Бутлег Alf Together Now

Многие здесь конечно же слышали о недавно вышедшем бутлеге Alf Together Now и у некоторых, я думаю, он есть в коллекции. На нем собраны так называемые Garage Tapes, записи в свое время подаренные шоферу битлов Альфу Бикнеллу самими битлами. До этого бутлега эти записи публиковались на дисках Garage Tapes и Maybe You Can Drieve My Car. Эти пленки были найдены Гарри Маршем, автором книги об Альфе, в процессе написания данной книги. Ниже хочу привести некоторые комментарии к диску и этим записям от самого Гарри Марша. Мне показалось это достаточно интересным, чтобы привести их здесь полностью. Заранне прошу прощения у тех, кто не читает по-английски, но перевод делать просто нет времени.


HI THERE GANG, JUST GOT TO LISTEN TO MY COPY OF THE ABOVE ALBUM, IT IS FROM ALL MY MASTER COPIES!!!!!!!!!
WHAT FOLLOWS MAY BE OF INTEREST TO BEATLE-PEOPLE:
(MY ANSWERS ARE IN BLOCK CAPITALS)

> > > Those tunes are known as to come from the "Alf Bicknell Tapes",
> refering to
> > John`s chauffeur,
> > BEATLES CHAUFFEUR ACTUALLY, NEVER GOT TO BE JUST JOHN'S!
>
> was it planned, that he will become John`s "personal" chauffeur?

GARRY:
ACTUALLY IT WAS BIG BILL CORBETT WHO WAS GOING TO BE JOHN'S CHAUFFEUR, CIRCA
SEPT' 64, BUT HE SOLD HIS STORY TO A SUNDAY NEWSAPAPER, AND IT WAS AFTER
THAT THAT ALF GOT THE JOB. THEY BOTH WORKED FOR THE SAME CAR HIRE/CHAUFFEUR
DRIVEN CAR COMPANY. ALF TELLS THIS STORY 'COS I TOLD HIM!

> > whom John gave the tapes to (I think) at the end of his employment.
> > OBTAINED AT THE END, OR THEREABOUTS, OF HIS TIME WITH THE BOYS!
> > HE CLEANED THE CAR OUT!

GARRY:
THERE ARE REPORTS THAT ALF WAS STILL WITH THE BEATLES, DRIVING THEM IN EARLY
1967. ONE HAS HIM DRIVING MIKE NESMITH, BUT AS ALF COULDN'T ACTUALLY
REMEMBER WHEN HE LEFT, IT SEEMED REASONABLE TO CUT OUT AFTER THE LAST GIG
ETC, WHEN EVERYONE HAD HAD ENOUGH. ALF DID HAVE A FAMILY LIFE YOU KNOW!

> that`s interesting - so actually he just took them on him,
> without being told: take them, their yours.
> Though I guess it wasn`t with the purpose of getting his
> hands on something precious, otherwise he wouldn`t have
> let them rot in the garage (as mentioned below), I would think.

GARRY:
I CANNOT GO WITH THE STORY THAT ALL THOSE TAPES SAT AROUND IN THE SAME CAR
FROM 1963 UNTIL LATE 1966, BUT ALF SAYS THAT'S WHERE HE REMEMBERS THEY CAME
FROM. THE CAR DID BELONG TO HIS EMPLOYERS, AND IT WOULD BE PART OF HIS JOB
TO KEEP IT CLEAN ETC.
BUT WHY TAKE THEM? HE SAYS THAT HE REMEMBERS JOHN SAYING TAKE THEM, BUT WHEN
I ORIGINALLY INTERVIEWED ALF BACK IN 1987, AS MY TAPE TESTIFIES, ALF COULD
REMEMBER SO LITTLE OF HIS TIME WITH THE BOYS.

