weaknesses to all 3 versions.
The Oct 5th version has the iconic count-in in full glory, a good balance between Paul and John's vocals, a clear bass sound and a clear sound in general. The solo by George isn't bad and I like John's rhythm guitar during that too, mirroring Paul's bass part.
The Oct 20th version has good energy from the crowd (drowning out the count-in a little bit) and is more energetic in general, but there's a prominent hiss throughout. The mixing in general is just a little bit off compared to the studio, not one specific thing but just lots of small differences that just add up. The solo is a little better than the Oct 5 version in my opinion but John doesn't do anything interesting with the rhythm guitar.
The Oct 24th version lacks the count-in entirely but has the most aggressive intro from an instrumental standpoint, however they turn the volume down a few seconds in. The vocals are mixed the worst in this one, with John and the instruments overpowering Paul for the first part. The cymbals are mixed loudly in this one, which I don't mind but others might. The drums in general seem a little louder which I appreciate. The solo seems to be the closest one to the studio version out of these three but there's still some variation, and the part that does match the record is delivered cleanly and sounds good. I think Ringo carries this particular performance.
Overall I think the Oct 5th performance is their strongest despite being the earliest of them all, so I wonder why it was the latest to get an official release. What do you all think?
Posted Nov 3, 2025, 10:19 AM UTC