Queen 'Keep Yourself Alive' demo tape hits the auction block

It is the recording that started it all; the one that introduced Queen to America and the one that was used for their first-ever radio play in 1973.


October 2019 - Backstage Auctions is honored to present this rare and one of a kind piece of Queen history in their upcoming Rock and Pop Auction event. “It’s truly a privilege to have Queen’s 1973 demo tape featured in our auction and to give fans and collectors around the world the opportunity to own this Holy Grail piece of music history,” explains Backstage Auctions founder Jacques van Gool.  



The history of the tape and how it became Queen’s introduction to America as well as all the individuals that made it happen is quite remarkable.  Elektra Records founder and president Jac Holzman received the 1973 Queen 'Keep Yourself Alive' demo from the bands' manager Norman Sheffield in the hope that he would sign them to his label for the US markets. Enthused about the band and their potential, Holzman went to see Queen perform at the infamous London Marquee and subsequently signed Queen to Elektra Records. This is when Holtzman issued his company wide memo "I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE OF POP MUSIC AND IT IS QUEEN" which everyone promptly threw into the trash except for the local promo man in Boston, Ric Aliberte.

The single ‘Keep Yourself Alive’ was released in October 1973. Aliberte right away took the 45 to WBCN-FM 's Maxanne Sartori.  Sartori wanted to broadcast it on her show but Program Director Norm Wiener insisted all new music be played using 15-IPS tape only, as he wanted the sound of WBCN-FM to be pristine. Aliberte requested the tape and the only copy available was Jac Holtzman's copy. As Holtzman had just sold Elektra Records and left the company, Ruth Manning, the New York Elektra office manager, gave Aliberte the ONLY copy she had; Holtzman's copy!





Aliberte brought the tape to WBCN-FM and Sartori immediately played it three times a day on her show. Soon Queen was a station favorite and all the DJ's started to spin multiple tracks from the now released vinyl LP. Aliberte retrieved the tape from the station and has had it ever since. This recording has been carefully preserved by Aliberte for the past 46 years and he recently showed it to Brian May, who graciously signed the back of the box. “Brian couldn’t believe that I still had the tape, he recalled the story very well,” says Aliberte. 


The tape was recently evaluated at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles by former VP and studio head Michael Frondelli, a famous engineer and producer in his own right, to check the quality. It turns out to be in perfect condition with the original alignment tones for accurate playback at the top of the reel.

To quote Michael Frondelli "In my 40 years as a recording engineer and producer, 9 years at Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios and as the former VP for Capitol Records Studios for 11 years, I have never seen or even heard of an analog tape ever being sent to a label or radio station, let alone one with alignment tones with this ‘Master’ quality. This so-called demo was truly a master deal closer. I see this as historical evidence of a truly confident, brilliant artist strategy!"

Fans and collectors worldwide can participate in the auction hosted by Backstage Auctions. The item can currently be previewed online now and the online auction bidding will run from October 19, 2019 through October 27, 2019.

Learn more here: Queen 1973 Original Demo Tape

For more information and to register for your VIP All Access Pass for The Rock and Pop 2019 Auction visit:  www.backstageauctions.com 




KISS, Queen, Bowie and Van Halen Memorabilia Headline The Rock and Pop 2019 Auction Event




This years Rock and Pop 2019 Auction is an event unlike any other auction we have done in the past. With over 1,200 auction lots this is a true celebration of music memorabilia in every imaginable way. Every decade from the 1960s on-wards is represented with mementos from all the genres; Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Punk, Grunge, Pop, Rap, Jazz, Blues, Country and R & B.


This auction is a parade of highlights and historic collections of David Bowie, KISS, Van Halen, Queen, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Sex Pistols and The Rolling Stones that will resonate with fans and collectors for years to come. It covers main festivals from Woodstock 1969 through Monsters of Rock, the California Punk scene from the 1980s and the early days of Rap with artists such as Run-DMC, LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys.

