From the BBC.
A demo believed to be the first recording of David Bowie’s hit song Starman is being put up for auction.
The 1971 tape had been packed away in a box and “totally forgotten about” for almost 50 years.
Bowie can be heard on the demo telling guitarist Mick Ronson he had not finished the song when he tried to end the recording.
Ronson gave the demo to his friend Kevin Hutchinson, an aspiring musician, to help him learn the song in 1971.
But Mr Hutchinson listened to the song, labelled it “David Bowie rehearsal tape” and packed it away in his loft.
The demo also contains recordings of Bowie songs Moonage Daydream and Hang Onto Yourself.
Mr Hutchinson, who is now selling the tape, said: “I remember listening to it and thinking, ‘This is OK.’ I didn’t think, ‘This is fantastic.’
“At 16, you’re not totally impressed. Nothing impresses you.”
He kept the tape despite moving house several times and now Mr Hutchinson thinks it’s “phenomenal… obviously”.
The song featured in the 1972 Ziggy Stardust concept album, which propelled Bowie to fame.
The demo will be auctioned on Tuesday at Omega Auctions in Newton-le-Willows, between Liverpool and Manchester, where it is expected to sell for £10,000.
Mr Hutchinson retrieved the tape from his loft after watching a documentary about Bowie, who died aged 69 in 2016.
He told BBC Radio Humberside in 2017 that he had forgotten about the tape and was “staggered” when he heard the quality of it.
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- David Bowie - Aladdin Sane - 2nd + insert - EX - UK - vinyl LP - £30.00, $39.90, €34.80 (Back In Stock) (arrived 16-Apr-2025 16:00)
DAVID BOWIE Aladdin Sane (1973 UK 10-track LP on the orange RCA label, including the singles The Jean Genie, Drive-In Saturday, Time & Let's Spend The Night Together. Comes housed in the second edition non-gatefold sleeve with lyric insert. The picture sleeve shows just a little shelfwear whilst the vinyl remains in Excellent condition with light play only RS1001)
- David Bowie - ChangesTwoBowie + Inner - EX - UK - vinyl LP - £15.00, $19.95, €17.40 (New Item) (arrived 09-Apr-2025 16:00)
DAVID BOWIE ChangesTwoBowie (1981 UK 10-track compilation vinyl LP, complete with portrait / discography inner, picture sleeve. The sleeve has some notable edge scuffing and storage marks on the reverse, but the vinyl shows few signs of play;remaining in Excellent condition BOWLP3)
- David Bowie - Fame And Fashion - German - vinyl LP - £15.00, $19.95, €17.40 (New Item) (arrived 04-Apr-2025 16:23)
DAVID BOWIE Fame & Fashion (1984 German 12-track digitally remastered vinyl LP compilation including timeless Bowie classics like Space Oddity, Starman, Golden Years & Ashes To Ashes. The glossy picture sleeve has some minor general wear, whilst the vinyl shows a few signs of play, but still remaining in Excellent condition PL84919)
- David Bowie - "Heroes" - 40th Anniversary Edition - UK - 7" picture disc - £15.00, $19.95, €17.40 (New Item) (arrived 08-Apr-2025 11:58)
DAVID BOWIE "Heroes" (2017 UK limited edition 7" Picture Disc single, featuring the Single Version & 'Marc' Show Version. Bowie pointed out that the quotation marks around the title "Heroes" are there to denote a sense of irony in the title of the song, as per this latest release, while some other releases in the past have dropped this punctuation. The disc is Near Mint, issued in its hype stickered clear PVC sleeve DBHERO40)
- David Bowie - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars - EX - German - vinyl LP - £18.00, $23.94, €20.88 (New Item) (arrived 08-Apr-2025 14:41)
DAVID BOWIE The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (1983 German black label issue of the classic 1972 11-track LP, glossy barcoded picture sleeve. The sleeve shows some light edgewear, whilst the vinyl looks barely played - overall an excellent copy NL83843) #Top 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time
- David Bowie - Diamond Dogs - UK - vinyl LP - £150.00, $199.50, €174.00 (Back In Stock) (arrived 08-Apr-2025 16:00)
DAVID BOWIE Diamond Dogs (Scarce 1974 UK issue orange label 11-track LP with 'A-1 "OLY" / B-1 "OLY" hand etched in the run-outs and with no 'Bewitched' listed on the label, gatefold picture sleeve with city-scape inner spread, a printed lyricexcerpt by Bowie. The sleeve [EX] shows light shelf/ringwear whilst the vinyl is clean & in Excellent condition with little play APL1-0576)
- David Bowie - Hunky Dory - 2nd + Insert - 2E/3E - UK - vinyl LP - £295.00, $392.35, €342.20 (Back In Stock) (arrived 08-Apr-2025 16:00)
DAVID BOWIE Hunky Dory (Scarce 1972 UK second issue of the 1971 11-track LP, on the orange RCA label with 'Mainman/Chrysalis' credit & noticeable raised rim along the edge of the label with stamped '2E' matrix on the A side and etched '3E' [SIDE 2]' matrix to the B Side. Comes housed in a matte picture sleeve with 'Printed in England by Robert Stace' & no Mainman logo on the back, complete with the lyric insert. The flimsy sleeve is Excellent with little sign of play and despite some faint hairlines which have no real impact on play, the vinyl is Excellent with little sign of play SF8244) #Top 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time
- David Bowie - "Heroes" - 40th Anniversary Edition - UK - 7" picture disc - £15.00, $19.95, €17.40 (New Item) (arrived 08-Apr-2025 16:00)
DAVID BOWIE "Heroes" (2017 UK limited edition 7" Picture Disc single, featuring the Single Version & 'Marc' Show Version. Bowie pointed out that the quotation marks around the title "Heroes" are there to denote a sense of irony in the title of the song, as per this latest release, while some other releases in the past have dropped this punctuation. The disc is Near Mint, issued in its hype stickered clear PVC sleeve DBHERO40)
- David Bowie - ChangesTwoBowie + Inner - EX - UK - vinyl LP - £15.00, $19.95, €17.40 (New Item) (arrived 09-Apr-2025 13:31)
DAVID BOWIE ChangesTwoBowie (1981 UK 10-track compilation vinyl LP, complete with portrait / discography inner, picture sleeve. The sleeve has some notable edge scuffing and storage marks on the reverse, but the vinyl shows few signs of play;remaining in Excellent condition BOWLP3)
- David Bowie - Ready, Set, Go! [Live, Riverside Studios 03] - RSD 2025 - 180 Gram Vinyl - Sealed - UK - 2-LP vinyl set - £49.99, $66.49, €57.99 (New Item) (arrived 10-Apr-2025 14:00)
DAVID BOWIE Ready, Set, Go! [Live, Riverside Studios 03] (Record Store Day 2025 UK/EU limited edition 14-track Double Album 2-LP set pressed on 180gram Vinyl. On September 8th 2003, David Bowie made history with the biggest everlive and interactive music satellite event the world had ever seen. The special one-off live concert was beamed via satellite from London’s Riverside Studios, simultaneously to 50,000 fans in 86 cinemas in 26 countries around the planet. Singlepocket picture sleeve, sealed with hype sticker)
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