The Decca audition is the name given to the now-famous Beatles audition for Decca Records at their Decca Studios in West Hampstead, north London, England, before they reached international stardom. Decca's decision to reject the group is considered to be one of the biggest mistakes in their history. The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... It has been suggested that Decca Music Group be merged into this article or section. ... The Decca Studios was a recording facility in West Hampstead, north London, England. ... West Hampstead is an area in northwest London, England, situated between Childs Hill to the north, Frognal and Hampstead to the east, Swiss Cottage to the south, and Kilburn to the west. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ...

The audition

On 1 January 1962, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Pete Best were auditioned by producer Mike Smith, performing a total of fifteen songs in just under one hour. All material was selected by Brian Epstein, who decided to showcase a selection of Lennon/McCartney originals along with a number of covers they had performed live in various venues over the years. is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, poet, entrepreneur, painter, record producer, film producer, and animal-rights activist. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... For other persons named George Harrison, see George Harrison (disambiguation). ... “Peter Best” redirects here. ... Brian Samuel Epstein (IPA: ) (born in Liverpool, England; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was the manager of The Beatles. ... The songwriting partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, usually referred to as Lennon/McCartney (sometimes McCartney/Lennon), is one of the best-known and most successful musical collaborations of all time. ...

The order of the songs at the session was:

1. "Like Dreamers Do"
2. "Money (That's What I Want)"
3. "Till There Was You"
4. "The Sheik Of Araby"
5. "To Know Her Is To Love Her"
6. "Take Good Care Of My Baby"
7. "Memphis, Tennessee"
8. "Sure To Fall (In Love With You)"
9. "Hello Little Girl"
10. "Three Cool Cats"
11. "Crying, Waiting, Hoping"
12. "Love Of The Loved"
13. "September In The Rain"
14. "Besame Mucho"
15. "Searchin'"

Mike Smith agreed to let them record, telling them he could not see any problems and that he would let the group know of his decisions in a few weeks. Like Dreamers Do is a song by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, that was first recorded by The Applejacks. ... Music sample The Beatles Money (Thats What I Want) ( file info) Problems? See media help. ... Till There Was You is a song written by Meredith Willson for his 1957 musical play The Music Man, and which also appeared in the 1962 movie version. ... To Know Him Is To Love Him is a song by Phil Spector, recorded by his first band, the Teddy Bears. ... For other uses, see Memphis (disambiguation). ... Hello Little Girl is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney in 1957 and was used as one of the songs at The Beatles unsuccessful Decca audition in 1962. ... According to the liner notes to The Beatles Anthology 1, Three Cool Cats was one of the fifteen songs recorded for their Decca Records audition on New Years Day, 1962, at the Decca Studios in London. ... Crying, Waiting, Hoping is a song by Buddy Holly. ... September in the Rain is a popular song. ... B same Mucho, which translates to Kiss Me a Lot in English, is a Spanish song written in 1940 by Consuelo Velazquez before her sixteenth birthday. ... Searchin was a song written by Leiber and Stoller specifically for The Coasters on the Atco Records label, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records. ...

Eventually, Decca Records rejected The Beatles, saying that "guitar groups are on the way out"^[1], although it has since been suggested that their work that day did not yet reflect their true potential, and the "guitar" comment may have been intended as a polite let down.^[2] Decca instead chose The Tremeloes, who auditioned the same day as The Beatles, were local and would require lower travel expenses. Here Comes My Baby: The Ultimate Collection cover. ...

While Epstein was negotiating with Decca, he also approached EMI marketing executive Ron White.^[3] White (who was not himself a record producer) in turn contacted EMI producers Norrie Paramor, Walter Ridley, and Norman Newell, all of whom declined to record The Beatles. Months later, The Beatles went on to sign with EMI subsidiary Parlophone, after their 'comedy album' producer George Martin heard the Decca demos and decided to meet the band. For other uses, see EMI (disambiguation). ... Norrie Paramor is best known as a record producer, but was also a composer, arranger, and orchestral conductor. ... Parlophone is a record label, founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company. ... For other uses, see George Martin (disambiguation). ...

In 2007 Dr. Ebbetts Sound Systems released what is probably the definitive CD version of The Decca Audition.

Related information

Many have speculated who made the decision to reject The Beatles. While various accounts of the audition have been published, most agree it was either Dick Rowe, producer Mike Smith or ex-Shadow Tony Meehan. Dick Rowe was an A&R man at Decca Records from the 1940s to the 1960s. ... The Shadows were an English instrumental rock n roll group active from the 1950s to the 2000s. ... Daniel Joseph Anthony Tony Meehan, (March 2, 1943 – November 28, 2005), was one of the founder members of the British group The Shadows, along with Jet Harris, Hank B. Marvin and Bruce Welch. ...

In the 1980s, the book Recording Sessions was published by Mark Lewisohn and, following the author's invitation from EMI to trawl through the vaults and catalogue all the Beatles out-takes, another book updated it about six years later. In 2000, both of these were combined into The Complete Beatles Chronicle, which contains information about the audition: Mark Lewisohn (born 1958) is one of the worlds foremost experts on The Beatles. ... For other uses, see EMI (disambiguation). ...

Lewisohn had visited EMI and not Decca, but he began his account with an entry for January 1, 1962:

Decca Studios, Broadhurst Gardens, London

"…first formal audition for a British record company,in a studio 2 miles from EMI, the Beatles nervously taped 15 songs chosen by Brian Epstein to show off every facet of their talent…each song done live on 2 track mono tape…A&R assistant Mike Smith had been sent by Dick Rowe to see the Beatles 19 days earlier in Liverpool…the Beatles completed the session in an hour…Smith promised to call Epstein."

Underneath this entry is shown an acetate of a 45, not for the entire session but for a single of "Like dreamers do" (supposedly Decca cut a number of acetates from the audition before they said no). In sound recording an acetate disc is a reference audio disc used during production of a gramophone record (e. ...

The Liverpool music paper Mersey Beat was the first to report on the Mike Smith visit by writing that the producer had made a tape of the performance (this amounted to the first "test") and wrote "…certain Decca would put the Beatles to good use". For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). ... Mersey Beat was a music publication in Liverpool, England in the early 1960s. ...

In 1995, The Beatles Anthology was released. The documentary includes snippets from many of the songs performed at the Decca audition, while the accompanying soundtrack (specifically, The Beatles Anthology 1) includes five of the songs performed at the audition ("Searchin'", "Like Dreamers Do", "Hello Little Girl", "Three Cool Cats", and "The Sheik of Araby") along with many other outtakes and various live performances. The remaining ten songs from the Decca audition have never been officially released, although they have frequently surfaced on grey market and bootleg releases. The Beatles Anthology is the name of a documentary series, a series of three albums and a book, all of which focus on the history of one of the worlds most popular rock band The Beatles. ... The Beatles Anthology 1 was released in late 1995, and includes rarites and alternatives tracks from their days as the Quarry Men, through the Decca auditions and the album Beatles for Sale. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

References

External links

• The Silver Beatles Decca Audition