The reunion you never heard of ... if it happened at all ...

Update (12/27/03)
  • The long and winding tape story: A source sent us this info about the previous attempts to sell this "tape." It seems as though the story of the tape and how it came to be has evolved over time ... :

    This tape box was first offered for sale in May 1997, using Britain's largest selling newspaper to try to publicize its existence. No story was ever published by that, or any other paper. At that time, it was said the tape had been purchased in a garage sale.

    Two months later, it was once again being offered for sale. That time, the agent clearly stated that the tape's "owner" had played it 10 years before and it was definitely the Beatles. The person working as agent for the tape even hired a studio to listen to the tape, only to find it was blank.

    That didn't seem to put off the tape's owner as he then had his agent market "a collection of some pretty incredible Apple rehearsal tapes, as well as a song called "Not Guilty" done by Paul - obtained directly from throwaway 1/4" tapes picked up" by the seller "during his tenure with Apple in the late 60's." Thirty-second clips of 10 songs were put online to auction this other tape but on checking it was soon found that all the material was available on bootlegs and, of course, it wasn't Paul singing "Not Guilty".

    One of the tracks posted to this site was a song given the title "Little Girl". When asked about this, the agent gave a completely different story, saying some of the tapes were derived from Davlen via an auction house that sold them. What's stranger is the tape's owner, having had a "tenure with Apple in the late 60's" is now being described as one of the engineers on the Davlen session that never took place.


  • And an observation from Stephen Bruun:

    Hi Steve!

    I was looking at the images of the tape box from Davlen Studios. Did anyone notice that the "Client Name" is listed as "Warner/Elektra/Atlantic" (WEA)?

    I know that Ringo put out some Atlantic albums and George's Dark Horse label was distributed by Warner Brothers, but were John or Paul ever signed to that label? I don't think so. Paul's material was on EMI, then on Columbia for a while c. the early 1980s, and then back to EMI. John recorded for EMI until his quasi-retirement, and his last material came out on Geffen. This looks, to me, like yet another reason to dismiss claims regarding this admittedly blank tape.

    If WEA was indeed the "client," then why would a copy of the tape reside at Abbey Road, owned by a rival record company (EMI)? For anyone who wasn't immediately convinced that this story is an obvious and empty hoax, the WEA connection provides another possible avenue of verification (and thus another source of inevitable denials).

    The studio's owner says that trainees would use famous names to practice filling in tape box labels with information. This would be consistent with the apparently arbitrary identification of WEA as the client.

    One last thing - supposedly no one has leaked word of these sessions until now because Paul McCartney vowed he would crush them. And Sir Paul has been known to take legal action to pull items off the auction block (handwritten lyrics, for instance). So how come he hasn't swooped in to destroy the people selling the tape? Perhaps because he really did die in 1966. . . .

    Update (12/24/03)

  • The Los Angeles Times Tuesday added Yoko Ono's name to the list of those denying the "reunion" session took place and reported that, despite the denials, the box with the blank tape still remains listed on the auction site at momentsintime.com.

    Update (12/23/03)

  • A new story on Rollingstone.com pretty much repeats everything we've already told you, from the statement on the Davlen Sound Studios site to the denial by Geoff Baker. Meanwhile, Gary Zimet of momentsintime.com is standing by their story, saying in an e-mail to us that the denial by Len Kovner the studio was "to be expected from anyone deathly afraid of incurring McCartney's wrath." Zimet gave a similar statement to rollingstone.com, where he is quoted as saying Kovner is "so deathly afraid of Paul McCartney and that is why he's lying. There is no question whatsoever that this took place."

    Zimet also said longtime Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick could confirm the sessions, though Emerick was quoted by Rolling Stone as saying, "I have no recollection of these sessions ever taking place."

    Update (12/20/03)

  • The strongest evidence denying the "reunion" story comes from the website of the Davlen Sound Studios -- where the session was supposedly held -- in a press release dated Dec. 18. It reads, in part:

    Len Kovner, founder and owner of Davlen Sound Studios, stated emphatically today, as he has numerous times, over the past twenty years:

    "No sessions of this type ever took place at Davlen Sound Studios, Universal City, California facility at any time. (emphasis ours.)

    The tape box being offered for sale, does not say "The Beatles" on it or inside of it, anywhere. The box was most likely retrieved from a trash bin at or nearby the Los Angeles studio facility, probably in the early eighties.

