Giggling Beatles tape goes on sale

1:26pm Tuesday 5th August 2008

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Excitement is mounting as auctioneers prepare to sell off a rare recording of The Beatles getting the giggles as they try to record a song.

A reel tape from 1964 of John, Paul, George and Ringo trying to record I Follow The Sun, but cracking up, is expected to fetch £8,000 - £12,000 when it's auctioned at London's Cameo Fine Art Auctioneers.

Alan Pritchard, Head of Entertainment at Cameo, said: "The tape contains Beatles songs some of which were released on Beatles For Sale, which was released in December 64.

"Two of the tracks were released as an A and a B side single, but the most interesting part of the tape is where the group are trying to record the song I Follow The Sun.

"It's interesting because at this part of the tape the group are trying to record it but they just can't complete it because they're too busy giggling and laughing. The group are interacting with each other and you can clearly hear Paul McCartney and John Lennon accusing each other of making each other laugh and they just stop and start and it's just really a nice insight into early Beatles, when they were happy and jolly with what they were doing in their work."

He added: "There are obviously lots of recordings of Beatles but this one we feel is unique and is probably a lost clip and probably there is no other recording of it anywhere."