The session followed a visit by the label's A&R representative, Mike Smith, to a gig at the Cavern on December 13, 1961. The Beatles' performance that night had not been strong enough to secure them a record deal, but the label was prepared to offer them a session at their studios at 165 Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead, London.

The group - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best - traveled from Liverpool with driver and roadie Neil Aspinall. Battered by snowstorms, the group finally arrived just in time for the 11 am audition. Brian Epstein traveled separately by train.

The group was upset that Smith showed up late after spending the night before to welcome in the New Year. Smith further unnerved them by insisting on using Decca's amplifiers after judging the Beatles' own equipment to be inferior.

Three of the songs - Like Dreamers Do, Hello Little Girl and Love Of The Loved - were Lennon-McCartney originals. The entire session lasted about an hour from 11, and most of the songs were probably recorded in a single take with no overdubs.

Of the Decca recordings, five songs - Searchin ', Three Cool Cats, The Sheik Of Araby, Like Dreamers Do and Hello Little Girl - appeared on the 1995 collection Anthology 1. The rest have been widely available on bootlegs since 1977.

Although the Beatles did not give their best performance out of nervousness, all four members and Brian Epstein were confident that the session would inevitably lead to a contract with Decca. The label, meanwhile, was leaning toward Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, who had also auditioned that day.

The official reason given for the refusal was, "Guitar groups are on the decline, Mr. Epstein." Those words were to become infamous, and Dick Rowe later became known as "the man who rejected the Beatles." He did, however, sign the Rolling Stones on George Harrison's recommendation.

Brian Epstein didn't take the rejection lying down. He traveled back to London for more meetings with Decca and even promised the sales team that he would buy 3,000 copies of every Beatles single they released. Had Dick Rowe been informed of this, the story could have been very different.