    This tape box, and others like it, all the using simlilar vague references to likes of The Rolling Stones, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, and Cream.....were used as a training tool for young engineers and tape operators, as an exemplar of how to properly label tape boxes, per studio and record company specifications, for our clients, library archiving, and domestic and international shipping.

    The notion that "Secret Beatle Sessions" occurred is absurd".

    Although each former Beatle had recorded at Davlen Sound Studios during the seventies and eighties, no sessions ever included all four group members at one time, let alone a "reunion" of any sort....

    (Thanks to Erek B. for the studio press release link.)
  • The Los Angeles Times ran a second story (no link) on the "reunion" today (Saturday). It had another denial from the McCartney camp: "This story is not true," the paper quotes spokesperson Geoff Baker. It also quotes Martin Lewis as saying if a reunion had occurred in 1976, it would not have remained a secret.
  • Several people emailed us regarding John and Paul's last time together. First, from Brian Patrick Miles:

    Peter Hodgson's story (12/19 update) reveals a lapse in Paul's recollection. He and John were together at the Dakota (famously) on November 20, 1976 when George Harrison appeared on Saturday Night Live. As most people know, the story goes that they were toying with the idea of grabbing their guitars and going over to 30 Rockefeller Plaza and surprising George and the show. Paul said they bagged the idea after a few minutes of preparing to go.


  • And from Ed:

    Hi Steve-

    According to Keith Badman's "After The Breakup" day-by-day diary, Paul and Linda did see John in NYC around Christmas 1975. However, they also apparently visited on Saturday April 24, 1976. On that date, as John described in an interview with Playboy, they were watching when Lorne Michaels offered the Beatles the tidy sum of $3000 to reunite on Saturday Night Live. John said they considred going down for laughs but changed their minds. The interview adds that Paul turned up the next day too. So, it appears they did get together in 1976, but not in LA or in November.

    In terms of the alleged reunion timeline, Keith's book makes note of Ringo being in NY at the end of October and San Francisco in late November. While in mid-November George was in LA at a function regarding his new Dark Horse label, and then did an episode of Saturday Night Live in New York. Paul was noted as having been in London working on Wings Over America. There is no mention of John's activities during this time frame. Ed


  • And from Jim Caldwell:

    Steve: Regarding the recent email you received about John and Paul last meeting in 1975...all indications are that they were together at the Dakota on April 24, 1976, when Lorne Michaels offered the Beatles $3,000 to appear on Saturday Night Live. I'd also be willing to bet that wasn't the last time they met.


  • And from Manny Gonzalez:

    Steve, I read the input of Peter Hodgson concerning the last time John and Paul met. He says 1975 but in the 1980 Playboy interview, John said he and Paul were together watching "Saturday Night Live" when Lorne Michaels made the $3,000 offer for the Beatles to reunite. Was that not in 1976? He said it was a period when Paul kept turning up with a guitar, and finally he just told him to call first, which upset Paul, although John said he "didn't mean it badly".


  • And for those who were wondering if there was any evidence of Peter Hodgson and Paul together, here's a pic Peter sent us.

  • This from John Davies:

    Steve,

    In regards to the recent remarks about a "secret Beatles reunion" in 1976: 1976 was also the year the Klaatu album came out. That was followed by rumors that the Beatles had secretly reunited in Canada and recorded the tracks for that album which would have put it in the 1974 to 1976 time frame. Obviously Klaatu wasn't the Beatles but maybe the current rumor has roots back to this incident.

    Have a nice Holiday.


  • Lastly, from Peter Nash:

    I heard that Apple/EMI were very interested in aquiring this tape with a view to re-mixing it at Abbey Road studios for the best ever mastered version of nothing so far available. It will be issued for general release and packaged in a replica blank tape box, the CD version containing a bonus track (rumoured at this stage to be the re-mastered version of Lennon's 'Nutopian National Anthem'). Furthermore, in around five years time we can expect to get a boxed set DVD release featuring 5:1 no-surround sound...
    Pete Nash
    www.britishbeatlesfanclub.co.uk


    Update (12/19/03)
  • An interesting note from Peter Hodgson:

    Hello Steve, Peter Hodgson here from Liverpool. During my visit to Paul McCartney's East Sussex home in March 1995 ( I spent a whole day with him) during various conversations that we had, I asked him when was the last time that he saw John Lennon. He told me that himself and Linda visited John and Yoko at the Dakota in New York the week before Christmas 1975 to see Sean Lennon, who was only a few weeks old. Sean was in his cot asleep when they arrived and I remember Paul telling me that he never got the chance to hold him. The next day when Paul turned up with his guitar, John Lennon was in a bad mood and he chased Macca. This was the last ever time that Paul and John ever met, although they were in constant contact via telephone.

