Six unreleased and never before heard Nick Drake recordings will be going up for auction later this month. The tracks were recorded in 1968, as the folk singer was working on his 1969 debut Five Leaves Left. Putting them up for auction is Drake's friend Beverley Martyn, wife of the late John Martyn.

"He was young, he sounds full of fun, he sounds light and his guitar playing is absolutely excellent," described Martyn of the recordings in an interview with The Independent. "It really shows that he didn't need to have this whole layer cake of strings."

Martyn cites her failing health as the reason for putting the songs up for auction. The recordings will be auctioned off through Ted Owen and Company on July 31 and are expected to fetch as much as £250,000. Song titles that will be featured on the recordings include 'Fruit Tree', 'Saturday Sun' and 'Cello Song'.