Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Lennon at Auction: I'm Only Not Selling

From the BBC:

John Lennon's handwritten lyrics for the Beatles song I'm Only Sleeping have failed to sell at auction. They were tipped to fetch more than £200,000 when they were offered for sale in London on Wednesday. The first draft, written on the back of a phone bill, was part of a memorabilia auction at Christie's, in Kensington. A spokeswoman for Christie's said the auction house was "surprised and disappointed" that bids failed to reach the reserve price.

...Written in blue felt pen on the reverse of a final demand from the Post Office, the working draft for I'm Only Sleeping is briefer than the final recorded version. It also shows considerable deletions, alterations and variations to the text as Lennon worked out the song's wording and title.

The track would eventually feature on the Beatles' 1966 Revolver album alongside such classics as Eleanor Rigby, Yellow Submarine and Good Day Sunshine. Fans could also bid for a George Harrison banjo, a catsuit once worn by Queen singer Freddie Mercury, and an acoustic guitar given to Noel Gallagher by Sony Records in 1995 to mark the success of Oasis' second album.
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No wonder the lyrics didn't sell. If it's between handwritten lyrics and Freddie Mercury's catsuit, obviously the catsuit wins.

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