Beatles Downloads Release

Fans of The Beatles have been left puzzled after apparently legal downloads were offered for sale on an American website.

The Beatles were always early adopters of technology. The band helped pioneer now commonplace recording trends, with tracks such as 'Tomorrow Never Knows' appearing adventurous even by modern standards.

Recently the band re-issued their back catalogue, while their songs are even available on a special edition of the computer game RockBand.

So quite why the Fab Four aren't available on the internet is a mystery. Fans often point to long standing legal rows between Apple Corps - the holding company for the band's back catalogue - and Apple computers, who own iTunes.

With talks between the two parties said to be ongoing, a new site has appeared offering downloads of the Beatles back catalogue.

The American download site BlueBeat is currently selling the tracks, which include The Beatles released remastered albums. In addition to this the site is also allowing users to stream the tracks for as many times as they like - for free.

The Beatles recently re-issued their original studio albums, prompting a new wave of Beatlemania. Brushed up in the Abbey Road studios, the band's material has rarely sounded so fresh and confident.

Fans rushing to BlueBeat take note - it is unclear if EMI and Apple Corps have actually agreed to allow The Beatles material to be sold online.

The Beatles' record label have yet to comment on the issue.