| "Carnival of Light" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Composition by the Beatles | |
| Recorded | 5 January 1967 |
| Studio | EMI, London |
| Genre | Avant-garde,[2] musique concrète[3] |
| Length | 13:48[4] |
| Producer(s) | George Martin |
"Carnival of Light" is an unreleased avant-garde recording by the English rock band the Beatles. It was commissioned for the Million Volt Light and Sound Rave, an event held at the Roundhouse in London on 28 January and 4 February 1967. Recorded during a session for the song "Penny Lane", "Carnival of Light" is nearly 14 minutes long and contains distorted, echo-laden sounds of percussion, keyboards, guitar and vocals. Its creation was initiated by Paul McCartney's interest in the London avant-garde scene and through his connection with the design firm Binder, Edwards & Vaughan (often called BEV, and headed by the partners Doug Binder, Dudley Edwards and David Vaughan).
Since the event, "Carnival of Light" has rarely been heard, and does not circulate on bootlegs. For McCartney, the piece came to hold significance in his efforts to be recognised as the first Beatle to fully engage with the avant-garde, over a year before John Lennon recorded "Revolution 9". In 1996, McCartney tried to release the track on the Beatles' Anthology 2 compilation, but its inclusion was vetoed by his former bandmates. McCartney confirmed that he still had the tape in 2008. As of 2016, he was still considering releasing it.
- ^ Turner 2016, p. 390.
- ^ Womack 2016, p. 90.
- ^ Greene 2016, p. 25.
- ^ Lewisohn 1992, p. 240.