Beatles ready to 'Twist and Shout' again

The famous John Lennon number Twist and Shout — one of the best known tracks from the debut album of English band Beatles’ Please Please Me (1963) — has been licensed out to Indian rock band Stereo Nation. The track remains, to date, the best known cover version sung by any band.

Tarsame Singh Saini or Taz (as he is popularly known) from Stereo Nation confirmed over the telephone from London that he has just secured the rights of the track. “It is one of the best known Beatles track and it was quite an effort to get its rights. We have got the rights from the owners of the track and we finally have an official confirmation about it from their representatives,” says Taz.

The Beatles catalogue is now jointly owned by the late popstar Michael Jackson and Beatles member Sir Paul McCartney. Sir Paul was also the backing vocalist on the original version of the song that was sung by Beatles member John Lennon.

Taz says, “I desperately wanted the number and I was negotiating with the agents for almost a year now. Finally, I decided to remix the track myself and send it to them (the agents of Paul McCartney) to tell them, ‘This is how the track would sound. Do you like it?’ I got a call from them saying they liked it.”

Taz, however, refuses to go into the amount that he paid to get the rights but seems excited that it will feature in their next album. “A certain percentage of the collections (from sale of the album) might go to them (the company which licensed it out). But it was a childhood dream for me and I am glad that I have been able to achieve it,” he ends.