The Beatles Early Tape Discovery
The Beatles’ early magnetic cassette, recorded in 1962, was discovered at the Vancouver Records store – find out more below.
Rob Frit’s Surprise Find
Last week, Rob Frit, the owner of Vancouver Neptoon Records, played an old tape labeled “Beatles Demos” from the 60s, initially thinking it was just a bootleg. After listening to the tape and sharing a fragment on social media, he realized it was a rare, direct copy of The Beatles’ early recordings.
He shared in his initial social media post: “I picked up this tape many years ago with the inscription ‘Beatles.’”
In the background of the video below, you can hear a snippet of the tape.
In an interview with CBC, Frit discussed his find stating, “I thought it was just a coil to a set someone had put on as a bootleg,” but quickly realized, after talking to fans and doing some research, that this tape was a genuine artifact. “It felt as if The Beatles were right there in the room,” he remarked about the tape’s quality.
The recording was made on January 1, 1962, at Decca Studios in London, but Decca ultimately passed on The Beatles. The band would later sign with Parlophone and release “Please Please Me.”
Frit took the tape to his friend Larry Hennessy’s studio to hear it for the first time, as he didn’t have the proper equipment for it. He explained how he and Hennessy knew they had a unique version of the tape and not a bootleg that was released in the 70s.
According to Hennessy, who CBC reports is “experienced in music preservation,” recognized it was recorded on a white tape known as a master tape: “The way the audio is wound on the tape shows that it separates tracks … This is not a hasty copy or bootleg.”
After the clip of his tape circulated on social media, Frit connected with Jack Gershorn, the individual who originally brought the tape to Vancouver.
During a trip to London in the 70s, producer Gershorn received the tape, but he declined to distribute it in North America. He reflected, “I thought about it a bit … I didn’t want to release it because I felt it wasn’t entirely ethical.”
“These legends are known, and they deserve to receive proper compensation … This deserves a respectful release,” Gershorn expressed to CBC.
As for the fate of the tape, Frit is unwilling to sell it but is open to providing Decca with a copy if they express interest. Otherwise, he wishes to keep it, unless Sir Paul McCartney visits Neptoon Records, in which case Frit would gladly hand over the tape personally.
Recently, Frit shared a video clip of the first song from the tape on Instagram for fans to enjoy. You can check it out below.
In other Beatles news, Paul McCartney recently unveiled plans for a new book titled Wings: The History of the Group on the Run. It is touted as an “inspiring, stereo celebration of songs, collaboration, and performances that would shape the soundtrack of the late 20th century,” and will feature numerous rare photographs.
Since then, he hinted at the intention to complete his new solo album this year, performed at three unexpected intimate concerts in New York, and reunited with Ringo Starr during his final “Get Back” date in London last year.
https://www.nme.com/news/music/an-early-beatles-audition-tape-has-been-discovered-in-a-vancouver-record-store-3849233?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=an-early-beatles-audition-tape-has-been-discovered-in-a-vancouver-record-store
