The Beatles dominate a newly compiled list of the world’s priciest vinyl, followed by The Sex Pistols.
The Quarrymen recording was created in 1958 by The Beatles trio plus John ‘Duff’ Lowe
The groups take up nine places in the top-10 list of the most expensive recordings, which is compiled every two years by Record Collector magazine.
Queen are the only act to break up their stranglehold, with a rare version of Bohemian Rhapsody.
The Quarrymen – a pre-Beatles group featuring John Lennon, Sir Paul McCartney and George Harrison – once again hold the top spot with a unique acetate copy of their demo That’ll Be the Day/In Spite of All the Danger.
The 1958 recording is valued at £200,000 (circa €251,000), while at number two is a 1981 reproduction of the single – on seven-inch and 10-inch vinyl – which goes for a more modest £10,000 (€12,552).
The magazine placed thePistols’ God Save the Queen/No Feelings at number three with a rare acetate version fetching roughly £10,000.
Originally released in 1977, prices generally appear to have shot up around 60 per cent as the Queen celebrates her Diamond Jubilee year, with one copy fetching £12,630 (€15,829) in recent months. The tracks were pressed to help manager Malcolm McLaren secure a new deal for the group after they were axed by EMI.
Another version of the same record, when the group was briefly on A&M Records, is valued at £8,000 (€10,026). Although 20,000 copies were made, most were destroyed, making it a collector’s item.
The punk idols are also at number five with the acetate copy of Anarchy in the UK, with No Fun on the B-side, estimated to go for £7,000 (€8,786). Only three copies are known to exist.
The Quarrymen recording at the top of the list was created in July 1958 by The Beatles trio plus John ‘Duff’ Lowe on piano and drummer Colin Hanlon, who headed into a studio after shelling out a few shillings.
The acetate version ended up in Lowe’s hands and he eventually sold it to Sir Paul who is still thought to own it. He had it restored and it was used to make a handful of 1981 copies.
Top 10 Rare and pricey records
1. The Quarrymen – That’ll Be The Day/In Spite of All the Danger (1958, acetate)
2. The Quarrymen – That’ll Be The Day/In Spite of All the Danger (1981, 7” 45rpm and 10” 78rpm replicas of 1958 acetate in reproduction die-cut Parlophone sleeve)
3. Sex Pistols – God Save the Queen/No Feelings (1977, acetate)
4. Sex Pistols – God Save the Queen/No Feelings (1977, A&M AMS 7284)
5. Sex Pistols – Anarchy in the UK/No Fun (1977, acetate)
6. The Beatles – The Beatles (1968, Apple PMC/PCS 7067/8)
7. The Beatles – Please Please Me (1963, Parlophone PCS 3042)
8. Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody/I’m in Love With My Car (1978, EMI 2375)
9. The Beatles – Love Me Do/PS I Love You (1962, Parlophone 45-R 4949)
10. Sex Pistols – Anarchy in the UK (1976, acetate)