The founder thought it was just another bootleg until he heard it.
A forgotten reel-to-reel tape sat in the back of a Vancouver record shop for years. Now, it turns out to be one of the clearest recordings ever heard of The Beatles’ first major label audition.
Fans are calling it unreal, and it might be the closest we’ve come to hearing that moment exactly as it happened.
What the Tape Is About
Rob Frith had picked up the tape years ago. It was labeled “Beatles 60s Demos,” and like many collectors, he assumed it was just another bootleg.
These kinds of unofficial recordings have been around since the late ’70s, often copied and passed between fans. But when he finally played it, what he heard didn’t match any bootleg he’d come across before.
The sound was so clear it felt like the Beatles were right there in the room. Frith posted online that it “sounds like a master tape.” That reaction wasn’t just excitement — it was based on what he and others heard. The quality was on another level.
To get a second opinion, Frith brought the reel to his friend Larry Hennessey, a music preservationist.
Hennessey immediately noticed something unusual. The tape had white strips between songs, known as leader tape. That’s something studios use to separate tracks during professional recording sessions.
Most bootlegs don’t have that. This told them it wasn’t a rushed fan copy. It looked and sounded like something much closer to the original source.
Why the Decca Audition Matters Historically
The tape is believed to be a direct copy of the Beatles’ audition at Decca Studios on January 1, 1962. At the time, the band was still mostly unknown. They hadn’t released any major records, and Pete Best was still their drummer.
Like most new bands, they were trying to land a record deal.
They performed fifteen songs for the audition, hoping to get signed by Decca. But the label turned them down.
That decision would later become one of the most famous mistakes in music history.
Not long after, the Beatles were signed by George Martin at Parlophone and went on to become one of the biggest bands in the world.
The Decca audition is often looked back on as a turning point, A.K.A. the moment before everything changed. Over the years, fans have been able to hear parts of it through unofficial bootlegs, but the quality was never great.
That’s why finding a version this clean feels like opening a window into a moment that shaped modern music.
What Happens Next for the Tape
Once word got out, the tape’s story didn’t end with its discovery. Frith’s short clip of “Money (That’s What I Want)” quickly made the rounds online, and Beatles fans began to take notice. The quality was unlike anything they’d heard before from the Decca audition, which only added to the buzz.
After the post went viral, Frith was connected with Jack Herschorn, a former music executive in Vancouver.
Herschorn revealed he had brought the tape to Canada back in the 1970s after receiving it from a producer in London. At the time, he was encouraged to release it in North America, but he chose not to.
“I didn’t want to put it out because I felt — I didn’t think it was a totally moral thing to do,” Herschorn told CBC.
“These guys, they’re famous and they deserve to have the right royalties on it… it deserves to come out properly.”
Herschorn eventually stepped away from the music business, and the tape was left behind. It ended up in Frith’s shop, forgotten for years until it was finally played.
Now that it’s been heard, people are wondering what will happen to it. Frith says he isn’t planning to sell it. As a longtime record collector, he sees it as something to protect, not cash in on.
He’s open to sharing a copy with Decca if they’re interested in an official release, and he even joked that he’d personally hand it to Paul McCartney if he ever dropped by Neptoon Records.
There’s also the idea of hosting a public listening event in Vancouver, with proceeds going to charity. For now, though, Frith is taking things slow.
“People say it could be really valuable. I don’t know,” he said.
“I’m glad it’s preserved.”
He hasn’t said much about how the original reel is being stored or if it’s been digitized yet. But based on how carefully he’s handled it so far, it’s clear he understands its importance.
What’s still unknown is whether the tape could legally be released or published. Ownership of the actual recording and the rights to distribute it might belong to Decca, Parlophone, or even the Beatles’ estate. That’s part of why Frith is staying cautious.
For now, fans will have to settle for the short clip he shared, and the knowledge that this rare piece of music history is no longer lost.