A bunch of questions about the Beatles Decca audition

You guys are too much fun.

I think I got all those from Pied Piper, too, IIRC. I thought they were just the coolest little Beatles things I'd ever seen in my life at the time.

Still love 'em. Probably read about 'em in Trouser Press or something. Would've been in law school at Ole Miss at the time.

I think I remember at the time Anthology came out that it was reported by the compilers that the Decca audition material was sourced from the Deccagone singles. But I defer to the still-functioning memories some of you cats have.

 

I don't think Epstein was given a tape until after the Beatles were turned down by Decca the last week of January 1962. Epstein kept pursuing a contract with Decca for another two weeks afterward, according to Lewisohn. Earlier in this thread, there was a reference to Decca wanting to put the tape out legitimately, and being sued by Apple. I've never heard this before (and could find no evidence of it online), but if true, wouldn't the master have been handed over at the time of the settlement?

Derek

 

Ron, I'm sure this session was mono only. I doubt that they would have done a multi-track session and then mixed to mono.

 

Brian Epstein probably had to buy the tape from Decca, either for the cost of the tape or the cost of the session, but being that Decca would likely have re-used the tape for another session, the cost of the audition was probably written off.

 

When artists do an audition with a label, usually contracts aren't signed first. Therefore, no one really has the rights to put it out. The label may own the tape, but they usually haven't at that point negotiated with the artists for the rights to release it, because it usually isn't intended for release.

 

Firstly, a belated thanks for your earlier reply, Ron. Illuminating as ever.

1 January wasn't a Government-sanctioned Bank Holiday in England at the time, as it is now; it was only a discretionary holiday. Decca was obviously one of the many employers who didn't grant that discretion! (I think Scotland had it as a public holiday, but their Bank Holidays, as with Ireland, often differ with the English ones.)

It's more likely it was the engineer who expressed concern over the condition of the equipment. A similar situation occured at the Parlophone audition - haven't I read something about the engineers having to haul a loudspeaker out of the echo chamber, and solder a socket onto it for McCartney's bass? (I don't have Lewisohn to hand at the moment to provide the exact quote.)

Seems odder to me to expect a studio to have a band wire everything through their system at that time. I can't think of any, with the occasional exception of some of the things Joe Meek got up to, which would have done this in 1962.

 

That was the demo version of Love of the Loved, not the Decca version.

 

Take good care of my Baby WAS part of that singles series, but for whatever reason was issued as a 1-sided 45 without pic sleeve.

 

I forgot New Year's Day not being an official Bank Holiday, but the night before was surely a night for partying. Mike Smith himself has claimed he was late due to this. The Beatles of course were forced to drive to London through a snow storm and made it on time and from the accounts we have weren't pleased at having the session start late, and perhaps shortened. The nerves probably already on edge, were heightened by the waiting.

As the story goes, (Lewisohn mentions this as well) it was Smith who was 'aghast' at the condition of the amps. If it had been the engineer they could have remedied the situation before Smith arrived.

I wasn't recording in the UK back then, or anywhere else for that matter , but was it common for a band to its own gear in the studio? Instruments sure, but mics and amps? Ron

 

No, it was the same Decca version, looped, edited and extended. The demo version has never been available on any bootleg. Ron

 

Congratulations...you have the rare and distinct honor of alerting me to a Beatles recording that I had no idea existed!

So please...elaborate...what is this? Would this be like the demos of "Bad To Me," "One And One Is Two," etc., which I have heard on...well, I've heard them, I'll leave it at that.

 

It's a guide vocal for Cilla Black.

 

I received a sad email yesterday that relates to this thread. The engineer on this audition, Mike Savage, passed away several months ago. His son Ian emailed me to let me know as I was getting back in touch to do a follow-up interview to the one I had done late last year. So while the news is several months old, it was quite a shock to me since I remember him as very friendly, quite talkative and gracious, with a good sense of humor and a good memory.

Fortunately, both Mark Lewisohn and I interviewed Mike on separate occasions last year. Odd that no one had ever interviewed him before, or had even known his name. I just happened to find out who he was while I was interviewing Derek Varnals, the engineer on those many Moody Blues albums. Derek indicated that it was pretty common knowledge around the studio who did the session.

Mike left Decca in 1963, by the way, and went to work for the BBC, where he said he had recorded just about every great orchestra of the time. When I spoke to him he was doing sound for film and stage, obviously quite active even though he was in his seventies.

 

Eddy, the demo version of Love of the Loved has never appeared on bootleg. If you've heard it, you are one lucky man. The version on the old LS Bumblebee boot, is most definitely the Decca take, edited and extended. Ron

 

Sad news indeed. Thanks for alerting us all. Was Mike able to recall details from the sessions? Debunk or corroborate long-held myths and stories? This would make for some fascintating reading. Ron

 

He didn't remember much in the way of specifics about the four of them or about Brian or the day itself, but I asked him about how he would have set up the session and recorded it, what studio it was in, whether it was twin-track or full-track, etc. I sent him the Albert Marrion photos and a disc of the audition (which he had a copy of -- on LP!) in hopes of jogging loose a few more memories. Unfortunately I never got to follow up.

I am preparing an article on the subject using his interview as the basis, so stay tuned.

 

Thanks Jason, will most definitely be staying tuned. Ron

 

Sorry, but beg to differ. That's a McCartney solo recording from circa October 1963, cut as a Dick James acetate, source of what turned up on bootlegs.

[img=http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/7532/loveofloved1arh8.th.jpg]

 

Your recollection is perfect.
Blown cones and a rattly cabinet prompted them to do just as written above.

 

I just listened to it again for the first time in years. It is NOT the McCartney demo version, (it is a looped, edited and extended version of the Decca take in fair quality) though one exists as shown by your facsimile pic, as does one for Like Dreamers Do which was found when compiling Anthology. Believe me, if there was a demo version of LOTL circulating, people would know about it. Ron

From Doug Sulpy's, The Beatle's Outtakes Part One. In February 1973, one of the Decca performances (Love of The Loved) appeared on the CBM bootleg L.S. Bumblebee. The song wasn't very good and went on far too long.... In 1975, Love of the Loved appeared on a bootleg 45. This not only sounded better than on L.S. Bumblebee, but enabled us to understand the tape used for that record had been artifically extended. It was still pretty bad. There was just less of it.

 

Oh, yes. Certainly an odd day to be working, but that's the way it was then. I imagine Decca had time for auditions simply because there would be few established artists prepared to make themselves available on New Year's Day, thus leaving the studios free.

Yes, that certainly makes sense.

As far as I know, it was fairly standard practice. For example, the majority of the Shadows' records were made through their own equipment. It's probable that session musicians tended to plug in and go, but it seems to have been assumed that most bands were self-contained units with their own equipment.

I had no idea that Mike Savage was the engineer on the auditions. I'd assumed it was either Gus Dudgeon or somebody like Bill Price.

 

Another SHtv forum exclusive.

 

Will there be an SH.tv exclusive about whether it was a full-track, twin-track or multi-track recoding?

 

16-track, actually.

Hey, I have to save something for the article.

 

It was worth a shot.

I'm looking forward to reading it, Jason.