Home | Electric Guitar | Acoustic Guitar | Bass | Effects | Keys & Synth | Drums & Perc | Software | Computer | Recording/Live Sound | MIDI
|
127th AES Convention Coverage (New York, NY Oct. 9-12)
PRESS RELEASE
Christie's Top of the Pops
September 06, 2000
Advertisement Collectors are sure to pop into Christie's South Kensington on 26 September for the bi-annual auction devoted to Pop and Guitars. From Buddy Holly and Jimi Hendrix to the Spice Girls and Oasis, this exciting sale spans more than four decades of pop and rock history. The auction is expected to realize up to £350,000 with estimates ranging from £200 to £25,000. The Pop section of the sale has a particularly strong selection of handwritten lyrics by desirable artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley. One of the highlights is a rare draft of working lyrics in Hendrix's hand for one of his most accessible tunes Crosstown Traffic, 1968, which was released on the Electric Ladyland album of the same year. Comprising thirty-two lines in ballpoint pen on two pages of yellow lined paper, these important lyrics are expected to fetch up to £25,000. Bob Dylan is represented by a page of lyrics for Absolutely Sweet Marie dating from 1966. One of only a handful of lyrics to have surfaced which illustrate Dylan's working methods, this important manuscript is also the only one known to exist for this song hence Christie's expect it to realize between £6,000-7,000. One of the earliest pieces of memorabilia on offer is a rare document detailing an amendment to a contract between Buddy Holly and The Crickets and their record label Coral Records Inc., dating from 1957. Signed by Buddy Holly and all the other members of the group, it is expected to fetch £3,000-5,000. Memorabilia relating to the pop icon Elvis Presley is always highly sought-after by collectors worldwide and this sale includes an interesting piece - an Elac Miraphon 12 portable record player signed by Presley bearing the inscription 'To Karin thanks from Elvis Presley', carries an estimate of £3,000-5,000, while a rare page of lyrics in Presley's hand for It Happened Again, circa 1959, may realize up to £1,500. For punk enthusiasts, a contract between the Sex Pistols and A&M Records dating from 10th March 1977 is sure to appeal (estimate: £3,000-5,000). This contract was signed by the group as part of a well orchestrated publicity stunt outside Buckingham Palace following their acrimonious split from EMI earlier that year; it was also timed to coincide with release of the single God Save The Queen. An auction of pop memorabilia would not be complete without a section devoted to The Beatles and this sale is no exception. Three very rare musicans' salary receipts for performances at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg during their gruelling 13-week engagement there during 1961, will be offered at £10,000-15,000 each. Discovered in an accounts ledger some years later, these receipts represent the earliest work-associated documents signed by all five of the original Beatles ever to appear on the market. Each receipt lists the five Beatles as well as Tony Sheridan who played with them on this German tour and details their matching salaries of DM 245 (7 days at 35 Deutsche Marks). On a more affordable note for fab four fans, an early concert poster for The Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Roy Orbison and others at The Gaumont, Ipswich on 22 May 1963, is estimated at £2,500-3,500 while a delightful John Lennon pen and ink drawing entitled Girl On A Sofa, circa 1964, carries an estimate of £3,500-5,000. An autograph letter written by George Harrison in December 1962 to a fan called Margaret is estimated at £1,200-1,800. In addition, a set of four of collectable Japanese made Bobbin' Head Beatles character dolls may fetch up to £800. Further highlights include a ? inch reel-to-reel studio tape recording of a single track, Star, written and performed by David Bowie in 1971 (estimate: £1,000-1,500), and some rare video footage of The Rolling Stones performing at the Marquee Club, London in March 1971 (estimate: £3,000-5,000). Also for Stones enthusiasts, a smart blue cotton shirt worn by Mick Jagger for a photo session with the photographer David Bailey in 1968 and subsequently reproduced on various record and book covers, may appeal (estimate: £2,000-3,000). On a more contemporary note, a U.S. one-sheet cinema poster for Spiceworld: The Movie, 1998, signed by all the original Spice Girls, is sure to capture the imagination of younger collectors (estimate: £200-300). This sale also boasts a very impressive selection of guitars, which are sure to strike a chord with collectors. One of the highlights is a 1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard, which was bought by Eric Clapton in 1968 when he was with Cream; it is expected to realize between £40,000-60,000. In 1969, Clapton swapped this guitar with the blues guitarist Paul Kossoff and it is now being sold at Christie's to benefit the Isabel Hospice in memory of Paul Kossoff. Another guitar with a Clapton connection is a Gibson Les Paul, circa 1952, which carries an estimate of £8,000-10,000 - this guitar was frequently lent to Eric who used it on stage on various occasions. In June 1999, Christie's sold 'Brownie', one of Clapton's favourite guitars, for a world record price of £316,879. Noel Gallagher of Oasis fame also makes an appearance in the sale with an Epiphone Sorrento A.S. electric guitar in a sunburst finish. Accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Jason Rhodes, Gallagher's guitar technician, this lot is estimated at £2,500-3,500. Other notable guitars on offer include a 1979 Wal Pro Custom Bass Guitar made for The Who's John Enwistle (estimate: £1,000-1,500) and a Fender Precision Bass guitar, circa 1959, signed in blue felt pen by John Enwistle and Roger Daltrey (estimate: £3,500-4,500). Also a Takamine acoustic guitar, signed and inscribed on the body 'Pete Townshend, Brixton, 1985' may realize up to £6,000. Townshend originally donated this guitar to a charity auction to raise money for the T.J. Martell Foundation. For more information, visit their web site at http://www.christies.com/.Recent Christies headlines
Similar Products at Musician's Friend
|