A forgotten Beatles recording made in 1964 has been discovered in a Liverpool attic. The 30 minute reel-to-reel tape was found by a man as he sorted through his father's possessions after his death and features eleven original songs and cover versions. Amongst the songs is a cover of 'Don't Put Me Down Like This' by American soul singer Derek Martin, thought to be the only Beatles recording of the songs, and a recording of Paul McCartney and John Lennon breaking into fits of laughter as they fail to play the song 'I'll Follow The Sun' correctly after three attempts.
The tape is expected to raise up to £12,000 when it is auctioned on 5 Aug by Berwick-based Cameo Auctioneers. The company's John King told The Liverpool Echo: "It is a real time capsule, an audio snapshot of The Beatles in their youth when they were having fun, laughing, giggling and buzzing off each other. When I first listened to this tape, it really made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. It sent a shiver down my spine".
In other Beatles news, a planned DVD release of their long-deleted film, 'Let It Be', has been cancelled. The film documents the recording of the album of the same name and tensions within the band at the time. It was released in cinemas in the 70s and on VHS in the 80s, but has been unavailable for over 20 years. A source told The Daily Express: "There has been talk of 'Let It Be' finally being released but now there has been a change of heart. The Beatles are still a massive global brand and it's felt it won't be helped if the public sees the darker side of the story. Neither Paul nor Ringo would feel comfortable publicising a film showing The Beatles getting on each other's nerves".