Unheard Jimi Hendrix recordings up for auction, “which only you can listen to” if you win
Newly unearthed master tapes of unheard Jimi Hendrix recordings have now gone up for sale in an auction dedicated to Hendrix memorabilia.
As reported by The Guardian, the unreleased demos date back to 1968 – two years prior to the rock legend’s death – and are said to be “very different in sound and length” from their known versions. The tracks are roughly seven minutes long with the demo including the likes of ‘Up From the Skies’, ‘Ain’t No Telling’, ‘Little Miss Lover’ and ‘Stone Free’. The master tape alone is expected to sell for roughly £200,000.
A live-streamed auction in which the tapes will be sold is set to be held in London on November 15 by Propstore, specialists in film, TV and music memorabilia. However, the person who ends up owing the recordings will only be able to play them in the privacy of their own home.
The first three tracks are from The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s second album ‘Axis: Bold as Love’ whereas ‘Stone Free’ was the B-side to ‘Hey Joe’ which marked Hendrix’s first UK single release in 1966.
Speaking about the unearthed tapes, Mark Hochman – music consultant for the auctioneer, Propstore – said that whoever buys it will have “the kudos of having your own Jimi Hendrix songs which only you can listen to”.
“These versions have never been heard before, circulated or broadcast and are very different in sound and length to the more common examples, “Hochman added.
“They’re a lot tighter and smoother. You can hear more guitar, which is obviously what Hendrix was famous for. The experts who have visited and heard the recordings all agree that these are far superior to all the other versions of these tracks.”
The collection of items is being sold by Patricia “Trixie” Sullivan who worked as a personal assistant to the ‘All Along the Watchtower’ singer’s manager Mike Jeffery, between 1966 and 1973. Following Jeffery’s death in 1973, Sullivan collected materials such as demo and master tapes, among other archival materials that Bailiffs deemed invaluable. This marks the first time any of it has come to auction.
The auction will also feature Hendrix’s recurring bills from a Harley Street doctor which were made out to both him and members of his band. Speaking about the bills, Hochman shared: “You can only imagine what that was for in the late 1960s … I think it was for their drugs.”
More than 50 rare tapes including master recordings from Hendrix and bands such as the Animals and Soft Machine will also be up for grabs. Some of the original boxes bear titles in Hendrix’s own neat handwriting.
Other items include a dry cleaning bill, an eviction note made by Hendrix’s company informing him that he is being evicted from Ringo Starr’s London flat, pay slips and the band’s first-ever contract.
In other news, the first ever authorised feature-length documentary about the life of Hendrix is in the works, from the director of The Greatest Night In Pop.
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Anagricel Duran
NME
