A cassette tape of deceased Beatle John Lennon singing a cover version of Lloyd Price's Just Because has sold for $36,000 (£24,000) at an auction.

The six-minute recording was made in 1973 after Lennon left his wife Yoko Ono and moved from New York to Los Angeles.

According to auctioneers Bonhams and Butterfields, the track sees the singer drop the original words and substitute them for "debauched lyrics".

The song features lines such as "I wanna take all them new singers, Carol and the other one with the nipples, I wanna take 'em and hold 'em tight".

Other lyrics include "Just a little cocaine will set me right".

Both the seller and the buyer of the tape have remained anonymous.

In other Beatles news, Sir Paul McCartney told the Times recently fans should not expect the band's Carnival of Light song to be another Strawberry Fields, saying some will like it and others will not.

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written by news desk on 23/12/2008 17:31:02
Photo : Lennon made the recording after leaving Yoko