A recording of previously unreleased songs sung by John Lennon is for real, says Brian Koppelman.
Koppelman tells Undercover that Lennon gave him the tape in 1980 while he was in at the Hit Factory in New York watching him record.A few days ago, I asked the question of ownership of the tapes. “First off, Yoko does not own this recording,” Koppelman tells undercover.com.au. “This tape came from John. I had lent John $100 in the Hit Factory and he handed me the tape to hold onto. He could not find his wallet while he was there. He never paid me back and I am now sell the collateral that he used”.
However, Beatle fans contacting Undercover say the songs have been available as bootlegs for years. Steve Rosetta from OffTheBeatleTrack.com says the original source of the tapes was Elliott Mintz's program 'The Lost Lennon Tapes' 15 years ago. In fact, he says he says the same bootlegs have been available on eBay for the past 4 years.
That isn't stopping Koppelman who 29 years later says it is he who is making the tape public. “We want the fans of the Beatles and John Lennon to enjoy the quality of this recording and the historic value. This was not put out for critics to bash, it is made available for everyone to enjoy. It is the anniversary of John's death tomorrow, let say a prayer for him and what he believed in. I only wish his dreams could have come true”.
He also says that he is the rightful owner of the recordings, not John’s wife Yoko. “This is absolutely a legal and legit offering. Everyone that purchases from LennonTapes.com will be delivered for Christmas between the 23rd - 24th this great Christmas present,” he says.
Money raised from the sales will go to charity he says. “This is to help raise funds for the Emmanuel Orphanage of Tijuana, which has 27 girls and over 40 boys that are in need of support,” he tells Undercover. The reason that we are doing pre-orders is due to the fact that it would be put up on YouTube and elsewhere for free and would defeat the purpose the Orphanage fund raise”.
Beatle and Lennon fans remain unconvinced of the authenticity of the ownership of the tapes. Koppelman claims they are his.
Lennon’s version of Dream Lover and Stay has been around on YouTube for more than a year.
