An incredible piece of Beatles history has been found in Vancouver, Canada. Collector and record store owner Rob Frith was lucky enough to find a rare, 15-track demo tape from 1962 in his store.
The owner of Vancouver’s Neptoon Records recently stumbled across what he thought was a bootleg reel-to-reel tape titled “Beatles 60s Demos”, purchased several years ago. But after listening to it for the first time this year, Rob Frith realized that he had a recording of an audition performed by the Liverpudlian band at Decca studios on January 1, 1962.
An exceptional recording
“I just figured it was a tape off a bootleg record” explained Frith on his Instagram account. “After hearing it last night for the first time, it sounds like a master tape. The quality is unreal.”
The tape is believed to be a copy of the infamous audition from January 1, 1962, which the Beatles recorded at Decca Studios in London. An audition that was notoriously unsuccessful: the record label refused to sign the band, who eventually signed with Parlophone and released their debut album Please Please Me in 1963, before achieving worldwide success.
According to Frith, the audio quality of the tape is incredible: “It sounds like they’re in the room”. What’s more, there are white strips between songs, known as leader tape. The latter is used by studios to separate tracks during professional recording sessions.
The record store owner even managed to track down the individual who brought the demo tape to Canada. This person was Jack Herschorn, a former music executive from Vancouver. Herschorn revealed that a producer from London gave him the tape in 1970, and suggested that he sell copies in North America. He quickly rejected this idea, stating “I didn’t think it was a totally moral thing to do. These guys, they’re famous and they deserve to have the right royalties on it… it deserves to come out properly.”
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What does the future hold for this priceless tape?
Now, more than sixty years after the original recording, fans can hear an excerpt of the track Money (That’s What I Want) on Frith’s Instagram account. A music lover and avid record collector, he believes the tape should be protected and has no intention of selling it. He is willing to share a copy with Decca if they are interested in an official release, and even joked that he would personally give it to Paul McCartney if he ever stopped by Neptoon Records.
At present, legal uncertainties remain as to the distribution of this recording. The rights could belong to Decca, Parlophone or even the Beatles’ estate. Whatever the case, fans can rest assured that this rare piece of music history is no longer lost, and will be safeguarded for generations to come.
