Christie's Top of the PopsPop & Guitars September 7, 2000Collectors 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 www.christies.com . |