    So Steve, the reunion session from 1976 is indeed, a load of bollocks !!!!


  • The Los Angeles Times ran its own story (subscription required) on the "reunion" tape, concluding it was likely a hoax. It quoted longtime Lennon associate Elliot Mintz as saying that had Lennon been in Los Angeles at that time, "most certainly I would have been in touch with him."
  • Rock103: Did The Beatles Record New Material in 1976?
  • ITV: Mystery surrounds Beatles reunion tape
  • Finally, a note from Rick Lindholtz:

    Hi,

    I'm pleased to announce that I have copies of the blank tape which was used at the Beatles reunion recording session, which I will be happy to sell for $15 each. The cassette tapes are in fact still sealed in their wrappings, exactly as they came from the factory so that you can be assured of the highest quality sound. Unwrap them, place them in your cassette player, and you will hear the exact same sounds as can be heard on the original erased Beatle reunion tape. (All 5 songs).


    Update (12/18/03)
  • Rollingstone.com, in its report on the "reunion" tape, had a longer version of the Geoff Baker quote (identified in the link we had to Sky.com as from a Paul McCartney spokesman). The longer version: "The whole thing is bollocks. What reunion? What tape? I've never heard of these songs, and I've never heard of any reunion." It also quotes author Bruce Spizer, who says, "I've never come across anything to indicate that the four of them and George Martin walked into a studio at any time. What are the odds of them coming together and no one finding out or reporting on it? If something like this happened, it would have leaked out at some point." It concludes with momentintime.com's Gary Zimet saying he's been told of an additional Beatles reunion that took place in Bermuda and he is trying to locate the tapes from it. (Thanks to Trini Schultz.)
  • This BBC6 news link has audio clips of Gary Zimet discussing the tape and the speculation that an unerased copy is at Abbey Road.
  • And an interesting note from Erek B.:

    Steve:

    What's really surprising about this fake reunion tape is how it's getting much more attention than it did 4 years ago. Same with the autographed Double Fantasy, it was reported as being auctioned years ago, and now it has popped up again. Regarding the blank tape, I recall seeing that battered box and laughable song titles back in 1999 on eBay, so I dug up what information I could find on the original auction. It appeared during the week of November 25, 1999, was auction item #203220163, again had the confusing 1974 and 1976 dates simultaneously, and read in part: "This master tape is going to be sold for Display purposes only and not for content of receordings [sic] as I beleive [sic] the tape was erased by Davlin Studios after this failed event." At the time it was just laughed off (and the auction went unsold), but blank tape with fake documentation is making a big comeback this year, apparently.


  • News.com.au: Secret Beatles recording
  • DotMusic.com: Back in the USA
  • And as you probably know, 1976 was notable for another Beatle reunion news item: It was the year Lorne Michaels made his on-air offer of $3,000 for the Beatles to reunite.
    The sheet alleged to have the information of the supposed Beatles reunion in 1976.

    Update (12/17/03) That supposed 1976 Beatles reunion tape we wrote about earlier this month finally hit the major newspapers, thanks to reports on NME.com, the BBC, Sky.com, Contactmusic, the New York Daily News and the Scotsman after it was announced the tape -- which you'll recall has been erased and is blank -- is to be auctioned by momentsintime.com. If that name sounds familiar, it's the same house that had (and later withdrew) the sale of the "Double Fantasy" album autographed by John for the man who later killed him. Sky.com quoted a spokesman for Paul McCartney as saying, "What reunion was that? I am not aware of any Beatles reunion in the 70s." A spokesman for Beatles producer George Martin, quoted by the BBC, said he had "no knowledge" of the recording session. By the way, the story seems to have changed a little since we first heard it with the addition of the speculation (and that's all it is, because they really don't know if one exists) by the auction house that a copy of the tape is in the Abbey Road vault. And we've heard from other sources who say they don't know about any '76 reunion, either. (Comment: So we're wondering: Why don't they recover the songs before they sell the tape and prove their claim?)

    Finally, Terry Ott comments on the latest developments in this story in his latest blog. We wouldn't be surprised if this isn't the final word.

    (Thanks to Gerry Rassoul, Terry Ott, Trini Schultz, theelevatedpress, rubbersoul, Evelyn Schwarz, Rob Leonard, Steve Cunningham, Joćo Paulo Petersen, Paul Bollinger and Casey Piotrowski.)