 

KISS 1976 Destroyer Stage Model
You will have a chance to own Queen’s first ever American demo reel or the actual stage models built for David Bowie and KISS. But there are plenty of historical memorabilia to choose from.

Featured Items


  • Original Queen American Demo Recording
  • Alice Cooper 1974 Recording Reel
  • LL Cool J 1987 Tour Worn Suit
  • Elton John 1976 Tour Worn Helmet
  • Paul Stanley 1978 Guitar
  • Gene Simmons 1981 Bass Guitar
  • Jackson 5 Tour Jackets
Eddie Van Halen's 1993 Custom Converse Sneakers

Special Collections

  • Van Halen Memorabilia spanning 12 years,
  • Collection of 1980s West Coast Punk Memorabilia
  • 1969 Woodstock Memorabilia
  • KISS Original RIAA Record Awards from the 70s
  • Original Stage Models from the 70s & 80s featuring KISS and David Bowie Tours
  • British 80s & 90s Tour Memorabilia
  • David Bowie Collection of Tour Memorabilia
  • Vintage Stevie Ray Vaughan Crew Memorabilia

With a dazzling depth of collectibles ranging from the AC/DC through ZZ Top, you will find gem after gem. Loads of autographed memorabilia, rare concert jackets and shirts, beautiful record awards, hard-to-find posters, impressive film and photo lots, unique picks and passes, it's all here!


Original Queen American Demo Tape

And as always, the provenance is rock solid with the majority of memorabilia coming from the private collections of musicians, managers, photographers, record company executives and crew members.

Fans and collectors worldwide can participate in the auction online, the bidding will run from October 19, 2019 through October 27, 2019. 


For more information and to register for your VIP All Access Pass for The Rock and Pop 2019 Auction visit:  www.backstageauctions.com 






The Rock Gods & Metal Monsters 2019 Auction


Backstage Auctions is proud to The Rock Gods & Metal Monsters 2019 Auction, the most anticipated auction event of the year! 


We are so excited about this year's Rock Gods & Metal Monsters Auction and we are positively sure that the items we will be presenting in the auction will excite fans and collectors all over the world! The auction catalog will showcase over 1,000 auction lots of rare hard rock and heavy metal music memorabilia featuring;  

AC/DC, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Anthrax, Black Sabbath, Bon Jovi, The Cult, Deep Purple, Def Leppard, Dio, Dream Theater, Gary Moore, Guns N' Roses, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, KISS, Megadeth, Metallica, Michael Schenker, Motley Crue, Motorhead, Ozzy Osbourne, Pantera, Poison, Rainbow, Ratt,  Rob Zombie, Runaways, Rush, Saxon, Scorpions, Slayer, Stryper, Testament, Thin Lizzy, UFO, Uriah Heep, Van Halen, Venom, WASP, Whitesnake, White Zombie, Y&T and so many more! 

Fans and collectors around the world will be blown away by the historical and rare pieces of music memorabilia including;  Artwork, Artist Signed Items, Record Awards, Instruments & Gear, Concert Tour T-Shirts & Jackets, Concert Handbills, Movie Props, Tickets & Passes, Tour Programs & Itineraries, Picks & Sticks, Photos, Posters, Promotional Swag, Vinyl and more! 

This year’s Rock Gods & Metal Monsters auction will showcase some very spectacular and rare collections. Highlights include: 

A selection of notable Metallica collectibles from the 1980s. 
Hundreds of pieces of KISS memorabilia
Collection of very rare U.S. and European metal concert posters
Early day Black Sabbath, Ozzy and Randy Rhoads memorabilia.
Huge collection of vintage concert t-shirts and jackets! 
Rare movie memorabilia direct from the creators of “Detroit Rock City”.
A historic collection of vintage Bay Area thrash metal concert handbills.

The auction will be live and open for bidding May 11 - 19, 2019 with a special VIP Preview beginning a week before the bidding goes live. So mark your calendar, this is definitely "the" auction event of the year! 

