Beatles Sue to Block 1962 Tapes' Release

MATT SEDENSKY | March 21, 2008 07:33 PM EST | AP

Read More: Apple Corps, Beatles, Echo-Fuego Music Group, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Star, Breaking Entertainment News
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MIAMI — Lawyers for the Beatles sued Friday to prevent the distribution of unreleased recordings purportedly made during Ringo Starr's first performance with the group in 1962.

The dispute between Apple Corps Ltd., the London company formed by the Beatles that helps guard their legacy, and Fuego Entertainment Inc. of Miami Lakes stems from recordings the Fab Four apparently made during a performance at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany.

Eight unreleased tracks are said to be among the recordings, including Paul McCartney singing Hank Williams' "Lovesick Blues" and McCartney and John Lennon singing "Ask Me Why."

Apple Corps claims that the songs were taped without the consent of the band and that Fuego and sister companies Echo-Fuego Music Group LLC and Echo-Vista Inc. have no right to distribute them.

"This appears to us to be a garden-variety bootleg recording," said Paul LiCalsi, an attorney for Apple Corps.

But Fuego Entertainment says the recordings were legally made. "Don't claim that these were just bootlegged," said Fuego president Hugo Cancio. "It's not like today, that you just go in with a phone or a blackberry and you record."

The lawsuit contends that the recordings are of poor quality and that circulating them "dilutes and tarnishes the extraordinarily valuable image associated with the Beatles."

Cancio said that he had not been served with a copy of the lawsuit, but that the filing demanding at least $15 million in damages was not expected.

"I'm surprised because up to a few weeks ago, we were in good-faith conversations with Apple," he said.

Also named in the lawsuit is Jeffrey Collins, a partner of Cancio who obtained the recordings. It's unclear how Collins obtained the recordings.

Cancio intended to release the songs as "Jammin' with The Beatles and Friends, Star Club, Hamburg, 1962."

"It's unfair to millions of Beatles fans not to allow this recording to be put out. The world deserves to hear these tracks," he said. "The fact is that we have it; they don't, and that is what's bothering them."


 
 

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- BigCheese See Profile I'm a Fan of BigCheese

These recordings have been available for many years -- at least since the 1970s. Go to any decent used record shop and you'll find multiple releases of this famous performance. The best version is a double-album put out by Sony called "The Beatles Live at the Star-Club, 1962." It was even briefly available on CD -- copies are still pretty easy to find.

Every time someone tries to re-release this material The Beatles do everything in their power to block it. It's easy to see why. The quality of the recording is indeed lousy, and the performance (recorded on New Years Eve, 1962) is pretty sloppy at times. But for hardcore Beatles fans, the historical value makes this a must-own collection.

(My personal favorite track is Lennon's rough & raw take on the somewhat obscure Chuck Berry tune, "I'm Talkin' 'bout You.")

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:22 PM on 03/24/2008
- Guitarsandmore See Profile I'm a Fan of Guitarsandmore

NoSillyName:

You have to hit the EXPAND ALL AND THEN COLLAPSE ALL AND THEN EXPAND ALL until you can see your comments. They are there somewhere, I don't know what's wrong with this stupid thing but if you dink around with it long enough, just like everything else, it will eventually come around and show your stuff.

Best Regards,

G&M

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:25 PM on 03/23/2008
- carefulcautious See Profile I'm a Fan of carefulcautious

Another rip-off, this time of artists, courtesy of the Bushitler machine!

Obama/Ewdards 08! See? Su Pedro! Yes, Pedro can!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:23 PM on 03/23/2008
- Herbert001 See Profile I'm a Fan of Herbert001

Quote: The lawsuit contends that the recordings are of poor quality and that circulating them "dilutes and tarnishes the extraordinarily valuable image associated with the Beatles."

Has anyone ever heard a live Beatles recording that DIDN'T sound like noise? Just asking...

I can picture a drunk sailor in the back of the Star club, clicking the loud mechanical buttons of a brand new 1962 Japanese cassette deck.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:27 PM on 03/23/2008
- Harrier See Profile I'm a Fan of Harrier

In English what he is saying is, if you want to sell it on your label, fine, but, it's not for free-make an offer and we'll consider it

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:58 AM on 03/23/2008
- NoSillyName See Profile I'm a Fan of NoSillyName

This article contains two contradictory statements:

"... recordings the Fab Four apparently made during a performance at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany ..."

"... claims that the songs were taped without the consent of the band ..."

