NEW YORK (Reuters) - A never-released song that legendary U.S. rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix recorded 40 years ago is to be sold at auction in New York in October.
Ocean Tomo LLC, a merchant bank that specializes in intellectual property, said the song, "Station Break," was recorded during a session early in Hendrix's career.
Ocean Tomo spokeswoman Wendy Chou said that for unknown reasons the song was never released unlike others from the 1966 New York session.
"It has never been clear why it was not released when other songs from that session were," Chou told Reuters on Tuesday.
Other songs released from that session included "Kato's Special," "Flying On Instruments" and "No Such Animal."
"Station Break" was composed by Hendrix and Jerry Simon, president of R.S.V.P. Music, with whom Hendrix signed a publishing contract in 1966.
Hendrix, who was born in Seattle, died in 1970 at the age of 27 in London. He suffocated on his own vomit.
Chou said Simon's widow Celeste Simon reported stumbling across the recording in a closet in 1994 and realized nothing had ever been done with it.
"At that time Simon had no reason to sell it but it is now being put up for sale," said Chou.
The copyright and original reel-to-reel recording will be sold at an intellectual property auction in New York on October 26 with the successful bidder getting the reel-to-reel and the right to digitally remaster the recording.
Half of the proceeds from any royalties will go to the Hendrix estate.
"We are anticipating a lot of interest in this but we really have no indication of what it will raise," said Chou.
Janie Hendrix, the musician's sister and president and chief executive of Experience Hendrix which owns and administers the rights to his recordings, said occasionally unknown songs recorded by her brother did come to light.
"We have acquired most of these but there are still a few stragglers. I did not know about this one," Hendrix told Reuters.
"We will have to have discussions about this as there could be copyright issues."
Not particularly interesting to me. Don't get me wrong, I love Hendrix, but these periodically appearing unknown recordings are usually crap. Which is why they weren't released way back.
Not particularly interesting to me. Don't get me wrong, I love Hendrix, but these periodically appearing unknown recordings are usually crap. Which is why they weren't released way back.
Ditto :evil:
Which is better - A very slim chance of this song being fantastic, or zero chance of it being fantastic?
Yeah, but by that rational I should be thrilled with *any* song being released by *anyone*. Sure, a song is better then no song but I'm not going to run down the street naked with my hands in the air, which is what the parties involved are probably hoping.
:shock: I'm not going to run down the street naked with my hands in the air :shock: :oops:
Whew
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell (Scottish classical Guitarist. b.1942)
Although I might do it with my hands behind my back...
Yeah, but by that rational I should be thrilled with *any* song being released by *anyone*. Sure, a song is better then no song but I'm not going to run down the street naked with my hands in the air, which is what the parties involved are probably hoping.Yeah, I hear ya. I'm just enjoying a rare moment of cautious optimism, normal cynical service will be resumed shortly. :)
I'm interested in hearing the song even if it sucks. :)
I'm interested in hearing the song even if it sucks. :)
I'd like to hear it too, but I won't get my hopes up :wink: Over the last 35 years many "Lost tracks" have appeared but most have been poorly recorded live sets and bootlegs. --the dog
