Lennon’s letter to Clapton about starting a band up for auction

The draft of the long letter sent by John Lennon and addressed to Eric Clapton to invite him to start a band together will be auctioned off. After their brief collaboration in 1969 as the Plastic Ono Band, Lennon hoped to recruit Clapton for a new “revolutionary” supergroup, driven by a desire to bring back the vibrant sound of rock.

Dated 29 September 1971, the correspondence is eight pages long and – as explained by the “Guardian” – reports in detail the former Beatle’s proposal to form a group with some musicians, including Klaus Voormann (who designed the album cover ” Revolver” by the Beatles and played with Yoko Ono), Jim Keltner, Nicky Hopkins (who played on Beatles and Rolling Stones records) and “wall of sound” producer Phil Spector. Lennon’s formation idea, with him on vocals, was to have Voormann on bass, Keltner on drums, Hopkins on keyboards and piano, Clapton on lead guitar and Spector as producer.

The draft of the letter put up for auction, which was discussed years ago and which can be seen on the auction site, features numerous changes and deletions by Lennon, while the complete version that Clapton received has never been seen first by the public. The eight pages of correspondence should be auctioned on December 5th through International Autograph Auctions Europe SL, and the estimated value ranges from 100 thousand to 150 thousand euros.

“You should know by now that Yoko and I think highly of you and your music. You also know the music we have made and hope to make,” John Lennon wrote in the letter. Referring to George Harrison’s benefit concert for Bangladesh, which took place in August 1971, Lennon added: “After we missed the concert for Bangladesh, we started to feel more and more keen to tour, but not as I did with the Beatles.” He continued: “I think Klaus, Jim, Nicky, Phil, Yoko, and you could create the kind of sound that could put the balls back in rock ‘n’ roll.”

In reporting his prospect of creating a group that eschews the usual formal nature of the music business and speaking of his goal of an international tour with audience interest in Russia, China, Tahiti, Tonga, New Zealand and Australia, in the correspondence John Lennon also reported to Clapton: “I know I can bring out something great in you… I hope to bring out the same kind of greatness in all of us. No one will be asked to do anything they don’t want to do, and there will be no kind of contract (unless you want it, Obviously!)”.