OFF: Raids Recover Original Beatles Tapes

[DRider]

Raids Recover Original Beatles Tapes

Police appear to have recovered about 500 original Beatles tapes, including
some never-released tracks, that were stolen in the 1970s, during raids
today (Jan. 10) on members of a piracy racket in England and the
Netherlands. British police said the tapes were "priceless." Dutch police,
who found the tapes in the Netherlands, agreed, but said analysis of the
material was ongoing.

"We're investigating whether they really are the originals, but it appears
to be so," prosecutor spokesman Robert Meulenbroek said in Amsterdam. "There
are about 500 tapes, so there's quite a bit to research." The tapes soon
will be turned over to British authorities, he said.

Police arrested five people in raids in England and in Holland, following an
investigation that began about a year ago. The suspects' names were not
immediately released.

The tapes contain songs, including "Get Back," for an album the Beatles
planned in 1969. The project was shelved, and some of the songs instead
became part of the band's final studio album, "Let It Be" (1969's "Abbey
Road" was actually an album of the band's final recordings together before
breaking up, but "Let It Be" was released after the split).

The rest of the tapes disappeared shortly after the sessions, during which
the band attempted a more back-to-basics approach to recording after the
tensions of 1968's "White Album." Band members met in the Twickenham area of
London to rehearse, rather than Abbey Road, where they usually recorded.
Continued problems within the band saw Harrison briefly quit during that
period.

The recovered reels are believed to contain dozens of entire songs, as well
as snippets of tracks the band attempted, then abandoned. Along with new
songs, the Beatles ran through earlier tracks for old time's sake.

"We applaud this exemplary police operation, which reflects the
extraordinary level of international coordination that is needed to tackle
the sophisticated cross-border strategies of today's organized music
pirates," said Jay Berman, chairman of the International Federation of the
Phonographic Industry (IFPI), which led the investigation with help from
London detectives.

IFPI and London police first identified suspects who were thought to have
been involved in the theft and handling of the tapes. Further inquiries
across Europe led to the joint operation by British and Dutch police. Two
British men were arrested in West London, and two Dutch men and a British
man were arrested south of Amsterdam, where Dutch and British police were
working together.

"This is a good example of how an international multiagency approach by both
the private sector and police agencies can combat offenses of this nature,"
Detective Inspector Paul Johnston said in London.