(Rolling Stone) (12/23/03)

By Gil Kaufman

Edited By Michael Bennett

LOS ANGELES, CA, USA - Three days after an Internet auction site began offering what it claims is an erased tape of a secret 1976 BEATLES reunion, the owner of the Los Angeles studio in which the band allegedly convened called the reunion "pop urban legend."

"No sessions of this type ever took place at Davlen Sound Studios," said Len Kovner in a statement sent to Rolling Stone.

"The tape box being offered for sale, does not say 'The Beatles' on it or inside of it, anywhere."

"The box was most likely retrieved from a trash bin at or nearby the Los Angeles studio facility, probably in the early Eighties."

Kovner said that although all the band's members had recorded at the studio at various points during the Seventies and Eighties, no session ever featured all four.

The tape is being offered on momentsintime.com.

Site curator Gary J. Zimet claimed he got verification from Kovner that the sessions took place, but Kovner said he has been debunking the "secret session" myth for more than twenty years.

Zimet said the tape was "bulk erased" by the members of The Beatles, who split up in 1970, after the sessions ended in an argument.

The tape is being sold along with a list of five songs, 'Happy Feeling,' 'Back Home,' 'Rockin' Once Again,' 'People Of Fhe Third World', and a cover of the pop standard 'Little Girl.'

Beatles spokesperson Geoff Baker called talk of the alleged reunion "bollocks" and said he had never heard of any of the songs or of any reunion.

Zimet stood by his story, claiming that Kovner is "so deathly afraid of Paul McCartney and that is why he's lying."

"There is no question whatsoever that this took place," he said.

As further proof of the veracity of his claims, Zimet said longtime Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick had confirmed for him that the tapes were legit.

On Monday, however, Emerick told Rolling Stone, "I have no recollection of these sessions ever taking place."

Copyright 2003-2008 Rolling Stone/Internet Music Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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