RECORD collector Graham Smyth got a shock when he found a promotional record for Burnley Building Society - and saw the words were by fugitive writer Salman Rushdie.

Graham, Burnley Council's safety officer, was visiting a garden party at St Saviour's, Bacup, when found the record.

The disc is called The Best Dreams and begins: "You can dream a little. You can dream a lot, but the best dreams of all are the ones you got building in the Burnley..."

The Burnley became part of National Provincial years ago and is now part of Abbey National.

Graham, of Bankside Lane, Bacup, said: "The man was selling the records because his turntable would not play singles. When I saw this one I thought it must be fairly unusual and then I spotted it was written by Salman Rushdie.

"I played the first verse and I have to admit that was enough for me. I'll keep it as a rarity but I don't think I will be playing it again!

"It's difficult to see in it the qualities which were to make Salman a future Booker Prize winner. The materialistic message 'dreaming about a pile of money' contrasts with the more philosophical style of the later Rushdie.

It does, however, raise the question - could he be hiding in Burnley?"

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