Bob Marley’s lost tape found in basement
Agency report
Reports say a treasure trove of lost live recordings of a Bob Marley gig have been found in a basement and are now heading to auction.
The 10 analogue tapes, which were found by chance after spending 40 years in a damp hotel cellar in west London, are to be sold at Omega Auctions in Merseyside, England, next month (May19).
The recordings of gigs at the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park, London and the Pavillon Baltard in Paris, were originally in no fit state to be heard, as they had suffered water damage and mould.
However, they were rescued by businessman Joe Gatt, jazz musician Louis Hoover, and sound engineer Martin Nichols.
“When I finally saw the labeling and footnotes on the tapes, I could not believe my eyes.
But when I also saw how severely water-damaged the reels were it was pretty gut-wrenching… there was plasticised gunk oozing from almost every inch,” Nichols told The Guardian which first reported the development.
“When I first saw the tape reels I should really have said: ‘no thank you, guys,’ as they were covered in mould and had clearly suffered massive water damage.
If anyone had even tried to play the reels in that state all the content would have been destroyed and lost forever.”
The tracks recorded include some of the Jamaican reggae legend’s biggest hits like Is This Love, Jamming and No Woman, No Cry. They will go on sale on 21 May.