If you are not already a VIP, we invite you to register for your VIP All Access Pass sign up today! SIGN UP HERE

For highlights and insider information follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

We look forward to seeing you at the auction block! 

Meet Our Consignor: David Frangioni



David Frangioni ~ Frangioni Media
March 2019: Our upcoming “All Access – The David Frangioni Collection Auction” event will feature an impressive array of historic rock and audio memorabilia including drums and drum kits, audio equipment, and more, from award-winning audio engineer, author, and collector David Frangioni.

Frangioni amassed his collection through years of professional drumming and audio expertise. He is an award-winning veteran of the music industry, with expertise ranging from being a drummer and producer himself, to an audio consultant, technologist, integrator, and recording engineer. 

After beginning his career working with Aerosmith for 13 years, Frangioni received many gold and platinum albums as technical consultant, engineer, and/or programmer, who later worked with industry icons including the Stones, Ringo Starr, Elton John, Sting, Bryan Adams, Journey, Styx, Phil Collins, Shakira, Rascal Flatts, Ozzy Osbourne, and Chick Corea.

The majority of his unmatched collection of historic drum kits, equipment, and memorabilia, which have been either acquired at auction or through his music industry relationships, was on display in his book “Crash: The World’s Greatest Drum Kits from Appice to Peart to Van Halen.”  The collection to be auctioned is a fascinating mixture of historic drum kits, snare drums, recording studio used equipment, legendary road cases, and an impressive offering of traditional music memorabilia. Frangioni is a top authority on everything drums, and his private collection is second-to-none. Whether you’re a drum enthusiast, gear head, or straight-up collector, this auction will offer something for everyone.

Complete, historic drum kits are definitely one the highlights of the auction and includes kits from legendary drummers such as Carl Palmer, Carmine Appice, Eric Singer, Terry Bozzio, Gregg Bissonette, and Mike Portnoy. There is an impressive collection of Carl Palmer, Asia and ELP road cases, gear and equipment, as well vintage road cases that belonged to Cozy Powell from his Black Sabbath years. Dozens of collectible snare drums and an exciting offering of vintage recording studio equipment will also be up for auction.

The exclamation point to this auction will come in the form of a broad selection of A-level music memorabilia related to KISS, ELP, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, RUSH, AC/DC, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, Black Sabbath & Ozzy Osbourne, U2, Van Halen, Metallica, Motley Crue, and many others.

The All Access - David Frangioni Collection Auction begins with a preview of the entire catalog on March 9, 2019, and is open worldwide from March 16 to March 24, 2019 for bidding.

For more information and to register for a VIP All Access Pass visit:  www.backstageauctions.com

 Backstage Auctions

DAVID FRANGIONI is an award-winning veteran of the music industry, with expertise ranging from being a drummer and producer himself, to an audio consultant, technologist, integrator, and recording engineer. David has authored two books under his company Frangioni Media including his books Icon and Crash published by Insight Editions, and continues leading the industry at his company Audio One as well as All Access IDA and his non-profit Frangioni Foundation.

BACKSTAGE AUCTIONS is a boutique online auction house specializing in authentic rock memorabilia and exclusively representing legendary musicians and entertainment professionals directly. Every auction event is unique, reflecting the artist's legacy and chronicles their legendary career. Backstage Auctions has represented dozens of notable and very talented musicians, producers and managers in the music industry.

David Frangioni Press Contact:
Laura Shubel
Caster Communications
frangioni@castercomm.com
401-792-7080

Historical Drum Kits Up for Auction in March


All Access - The David Frangioni Collection
VIP Preview Dates: March 9 - 15, 2019
Auction Dates: March 16 - 24, 2019

Backstage Auctions upcoming March auction event will feature a wide array of music memorabilia direct from the personal collection of award-winning audio engineer, author, and collector David Frangioni. The auction will go live on March 16, 2019 with a special VIP preview of the entire online catalog beginning on March 9, 2019.

