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Discovered: Beatles Studio Recordings Stolen 35 Years Ago
The Sydney Morning Herald | February 15, 2003 | Kirsty Needham

Posted on 02/14/2003 12:14:54 PM PST by yankeedame

Beatles missing link found in Lidcombe

By Kirsty Needham
February 15 2003

Getting tapes back to where they once belonged ... copies of original recordings of the Beatles' White and Abbey Road albums, seized by police in Sydney.

Original Beatles studio recordings believed to have been stolen 35 years ago from London's Abbey Road studios were uncovered in a police raid on a Sydney house yesterday.

The seizure is part of an international investigation by the music industry that in January netted 500 previously unreleased but stolen recordings made by the Beatles and led to the arrest of six people in London and Amsterdam.

The so-called "Get Back" reels, recorded in 1969, have been the source of bootleg recordings found as far afield as America and Asia since they were stolen from Abbey Road in the 1970s.

"The original disappearance spawned a multi-million dollar global industry that trades on the efforts of the authors and record company with no return to them," said Michael Speck, who heads piracy investigations for the Australian Record Industry Association.

Michael Ellis, western Europe anti- piracy co-ordinator for the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry in London, said: "The initial theft of the tapes was not to do with organised crime, but the duplication to CD format is hugely organised. They have been found around the world."

Yesterday two reel-to-reel tapes, identified as studio recordings from the White Album sessions made by the Beatles between July and October of 1968, were found locked in a safe in two-storey yellow brick house in Lidcombe.

The arrest followed an elaborate operation, codenamed Acetone, by the record industry's global network of piracy investigators and British police, which involved undercover operatives in Europe and Asia posing as music bootleggers and flying in to Sydney to set up meetings.

Mr Speck said they were alerted to the existence of the tapes when an advertisement was brazenly placed in the Trading Post offering "Beatles most valuable collectors items" for sale for $5 million in January.

It is believed the seller was motivated by the seizure of the tapes in Europe, which left his as relatively rare and valuable.

Heather Tropman, a lawyer with Gilbert and Tobin representing ARIA, said the European tapes each lasted for 15 to 20 minutes and contain session recordings of the Beatles in the studio - "practising songs, chatting and trying new things".

"What is clear throughout the investigation is that the person arrested in Europe is and was in possession of lots of reel to reel tapes which over the years he has sold. Some directly, others via auction houses," said Ms Tropman.

Barrie Bourcher, crime manager for the Flemington local area command of the NSW Police, said the reels seized yesterday, which carry Apple Records and EMI markings, will be examined and then returned to EMI.

The arrested man was released pending further investigations, but faces charges under the crimes act for possession of stolen property, and breaches of the copyright act.

Police said they did not think the man made bootleg copies from the reels himself. He claimed in an interview to have purchased them 12 years before at a music market .

Mr Ellis said the British investigators are interested in the tapes whether or not they are found to be part of the same batch of Get Back session tapes seized in London.

"We want to see how they came into the public domain," said Mr Ellis.

He said the record industry had pursued the recovery of the stolen Beatle reels so vigorously because "they represent a huge part of British music heritage. They are one of a kind, like a painting ... The Beatles broke up shortly afterwards".

Mr Speck said: "There is only one purpose for the tape as a commercial product, and that is to infringe copyright." The man declined to comment.


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events
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1 posted on 02/14/2003 12:14:55 PM PST by yankeedame
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To: yankeedame
Fab!
2 posted on 02/14/2003 12:19:59 PM PST by My2Cents ("...The bombing begins in 5 minutes.")
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To: yankeedame
Yesterday two reel-to-reel tapes, identified as studio recordings from the White Album sessions made by the Beatles between July and October of 1968, were found locked in a safe in two-storey yellow brick house in Lidcombe. The arrest followed an elaborate operation, codenamed Acetone, by the record industry's global network of piracy investigators and British police, which involved undercover operatives in Europe and Asia posing as music bootleggers and flying in to Sydney to set up meetings.

Now, if only the international war on terror were this organized...

3 posted on 02/14/2003 12:22:02 PM PST by My2Cents ("...The bombing begins in 5 minutes.")
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