As musical treasure troves go, this one is a biggie.
Julia Adamson, a tape op and sound engineer at Strawberry Studios, the recording venue used by legendary producer Martin Hannett in the 70s and 80s, has put a series of rare tapes up for sale, including works and previously unheard outtakes, by Joy Division, New Order, The Psychedelic Furs, Magazine and more.
They were originally rescued by her after being thrown in a skip and, after apparently trying to interest the original artists and labels to no avail, she has now put them up for sale.
On a Facebook post, she claims "I have looked after these tapes for a long time and when I approached the artists (who were my first port of call) I was subjected to accusations and abuse… so I don’t really care any more. I know they are worth something to a collector… and good luck to them."
Most exciting of all is a copy of the master tapes for Joy Division's seminal album Unknown Pleasures. The original masters were lost many years ago and Adamson assures fans that "the quality of Unknown Pleasures far surpasses the mastering from vinyl over the years".
A new, super quality version of Joy Division's debut would certainly be a welcome Pleasure for all of us.
[via Uncut]
(Image: Rex)
