A rare first pressing of The Who’s 1965 album My Generation - signed by all four of the band’s members - is to go under the hammer at an auction this Saturday.
“This is the first time that a fully signed copy of the British band’s debut album has come to auction and it is also a first pressing’ which means it is a record that was pressed from the 1st original masters,” said a spokesman for Excalibur Auctions.
“Even more excitingly is that it is being offered by someone with a direct link to the band and bears all four signatures of the band members.
The late Jon Entwistle, the Who’s bassist, lived in Stow-on-the-Wold for many years and many who knew him in the Cotswolds town.
The Who, comprising Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon, recorded the album just after their chart success with several singles.
"It has retrospectively been called one of the best rock albums of all time," said the Excalibur spokesman.
Excalibur Auctions have put a conservative estimate of £800-1200 on the album.
Sarah Torode, specialist at Excalibur Auctions, said: “We are excited to feature this incredibly rare album in our sale. We believe it is the first time an album such as this has ever appeared at auction, so we anticipate huge interest, not just in the UK, but further afield.
“It’s unique for all the reasons stated, but also, it is being sold by someone who has treasured it for years, having acquired it directly from the source."
The seller of the album went to school with the son of English music/film producer and esteemed band manager Bill Curbishley of Quadrophenia fame.
There are also Quadrophenia and other pop, punk and rock memorabilia items from the same source being offered in the sale.
The album cover features a photo of the band standing next to oil drums, looking upwards to the camera.
This version of the album went out of print in 1980, making these first pressings extremely sought-after and highly rare, as there was no UK version of My Generation available until a deluxe version remaster of it in 2002.
More details about this weekend’s Music Memorabilia, Posters and Autographs auction can be found here:
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