Ultra rare Rolling Stones studio tape up for auction

A previously unheard Rolling Stones track recorded in 1964 has been unearthed in a British man’s loft.

The song, No One Loves You More Than Me, was recorded during one of the Stones’ first sessions at IBC Studios in London, the Telegraph reports.

It was found on a 17-minute, nine-song tape which also includes early versions of As Tears Go By and Congratulations.

In 1967, Jeremy Nielsen, a friend of a sound engineer who worked at the studio, found the tape when he visited the building at the age of 19. It was among a bundle of tapes that were due to be burned, but he threw them in a box and forgot about them for 50 years.

When he read Keith Richards’ autobiography in 2014 he realised the band had recorded at the studio in their early days and he went through the items in his attic.

The 67-year-old from Devon says: “It amazes me that I didn’t know what it was at the time. It was only when I read a chapter in Keith Richards’ book that I became curious and decided to play it.

“After I heard it I looked up the track No One Loves You More Than Me and found it doesn’t appear anywhere, it’s like that song doesn’t exist.

“On one visit to the studio I noticed a small stack, about 10, master discs and three quarter-inch reel to reel tapes that were being disposed of.

“After looking through the discs I saw they were Otis Redding, The Equals, Alvin Cash, Cher and others and so I asked my friend if I could have them and he said yes and I was given the discs and the tapes.

“Of the three tapes, two were recordings of some BBC programmes and one was a recording of the Rolling Stones. The discs and tapes ended up in a cardboard box in the attic and have been in subsequent attics since then.

“The Stones weren’t popular or big at the time and I have no idea why it was still at the studio three years after it was recorded. I don’t even think the band even know it existed.”

Neilsen adds that the sound quality is excellent, leading him to believe it may have been a master tape.

He says: “I’m not a big fan of the Stones but Mick Jagger’s voice does sound very good on it. I just want to find a good home for it, hopefully with someone who has a lot of money. The last thing I want is the bootleggers to get hold of it.”

The tape is being auctioned on April 3 by Lancashire-based auction house Tracks. It has a guide price of £6000.

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.