I HAD TO GO AWAY, DOCUMENT EVERY DAY FOR TWO YEARS AND TALK HIM THROUGH WHO,
WHAT, WHERE, WHEN AND WHY!
MAYBE I SHOULD RELEASE MY ORIGINAL TAPE!
THE ONES THAT CAME WITH THE FIRST EDITION OF THE BOOK AND WHICH ARE ON THE
CD-ROM, ARE FROM A 'WELL PRACTICED' ALF!
> > The material was spread over 5 tapes,
> > YES, NO#S 500, 501, 507,515, AND 525 IN SOTHERBYS AUGUST 1989 CATALOGUE!
>
> Calling all stations: wouldn`t it be in general extremly interesting
> to have access to those Sotherbys` (and other auction houses`)
> catalogues concerning Beatles-relevant auctions? I already mailed
> Sotherby`s once for info, if they sell those, but only automatic
> response-
> letters of no informative value came back from them.
> End of intermission.
>
GARRY:
I BELIEVE ALL THE AUCTION HOUSES SELL BACK COPIES.

> > all 5 of them
> > > showing up in auctions (in the early 90`s?), but only three of
> > > them selling.
> > TWO ACTUALLY, BUT THE OTHERS SOLD LATER, THROUGH SOTHERBYS, AFTER THE
> > AUCTION
>
GARRY:
TWO ON THE DAY, AND THE REST TO THE SAME BUYER/S WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF
WEEKS, ON THE SIDE LIKE!
THE BUYER, 'HERR MCCARTNEY', OR MR POMME DE TERRE, WANTED TO KEEP IT QUIET!
HILARY KAY PLAYED GO BETWEEN.

> So the tapes were actually involved in more than one auction or
> does that stuff just stay on hold with the same lot-number?

GARRY:
JUST ANSWERED THAT ONE, I THINK.

> > There is a new release on the way, presenting this
> > > material in better sound quality than before.
> > I'D LOVE TO HEAR IT!
>
> It`s brandnew, said to be still a hard listening experience, but
> nevertheless a recognizable upgrade on what we heard earlier on
> "Maybe you can drive my car" and "The garage tapes" roios.
> I (still) don`t have it, I`m not even sure, if it`s out by now.
> Also I guess there`s nothing new, just a better quality copy.
> (in the right order?)
> Whenever I get it myself (when?), I`ll send you a copy.

GARRY:
LOOKING FORWARD TO IT!

Продолжение:
Now, (hope this is not missuse of space), here`s the info on it,
> I borrowed from Harald Gernhardt`s page - sorry, Harald, I know it`s
> wrong! - which I cannot resist to plug, as it`s the finest base of
> infos for collectors of unreleased material.
> (head to head with Beatleg Project though)
>
GARRY:
HEY DON'T FORGET BELMO'S BEATLEG NEWS, WHICH NUMBER 9 BOOKS IS CURRENTLY
OFFICIALLY ARCHIVING FOR THE NET/CD-ROM.
WATCH THIS SPACE!

> "Alf Together Now
>
> Label: Spank
> Part No.: SP-148
> Country of Origin: USA
> Release Date: (not released yet!) 2001
> CD-R classification: professional
> Inserts: professional offset prints
> CD-R label: printed on surface
>

GARRY:
I HOPE THEY GET MY NAME RIGHT ON THIS ONE, IT'S GARRY NOT GERRY. THEY EVEN
GOT ME MIXED UP WITH GERRY MARSDEN, 'COS HE'S ON THERE!

MAYBE THEY SHOULD BE CALLED 'THE GARRY MARSH (WHO CARED) TAPES!'.
AS APPOSED TO THE 'HOW MUCH MONEY CAN I GET FROM THEM' TAPES?

