SYDNEY, Australia, Feb. 14, 2003

Police 'Get Back' More Beatles Tapes

'Abbey Road' and 'White Album' Tapes Believed Stolen In 1969

    • The

      The "Abbey Road" album  (AP)

    • Th Beatles final recording session (photo by Linda Eastman).

      Th Beatles final recording session (photo by Linda Eastman).  (AP)

    Previous slide Next slide
  • Interactive The Beatles

    Follow The Fab Four from 1964, when Ed Sullivan introduced them to America, to Paul McCartney's 2002 wedding to Heather MIlls.

  • Interactive Teen Idols

    From Frank Sinatra to The Beatles to Britney Spears, teen idols have shaped fashion and pop culture for decades. Learn more about some famous icons and fads and take our teen idol trivia quiz. How hip are you?

(CBS)  Police on Friday recovered reel-to-reel tapes apparently recorded by The Beatles and believed stolen from the band's studios in London more than three decades ago.

Detectives raided a home in western Sydney early Friday and seized tape recordings of the "Abbey Road" album and "The Beatles," better known as "The White Album." They also confiscated album artwork, police said in a statement.

A preliminary examination of the tapes suggested they are either original studio recordings or professionally made copies, police said. They did not say how much the tapes are worth.

Detectives believe the recordings were stolen from the Abbey Road studios in 1969. A 27-year-old man was arrested at the home but was later released without charges being filed.

It's not known how the tapes wound up in Australia.

Police have given the seized tapes to a musicologist to determine their authenticity.

The raid stemmed from a British investigation into a suspected piracy racket code-named "Operation Acetone." That led to the recovery of 500 tapes believed to be original Beatles recordings during a raid in Holland last month. Five people — three Britons and two Dutchmen — have been arrested.


©MMIII CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
  • MOST POPULAR
Discussed
  1. U.S. to Seek Death Penalty in 9/11 Cases

    (376 recent comments)

Exclusive Webshow

Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie." Watch Now

Latest News
News in Pictures
Scroll Left Scroll Right
Connect with CBS News

Stay connected with the CBS News using your favorite social networks and online news applications: