Unheard Nick Drake Tapes Pulled From Sale Following Questions of Legal Ownership

Unheard Nick Drake Tapes Pulled From Sale Following Questions of Legal Ownership


Six rare, unheard Nick Drake tapes that were expected to sell for more than $400,000 have been removed from sale at the behest of lawyers representing Drake's estate, the Guardian reports. As previously reported, the tapes were given to Drake's friend and folk-singer Beverley Martin, who said that Drake's guitar playing on the early demo is "absolutely excellent."


According to the report, however, lawyers from Drake's estate have questioned Martin's legal ownership of the recordings, and the sale has been postponed. It is unclear whether the tapes, which include three songs from the seminal album Five Leaves Left, will ever be released publicly.



Speaking to the Guardian, Martyn said of the dispute:


"I looked after them for 38 years, treasured them. I know the person who made the tape and they are happy for me to have it. The Drake family even offered to buy it off me eight years ago for £2,000."



Martyn and her husband, the late folk singer John Martyn, were reportedly given the tapes by a representative of Drake's record company a few years after his death. The record label, Island, has not yet issued a statement.

Listen to Nick Drake's "Day Is Done":






via Molly Beauchemin

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