For Immediate Release

6 May 2011

Contact: Leonie Ashfield +44 (0)20 7752 3121 lashfield@christies.com

MEMORABILIA OF MUSICAL LEGENDS TO BE AUCTIONED

AT CHRISTIE’S IN JUNE
South Kensington – This June, Christie’s Rock and Pop sale features clothing, awards, original concert
posters, signed photographs and other music memorabilia, from all the biggest names in rock and roll,
punk, and pop including The Beatles, David Bowie, The Who, Status Quo and The Spice Girls, among
others. Over 200 items will be on offer, with estimates for unique memorabilia and signed pieces from the
biggest icons of rock and pop starting at just £300.

THE WHO

Once again The Who take centre stage in this annual sale, as Pete Townshend’s rare Gold Top Les Paul
Deluxe guitar, used in concert during the Quadrophenia tour in 1973 - 1974, and accompanied by a letter
from the band’s lead guitarist concerning the provenance, leads the sale (estimate: £20,000-30,000)
illustrated left. Unusually for instruments once owned by Townshend, a notoriously dynamic musician, the
guitar is in excellent condition, and even without the added provenance, is a rarity in itself. An Alembic
Bass Guitar once owned and played by John Entwhistle on stage with the Who also features, with
exceptional provenance. And following on from the success of the largest ever single-owner collection of
The Who memorabilia sold at auction in June 2010, which exceeded estimates to achieve £169,946 /
$254,239 / €205,975, a further selection of memorabilia from the west-coast collector Brad Rogers at
www.thewhocollection.com will be presented. Highlights include a promotional poster for The Who’s
Tuesday night performances at The Marquee Club, 90 Wardour Street, London (estimate: £4,000-5,000)
illustrated above left; and a rare boxing style silkscreen concert poster for The Who at Birdcage Club,
Portsmouth, Sat 12th March 1966 (estimate: £2,000-3,000).

THE BEATLES
The most sought after items from The Beatles section of the sale are sure to excite John Lennon fans
above all, as a wide range of his particularly personal items are to be offered alongside signed albums,
photographs and posters from the biggest-selling band in history. One of the last items ever signed by
Lennon is his solo album Double Fantasy from 1980 (estimate:
£4,000-5,000), which has been treasured for over thirty years
and is now for sale. Intended as a radio show competition
prize , the album was signed by Lennon during an interview
with Dave Sholin on 8 December, and then posted by record
executive Bert Keane to Radio DJ Wooly Waldron of KCPX.
Lennon was killed just hours later. Waldron did not receive
the album until weeks after Lennon’s assassination, by which
point the world was still in mourning for one of the greatest
musical icons ever known. Waldron put the signed LP aside
for safe-keeping, and forgot about it, only to rediscover it
around twenty years later.

Further Lennon highlights include two early drawings sketched by

him when he was only around 20 years old, circa 1961, and given to
Cynthia Powell as a gift during their courtship (estimate: £10,000-
15,000 each). And a candid letter handwritten by Lennon in reply
to a fan’s personal request for advice on Transendental Meditation
provides an insight into the personal experiences of the legendary
musician (estimate: £8,000-10,000): “It makes complete sense to me –
you are searching for „something‟ (truth) the same as everyone else…”

PUNK
In recent years Christie’s has seen a rise in
demand for items from the Punk era. This
year’s auction documents 35 years since the
Punk movement really took hold, with a large
section of the sale dedicated to the era. The
section is led by a bass guitar played by Dee
Dee Ramone (Douglas Colvin) of The
Ramones (estimate: £8,000-10,000) illustrated left. The guitar came into the
possession of the vendor whilst at a gig at The Venue in Victoria in 1981. During
the gig, Dee Dee’s guitar stopped working, and so he gave it to a member of the
audience and the fan has held onto the guitar ever since. The Ramones have often
been cited as being the first punk rock group, and they went on to influence the
movement in the US and UK. This year the band received a Grammy Lifetime
Achievement Award. The guitar will feature
alongside over forty rare original posters
and flyers advertising concerts and album
releases for the biggest bands of the Punk
era including The Sex Pistols, The Clash and
The Ramones such as a rare promotional
poster advertising a Christmas concert at
Brixton Academy with The Clash (estimate:
£300-400) illustrated right and a poster for the Sex Pistols single God
Save The Queen (estimate: £800-1,200) illustrated above left.
FURTHER HIGHLIGHTS

Further highlights from the star-studded auction include a jacket embellished with musical notes, worn by
T.Rex’s Marc Bolan in the Apple film Born to Boogie, released in December 1972 (estimate: £5,000-7,000)
illustrated above far left; a set of working lyrics handwritten by David Bowie for his medley Sweet
Thing/Candidate (estimate: £2,000-3,000); a large remnant from Dave Grohl’s first drumkit, which Kurt
Cobain smashed whilst on stage with Nirvana in concert at Cabaret Metro, Chicago on 12 October 1991
(estimate: £3,000-5,000) illustrated above left; a pair of signed white Buffalo platform sandals worn by Geri
Halliwell/Ginger Spice in the 1997 film about The Spice Girls, Spice World (estimate: £500-700) illustrated
above right; and a small collection of items offered directly from Alan Lancaster of Status Quo, including
his stage worn patch-work denim shirt, signed on the inside (estimate: £500-700) illustrated above far right
and a denim jacket worn at Live-Aid (estimate: £300-500)
###
High resolution images and further information available upon request
http://www.christies.com/departments/popular-culture/

Notes to Editors:
Public Exhibition: Saturday 11 June: 11.00am - 5.00pm
Sunday 12 June: 11.00am - 5.00pm
Monday 13 June: 9.00am – 7.30pm
Tuesday 14 June: 9.00am – 11.00am

Auction: Popular Culture: Rock & Pop (6355) - Tuesday, 14 June 2011, at 2.00pm
Ecatalogue: Available online from May 2011 at www.christies.com/calendar

Christie’s South Kensington

Open seven days a week, Christie’s South Kensington is one of the busiest salerooms in the UK, annually holding
over 100 sales and offering more than 20,000 lots. The recently refurbished saleroom facilities and exhibition spaces
provide one of the most accessible, well lit and welcoming sales arenas in the world, consistently attracting over
200,000 visitors a year. Interiors sales dedicated to home furnishings are held three times a month alongside monthly
Sunday sales of single-owner collections, and specialised sales for the avid collector are scheduled throughout the
year according to category. Every lot is beautifully illustrated in a large scale magazine-style catalogue and in an
online e-catalogue. Christie’s South Kensington appeals to a worldwide audience – in 2010 bidders originated from
over 50 countries, with around 20% of bidders taking part in auctions from the comfort of their own home or
office, using Christie’s unique online bidding facility, Christie’s LIVE™.

CHRISTIE’S SOUTH KENSINGTON

85 Old Brompton Road, London, SW7 3LD
OPENING SEVEN DAYS A WEEK
Monday: 9.00am – 7.30pm
Tuesday – Friday: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Saturday & Sunday: 11.00am - 5.00pm

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Prices do not include buyers’ premium