In February 1972, Reparata signed a three-year contract with Dart Records, a UK-based label. Dart quickly released "Octopus's Garden" (Dart ART 2006), a cover version of The Beatles song. The recording is credited to Reparata and the Delrons, although only Reparata is featured, not any of the Delrons who were still playing live in the United States at that time. The B-side is "Your Life is Gone", a dramatic story song similar to The Shangri-La's' "Leader of the Pack". In the United States, it was released on Laurie Records, who had released the Delrons first single back in 1964. The production of "Octopus's Garden" uses some vocal effects and sound effects to recapture the quirky mood and sound of the groups' earlier recordings like "Captain of Your Ship" and "Weather Report", and "Your Life is Gone" includes some car-crash and ambulance sound effects like "Leader of the Pack". References to the Beatles and the Shangri-Las, and allusions to the group's own previous hits, seemed dated in 1972, and the record was not a hit.