Beatles Forever Views

Books

Beatles Forever is a song recorded by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) in 1983, intended for the album Secret Messages. When the album was cut from a planned two-disc set to a single LP, Beatles Forever was abandoned — and somewhat abruptly, given that it had previously been cited as the likely lead-off single from the intended double LP. It currently remains the only lost track from the original Secret Messages album not to appear later as an official bonus track or part of a compilation. However, the chorus part of Beatles Forever was used by Jeff Lynne on his Video! solo single.

Acetates of Secret Messages are known to exist in the format of the originally-intended double album. At an ELO Fan Club Convention, Beatles Forever was played as a treat for fans under strict conditions concerning the presence of recording equipment. These conditions were evidently not strict enough, and a recording was made (somewhat ironically) using a portable video camera. This bootleg recording was subsequently made available as an MP3 download, with predictably low sound quality given the source, format, and date of the recording.

The track seems unlikely now to ever be given an official release, with plenty of speculation as to the reasons why. One likely explanation centers around some of Lynne's later involvements as a producer, first with George Harrison and then with subsequently-released Beatles material; Lynne, now having had the opportunity to work closely with the subjects of the song (The Beatles and its members), may have later felt somewhat embarrassed by the track. Unfortunately for fans, Beatles Forever seems destined to remain in the vaults forever...

Nothing can be released without Jeff Lynne's approval but there currently is a proposal for a 2-CD Deluxe Collectors Edition of Secret Messages which includes the original unreleased 2-LP version (including Beatles Forever ), the released 1-LP version and more. As with all the Legacy 1st edition remasters from 2001 (Eldorado, Discovery, Time, Secret Messages) there are full proposals in with SonyBMG for upgraded 2-CD Deluxe Collectors Editions. I'll let you all know how that goes...