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John Lennon: Unreleased song recorded in 1970 up for auction in Denmark

Cassette contains interview and previously unheard song from Lennon and Yoko Ono

Isobel Lewis
Tuesday 28 September 2021 04:22 EDT
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Lennon and Ono in 1970
Lennon and Ono in 1970 (Getty Images)

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An unreleased John Lennon song recording is being put up for auction.

The rare cassette tape, which contains 33 minutes of audio from Lennon and wife Yoko Ono, will go on sale at Bruun Rasmussen Auction House in Copenhagen on Tuesday (28 September).

The tape was recorded in 1970 by four Danish teenagers, who had wanted to meet Lennon when he stayed in Thy that January and interview him about his peace campaigns for their school newspaper.

They persuaded their teacher to let them visit and interview Lennon and Ono.

One of the men, Karsten Hoejen, told BBC News: “John asked me, ‘Where do you come from? A radio station? ‘No, from a school magazine,’ I said.”

The recording contains an interview with the couple, during which Lennon is asked how normal people can help him achieve world peace.

“Imitate what we do,” said the singer-songwriter. “Think, what can I do locally?”

The items on sale at Bruun Rasmussen Auction House
The items on sale at Bruun Rasmussen Auction House (Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Ima)

It also includes a recording of Lennon singing what is believed to be a never-released song.

The tape, which goes on sale together with Polaroid photos taken during the interview, is expected to fetch between between $32,000 (£23,000) and $50,000 (£36,000) at auction and will likely be sold to a museum or collector.

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