> Text from Flyer
>
> The recordings on this disc CAME FROM COPIES OF TAPES THAT once belonged
to The Beatles' chauffeur,
> Alf Bicknell. While we have plenty of informal tapes of the later
> Beatles (the "Get Back" sessions, for instance), there (THEY) are much
> more uncommon for the early 1960's. Portions of these tapes were
> previously available on "The Garage Tapes" and "Maybe You Can Drive
> My Car," but all of the available recordings have been gathered
> together here, and most of the material is of significantly better
> quality than those two disccs. Some highlights include John's composing
> demos for "If I Fell", George's demo for "Don't Bother Me" and outtakes
> of "Please Mr. Postman" and "It Won't Be Long," from July 30th, 1963
> which appear nowhere else."
>
GARRY:
I KNOW OF ONLY ONE OTHER PERSON ON THE PLANET WHO HAS HAD ACCESS TO ALL THE
RECORDINGS, ON THESE TAPES, OTHER THAN ALF AND MYSELF.
I KNOW 'COS I PROVIDED THE 1ST GENERATION TAPES TO HIM, ON LOAN. DON'T
WORRY I GOT THEM BACK, THANKS ***.

THAT IS OF COURSE UNLESS ALF KNOWS SOMETHING ELSE!

> The tracklist: [comments in brackets are mine]
>
> 1 The Machine Clicks On
GARRY:
THIS COULD BE MY MACHINE!
> 2 If I Fell (No. 1)
> 3 If I Fell (No. 2)
> 4 If I Fell (No. 3)
> 5 If I Fell (No. 4)
> 6 If I Fell (No. 5)
> 7 ("are you in Coventry?")
GARRY:
THIS SAYS "WHEN YOU WERE IN COVENTRY", THEN I TURNED THE TAPE OFF!
THE ORIGINAL TAPE RECORDING, BY THE FAN, WAS MADE ON NEW YEARS EVE 1963.
SHE SAID SO ON THE TAPE BEFORE JOHN CUT IN TO DO HIS DEMO'S IN EARLY 1964.

> [this is one of the mentioned fan-messages, I wonder
> if the Beatles just re-used tapes that were sent to
> them, at least it seems so]

GARRY:
YES, AND IF YOU LOOK THROUGH THE BEATLES MONTHLY BOOK YOU'LL SEE PHOTO'S OF
THEM IN THE STUDIO RECORDING THE PLAYBACKS ETC. WHICH EXPLAINS SOME LATER
RECORDINGS.

> 8 Don't Bother Me
> 9 (Tape Noise)

GARRY:
THIS IS MAINLY MY OLD MACHINE FOLKS!

> 10 Instrumental (No. 1)
> 11 (Tape Noise)

GARRY:
SONGS ALREADY ON THE TAPE, RECORDED OFF THE RADIO, BY THE BOYS, BUT AT
DIFERENT SPEEDS!

> 12 Instrumental (No. 2)
> 13 Michaelle
> 14 Instrumental (No. 3)
> 15 Instrumental (No. 4)
> 16 Instrumental (No. 5)
> 17 Three Coins In A Fountain
> 18 (Tape Noise/Singing Nursery Rhymes)
> [cannot recall, if this was on the previous CD`s]

GARRY:
IT'S ON MY ORIGINAL TAPES.
I THINK THE GIRL IS RUTH MCCARTNEY, AND THE MAN IS MIKE MCCARTNEY, SINGING
'ABOUT A BALLET DANCER', AND A VERSION! OF 'MARY, MARY QUITE CONTRARY' (DO
YOU GUYS KNOW THIS NURSERY RHYME?)

> 19 Rockin'/Rollin' (Backing Track, No. 1)
> 20 Rockin'/Rollin' (Backing Track, No. 2)
> 21 Rockin'/Rollin' (With Norm)
> [who is Norm?]
GARRY:
NORMAN 'HURRICANE' SMITH?

> 22 (Listening to the radio)

GARRY:
THEY MUST'VE SPENT YONKS DOING THIS KIND OF STUFF! BORED OUT OF THEIR HEADS!

