Big news for Beatles fans: a previously unreleased psychedelic-pop song featuring Ringo Starr and George Harrison has been uncovered in Birmingham, England and is slated to be released later this week.
As the BBC reports, the track, titled “Radhe Shaam,” was written and produced by broadcaster Suresh Joshi in 1968. It features Starr on drums and Harrison on guitar, and the recording was recently discovered in Joshi’s home during COVID-19 lockdown.
Joshi was friends with Harrison, ultimately introducing him to Ravi Shankar. The journalist was working on the music for a documentary called East Meets West at London’s Trident Studios in 1968 when Starr and Harrison, who were taking a break from recording “Hey Jude” at the studio, showed up and offered to play on “Radhe Shaam.”
Shockingly, it sat in Joshi’s loft unheard by the general public for over 50 years. “Time had gone on, [then] the Beatles were breaking up and had various problems so no one wanted to [release it],” he told the BBC.
After unearthing the master recording of the song earlier this year, the 75-year-old sent it to producer Suraj Shinh, who restored it and mixed the song. Joshi insists that despite the half-century that’s gone by since it was recorded, the message of “Radhe Shaam” is still relevant today.
“The song itself revolves around the concept that we are all one, and that the world is our oyster,” he said. “[That is] something that we have all realized during this pandemic.”
If that sparks your curiosity, the good news is you don’t have long to wait to hear the song. It’s currently slated to be released on Thursday, and all proceeds from the track will go to charity.
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