Six Tapes of Rare Beatles Recordings Are Up for Auction

Six rare Beatles tapes are currently up for auction at Gotta Have Rock and Roll.

The tapes, dubbed "The Beatles Derek Taylor Never-Before-Heard Collection of Lost Beatles Recordings," contain several unreleased songs, rehearsal recordings and interviews by the members.

According to the auction page, the tapes are expected to fetch between $300,000 and $500,000.

What's on the Rare Beatles Tapes?

Tape One includes rehearsals for the Sgt. Pepper album, recorded in late 1966 and early 1967, plus some farm animal noises, vocals in various accents and a snippet of Paul McCartney complaining about the heat.

Tape Two has more voice accents by George Harrison and finds the guitarist jamming with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, as well as a rendition of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with Jimmy Page, according to the auction site. (Eric Clapton plays the guitar solo on the released album version of that song.) Tape Three includes more of Harrison with the Doo-Dah Band.

Tape Four switches gears to a 45-minute interview with John Lennon, who is asked about Yoko Ono's intentions with him and, as the auction page describes it, "discusses very personal matters, very revealing." Tape Five features Ono. Clocking in at close to two hours, the tape contains some of Ono's primal scream therapy and a discussion of Lennon.

Tape six, which was recorded around Christmas, includes Lennon playing acoustic guitar and singing songs written by himself and Kyoko Chan Cox, Ono's daughter from her first marriage.