> 23 Rockin'/Rollin' (vocal)
> [the 41. Rockin/Rollin is a clever outfake,
GARRY:
I THINK I AGREE. SOMEONE MIXED THE TAKES.
CLEVER BASTARD!

> but withough that I count 4 genuine versions here,
> opposed to three we had. Hmmm, just a matter
> of different indexing?]

GARRY:
ON MY ORIGINAL TAPE THERE IS LOTS OF RADIO STUFF AFTER THIS, INC 'WALKIN
BACK TO HAPPINESS', HELEN S, AND A QUICK SNIP OF LENNON SINGING "ON THE RUN,
ON THE RUN, ON THE RUN", WITH THE SONG ON THE RADIO.
ANYONE KNOW THE SONG?

> 24 Piano/Drum Instrumental
> 25 Please Mr. Postman (No. 1)
> 26 Please Mr. Postman (No. 2)
> 27 It Won't Be Long (No. 1)
> 28 It Won't Be Long (No. 2)
> 29 (listening to the radio)
> 30 Love Me Do (BBC)

GARRY:
THIS IS ON MY TAPE, AND IT'S THEM TAPING THEM OFF THE RADIO!

> [I think this is new - my guess: the
> commercial version being played on radio
> with the Beatles listening to it]
> 31 (readings)
> 32 (tape noise)
> 33 Tammy (singing along with the radio)
> 34 Over the rainbow (singing along with the radio)
GARRY:
I THINK THIS IS PAUL AND JOHN!

> 35 Asking Directions #1
> 36 Asking Directions #2
> 37 Asking Directions #3
> 38 Asking Directions #4

GARRY:
GERRY MARSDEN HAS A COPY OF THIS. I GAVE A TAPE OF IT TO ONE OF HIS ROADIES
A FEW YEARS BACK, WHEN HE PLAYED LOCALLY.

> 39 listening to a record and talking

GARRY:
HOTEL ROOM? BORED?
UNIDENTIFIED TUNE, FOLLOWED BY 'NEVER ON A SUNDAY'. JOHN, GEORGE,
JULIAN/CRYING, CYN, AND SQUEEKY TOY!

> 40 distorted voice

GARRY:
SHOUTING INTO THE MIKE!
COULD BE THAT GERRY IS HERE TOO!
RECITING STUFF FROM A GIDEONS BIBLE.
JOHN SAYS, " YOU'RE JUST FANTASTIC. QUITE A UNIQUY(SIC) MODEL"

> [did we hear this before? the whole thing is
> distorted, so how distorted must this be?]
> 41 Rockin'/Rollin' (stereo mix from Anthology+ CD
> 42 Hello Little Girl (the fourmost - recording session, No. 1)
> 43 Hello Little Girl (the fourmost - recording session, No. 2)
> 44 Hello Little Girl (the fourmost - recording session, No. 3)
GARRY:
THIS STUFF IS PLAYBACK RECORDINGS TO GEORGE MARTIN AND JOHN. THEIR VOICES
CAN BE HEARD ON THE ORIGINAL TAPE, DURING PLAYBACK AND AFTER.

OTHER STUFF:
AFTER THE FIRST TAKE OF HELLO LITTLE GIRL, IS BILLY J DOING "TAKE ALL HIS
MONEY AND SCRAM", THEN "TWIST AND SHOUT", BY A BLACK GIRL, BACKED BY BLACK
MEN
(IS THIS PC FOLKS?), SINGING LIKE THE BEATLES DO IT!
WHO ARE THEY?
THERE ARE TRUMPETS/BRASS ON THE RECORDING.

TWO MORE VERSIONS OF HLG, AND THEN BILLY J DOING "IT'S UP TO YOU", AND THEN
"DA DO RON RON"!

