THE BEATLES, ORIGINAL
1962 DECCA AUDITION TAPE
A vintage quarter-inch magnetic tape recording (7.5 ips) mounted on a 5-inch Philips brand reel, featuring seven songs from the infamous recording session during which The Beatles auditioned for a recording contract with Decca Records on January 1, 1962. The band was subsequently rejected by Decca, which reportedly proclaimed, "The Beatles have no future in show business" and "Guitar groups are on the way out".
The tape recording was part of the personal property of The Beatles manager, Brian Epstein, and was inherited by his nephew, Henry Epstein. The recording is housed in an Emitape brand box and is accompanied by a digitized version on CD.
Mark Lewinson, world-leading Beatles historian and author of the trilogy Tune In: The Beatles - All These Years, states that the recording "sounds ever so slightly different, in that certain instruments seem more pronounced in the mix. The ending of Three Cool Cats is a single bass note longer than any version we've had before. The song September in the Rain is four seconds longer than any of the circulated versions, as it includes a vocal line that is always edited out. These tiny differences do mark out the tape as original to Brian Epstein, not something created from any other known-to-exist sources."
The running time on the tape is 15 minutes and 20 seconds. The track list in full:
– Money
– The Sheik of Araby
– Memphis
– Three Cool Cats
– Sure to Fall (in Love with You)
– September in the Rain
– Like Dreamers Do
The last song, "Like Dreamers Do", was written by Paul McCartney in 1959, and it's one of the very earliest songs credited to Lennon-McCartney. Note that The Beatles performed a total of 15 songs during this iconic Decca audition. The tape offered here contains seven songs.
In 2012, an auctioneer sold, what they claimed to be, the original recording tape from the Decca audition for £35,000. The recording that they sold was on Ampex tape, which was NOT in use in 1962. It's, therefore, not an original recording tape from the Decca audition, but instead just a later copy.
This recording tape offered by Alexander Bitar History is indeed an original from January 1, 1962, with impeccable and solid provenance as it's from the personal property of Brian Epstein, the man who was in charge of booking The Beatles to audition for Decca. With that being written – this is the only authentic original copy ever offered for sale!
Size: Approximately 6 x 6 in. / 15 x 15 cm (the box).
Condition: The tape is in very fine condition; the box is complete, but it's slightly torn and has what appears to be some tape marks; overall good condition.
Provenance: From the Estate of The Beatles manager Brian Epstein. Letter of Provenance from Henry Epstein, Brian's nephew. Letter of Authenticity from Tracks UK. Letter of Authenticity from Alexander Bitar History.
