Paul McCartney: Unheard cassette of demo expected to fetch £10,000 at auction

A previously unheard cassette recording of a Sir Paul McCartney song is expected sell for £10,000 when it goes under the hammer this month.

The tape, which runs for four minutes and two seconds, is a demo version of McCartney's song Attention - a track that made it onto bandmate Ringo Starr's 1981 album Smell The Roses.

It features McCartney singing, playing the piano and producing a percussion sound with his voice.

A Maxwell C-60 audio cassette also has a handwritten label enclosed.

It is expected to fetch £10,000 at the sale at Omega auctions in Merseyside on 26 April, which will be hosted by veteran rhythm and blues saxophonist Howie Casey.

The musician played on Ringo Starr's album and was given the demo cassette as a reference in preparation for recording sessions.

His wife Sheila would perform backing vocals, along with Linda McCartney.

Auctioneer Paul Fairweather said: "We sold a similar cassette demo in May 2020 which fetched £8,000 so we are well aware of the significant interest in previously unheard examples of Paul McCartney's amazing body of work."

He added that it is "really fascinating" to hear him "unaccompanied working through the bones of the song" and the cassette provides an insight into McCartney's "startling talent for songwriting".

To mark his 80th birthday and the 60th anniversary of the Beatles' single Love Me Do in October, McCartney recently announced a new initiative to inspire young talent, in partnership with the National Trust.

Starting later this year, the Forthlin Sessions, will invite unsigned artists into his childhood home in Liverpool to write, play and produce music.