Wait a second - do I understand you right? The originals weren`t even
auctioned off, but just tape copies you made of them? So the originals
are still in Alf`s possesion? Would there be such an big difference
in sound quality? Then I`d guess, someone approached Alf for this
release...(or at least his garage)

> THOUGH I MUST POINT OUT THAT NEITHER MYSELF, ALF, NOR SOTHERBYS HAD ANYTHING
> TO DO WITH THAT!

Oh well, and if, so what? (Apple laywers? oh, ok, got it)

> HONEST GOVENOR!
> REALLY!

Yes, yes I believe it!

> IN FACT WHEN ALF COMPLAINED TO ME, I COMPLAINED TO SOTHERBYS, AND TWO OF THE
> ACTUAL TAPES I PROVIDED WERE RETURNED TO ME, HAVING BEEN FOUND AT THE BACK
> OF THE 'TAPE DRAWER'!

So the tapes haven`t even yet been sold and already the boots appeared,
and this is, what Alf complained about, did I get you right here?
And those very tapes (the 3 yet unsold ones, I guess) you then refetched
from Sothebys, where they have been misfiled?
Sorry for asking so much, but beside being really interested I`m not a
native speaker, so I want to get it right.

> > So, I know you had some working relationship with Alf (that has gone bad
> for legal matters).
> I SUPPOSE THAT'S WHAT YOU MIGHT CALL BEING 'RIPPED-OFF' FOR YOUR COPYRIGHT!
> READ ALL ABOUT IT IN 'THE DEED OF SETTLEMENT'!

I did read it before, it makes sense to me, that you feel ripped-off,
amazingly you don`t use your anger to foulmouth Alf big-time,
which made me read between the lines, that Alf is also a victim of sorts
(on a lesser degree - and not in a finacial one), falling for
unfair "advisors" and his and their greed maybe. Or that you are not
a type for moaning the past, breeding rage and swearing revenge.
Was some time ago, since I read it, I admit, so I might remember
the sub-tone wrong, forgive me for going blah, blah without rereading.

> Was it then when you found the tapes?
> NO, ALF HAD THE TAPES, AROUND 22 IN ALL, SMALL REEL TO REEL ONES, ABOUT 25
> HOURS WORTH!

22 tapes containing 25 hours makes roughly one hour a tape. If there
were 5 (full?) tapes of Beatles content (? again), that made their way
out, there must be still a lot unheard material left in the hands of
some collectors.

> MAINLY PERSONAL MESSAGES FROM FANS. YOU KNOW THE KIND OF THING:
> 'HI JOHN MY NAME'S MARIE, AND I' SITTING AT HOME RIGHT NOW IN MY BEDROOM,
> AND MY MOM AND DAD HAVE GONE OUT, AND YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT I'D DO IF YOU
> WERE HERE WITH ME?'

Yeah, tell us all about it, Marie!

> REALLY, ALF SHOULD RELEASE THOSE TAPES!

Do you think he would/could?

> > I guess Alf would have played them to you
> NO, HE NEVER PLAYED ANY OF THEM, EVER!
> HE THOUGHT THEY WERE ALL MESSAGES FROM FANS.
> THEY HUNG IN A PLASTIC CARRIER BAG, IN HIS GARAGE (GARAGE TAPES!) FOR 22
> YEARS, UNTIL HE ASKED ME TO HAVE A LISTEN IN CASE THERE WAS ANYTHING USEFUL
> FOR THE BOOK!

How lucky, he kept them at all, considering how "much" he must have
thought of them.

> - now can we have some
> > details on that?
> I FOUND JOHNS 'IF I FELL' ON FEB 9TH 1989!
> I HAD TO FIND AN OLD PLAYER AND SIT THROUGH LOTS OF FAN STUFF!
> I BELIEVE I IDENTIFIED ALL THE BEATLES STUFF THERE.
> I THEN CONTACTED MARK (LEWISOHN), AND THEN SOTHERBYS ETC.

What did Mark have to say?

