The auction presents a fantastic opportunity for David Bowie fans, music lovers and collectors to get their hands on a one-of-a-kind piece of music memorabilia.
The acetate record was used in 1971 to create promotional records for David Bowie’s critically acclaimed ‘Hunky Dory’ album, which is described by Time magazine as one of the best albums of all time.
Extraordinarily, the acetate disc, pressed in the early 70s, also includes a hand written label by the rock legend himself. The label, scrawled in the recognisable style of the music legend, has been authenticated by a handwriting expert as Bowie’s own writing and reads ‘David Bowie Hunky – Dorey’ alongside a track list.
This unique acetate was used to create approximately 600 promotional records that would have been sent out to music record executives ahead of the release of Bowie’s album. The record still spins, playing tracks including the song ‘Bombers’ which did not appear on the final Hunky Dory album, as it was replaced with ‘Fill Your Heart’, but instead was later released nearly 20 years later in 1990.
The acetate was originally the property of Mick Ronson, lead guitarist of Bowie’s backing band ‘The Spiders from Mars’, and then was passed through the hands of family members and close friends before finally ending up in the current owner’s possession in 1973. ‘Hunky Dory’ was the first album to feature all members of the ‘The Spiders from Mars’ who officially became known by their stage name the following year with the release of ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’ album in 1972.
The current owner, Dennis Graham comments, “It’s quite a funny story on how I came to own it. The record had been given to my neighbor as a gift from Mick Ronson’s mum and he ended up giving it to me in exchange for a bottle of beer! I kept it for all these years and it’s unbelievable to see how much it’s now worth.”
Catawiki’s expert vinyl auctioneer, Denny Hoekstra adds, “It is very rare that we come across a piece of memorabilia like this David Bowie acetate record. Bowie’s legacy will live on for many years and he has easily become one of the most iconic names in music history. To have an authenticated handwritten label by David Bowie on the record makes this lot extremely special. We’re excited to auction this piece to Bowie fans and expect it to attract a huge amount of interest.”
The auction will run from the 22nd to 30th April 2016 at http://auction.catawiki.co.uk/kavels/4385003-david-bowie-acetate-hunky-dory
