Six drafts of Andy Bell’s original lyrics for “Catch You Dreaming” — the Ride song from the 2021 EP Tomorrow’s Shore — comprising three handwritten manuscript pages and three printed/typed sheets with extensive handwritten and red-marker annotations. Accompanied by a signed Letter of Provenance from Andy Bell (dated 16 April 2021) confirming the material.
Historical Context
Ride reunited in 2015 after disbanding in 1996, and returned to active recording with the album Weather Diaries (2017) and subsequent releases. Tomorrow’s Shore (2021) is a five-track EP that marked a further step in the band’s reunion-era creative output. “Catch You Dreaming” is one of its key tracks.
Andy Bell co-founded Ride in Oxford in 1988 alongside Mark Gardener, Steve Queralt, and Loz Colbert. His guitar work and songwriting were central to the band’s identity during their original run and remain so in their reunion era. Between Ride’s original disbanding in 1996 and their reunion, Bell was a member of Hurricane #1 (1996-1999) and subsequently joined Oasis as their guitarist (1999-2011).
Manuscript Description
The six drafts document the full arc of the song’s development, from early handwritten exploration to near-final annotated typed versions:
Handwritten draft 1: Ink on ruled paper; earliest working version featuring multiple crossed-out and revised lines. Opening refrain “There’s a wave that breaks / On Tomorrow’s beach” is established, alongside structural experiments for verse, chorus, and bridge sections. Reference phrases include “In a Liquid World,” “Be my Valentine,” and “Catch you dreaming” recurring throughout.
Handwritten draft 2: Ink on ruled paper; further lyrical exploration including the lines “Once upon a [word] dream / When the world was young” and “Hypno valentine.” Ends with working notes: “super real / definition & light / dystopia world / abstractions.”
Handwritten draft 3: Ink on ruled paper; more developed structural version with clearer verse/chorus delineation. Includes the phrase “It’s a liquid world / Meanings slip away” and a working bridge: “Will you love me, still.”
Typed/annotated draft 4: Printed text with red marker annotations by Bell; verse, chorus, and V2 structure labeled. Key annotation: “TOMORROW OFF” written in capitals over the printed line “Turn the future off.” Repeated line “to catch you dreaming” throughout.
Typed/annotated draft 5: Printed text with handwritten pen annotations; dated “ao v 31/8/17” at top. Title “CATCH YOU DREAMING” printed in full. Features struck-through lines and new alternatives added by hand. Includes the bridge text “IN THE HEAT OF THE SUN / AS WE COME UNDONE” added in Bell’s hand over struck-through printed alternatives.
Typed/annotated draft 6: Printed text with handwritten margin notes and color-highlighted lines (orange). Includes marginal annotations by Bell: “Keep; hold of your new magic!” and “I got a broken heart.” Most structurally complete version, reflecting a near-final draft stage.
Condition
Very Good. All six drafts are fully legible throughout. The handwritten pages show light handling wear consistent with active creative use. The typed/annotated pages are clean with clear annotations. No significant damage to any sheet.
Provenance
Per Andy Bell’s signed Letter of Provenance (dated 16 April 2021, on Red Light Management letterhead, 10-16 Scrutton Street, Shoreditch, London EC2A 4RU): “This letter of provenance accompanies 6 drafts of my original lyrics for the Ride song ‘Catch you dreaming’, from the EP Tomorrows Shore.” Sold as Lot 476, Omega Auctions “Day 1: Audio Equipment and Music Memorabilia,” February 13, 2024.
Nostalgia Bandit Letter of Provenance
This lot will be accompanied by a Nostalgia Bandit Letter of Provenance — a document printed on official Nostalgia Bandit letterhead, signed by Nostalgia Bandit’s principal, and affixed with the official Nostalgia Bandit embossed seal. The Letter of Provenance reproduces the complete final auction description for this lot in full, memorializing all provenance documentation, attribution, supporting evidence, and condition details as presented herein. It is designed to travel with the lot through all future ownership transfers as a permanent, platform-independent physical record of the item’s documented history.
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