The time was May 1977 and I was just finishing my undergrad university degree in Ottawa. I recall trying to finish a paper for one of my courses after classes had ended .. I had been granted an extension and it was very quiet as I sat in one of the rooms in the Arts Tower at Carleton University. Only the Carleton Campus radio station to listen to on that sunny day when I would rather be outside ... I had moved on from The Beatles more than seven years in terms of musical taste but all of a sudden there was screaming from the speakers over my head and I heard someone announce .. "and now here they are .. The Beatles" !!! Instantly I was a Beatles fan again just as I was finishing my University degree.

Capitol of Canada was issuing "The Beatles Live At The Hollywood Bowl" and these were recordings made at this famous outdoor concert venue way back in 1964 and 1965. This Beatles fan's immediate reaction was that Capitol had stopped scraping the bottom of the barrel (eg red and blue double LP sets) ... they were now licking the bottom of the barrel !

Still .. my interest was piqued and the album became a birthday gift for me in August of that year …

But what did The Beatles think of this reissue of scream-laced material ? At this time, all four ex-Beatles were enjoying much success with their solo careers. Their solo albums were competing in the LP charts with their original Beatles recordings.

Capitol of Canada was now aware of the value that lay in their vaults. The old albums were selling consistently and now in 1977 they had something new (again) to add to the catalogue. The Canadian operation went into high gear to promote the album, running against the likes of platinum albums like Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours", etc.

Promotional Albums

A special 6 page press kit was prepared. One side was in French and the other side (3 pages) was in English.

Above - Front cover and inside English page 1 of special 6 page bilingual May 1977 press kit prepared by Capitol of Canada.

Also, stickered promotional albums were sent out to industry contacts (pluggers, radio stations, etc.). These promotional albums came with a promo sticker on the back cover and inside included a 10-page typewritten bio history of The Beatles. There was also a one page handout called The Beatles Live !

Stock Albums

Most stock editions of the album included a small yellow contest form (French on one side and English on the other).

Capitol Of Canada Cassettes And 8 Track Tapes

The album was also manufactured and issued on cassette and 8 tape in Canada as follows: Cassette - 4XW-11638 (US inlay card with black spine, yellow paper labels, yellow contest insert folded inside) 8 track tape - 8XW-11638 (Canadian slick, black shell, yellow contest form folded inside)

Album Packaging

All Canadian album jackets featured slicks with the die-cut tickets that were printed by Ever Reddy. The printer's logo appears at the bottom of the spine of the gatefold jacket. Albums, cassettes, and 8 track tapes were all issued in tight shrink wrap.

LP Pressings

At the time this album was issued in Canada, Capitol was starting to press albums using their own in-house pressing operation .. after years of using third parties like RCA, Compo, and Columbia. In fact, many of the early pressings of the "Bowl" LP are Columbia pressings.

There are three different pressings of this Lp from 1977 in Canada: All versions have MASTERED BY CAPITOL machine-stamped in the run out area on each side.

Other Promotional Materials

Capitol of Canada went as far as creating some very cool plastic store displays just to promote the LP. These displays were shown in the "press kit" that was created to promote the new album to retailers across Canada. The display was huge .. approximately 48 inches high by 28 inches wide. ... and it had pockets to hold 4 covers of the Hollywood Bowl album. A Beatles collector in British Columbia obtained one of these from the Kelly's Stereo Mart in Vancouver many years ago and front and back views appear in the two pictures below.

Above - Two photos of the white moulded plastic in-store Hollywood Bowl LP display by courtesy of Steve Clifford, British Columbia.

It is estimated that approximately 200 of these large plastic displays were manufactured for distribution to the larger record retailers across Canada. Try and find one of these today !

"They Came Back ... Live" Contest Posters

Very large rolled paper posters were also created in May 1977 to promote and support the special "They Came Back ... Live" contest that was mentioned on the little yellow forms inserted into the stock albums.

From A Commercial Perspective ... Was It All Worth It ?

Was the expensive cross-Canada promotional push by Capitol of Canada in May of 1977 worth it ? The answer is a resounding "maybe" ... perhaps The Beatles could have sold a live album without the promotional materials and the expenses to run a national contest. This would not happen in the same way again. Beatles albums as they were issued by Capitol of Canada in the 1960s did not have such promotional expense.