Bob Dylan's new re-recording of 'Blowin' in the Wind' is set to sell for at least £600,000 (NZD $1,167,222) at auction.
The singer, 81, created the new version of his 1963 anthem for an upcoming sale by Christie's in London.
It will be available on a unique Ionic Original format disc, and marks the first time in 60 years Dylan has re-recorded the song.
First written in 1962 and released on Dylan's second studio album, 'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan', it will be auctioned in London on July 7.
The re-recording will go for an estimated bid between £600,000 and £1,000,000.
'Blowin' in the Wind' will also mark the debut of the Ionic Original format, first announced in April by producer T Bone Burnett, 74.
Burnett said: "Sixty years after Bob first wrote and recorded 'Blowin' in the Wind', he is giving us a new recording of his song.
"One that is both deeply relevant for our times and resonant with decades of the artist's life and experience. We're grateful to Christie's for their belief in the 'Ionic Original' and for presenting Bob's masterful recording to the world in a unique and meaningful way."
The Ionic Original format is, according to Burnett, "the pinnacle of recorded sound. It is archival quality. It is future-proof. It is one of one".
'Blowin' in the Wind' is reportedly the first of multiple tracks that Bob Dylan is re-recording for the format.
Peter Klarnet, a senior specialist at Christie's, said about the upcoming auction of the track: "Christie's is excited to be offering this unique recording of Bob Dylan's 'Blowin' in the Wind', one of the most important songs written in the last century, on this groundbreaking new 'Ionic Original' format.
"I very much share T Bone Burnett's passion for the sonic excellence of analog sound and it is fitting that this important development is being offered as a stand-out lot in 'The Exceptional Sale', London on 7 July 2022."
It comes after Dylan sold his entire catalogue of 600 songs, including 'Blowin' in the Wind' and 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door', to 'Universal Music' in 2020 for a reported £225 million (approx NZD$437 million).
He will set off on a West Coast tour of the US on May 28 that will see him perform across North America until June 17.
Dylan also has a book on the way called 'The Philosophy of Modern Song'.
In January, lawyers for the father-of-six formally denied allegations of child sexual abuse made against him in a lawsuit from an anonymous woman filed in August 2021.
Bang Showbiz
