‘IMAGINE’ THAT

Although I have no intention of relinquishing my status as an original Beatles fan, especially since groups like Oasis and Duran Duran continue to pale by comparison (Letters, June 2 and 9), there is something about the new Beatles song “Real Love” that perplexes me.

The liner notes describe John Lennon’s original tape as having “extraneous hum, hiss, clicks and static” and go to considerable lengths to make the consumer feel that this is an unknown, unreleased demo that Lennon had been working on “in the months before his death.”

However, the touched-up version with all the added Beatle instrumental parts and vocals on “Anthology 2” is not the first release of this song. The tune also appears in David L. Wolper and Andrew Solt’s wonderful documentary “Imagine: John Lennon,” released in 1988.

As all true John Lennon fans know, this fascinating movie, narrated by Lennon himself, has a very clear version of “Real Love” as the first track of the soundtrack album, complete with whistling and some nifty guitar work at the end; the movie uses a different version of the song over the opening titles.

Of course, we have no way of knowing whether George, Ringo and Paul were aware of these earlier-released versions, but the liner notes do seem to lead fans to believe that the Beatles’ release of “Real Love” is the first.

On the other hand, it’s fun to imagine that Mrs. Lennon might have just given the lads a scratchy old tape to make their efforts more challenging.

W. RANDOLPH CLARK

Sherman Oaks