Rare Paul McCartney demo cassette tape set to sell for €12,000

A rare cassette tape of Paul McCartney at work is set to be auctioned off for €12,000 (£10,000) at Liverpool's Omega Auctions on April 26th.

It features a demo of McCartney working on the song 'Attention' for fellow former Beatle Ringo Starr’s 1981 studio album Stop and Smell the Roses.

The track, which runs for four minutes and two seconds, was given to saxophonist Howie Casey prior to the album's recording sessions to give him a better idea of what the song should sound like. Casey’s wife, Sheila, also performed backing vocals for the finished version of the song alongside Linda McCartney.

The Maxwell C-60 audio cassette also has a handwritten label enclosed that lists McCartney’s name along with the song title.

Listen to a short snippet of the tape below:

In addition to several McCartney originals, Stop and Smell the Roses also featured contributions from George Harrison, Ronnie Wood, and Stephen Stills. John Lennon had been due to participate on the record but he was tragically murdered in New York a month before the sessions were to have taken place.

"To hear McCartney unaccompanied working through the bones of a song like this is really fascinating and it does give an insight into his startling talent for songwriting," says auctioneer Paul Fairweather on the rare tape.

The cassette auction comes as, earlier this week, McCartney announced the Forthlin Sessions initiative that will allow up-and-coming artists to use his childhood home as a place to write new material.

The Forthlin Road address in Liverpool is where McCartney and John Lennon wrote hits like ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ and ‘When I’m 64’.

Meanwhile, McCartney has also disclosed that he has yet to plan his set for this summer's upcoming Glastonbury Festival. He is set to headline the festival along with Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, and Diana Ross.