One of the many highlights of the auction is the amazing selection of drum kits being offered up by Frangioni. Each kit has it's own history and unique collectible attributes.

Carl Palmer's Warm Up Kit:  Palmer is unlike most drummers in many ways, having established himself as an iconic drummer, being inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1989. Also unlike most drummers, he had a custom-made Drum Workshop warm-up kit for practice backstage while on tour in the 1990s with Asia and ELP. The kit consists of two 22 inch single headed bass drums, 12, 14, 16 and 18 inch single headed toms, with 16 and 18 inch toms are signed by Palmer. This kit is still in great shape, and was directly purchased by David Frangioni from Carl Palmer.


Carmine Appice’s Slingerland Cactus Kit: Appice’s Slingerland Leopard kit was created custom for him, with maple shells featuring a custom leopard lacquer finish -  showing off his love for the print highlighted with gold-plating.  David Frangioni purchased this kit directly from Carmine, after it was played in performances with Cactus and The Vanilla Fudge from 2004 to 2008. The set was made by Slingerland in Conway, AK, and features 9-inch by 12-inch and 10-inch by 13-inch rack toms mounted on a floor stand, 16-inch by 16-inch and 16-inch by 18-inch floor toms, and two 16-inch by 22-inch bass drums with the Cactus logo. 



Eric Singer KISS Kruise Kit:  Each year since 2011, KISS unites its fans on the high seas by hosting its annual KISS Kruise. This Pearl drum kit was created custom for Eric Singer to be played on the 2015 Kruise, designed to match KISS’s 1975 “Alive” album. It’s a relatively simple configuration for Eric, with five single-headed concert toms, two floor toms, and two bass drums all in a black gloss finish with the snare drum in green sparkle. The bass drum head features the KISS logo and is signed by all current members (Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer).   The drum kit consists of an 8, 10, 12, 13 and 14 inch single headed concert toms, 14 x 14, 16 x 16 and 16 x 18 inch floor toms and two 18 x 22 inch bass drums (one extra), and it comes with four 19 inch crashes, a 20 inch ride, 17 inch china, and a pair of hi-hats and a LP chrome cowbell. 



Gil Moore’s Triumph Tama Imperial Star Kit:  Gil Moore played this custom Tama Imperial Star 13-piece drum set during with Triumph in 1981 on the tour for the Allied Forces album. It was an early piece for the then-young Tama brand, and can be seen in the promo video for the album, denoted from the high-gloss black wrap and black dot heads that look like bull’s-eyes. The set includes 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 inch single headed concert toms, 16 and 18 inch floor toms, two 22 inch bass drums and a 14 × 5 inch chrome snare drum. 


Mike Portnoy Dream Theater "Siamese Monster" Kit:  Mike Portnoy played this custom Tama logo kit from 2002 to 2004 with Dream Theater. When working with Tama to design the kit, Mike imagined two conjoined drum kits and so it was rightfully nicknamed the “Siamese Monster.” It’s one of the largest and most-recognizable kits, and can be heard on with Dream Theater on the “Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence” album and seen on the 2002 “Six Degrees / World Tourbulence Tour” and the 2004 “Train of Thought Tour.”   The kit comprises 19 individual drums: Four deep shelled octobans (6 inch diameter, single-headed melodic toms) on the left side of the kit and two shallow shelled ones on the right. An LP Tito Puente timbale is on the far left side of the kit. From left to right the rack toms measure 8 x 8, 9 x 10, 10 x 12, 10 x 14 and 9 x 13 inches. A 6 x 10 inch time tom sits between a 5 ½ x 14 inch wood snare drum on the left and a 5 x 12 inch hammered steel snare drum on the right. The floor tom measures 16 x 18 inches, and the gong bass drum behind it has a 22 inch drumhead stretched timpani-style over a 20 inch drum shell. The two large bass drums are 18 x 22 inches and the smaller one is 16 x 20 inches. With the exception of the timbale, all of the drums feature black gloss decorated with Dream Theater logos in purple. 