> THE FIRST TIME ALF HEARD ANY OF THE TAPES WAS ON THE WAY DOWN TO A PRESS
> THINGY AT SOTHERBYS, 3RD AUGUST 1989.

He really wasn`t that terribly interested in them it seems.

> THEY WENT UNDER THE HAMMER ON 22ND AUGUST 1989.
>
> JUST BEFORE THE AUCTION ALF CALLED ME TO A PRIVATE MEETING IN WHITCHURCH,
> WHERE HE TOLD ME THAT HE WANTEDTO CHANGE OUR GENTLEMANS AGREEMENT FROM 50/50
> TO 66/33 IN HIS FAVOUR WHEN IT CAME TO THE TAPES.
> I DIDN'T ARGUE, I WAS, AND STILL AM, A GENTLEMAN!

Explains what I was musing about above and kind of confirms my
"suspicion".

> Is there something that we are still missing?
> I DON'T THINK SO. I THINK EVEN THE STUFF IN THE VAN WITH GERRY MARSDEN
> ASKING HIS WAY TO THE GOLF COUSE IS IN THERE NOW, PLUS THE HOTEL ROOM WITH '
> NEVER ON A SUNDAY' PLAYING, WHILE JULIAN CRIES, AND JOHN AND PAUL SHOUT,
> INAUDIBLY AT THE MIKE!

What was that (the hotel room stuff), don`t think we heard that yet.
BTW, it must have been incredible difficult to figure out what the
content actually was about, including dating. Did you do the research?
Did you get help from Alf or Lewishon?

> > Whom/Where did the tapes end up with?
> TWO SOLD ON THE DAY, THE OTHERS LATER.

But those were just copies of the original tape, if I understood you
right (see above).

> Did you hear all the tapes through?
> YES, I FOUND THE CONTENT BY LISTENING TO THEM ALL.

Glad you did!

> Was it 5 tapes?
> YES.
> Which kind, length, running order, tracklist,
> > dating?

> I HAVE TO CHECK MY NOTES, THIS IS GETTING HEAVY!

I would greatly appriciate, if you would do the job and go back
to your notes! Oh, please, please do it!

> What did Alf have to say about those tapes/content/story?
> YOU COULD READ THE BOOK, WHICH IS FACTION!

You mean the diary? I received it from you earlier, but never
read it through, as it was such an obvious construction - I
would rather have read the actual interviews you did with him.
(sorry for dissmissing the original concept, but I was never
in it for making something more "consumeable" for the price
of "remixing" accurate historical info.)

> READ THE NEWSPAPER CUTTINGS! BUT DO NEWSPAPERS EVER TELL THE TRUTH?

Sure! ;) - and also I wouldn`t know where to start digging in the
archive.

> > WOULD YOU LIKE SOME MORE?

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

> I ENDED UP WITH ABOUT ё8,000, IF MY MEMORY SERVES ME WELL. I PUT ё2,000
> INTO THE BOOK, AS DID ALF.
> I DON'T ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT THE OTHER THREE TAPES WENT FOR, BUT BEING A
> GENTLEMAN, I DIDN'T ASK.
> THAT'S THE ENGLISH FOR YOU!
> TRUST IS A VERY IMPORTANT WORD!
> INSTANT KARMA!

Personal note: I rather get fouled once in a while, than to run around
with a suspicios mind and a misanthrope (as that english?) attitude!

> THAT'S ALL IN THE PAST, LET'S ALL GET ON WITH OUR LIVES NOW.
> I WISH ALF WELL IN ALL HE DOES!

Also, I guess my "questions" concerning your feeling nowadays towards
the whole thing have been fully answered and this part of the issue
cleared up. (still won`t delete the paragraph, now that it`s written)

Again a BIG THANK YOU to you for this posting and not to forget also
to this group/the moderator for this great forum - I love it!


THAT'S ALL FOR NOW FOLKS,
LOVE AND PEACE
GARRY MARSH

Прошу прощения за такое длинное послание.