Let it be mine! Headphones worn by John Lennon while recording the Beatles' last album before given broken set to the Fab Four's ex-office boy are set to fetch £3k
- Broken headset was destined for the bin before Murray Macauley, 71, kept them
The headphones John Lennon used to record The Beatles' final album Let It Be are set to fetch £3,000 at auction.
The broken headset was given to the band's former office boy Murray Macauley who worked at the Apple recording studios on London's Savile Row in the 1970s.
Mr Macauley, 71, kept the Austrian-made AKG K60 headphones along with other memorabilia he collected during his time working for the Fab Four.
They include a legal document retrieved from a bin relating to the band splitting up in 1974.
The 71-year-old is now selling the precious items which he has kept under his bed for half-a-century.
The headphones are expected to sell for £3,000 but could fetch far more when they go under the hammer at Hansons Richmond auctioneers.
John Lennon wearing the model of headphones during the recording of Jealous Guy after the Beatles had split up
The headphones (pictured) were destined for the bin before Mr Macauley decided to keep them
Murray Macauley was an office boy at Apple's recording studio on Savile Row in London when he collected the Beatles memorabilia
Murray, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, said: 'In 1971 I got to know Nigel Oliver (tape operator) and George 'Porky' Peckham (record engineer) from Apple's recording studios.
'George gave me a pair of broken AKG K60 headphones destined for the bin.
'They came from the period when The Beatles were recording Let it Be, their swansong album, at the Apple studios in 1969.
'The original standard grey jack lead has been replaced with longer white cabling for studio use.
'With John's obvious liking of this AKG K60 model of headphones, as demonstrated by the number of images he is seen wearing them, it's likely my headphones were used in the recording sessions The Beatles did in Apple studios between January 22-29, 1969 prior to their rooftop concert at the building.'
Murray got his dream job with the band in November 1970 when he was just 18 years old.
He recalled: 'I worked with Bobby Irwin (Van Morrison session drummer), Joe Partridge (Kiki Dee band) and Elton John's nephew, Paul, among others.
'We looked after individual Beatles' requirements, whatever that entailed.
'Shopping for Ringo was almost a weekly event. I'd take a taxi to Harrods to collect his groceries.
'We would then drive to Ringo's house and I would take the box in for Maureen, his wife. She was very nice as were the children.
'I sometimes saw Ringo, George, John and Yoko at the office. Paul was already estranged due to all the legal stuff going on with The Beatles' separation.
'My first Apple Christmas party in December 1970 was amazing. I was placed on a table for three with George Harrison.
'I asked him if the Beatles would ever get back together and he said "no way". He was happy doing his own stuff. Such a nice guy.
'Errands included taking a cheque from George to the Radha-Krishna movement's London temple.
'I also delivered a cheque from John Lennon to OZ magazine to help towards legal costs in their 1971 obscenity trial.
'One day I was asked to clear out Boston Place where Apple Electronics had a small studio/store.
'Everything had to be binned. I found a copy of Mal Evans' (Beatles friend, roadie and PA) handwritten 'Bathroom Window' lyrics from the Beatles' Abbey Road recording sessions.
'Also in the so-called rubbish was a Bob Dylan Highway 61 song book with notations (chord letters) written by Paul McCartney in red ink.
'These seemed amazing to me and, as they were destined for the bin, I kept them.
The headphones are expected to fetch £3,000 when they go on auction
The collection also includes a legal document that relates to the breakup of the Beatles
'Ringo had an office at Apple HQ and I was delivering some cigarettes and a bottle of whisky to him one afternoon when he sat me down and played his new single, Back of Boogaloo.
'He strummed along on acoustic guitar. He asked me, the office boy, what I thought. I told him it was great.
'Other duties included buying George's guitar strings, his jeans (Levi, orange tab) and Pattie Harrison's tights from Miss Selfridge, which was a bit embarrassing.
'One day I had to take legal papers to John Lennon and he said, "who the f**k are you?" I explained I was from Apple HQ and everything calmed down.
'Steve Brendell, John's PA, showed me round the studio. John had just finished recording Imagine.
'I was totally blown away. His collection of guitars looked so impressive on the studio walls.
'Another room, painted in white, housed John's white grand piano.
'I also saw the Sgt Peppers outfits and umpteen leather jackets from his early Beatles days.'
Murray's memorabilia includes a legal document relating to dissolving the band's partnership.
In 1970 Paul McCartney sued Apple Corps Ltd as he felt his financial interests were not protected and the band split in 1974.
The Beatles' memorabilia will be auctioned on April 27 at Hansons Richmond in London.