Which statement is correct? What would be wrong with hearing these very early performances? Surely they are very raw as other Hamburg-era material I've heard (including "I Want to Hold Your Hand" sung in German), but so what?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:13 PM on 03/22/2008
- BigCheese See Profile I'm a Fan of BigCheese

The German version of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was NOT recorded during the Hamburg days. That song was written well after they had played their last gig there. The Beatles record company, EMI asked The Beatles & George Martin to record German-language versions of their latest hit singles (She Loves You & I Want To Hold Your Hand) because apparently English-language records didn't sell very well in that country. The Beach Boys (whose Capitol label was also owned by EMI) did the a similar thing that same year, recording a German version of "In My Room."

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:29 PM on 03/27/2008
- Guitarsandmore See Profile I'm a Fan of Guitarsandmore

NoSillyName:

You have to hit the EXPAND ALL AND THEN COLLAPSE ALL AND THEN EXPAND ALL until you can see your comments. They are there somewhere, I don't know what's wrong with this stupid thing but if you dink around with it long enough, just like everything else, it will eventually come around and show your stuff.

Best Regards,

G&M

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:24 PM on 03/23/2008
- Fathoms See Profile I'm a Fan of Fathoms

The So What? (and I don't think we're in contention here) is that the Beatles developed the largest fan-base of any band playing Hamburg in that era. I for one would really like to hear ANY authenticated recordings from the Beatles during their bad-boy, motorcycle party days!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:18 AM on 03/23/2008
- NoSillyName See Profile I'm a Fan of NoSillyName

Fathoms, exactly what I was saying. Which statement is correct? What would be wrong with hearing these recordings? So what if they're very raw? I've heard other Hamburg stuff, why not these?

What I'd almost rather know is where the heck are all my other posts from last night? Do most of the mods have weekends off, leaving one lone person to wade through dozens of comments? This Beatles story is only one of several I commented on. Will those ever show up or are the just gone? This is getting increasingly irritating!!!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:51 AM on 03/23/2008
- dragbunt See Profile I'm a Fan of dragbunt

A "live" "Ask Me Why" is worth the price of admission. The Beatle people have never understood that poor sound quality or even lame riffs from a young Harrison do not detract from the legacy. To hear what they were in '62 and to compare that to where they got by even '64 is mind blowing. Release the tapes!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:22 PM on 03/22/2008
- samandally See Profile I'm a Fan of samandally

Poor Beatles! They should be glad anyone would want to watch.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:37 AM on 03/22/2008
- abbiehoffmansghost See Profile I'm a Fan of abbiehoffmansghost

Not much of music fan heh?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:29 PM on 03/22/2008
- DCDan See Profile I'm a Fan of DCDan

Not much of a "reading" fan either. Has nothing to do with WATCHing. It's a sound recording. Hello?!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:49 PM on 03/22/2008
- JGatsby See Profile I'm a Fan of JGatsby

Probably MTV generation. Doesn't realize that music can actually exist without pictures. That would explain his lack of taste.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:08 PM on 03/23/2008
- SmootyBooty See Profile I'm a Fan of SmootyBooty

Apple makes up for the mistakes that Brian Epstein made back in the day. The Beatles left $BILLIONS$ on the table due to his mis-management.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 12:47 AM on 03/22/2008
- DCDan See Profile I'm a Fan of DCDan

I don't know about "BILLIONS" (perhaps hundreds of millions would be more accurate) but it's true Brian Epstein could have made more money for the Fabs. I don't know if it was so much mis-management though as lack of greed or a slight lack of scruples. Regardless, what's any of this got to do with Apple making up for anything. They're protecting the surviving Beatles the embarrassment of the release of grossly inferior material. Given the Beatles' high-quality standards throughout their career, why is this suprising to anyone?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:54 PM on 03/22/2008
- BigCheese See Profile I'm a Fan of BigCheese

The Beatles didn't have a problem with releasing "grossly inferior material" on their Anthology CDs. There are plenty of early recordings on those discs that sound just as bad, if not worse, than the Hamburg recordings in question.

I think this has more to do with ownership than with sound or musical quality.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 08:33 PM on 03/27/2008
- Fathoms See Profile I'm a Fan of Fathoms

He also could have made less . . . A hell of a lot less. Brian Epstein, rest his poor soul; was surely a tortured individual, but he kept that train on the tracks while it learned how to get up a full head of steam.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 10:23 AM on 03/23/2008
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