A collection of previously unheard Oasis archive recordings has been withdrawn from an auction after the band filed an injunction, according to Littleton Auctions and the family of the sound engineer who made the tapes.
The recordings, known as The Desk Tapes, were due to be included in Littleton Auctions’ October 3 sale. The collection comprises 63 live shows, soundchecks and more than 100 hours of rehearsal recordings involving brothers and bandmates Noel and Liam Gallagher during the 1990s.
The tapes were recorded by Huw Richards, who worked as Oasis’s front-of-house sound engineer from the release of the band’s debut album, Definitely, Maybe, in 1994 until 2001. After joining the group’s crew in 1995, he worked on several major concerts, including Oasis’s Knebworth shows in August 1996.
Littleton Auctions managing director Ben Homer said the recordings had been withdrawn “in light of legal proceedings”.
“Littleton Auctions confirms that the Oasis recordings known as The Desk Tapes have been withdrawn from our October 3 auction in light of legal proceedings,” he said. “We are very disappointed that we cannot offer this significant archive as planned.”
The recordings were brought to auction by Huw Richards’s son, Owain Richards. He said that Oasis had sued him and his father in an attempt to prevent the sale of the tapes.
“It is true that Oasis have sued me and my father to try to prevent the auction of the tapes made by my father many years ago,” he said. “We have agreed to postpone the auction (of the tapes) to enable the legal dispute to be resolved either by litigation or otherwise in an orderly way.”
Homer said the remainder of the auction would proceed as planned and that the auction house would not comment further on the proceedings at that stage.
“The rest of the sale is unaffected and will take place as normal,” he said. “We respect the legal process and will make no further comment on the proceedings at this stage.”
The sale will include memorabilia such as internal tour itineraries, original setlists, a band-played Epiphone guitar and an original Kangol Oasis tour parka.
When the auction was first announced, Littleton Auctions described the recordings as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity for fans and collectors alike”. The auction house also confirmed that the band did not support the sale.
At the time, Homer said the Oasis camp was aware of the auction and had expressed concerns about the material.
“The Oasis camp is aware of the auction and has expressed concerns, which is entirely understandable given the scale and significance of the material,” he said. “We’re handling everything with full transparency and proper legal process.”
The auction house had described the tapes as “the only master archive of its kind in existence”. They were recorded directly from the sound desk while Richards was working with Oasis during the height of the band’s career in the mid-1990s.
The Press Association has contacted representatives for Oasis for comment.
