A collection of rare U2 memorabilia, including the band's first demo-tape and lyrics hand-written by Bono, are being sold on the online auction site eBay with a starting price of $18,000.
The seller may have overestimated the allure of the band however, or priced its fans out of the market as the material has been on sale for a week and has yet to attract a single bidder.
The lot is made up of an original demo tape from the band's first recording session; manuscript lyric sheets in Bono's handwriting and a set of contact proofs for an early promotional photo shoot.
U2 are aware the auction is taking place but are unconcerned and unprepared to bid for the memorabilia. "I've seen it on the site and it's clearly genuine," U2 manager Paul McGuinness told ireland.comthis afternoon.
"Someone can buy the tape but they can't release anything from it without the band's permission," he added. Permission will not be forthcoming as, by McGuinness's own admission, the recordings are "pretty rough".
The lyrics are signed Paul Vox, a less-than-snappy moniker the eBay seller says Bono briefly toyed with, before switching to the stagename he made famous.
This "fact" is so little-known that the band's manager wasn't aware of it. "I didn't know he went under that name. I don't remember him going around calling himself Paul Vox and as far as I can tell it's not his signature on the lyrics."
The band's first official demo was done on November 1st, 1978, according to the eBay documentation (McGuinness recalls it being later) with Barry Devlin of Horslips as engineer. U2 recorded three tracks,
Street Missions, Shadows and Tall Trees,and
The Fool.
With these demos in hand, McGuinness tried, and failed, to attract interest from several London-based record labels. He returned to Dublin and the band signed to CBS Ireland before eventually being picked up by Island Records in 1980.
According to the eBay seller, the items "come with significant supporting documents outlining their history".
McGuinness says he gave the tapes to an American who, while living in Dublin, dangled the promise of record deals in front of both U2 and the Virgin Prunes. U2 never signed, the Virgin Prunes did - no deal materialised.
The tapes and the lyrics changed hands a number of times before making their way to a West Coast radio promoter who, strapped for cash, pawned them. When he retrieved the tapes in the early 90s he tried without success to sell them to the band's record label Island for $35,000.
The collection found its way into Bonhams & Butterfields Auctioneers in LA in June of last year, where the current owner bought them with a view to "keeping these for posterity".
It appears that posterity has a price, however, and the material is going under the virtual hammer. No bids have yet been recorded and the auction closes in just over four days.
