CUSTOMS AGENTS AS CRITICS

Why did British Customs agents seize the Beatles’ gold records when the discs were being shipped to the UK back in 1967? And why does Customs still have them? “On 10 March 1967, a Customs officer, B Lampert, wrote to a manager, saying: ‘If it is considered that sale of these plaques will not embarrass the department, then sale would have to be of a specific nature with advertisements in the ‘music papers’. I have no idea of the price we could expect to realise but I understand the Beatles are on their ‘way out’ (result of quick market research on teenage neighbours!)’.” The Independent (UK)