Any Brian Poole and the Tremeloes fans out there?

In an article by Matt Warman about how, 15 years ago, Bill Gates and Microsoft decided not to develop e-readers because Gates thought the concept was "unimportant," I came across this old chestnut about The Beatles. No matter how many times I read this story, it never fails to make me smile:

"In January 1962, [Decca Records'] British executive, Dick Rowe, auditioned the Fab Four after being persuaded to listen to the group by their manager, Brian Epstein. But after the band recorded 15 tracks, Mr. Rowe famously told Epstein, "We don't like their sound" and "guitar music is on the way out."

Instead, Decca opted to sign Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, who also auditioned that day. Mr. Rowe would later say that both bands were good but, "We decided it was better to take the local group. We could work with them more easily and stay closer in touch as they came from Dagenham."

The Beatles, who had Pete Best on drums at the time, were said to be devastated by the rejection but the "Decca Tapes" were good enough to persuade George Martin to meet the group. Shortly afterwards they signed for his Parlophone Records and in October of that year released their first single, Love Me Do."

I'm thinking whenever I make a heinously bad decision (happens more often than I'd care to admit) I'm going to refer to it as "pulling a Rowe." -v