Terry Bozzio Drum Workshop Collectors Series Kit: Terry Bozzio flexed his impressive drumming chops with this custom Drum Workshop Collectors Series Maple kit for the U.K. 2012 Reunion Tour. At the time it was assembled, this kit cost $65,000.00 and took over 30 hours to be built from scratch by Victor Salalzar, the former owner of Vic's Drum shop in Chicago. The maple drums have custom chrome wrap, with two woofers, one snare drum, five piccolo toms, and ten assorted rack toms and floor toms all signed by Terry.   The kit is so big that it barely fit on stage, featuring 50 Sabian cymbals from the Radia series that Terry himself developed with Sabian, of which the majority are autographed by Terry. 



Gregg Bissonette’s Pearl David Lee Roth Band Skyscraper 1988 Tour Kit:  Gregg Bissonette played this custom Pearl kit on the David Lee Roth Band’s 1988 Skyscraper Tour. This kit was designed with a “skeleton effect” intended to surprise audiences, where all of the drum shells would appear to disappear when bathed in colored white, and only the stark white hardware would show from the stage.

Gregg played the set used early in his legendary career, most notably during David Lee Roth’s 1988 “Skyscraper” tour and the “Just Like Paradise” and “Stand Up” music videos. This set went around the world with him on tour, and while it still sounds amazing, it shows wear-and-tear with a few chips and nicks on the black lacquer finish and the bass drum. Gregg continued to play this kit in personal practice after it was finished touring with him in 1989, and was purchased directly from him by David Frangioni.

The configuration includes 8" × 8", 10" × 10", 10" × 12", 11" × 13", 12" × 14", 12 × 15", and 14" × 16" rack toms; 18" × 18" and 18" × 20" floor toms; one 8" × 14" Pearl Free Floating snare drum; one 16" × 24" gong bass drum; and two 36" × 24" bass drums.




The All Access David Frangioni Auction begins with a PREVIEW of the catalog on March 9, 2019, and is open worldwide bidding from March 16 to March 24, 2019. The auction will be accessible here: Backstage Auctions

For more information and to register for your VIP All Access Pass visit: Backstage Auctions 

We also invite you to get social with us on:  Facebook  -  Twitter  - Instagram



David Frangioni is an award-winning veteran of the music industry, with expertise ranging from being a drummer and producer himself, to an audio consultant, technologist, integrator, and recording engineer. Starting out as a drummer at age 2 and then established his own audio consulting business put him on the map with Aerosmith and led to his work with music icons including the Stones, Ringo Starr, Elton John, Sting, Bryan Adams, Journey, Styx, Phil Collins, Shakira, Rascal Flatts, Ozzy Osbourne, and Chick Corea, to name a few.  David has authored two books under his company Frangioni Media including his books Icon and Crash published by Insight Editions, and continues leading the industry at his company Audio One as well as All Access IDA and his non-profit Frangioni Foundation.

David Frangioni Press Contact:
Laura Shubel
Caster Communications
frangioni@castercomm.com

401-792-7080



BACKSTAGE AUCTIONS is a boutique online auction house specializing in authentic rock memorabilia and exclusively representing legendary musicians and entertainment professionals directly. Every auction event is unique, reflecting the artist's legacy and chronicles their legendary career. Backstage Auctions has represented dozens of notable and very talented musicians, producers and managers in the music industry.
Backstage Auctions Press Contact:





All Access - The David Frangioni Collection


Backstage Auctions Presents The All Access David Frangioni Collection 

Featuring hundreds of pieces of rare music memorabilia, including historical drum kits, drums, gear and more 

Terry Bozzio Drum Kit
Houston, TX - February 12, 2019 – Backstage Auctions, Inc presents the upcoming “All Access David Frangioni” auction event which will feature a host of impressive and historic rock and audio memorabilia including drums and drum kits, audio equipment, and more, from award-winning audio engineer, author, and collector David Frangioni. The auction will go live on March 16, 2019 with a special VIP preview of the entire online catalog beginning on March 9, 2019.

