Posted on 11/23/2012 10:06:03 AM PST by raccoonradio
The Beatles' audition tape famously rejected by a record executive in 1962 has finally been uncovered after 50 years.
The fledgling group were told "they had no future in showbusiness" as guitar groups were "on the way out" following the audition. The decision by a Decca Records executive proved to be one of the worst made in music history.
Within months John, Paul, George and original drummer Pete Best had signed with EMI and went on to become the greatest band of all time.
Now the original safety master tape, a 10-track demo the group recorded at Decca's London studios on New Year's Day 1962, has come to public light for the first time. It is thought the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein held on to the tape he had paid to make and later gave it to an executive associated with EMI.
He sold it in 2002 to a prolific buyer of music memorabilia. He is now selling it at auction with a pre-sale estimate of 30,000 pounds.
The recording has never been officially released and the sound quality on it is said to be pristine.
Temeloes should be Tremeloes.
Were you really such a humbug fifty years ago? My parents were born during the Great Depression, and even they liked the Beatles in their day. Perhaps not as much as I did, but they weren't allergic to them.
For a time in the early 90s, I was part of a loose gaggle of L.A. musicians who were in the social circle of Jon Anderson of Yes fame. My best buddy spent a lot of time producing tracks for Jon's son, and he spent a fair bit of time at Jon's house, as well.
One day out of the blue, my buddy lays a two track cassette tape on me that was full of original, fully produced songs by Jon Anderson. Some of those songs later ended up on new Yes albums. Some have never made it onto an album.
I should add, that at one time, this same buddy rented a house in Topanga Canyon from Malcolm Cecil, who used to produce Stevie Wonder. The basement was a home studio that Cecil had once used to mix tracks and record overdubs and such.
Well, one of the most interesting items in that basement was the original 24 track tape of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition”. It just sat on a shelf, not locked up or anything. I felt honored just to hold it in my hands once.
Relax. I liked/like the Beatles’ music just about as most people did and still do. But the great legacy of the Decca label resides in their classical music recordings. Something that might not be recognized enough today - the Beatles did just fine on some other label, so their rejection by Decca did not deprive us of their talent. (And, for the record (heh!), I was not-quite-born-yet 50 years ago.)
Enjoy this evening with some of your favorite music, just as I will!
Got NOS CCa tubes? ;-)
(Long time audiophile, though I don't buy into snake oil of any kind; Micro Seiki, Goldmund, Thorens turntables, too many cartridges to list, 1000s of LPs; New York Audio Labs tube gear, Krell sand amp; QUAD ESL, B&W, Sonus Faber speakers - hope the ears will persevere to the end.)
Thanks for your interesting posts.
Re: Stevie Wonder, his remasterings have been criticized for poor sonics due, in part, NOT using the original master tapes.
Perhaps we now know where those OMTs have been hiding.
Loved Stevie and Yes - saw the latter 3 times. Jon Anderson was a huge force in rock/progressive rock.
My mastering friend in LA is remastering “Close to the Edge”.
Ah....your earlier comment now makes more sense to me.
I won't say that it's hard for someone not living during those times to fully appreciate the music of the Beatles, but if you were alive and listening during that era, your appreciation for their work would be much richer, due to your having been part of the culture that inspired it.
They were quite literally, the chief soundtrack of an era.
I tell you, I was floored by the fact that such an important original work was simply lying on a basement shelf in an ordinary house. I honestly couldn't believe that it wasn't locked in a secure location with the rest of Stevie's life's work.
True story....
My friend was hired to remaster “Aqualung” but could not find the true OMT. After a few years, he received a call from Ian Anderson who proclaimed he found the real original master tapes....in his garage!
True story.
Bloody unbelievable, isn't it? You'd think these legendary artists would value the fruits of their life's work above all other possessions.
Thanks for the reply. That’s an interesting story. I have a very close friend who started one of the first digital studios in Australia. It didn’t work out too well for him, but the people he sold it to are doing great. I personally am not too fond of many of the remastered re-releases. To me the originals just sound better even with the hiss or other noise. Recently I have been converting my vinyl to digital, and when I have a remastered copy and a copy I’ve made, often I prefer the digital copy of the vinyl.
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