Floyd fans in a spin over ‘Holy Grail’ lost record
PINK Floyd fans could be set to spend serious Money over rumours the band’s ‘ Holy Grail’ long-lost record may have surfaced at auction.
Floyd collectors have spent years hunting for the apparent unheard recording of Early Morning Henry.
Its existence is only known because its title appeared on a session sheet which listed the track under the group’s name after they spent a day at Abbey Road Studios in 1967.
The track was never found or heard and was rumoured to have disappeared shortly after it was recorded and lost to time.
But an acetate recording marked as Earley Morning Henry is now up for auction tomorrow – which has caused a major stir among fans.
The track is by William ‘Billy’ Butler, a soul singer – who was listed as being in the studio on that day too.
Some Floyd fans are convinced the band played as backing – making it the ‘Holy Grail’ for collectors.
The recording is being sold by Wessex Auction Rooms in Chippenham, Wiltshire.
An estimate of between £3,000 and £5,000 has been set, but it is thought a serious collector may pay significantly more.
The track was found by a seller who purchased much of a large publishing company’s library two years ago.
Auctioneer Martin Hughes would not be drawn on the possible link to Pink Floyd, only describing the lot as “very exciting”.
He said it couldn’t be listed as a Pink Floyd track for legal reasons.
Martin said: “It’s very exciting to see the buzz around the world for this record but, despite the huge amount of evidence available, I cannot sell this with the band name attached.
“So we will have to wait and see what the bidders do on the day.”
The story goes that Pink Floyd were in the studio on the same day in 1967 as William ‘Billy’ Butler.
He needed a backing track for a song so producer Norman ‘Hurricane’ Smith, who also worked with The Beatles, asked the group to step in.
The recording took place on a master tape, likely in one take, but then disappeared – baffling aficionados for the next 53 years.
Threads on internet forums have already begun to try and work out if the track could be a huge find for Pink Floyd fans.
Some claim they recognise the instrumental sounds of Roger Waters and Nick Mason, and even the vocals of the late Syd Barrett.
One said: “I’ve listened and it does sound feasibly like it could be the Floyd playing.
“It’s obviously not really their style, but then why would it be if it’s a oneshot demo of someone else’s song?
“The backing vocals at the end do sound a little like Syd, and the bass is simple enough to be Roger.”
Another added: “I agree it’s all extremely plausible, but I wouldn’t want to bet the farm on it, you know?
“If you’re just going by the sound of the recording, yes the bass and keyboards could very easily be Roger and Rick.
“It doesn’t sound unlike them at all. But they could just as easily be almost anyone else. They’re really not that distinctive.”
As yet, there is no definitive proof the backing track was recorded by the band, who went on to sell more than 250 million records worldwide.