David Bowie's 'Starman' demo is up for auction.
David Bowie
A collection containing one of the first recorded versions of the hit song will be sold at Omega Auctions in Merseyside tomorrow (13.03.19), and it is expected to fetch over £10,000.
The demo - which also contains early versions of 'Moonage Daydream' and 'Hang Onto Yourself'- was discovered after languishing in a loft for 50 years.
It's said the tape recording was made in 1971 by Bowie with his 'Spiders From Mars' guitarist Mick Ronson, who later gave it to his friend Kevin Hutchinson who wanted to learn how to play 'Starman'.
Speaking to the Press Association, Hutchinson said: "Now I'm 65 and I played it, I just couldn't believe how good it is, but at the time, I thought: 'it's not bad'. At 16 you're not totally impressed, nothing impresses you.
"I found it and got my old tape recorder out of the loft as well and threaded the tape into the machine. We couldn't believe it when we heard it. It's superb."
The demo ends with the iconic musician telling his pal Ronson that the song isn't finished when he tries to end the track.
Hutchinson explained: "You can tell that Mick has never heard the song before because at the end he is just about to turn the tape recorder off and Bowie says: 'Hang on. There's a little bit more."
Dan Hampson, assistant auction manager, confirmed the validity of the demo saying: "In consultation with a Bowie expert, we can say with confidence that this tape contains a very early and possibly the first ever demo version of 'Starman'.
"There's a lot of Bowie mythology around the writing of this timeless classic, and the raw and truly beautiful version heard here helps to provide a fascinating insight into the creative process of a bona fide genius."
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