A ROW is looming over a possible lost Beatles song.
A senior executive from EMI in London flew to America to listen to the track, called Mississippi River Born, after it was found in a batch of tapes recorded by John Lennon.
The blues ballad was one of a number of keepsakes sold by collector Christopher Lopez.
He is convinced that the song contains Paul McCartney singing at a time after the band broke up.
Mr Lopez bought the items from American film-maker Tony Cox, Yoko Ono's former husband.
He then put them up for auction and believes they were bought by Yoko or EMI through an intermediary for more than £200,000.
He said: "This was one of the items the record company executive flew out from London to hear and he authenticated everything but this song. They thought it was Eric Clapton or Stevie Winwood.
"I have spent hours and hours listening to it and I have come to the conclusion that the lead vocal is Paul McCartney.
"That would make it a never-before-heard Beatles song.
"It sounds like John and George Harrison are singing the chorus."
Mr Lopez is claiming legal rights to the song because he only sold a different part of the recording.
He thinks that Yoko Ono has the tape because her lawyer contacted him to buy it.
