A rare tape of The Beatles auditioning for Decca Records in 1962 was recently discovered by Rob Frith, owner of Neptoon Records in Vancouver. Initially mistaken for a bootleg, it turned out to be a direct copy of the audition tape – which was deemed unpromising and ultimately rejected by the label – and features an exceptional sound quality recording of the young band, which featured an early lineup of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Pete Best at the time. “I picked up this tape years ago that said ‘Beatles Demos’ on it. I just figured it was a tape off a bootleg record,” Frith wrote. “After hearing it last night for the first time, it sounds like a master tape. The quality is unreal.” The tape was originally given to Jack Herschorn by a producer friend during a visit to London in the 1970s. Despite the tape’s historical significance, Frith has no intention of selling it, offering to provide a copy to Decca or promising to personally hand it over to McCartney if he were to ever visit his Canadian record shop. (Louder Sound)
