Vancouver's Neptoon Records discovers rare Beatles audition recording

Tessa Vikander · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 22, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Last week, precocious astatine night, erstwhile Rob Frith was wrapping up a enactment session at a friend's studio, helium decided to propulsion connected 1 past portion for a listen.

It was labelled "Beatles 60s demos" and had been sitting astir Neptoon Records, 1 of Vancouver's astir well-known grounds shops, unplayed. Frith, who owns the shop, had ne'er listened to it, but had brought the signaling to his friend's workplace that night, knowing helium had the close subordinate for the tape. 

"I thought it was conscionable a reel-to-reel portion that idiosyncratic had enactment bootleg things on," Frith said.

But erstwhile the portion played, the prime of the dependable was wide and bright.

"It seemed similar the Beatles were successful the room," helium said.

WATCH | Valuable Beatles signaling discovered astatine Vancouver grounds shop:

Frith took a abbreviated video of the portion arsenic it played and posted that clip connected societal media. Beatles fans were successful awe, and messages started pouring in, Frith said.

Based connected his conversations and immoderate research, Frith believes the portion is simply a rare, nonstop transcript of a celebrated audition signaling from the band's aboriginal days.

Decca audition

In the aboriginal 1960s, earlier the Beatles signed with Parlophone records and released Please Please Me, the set went searching for a statement to motion with.

Part of that hunt included signaling an audition portion with Decca Studios successful London, connected Jan. 1, 1962.

Decca yet passed connected signing the fledgling group, but the audition portion survived, and was yet made disposable arsenic a bootleg medium starting successful the precocious 70s.

Finding 1 of those would beryllium reasonably unremarkable, but erstwhile Frith and his friend Larry Hennessey played the portion that nighttime they knew they had thing special.

Hennessey, who is experienced successful euphony preservation, said helium got a hint that the signaling whitethorn beryllium uncommon arsenic soon arsenic they took it retired of the container and helium saw achromatic tape, known arsenic person tape, physically separating each song. 

"The mode that's coiled connected the tape, you tin spot that it separates the tracks … it's not a accelerated transcript oregon a bootleg," helium said.

Frith, who acquires caller tapes from collections connected a regular basis, said helium isn't definite who helium got the portion from.

Left behind

After Frith's post online with the clip made the rounds connected societal media, someone from the section signaling country reached retired and connected Frith with a antheral who knew each astir the tape's origin: Jack Herschorn.

Herschorn, a erstwhile proprietor of Mushroom Records successful Vancouver, brought the portion crossed the Atlantic successful the aboriginal 70s.

During a enactment travel to London, a shaper Herschorn knew handed him the portion and suggested helium could enactment retired copies of it successful North America.

"I took it backmost and I thought astir it rather a spot … I didn't privation to enactment it retired due to the fact that I felt — I didn't deliberation it was a wholly motivation happening to do," helium said.

"These guys, they're celebrated and they merit to person the close royalties connected it … it deserves to travel retired properly," Herschorn said, adding that helium didn't personally cognize the Beatles astatine that time.

He remembers listening to the tape, enjoying it, and wishing the world-famous musicians had been signed with his statement instead. 

Herschorn held onto the tape, but lone for a while. When helium yet near the business, he forgot the tape. 

"I should person took it, but it didn't enactment retired that way. You know, I had different things going on. I wasn't reasoning astir it."

Treasure preserved

Thinking up to the aboriginal of the tape, Herschorn said his anticipation is that Frith approaches Paul McCartney and suggests they merchandise the tape.

He's besides not astir to merchandise the recordings to the nationalist connected his own, but if Decca wanted a cleanable mentation of it, he'd springiness the statement a copy, helium said. Or if McCartney were to travel to Neptoon Records successful person, Frith said helium would springiness it to him.

Since determination were bootlegs of the signaling already retired there, large Beatles fans person already heard the tracks, though not with this clarity, Frith said.

"People accidental it could beryllium truly valuable. I don't know. I'm gladsome it's preserved," helium said.

Another option, Frith said, would beryllium to big an lawsuit successful Vancouver wherever radical could travel and perceive to it, and past donate the proceeds to charity.