While some bands spend decades trying to gain the spotlight, The Beatles took over the entire world in just 10 years. First formed in 1960, The Beatles produced legendary songs like “Let It Be”, “Come Together”, and “Here Come the Sun.” Just a sample of the amazing discography by the iconic group, they decided to disband in 1970. Although over 50 years ago, the band continues to captivate new generations of music lovers. And recently, the owner of Neptoon Records, Rob Firth, discovered a timeless piece of the band’s history when visiting a record store.
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Stopping by a record store in Vancouver, Firth held what he believed to be a bootleg copy of songs from The Beatles. Little did he know, he discovered an original record of the 1962 Decca audition tape. Sharing a post about his find, Firth wrote, “I picked up this tape years ago that said Beatles Demos on it. i just figured it was a tape off a bootleg record. After hearing it last night for the first time, it sounds like a master tape.”
Shocked not only by the tape but also the sound that it produced when he played it, he added, “The quality is unreal. How is this even possible to have, what sounds like a Beatles 15 song Decca tapes master?”
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The Only Time The Beatles Were Turned Down
Looking at the history of The Beatles, in January 1962, they offered an audition at the Decca Studios in London. Although the group would become one of the most iconic bands in history, the label decided to pass on them. Just a year later, The Beatles signed with Parlophone and released their debut album Please Please Me.
Wanting to know the history of the tape, Firth ended up talking to Jack Herschorn, who used to work as a Vancouver label executive. He recalled how a producer handed him the tape and even suggested he sell copies of it. Holding on to the tape, he decided not to sell it, stating, “It didn’t feel like the moral thing to do. These guys are famous and they deserve to have the right royalties on it… it deserves to come out properly.”
Now, over 60 years later, the tape is making its way online for the first time. And for Firth, he hoped to hand the tape to Paul McCartney himself if given the chance.
(Photo by Daily Mirror/Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)
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