The Day The Beatles Flunked Recording 101

admin · Post by **admin** » Wed Jan 02, 2002 11:35 am

It is of interest to note that the Beatles failed to pass a Decca Recording Audition 40 years ago, on January 1, 2002. Can you "imagine" what Decca threw away?

corey · Post by **corey** » Wed Jan 02, 2002 11:48 am

Part of the reason why I hate the "business" side of the recording industry. Suits are not musicians or even music lovers, in some cases.

gbogart · Post by **gbogart** » Wed Jan 02, 2002 10:38 pm

Don't forget: "Groups with guitar players are on the way out"...!

360dave660 · Post by **360dave660** » Thu Jan 03, 2002 12:16 am

Can we imagine what would the beatles have been at Decca - larger lable than Parlophone - and with out George Martin ? They got to play several months more in Liverpool/Hamburg getting better, angrier that helped them go to "the tippity-topity of the popity most" to paraphrase John Lennon.
The Stones' Decca albums from that era are not nearly as solid as the beatles' ones, yet they were able to hit grandslams like Satisfaction etc... The Beatles may not have gotten the same freedom to write and play their own music as they were able to do had they been signed by Decca. These Factors made them standout so dramatically in the early sixties.

For example, RCA/Chet Atkins did not necessarily lend itself to letting Elvis run wild as he was able to do as Sun, but the records sold a ton then and much less now.

admin · Post by **admin** » Thu Jan 03, 2002 1:14 am

I recall Gene, and one of my favourites from Lennon years later "And I hope we passed the audition".

gbogart · Post by **gbogart** » Thu Jan 03, 2002 7:15 am

Absolutely, Peter; John could certainly be the master of the pithy comeback!

And the points David makes are really good ones. Parlophone was big enough to "get the job done" but small enough that they didn't overly control the Beatles. Plus, weren't The Boys really the first big "rock band" that Parlophone was handling? Perhaps the label didn't really know what to do with them, and since they were selling records, they more or less just left them to their own devices...

The Beatles' career has always seemed to me to be such an example of "Divine order" or "stars in alignment", or whatever we want to call it: the timing of events happened in JUST the right sequence; the proper people came into their lives at JUST the right moments... George Martin was JUST the right producer for them; old enough and traditional enough that he could exert a calming effect, and knowledgeable enough that he could capture their sound and feel in the studio with such quality and classic timeless style... And yet youthful and imaginative enough that he would not only allow, but encourage and support them to push the envelope and be such originators in their techniques and instrumentation.

admin · Post by **admin** » Thu Jan 03, 2002 7:58 am

Gene: And we were JUST the right generation to accept the The Beatles and the British Invasion.

mark_telfer · Post by **mark_telfer** » Thu Jan 03, 2002 11:15 am

It's hard to imagine the Beatles succeeding with Decca, when you look at the way in which Decca shaped the early recording career of the other guitar group auditioned on the 1st January 1962: Brian Poole & The Tremeloes.

With the "safe" advantage of being London-based, the group was first put to work on sessions for other artists, such as the Vernon Girls' version of "The Locomotion".

Brian Poole & The Tremeloes' first album, released in January 1963 on Decca's budget Ace of Clubs label, was called "Big, Big Hits of '62" and was a collection of seguéd versions of other people's hits of that year.

In 1966, Decca would also turn down the Jimi Hendrix Experience . . .

carr · Post by **carr** » Thu Jan 03, 2002 6:40 pm

""The Beatles' career has always seemed to me to be such an example of "Divine order" or "stars in alignment", or whatever we want to call it: the timing of events happened in JUST the right sequence; the proper people came into their lives at JUST the right moments... George Martin was JUST the right producer for them;""

I reckon the harder you work the luckier you get. The Beatles certainly 'grafted' all thsoe years in cafes clubs pubs etc , George Martin also did in his own way as a classical trained musician, Brian Epstein wouldnt take no for an answer and backed his judgement with a massive buy of "Love Me Do ".

John

musicfan37 · Post by **musicfan37** » Thu Jan 03, 2002 7:49 pm

It's interesting to think about what might have happened, but I'm sure glad they didn't.

gbogart · Post by **gbogart** » Sun Jan 06, 2002 5:49 am

Hey, fellow Beatle fans -

I was just listening (on the radio) to "Beatle Brunch" (weekly syndicated show, produced and hosted by a friend of ours, Joe Johnson), it airs usually on Sundays in most markets. Today's show is focusing on the New Year's Day 1962 Decca audition, that we've been talking about here on this thread.

I thought some of you might enjoy checking out their website:

http://www.beatlebrunch.com

Cheers, Mates,

Gene

admin · Post by **admin** » Sun Jan 06, 2002 9:52 am

Mark: Brian Poole is still on tour!

mark_telfer · Post by **mark_telfer** » Mon Jan 07, 2002 2:10 am

The Tremeloes (without Brian Poole, Alan Blakeley or Chip Hawkes) are still on tour as well and they're great.

Dave Munden has been there on drums since 1960 and his strong tenor voice is still superb. Rick Westwood has been lead guitarist since 1961 and is a true virtuoso.

The Trems and Brian succeeded through sheer charisma and by changing labels to CBS in 1966!

admin · Post by **admin** » Mon Jan 07, 2002 2:25 am

I have also learned that Badfinger's Bob Jackson has joined Tremeloes' ranks and does a great version of "Without You."