Every Beatles fan has their favorite deep cut, but what about the one you can’t even hear? Tucked away in Abbey Road’s vaults is “Carnival of Light,” a mysterious 14-minute track the Fab Four recorded in January 1967. It’s not a lost pop song, though—this one is pure chaos. And that’s why people are still talking about it almost 60 years later.
What Is It, Exactly?
Picture this: The Beatles, fresh off recording “Strawberry Fields Forever,” decide to ditch melodies and choruses for… total anarchy. Carnival of Light is basically The Beatles going full-on experimental. Think loud, echo-drenched organs, crashing drums, distorted guitar, tape loops, random shouting (“Are you alright?”), and the band just making noise for nearly a quarter of an hour.
Paul McCartney cooked up the idea for an event called “The Million Volt Light and Sound Rave,” an electronic arts festival at London’s Roundhouse. Instead of writing a typical Beatles tune, he wanted to create a wild soundscape to match trippy visuals. The result? A track that sounds more like a futuristic art installation than anything on Sgt. Pepper’s.
Why Haven’t We Heard It?
After the Roundhouse event, the tape was shelved. McCartney has tried to release it—most notably during the Anthology 2 project in the ‘90s—but George Harrison and Ringo Starr weren’t on board. Maybe they thought it was too rough, or maybe they didn’t want to confuse casual fans expecting “Penny Lane.” Either way, it’s still locked away.
Paul has teased us over the years, calling it “The Beatles at their most free,” and hinting he’d like to let it out someday. But for now, all we have are secondhand descriptions and the dream of hearing The Beatles’ strangest moment.
Why Do Fans Care So Much?
Because it’s the one Beatles track that could totally rewrite how we think about their experimental side. Sure, they gave us tape loops on “Tomorrow Never Knows” and weird effects on Sgt. Pepper, but Carnival of Light sounds like it belongs on a John Cage record—or maybe as the soundtrack to a 1960s sci-fi movie.
Until it gets released (if ever), Carnival of Light remains a Beatles legend. Maybe one day we’ll all get to hear the Fab Four completely unhinged. Until then, it’s the ultimate “what if” for Beatles fans.