    Update (12/7/03)

  • From Tom:

    Hi Steve:

    According to Keith Badman's "The Beatles Diary" Volume 2 After the Break-up, all 4 Beatles were actually in the United States in early December 1974. John and Ringo were in California, George was touring the States and Paul arrived "in the States" in early December... going back to England on the 22nd. When George's tour hit the New York area around the 15th... John attended George's evening performance at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, Paul was in New York and attended the concert at Madison Square Garden on the 19th, and according to an interview with John on the 16th, Ringo had already left the U.S. and was back in England. It doesn't look like all four were actually together during this time period. Tom


    Update (12/6/03)
  • From bamiyan:

    Hello Steve.

    Regarding the last date all four Beatles were together, I think the occasion was the photo shoot at Tittenhurst Park, Ascot, on August 22, 1969 (a bit of film was also shot by Linda McCartney, as seen in the Anthology).


  • From the Beatles Museum Archives:

  • From J. M. Dempsey:

    Steve, Re. the question of when the Fabs were last all together ... someone who is a greater scholar than I will be able to answer this more precisely, but didn't they all get together in New York around the time of George's '74 tour to sign some papers having to do with a "final" settlement of the breakup? Or was this the occasion when John sent over the cryptic message: "Listen to this balloon," and refused to show up? And George responded, "Take off those shades and get over here!" Still, around that time it seems they all got together to sign off on the breakup. Interesting question. J.M. Dempsey


  • From Wade Ollson:

    In response to the below item on today's news page. The Abbey Road cover shoot was on August 8, 1969. The famous "last photo session" at John's Tittenhurst estate was on August 22, 1969, so that MAY be the last time all four were together. There may have been another secret time in the 70s, but I doubt it.

    - Wade Olsson When was the last time all four were together? Not just from a band perspective. Did they ever get together for any reason - like a business meeting, or a wedding / party, or just happen to show up at the same place - such as a concert?

    From all accounts to date the last time was the day they walked out of Abbey Road studios after laying down the final tracks for "I Want You." Any insight?


  • From J. Dempsey:

  • Steve, Re. the question of when the Fabs were last all together ... someone who is a greater scholar than I will be able to answer this more precisely, but didn't they all get together in New York around the time of George's '74 tour to sign some papers having to do with a "final" settlement of the breakup? Or was this the occasion when John sent over the cryptic message: "Listen to this balloon," and refused to show up? And George responded, "Take off those shades and get over here!" Still, around that time it seems they all got together to sign off on the breakup. Interesting question. J.M. Dempsey

    Steve, Re. the question of when the Fabs were last all together ... someone who is a greater scholar than I will be able to answer this more precisely, but didn't they all get together in New York around the time of George's '74 tour to sign some papers having to do with a "final" settlement of the breakup? Or was this the occasion when John sent over the cryptic message: "Listen to this balloon," and refused to show up? And George responded, "Take off those shades and get over here!" Still, around that time it seems they all got together to sign off on the breakup. Interesting question. J.M. DempseySteve, Re. the question of when the Fabs were last all together ... someone who is a greater scholar than I will be able to answer this more precisely, but didn't they all get together in New York around the time of George's '74 tour to sign some papers having to do with a "final" settlement of the breakup? Or was this the occasion when John sent over the cryptic message: "Listen to this balloon," and refused to show up? And George responded, "Take off those shades and get over here!" Still, around that time it seems they all got together to sign off on the breakup. Interesting question. J.M. Dempsey
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    Update (12/5/03)

  • From Phil Fennelly:

    Also, the rumor about a 1974 secret reunion, which I don't believe at all, did bring back a question I've had for many years and would love to find an answer to:

    When was the last time all four were together? Not just from a band perspective. Did they ever get together for any reason - like a business meeting, or a wedding / party, or just happen to show up at the same place - such as a concert?

    From all accounts to date the last time was the day they walked out of Abbey Road studios after laying down the final tracks for "I Want You." Any insight?

    Keep up the great work!


  • From David Flores:

    Hello Steve,

    I did a little of research about the interesting Terry Out note, well I found this page that talks a bit about a supposed Beatles reunion in the 1970s but with other band name.

