Magical Mystery Tour 'Alt EP'

Auction 2005 Description :

"Here is an extraordinary Beatles rarity, and certainly one of the most unique Beatles acetates in existence--a vintage 10" UK EMI acetate that features the 6 "Magical Mystery Tour" tracks issued originally in the UK as a 2 EP set. As you can see, the tracks are in a different order from the commerical release; in addition the versions of "Magical Mystery Tour" and "I Am The Walrus" are different from the released versions.

"Magical Mystery Tour" is a completely different mix, and while on the beginning of this version (as on the released one) John Lennon speaks the words "Roll Up, Roll Up, Roll Up to the Magical Mystery Tour. Step right this way" on this acetate, he adds the words "Hurry, Hurry, Hurry." This Lennon spoken word part is a completely different take (in fact it sounds to me like it was done at a different time.) At approximately 1:14 into the song there is another spoken interlude, where Lennon says "When a man buys a ticket for a magical mystery tour, he knows what to expect. We guarantee him the trip of a lifetime. And that's just what he gets. The incredible magical mystery tour." This is completely jarring to those of us who have heard this song thousands of times without this vocal part. But it works beautifully. (This additional Lennon vocal part is similar to the version used in the UK Magical Mystery Tour TV special but never released on record.) The song ends very differently from the released version, with a crowd cheering over a different piano part.

"I Am The Walrus" features a different mix and a diffferent ending, with the electronics more prominent. As you can see from the label, this track is on this acetate called "I Am A Walrus" which may have been an earlier title. The release date of "8th December 1967" appears on each side, which according to Mark Lewisohn's definitive book "The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions" was the UK release date for the 2 EP set. In fact there is much information in this book about the sessions for these tracks, which the Beatles spent many hours perfecting. This "work in progress" acetate would have been cut as the Beatles were in the home stretch of completing the music for Magical Mystery Tour, but obviously before everything was finished.

The acetate is in VG++ condition and plays great. Beatles acetates are EXTREMELY RARE, and ones with unreleased versions of songs are among the most desirable Beatles collectibles. This is truly a historic disc, and we know of no other copies of this acetate. (We purchased this from a very longtime European collector with a HUGE Beatles collection and of course this was one of the highlights; it is one of the two best Beatles records we've ever handled.) "