Black and white photographs of The Beatles, including Pete Best, taken by Albert Marrion on Sunday 17 December 1961. Marrion, a local Liverpool photographer, was hired by The Beatles’ new manager, Brian Epstein, to take a few photographs of the band.
Albert Marrion actually tooks about thirty photographs… but discarded all but sixteen negatives because many showed Lennon and McCartney acting up and spoiling the pose.

The first image served as the “master print” for the Beatles first autograph cards and their appearance on the front cover of “Mersey Beat” magazine, while you can find the last one used as cover sleeve for “The Decca Tapes” album, a bootleg from the audition the Beatles performed in Decca on 1 January 1962. The fifteen songs (played in just under one hour) are
1. Like Dreamers Do
2. Money
3. Till There Was You
4. Sheik of Araby
5. To Know Her Is To Love Her
6. Take Good Care Of My Baby
7. Memphis
8. Sure To Fall
9. Hello Little Girl
10. Three Cool Cats
11. Crying, Waiting, Hoping
12. Love Of The Loved
13. September In The Rain
14. Besame Mucho
15. Searchin’