    "Rumours emerged in 1973 that the Beatles had reformed under an assumed name, Klaatu. On August 3 1976, Capitol released an anonymous album by the group 'Klaatu'. (Daffodil Records marketed the album in the UK)..... more: http://www.beatlesagain.com/breflib/klaatu.html. Maybe the rumour about a Beatles reunion in the 1970's comes from here :)


    (Comment: Klaatu was definitely not the Beatles. These guys were revealed to be a Canadian band. Their music is still available on CD.)

    Update (12/3/03)

  • The original poster of info about this "reunion tape" now says the reunion took place in 1976 and features six songs (not five as originally indicated). Were we getting a little to hot for him? (Thanks to Terry Ott.)
  • From Mark Easter, co-author of "Eight Arms to Hold You":

    Hey Steve,

    (I'm writing this in Chip's absence... he's in the UK at the moment, but I'm sure my take is the same as his!)

    This is a non-story, as you suggest. More than likely, someone's taking the old news "A Toot and a Snore" Lennon/Macca '74 tape as the basis for their rumor and then added George and Ringo to it. Helping their hoax is the fact that the tape is now conveniently "erased". In our research for Eight Arms To Hold You, we found there wouldn't be a time where all four of them would have been in one place at one time during '74, anyway. Each one was obviously in the US at different times during the year, and there were several times that two (or even three) met up for various purposes that are well-documented. However, the timing just wasn't there for a complete reunion, even to have a drink, let alone record.

    Nice try on starting this rumor, guys, but solid research will always prevail. Store this one in the "Alpine Warriors" and "Masked Marauders" round file!

    Mark


  • From Eric Hartvigsen:

    Hi Steve & Terry,

    Reading your post about Terry Ott's post struck something in my memory. I remember reading a few years ago about an item very similar to this that was up for auction on ebay. I did a quick search of google groups for "ebay blank tape" in rec.music.beatles and found a number of posts that related to this. Unfortunately, they're only posts about the item, and not the description itself, but I do recall this thing being VERY dubious to my eyes. I'm sure some more searching around r.m.b. circa Nov. '99 would probably point out a lot more skeptical views on it...


  • From William Concannon:

    Could this tape be the old 20-minute bootleg formerly known as "A Toot and A Snore In '74"? I've never heard the tape but I remember it was reported (in ICE, I think) as a rather poor quality tape of John & Paul jamming with Stevie Wonder & maybe Nilsson either during Nilsson's "Pussycats" sessions in L.A. (Lennon produced & contributed to the album), or during Keith Moon's sessions for the "Two Sides of the Moon" LP.

    I think Paul was on drums but he & John didn't sing together. Historical as it was the last time they recorded together, and their first recording together for five years. But it was just a short loose jam with poor sound, kind of like some of the fragments & meanderings heard on the zillions of Jan. '69 boots.

    I remember the article said that as far as quality, it was more of a snore than a toot! Maybe another reader with a better memory can clarify & fill in some blanks. Better still, some one who has the boot. Best, Will


  • From Bill:

    There is a bootleg called "A toot and a Snore in 74" that does feature John and Paul in the studio with Harry Nielson and Stevie Wonder. And in a book called "The Beatles after the breakup-1970-2000" there is a picture of John and Paul with Keith Moon and a few other people that was taken in 1974. Could this have anything to do with a posible recording session with the 4 of them together? I think its highly unlikely, but its fun to wonder.


    Thanks also to Mike Ray and Mark T. Colyer.

    Update (12/2/03)

  • We received several notes on this today. Here are a couple:

  • From Olof Hernius:

    Hi:

    In the early 80s a teacher in my school was very into the Beatles and lend me a lot of his Beatles bootlegs. I remember one time he showed me a UK or US newspaper article about a Beatles reunion taking place in 1974 in Liverpool. The story was something like this: "the four ex-Beatles teamed up in their native town (Liverpool) and due to the nostalgia they decided to record some new songs bla bla bla".

    I do not remember any more details than this, but the story was obviously a fake one (since Lennon was never in England during this period due to his problems with the US authorities).

    I wonder if the reunion story you mention now can be the same? Does someone else remember this article?


  • And from Jim Remus:

    Steve, One thing struck me while reading the "re-union" news: The tape had been bulk-erased (if done correctly, there is little chance in any residual sound). So I think it is highly likely there could be a blank tape in a box with Beatles stuff written on the side! Thanks. Jim

    (12/1/03) In his latest Beatle blog today, Terry Ott talks about the existence of a tape that its owner claims is a 1974 reunion of the Fabs. We were alerted to this Sunday and after hearing some of the details, we are skeptical. But we're checking around. More to come, hopefully. But don't be too hopeful.

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