HOW BEATLES ARTIST SIGNED TO HELP BRISTOL CHARITY BOOKSHOP

When a Beatles record was dropped off at a charity bookshop, it looked like the donation was going to raise a healthy £50.But for one keen employee at Amnesty Bookshop on Gloucester Road, that wasn’t good enough. 

• The world-famous Revolver album cover
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Colin Richardson, a volunteer looking after collectable donations, took it upon himself to add even more value by writing to the artist behind the famous Revolver record sleeve.

Now the record has raised more than £1,000 which has been donated in its entirety to Amnesty International.

The record first came into the shop around five or six weeks ago and was sent to Colin, 77, who filters through and picks out vinyl with his knowledge and experience of the music industry.

When he saw the record he estimated it to be worth around £60. But the item also triggered memories of Colin’s past working in booking services in the music industry when he got to know the album cover’s famous artist Klaus Voormann.

“At that point I thought ‘I wonder if I could get in touch with Klaus and ask him to sign it’,” Colin told the Bristol Post.

“Because I knew him back in the day I got in touch and asked for him to sign it for us to add a bit of value.

“I just said to make it more valuable for the charity why don’t you just mark your name on it.

“He said I will send you a couple of limited edition prints as well. I couldn’t believe the luck.”

He also agreed to personalise one of the additional prints, making it a unique collector’s item.

Colin had met Klaus as a booking agent when Klaus was a bassist for Manfred Mann.

Once the prints and original album cover had been returned, Colin contacted Beatles collectors in Bristol and sold them for a total of £1,275.

Colin said he couldn’t believe his luck. He said: “It was a really good result and a bit of luck really.

“I was in the business for 20 years but I don’t have contact with many people anymore.

“It is very hard to make contact with old friends from the business such a long time on. But I managed to do it through a friend and it has turned out perfect.

“It is the best result we have had at the shop for the ten years I have been here.”

Klaus, still working from his gallery in Germany, was known as a good friend of John Lennon. He was one of the band’s oldest friends from their days at the Star Club in Hamburg.

His Revolver cover artwork was the only hand-drawn Beatles album.