Complete, historic drum kits will be up for auction, including those from legendary drummers such as Carl Palmer, Carmine Appice, Eric Singer, Terry Bozzio, Gregg Bissonette, and Mike Portnoy. There is an overwhelming assortment of Carl Palmer, Asia and ELP road cases, gear and equipment, as well vintage road cases that belonged to Cozy Powell from his Black Sabbath years. Dozens of collectible snare drums and an exciting offering of vintage recording studio equipment will be up for auction.

The exclamation point to this auction will come in the form of a broad selection of A-level memorabilia related to KISS, ELP, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, RUSH, AC/DC, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, Black Sabbath & Ozzy Osbourne, U2, Van Halen, Metallica, Motley Crue and many others.

Frangioni is a music industry veteran who amassed this collection through years of professional drumming and audio expertise. After beginning his career working with Aerosmith for 13 years, Frangioni received many gold and platinum albums as technical consultant, engineer, and/or programmer, who later worked with industry icons including the Stones, Ringo Starr, Elton John, Sting, Bryan Adams, Journey, Styx, Phil Collins, Shakira, Rascal Flatts, Ozzy Osbourne, and Chick Corea. The majority of his unmatched collection of historic drum kits, equipment, and memorabilia, which have been either acquired at auction or through his music industry relationships, was on display in his book “Crash: The World’s Greatest Drum Kits from Appice to Peart to Van Halen.”

Backstage Auctions owner Jacques van Gool comments: “David’s collection is a fascinating mixture of historic drum kits, snare drums, recording studio used equipment, legendary road cases, and an impressive offering of traditional music memorabilia. Whether you’re a drum enthusiast, gear head, or straight-up collector, this auction will offer something for everyone. David Frangioni is a top authority on everything drums, and his private collection is second-to-none. Combined with his credentials in the recording and music technology arena and you know that you’re hosting a most intriguing auction.”

“Working alongside many of these legends has been a dream, and I’ve been fortunate to have and appreciate many of these amazing pieces that are monuments of the rock industry,” said David Frangioni. “I wanted to give back some of the music history that I’ve collected to the audio, music, and drumming fans around the world.”

The All Access David Frangioni Auction beings with a preview of the catalog on March 9, 2019, and is open worldwide from March 16 to March 24, 2019. The auction will be accessible here: Backstage Auctions

For more information and to register for your VIP All Access Pass visit: Backstage Auctions 

We also invite you to get social with us on:  Facebook  -  Twitter  - Instagram



David Frangioni is an award-winning veteran of the music industry, with expertise ranging from being a drummer and producer himself, to an audio consultant, technologist, integrator, and recording engineer. Starting out as a drummer at age 2 and then established his own audio consulting business put him on the map with Aerosmith and led to his work with music icons including the Stones, Ringo Starr, Elton John, Sting, Bryan Adams, Journey, Styx, Phil Collins, Shakira, Rascal Flatts, Ozzy Osbourne, and Chick Corea, to name a few.  David has authored two books under his company Frangioni Media including his books Icon and Crash published by Insight Editions, and continues leading the industry at his company Audio One as well as All Access IDA and his non-profit Frangioni Foundation.



BACKSTAGE AUCTIONS is a boutique online auction house specializing in authentic rock memorabilia and exclusively representing legendary musicians and entertainment professionals directly. Every auction event is unique, reflecting the artist's legacy and chronicles their legendary career. Backstage Auctions has represented dozens of notable and very talented musicians, producers and managers in the music industry.
Backstage Auctions Press Contact:


David Frangioni Press Contact:
Laura Shubel
Caster Communications
frangioni@castercomm.com
401-792-7080