Just when you think there can't possibly be anything new from The Beatles comes word of the earliest known complete recording of one of their British concerts. It was taped by a 15-year-old kid who wanted to test out his newfangled reel-to-reel machine, and somehow the recording has survived all these years. 

It was played on a BBC Radio show Monday, and now that concert - which took place at a British school - has been partially broadcast for the very first time. The tape captures The Fab Four just before they broke on the world scene and became the celebrated "greatest group of all time." That means it was before the screaming hysteria that would highlight their live concerts, one of the reasons they eventually stopped touring. 

It is an astonishing find and a music time capsule, although the quality is understandably a bit suspect, having been recorded from a distance in a noisy hall. Experts believe while it will never sound great, with modern enhancements, it could be made very listenable. 

"Speaking about its significance, [Beatles historian Mark] Lewisohn said: "The opportunity that this tape presents, which is completely out of the blue, is fantastic because we hear them just on the cusp of the breakthrough into complete world fame. And at that point, all audience recordings become blanketed in screams. 

"So here is an opportunity to hear them in the UK, in an environment where they could be heard and where the tape actually does capture them properly, at a time when they can have banter with the audience as well."

If you're fan or just into music history, this is a rare and fascinating find. I just wish the BBC show that played it offered a little more of it than we get to hear. They spend a lot of time talking about how it was made and when, rather than playing satisfying excerpts. But it's a time machine back to an era long passed, with a group that had no idea yet of what they would eventually become.  

Earliest recording of UK show by The Beatles found

The BBC: The Beatles Live At Stowe School