Beatles with Records – Part Fifteen

Posted on January 29, 2013 by beatlesblogger

Masses of photos sent in recently – especially from Andrey in Russia. This series is about finding photographs of the Beatles actually holding the product they sold so prolifically – either their own records or those of other artists. We also accept photographs of those close to the Beatles in the proximity of records or CDs.

Back in Part 8 and in Part 10 we identified a very early photo of the band playing on a stage that had a backdrop consisting of a black curtain with LP covers pinned to it. Turns out these were taken in 1961 at a hall with the very grand title of The Palais Ballroom in place called Aldershot in the south of England. Pete Best is still their drummer and this was the band’s first foray to the south of the country. A mere 18 people turned up for the gig! Despite that, the Beatles look to be giving the performance their all. These were the photos we had so far:

From these we were able to identify the following records:

Well, Andrey has sent a couple more photos from that same 1961 Aldershot show:

(Click on some images to see larger versions)

From these its possible to identify at least three more LPs pinned to the backdrop. From the first photo, just above Paul’s microphone you can see this one:

And in the final photo, hanging upside down at an angle just behind Pete Best and above the guitar amp:

Just below the Bobby Darin, also on an angle, is one called Sing It Again No.2. I can’t find an image of that exact disc, but did find Sing It Again No.4 which has very similar artwork:

Also in Part 8 we had a small photo which was taken in 1963 at EMI headquarters for the launch of the Please Please Me LP. The band is on a stage with lots of album covers behind them:

Here are a couple more from that same day – and much larger, too:

This one below is also a fairly early photograph. Adoring fans seeking autographs on their Beatles singles. Maybe they are copies of “From Me To You”, the first 7″ single released in the plain green Parlophone paper sleeve?

These next two show the Beatles arriving back in the UK in 1964 after their tour to America – with Ringo, George and Paul each having records under their arms. To identify just what they are though will need your help:

If you can help identify Paul and Ringo’s records (its hard with George because his are in a paper bag!) please post a comment below or email me here

Once the band started to sell some records and earn some money they purchased the latest gadgets to play records – including in their cars:

Dick James formed the music publishing company Northern Songs (with Brian Epstein, John Lennon and Paul McCartney) and became the publisher of all the Beatles songs. As the photo caption says – he kept a close eye on the fortunes of his key partners:

(That’s some letter opener he has there!)

Finally, a photo of Klaus Voormann, the man who designed the Beatles Revolver cover art in 1966. Here he is more recently signing a copy of the CD for a fan:

As usual thanks to all those who have sent in content and further information. You can see the other parts in “The Beatles with Records” series here: Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 , 6, 7 , 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 17.

COMING SOON – The Beatles with Gold Records – and believe me there are LOTS of those.

(Click on many of the images above to see larger versions)

Beatles Memorabilia – The Julian Lennon Collection

Posted on January 17, 2013 by beatlesblogger

Had this amazing find yesterday. Just near where I work there’s a discount bookshop that sells lots of remainders. Over the years I’ve picked up quite a few things here (see: The Beatles Second Album; “The Beatles” book; Beatles Books Abound; etc.)

Yesterday I went in for the first time in weeks and saw about five copies of this sitting on a shelf:

I’ve seen this book around the traps but never purchased a copy, but at just A$14.99 how could I refuse?

John Lennon’s son Julian has turned his Beatles memorabilia, previously sitting in storage, into a travelling exhibition and a book – all to raise funds for his charity The White Feather Foundation.

There are lots of gold record awards – all of them from the US and all of them genuine (that is, the actual records that were presented by the RIAA – the Recording Industry of America – to the Beatles). In fact Julian says that his is the only full collection of the American gold discs. How can you tell they are all original? Well the book explains that official presentations are identifiable by the “…white-matte style, so named because of the white linen background used in the construction of the award. These types of awards were produced from 1963 to 1974 and were strictly limited to the artists only.”

Interestingly, Julian says in the text that despite being the only person to own a complete set of Beatles US gold records, he doesn’t own any of the Beatles vinyl albums at all. Extraordinary.

There are a couple of great guitars pictured in the book – some of which were given to him by his father and others acquired later (like this one):

Julian says that nearly everything he now owns he had to buy at auction. When his father passed away in 1980 he didn’t inherit any mementoes or keepsakes. Which is incredibly sad for himself and for his family.

If you want to have a peek inside just click here, and here’s a video of Julian Lennon talking about the book and exhibition.

A Minor Wings Find

Posted on January 13, 2013 by beatlesblogger

I have posted very rarely on Wings in this blog, but of course collecting records and CDs by (or related to) the Beatles and Paul McCartney means that the band is well-and-truly included. During a recent visit to Canberra (the capital of Australia) I came across a second-hand shop I’d not visited before in the city’s downtown area. They mostly specialise in CDs, DVDs and games, but on the floor there was a large amount of unsorted vinyl where I found a small but interesting addition to the collection.

I already have a German pressing of the Wings single “Good Night Tonight” (1979). It’s the 12″ full version (7 minutes 15 seconds) of the song, on a green EMI Electrola/Odeon label:

As you can see, the cover is not in great shape but the vinyl is in mint condition. Anyway, in the Canberra store I found the Australian release of this same disc. It came out here with an orange Parlophone label:

The two releases have pretty much identical exterior artwork throughout with the only real difference being the colour of the inner sleeves. The German inner sleeve is made from thin paper and is printed in black and white:

While the Australian inner sleeve is made of thicker cardboard and is more deep blue in colour:

I also have the 7″ 45rpm edited version (4 minutes 18 seconds) of “Good Night Tonight” on an Australian black and silver Parlophone label:

It’s nice to have the orange Parlophone version, and at the cost of just A$3.00, a small but worthwhile addition to the collection.

Beatles with Records – Part Fourteen

Posted on January 10, 2013 by beatlesblogger

Since the last instalment we’ve been swamped with some great content – enough for at least two or three more posts featuring the Beatles (or people close to them) photographed or filmed with records or CDs – either their own or those of other artists.

This first one comes from beatlesblogger.com reader Ariel, who sent in this great YouTube clip of John Lennon and Yoko Ono strolling past a crowd of reporters and photographers:

The footage was clearly taken in 1970 when John and Yoko were publicising this Plastic Ono Band album:

The footage comes from a 1977 film by French film-maker Gérard Courant, whose website says of the film: “The year punk music exploded, Courant gave his most avant-garde outburst by relating for the first time the shattering experiences that took place in the second half of the 20th century…with the rock culture that clamored that same idea of rupture…”. Lennon and Ono can also be seen publicising the same LP in Part Five and also in Part Two.

Staying with John Lennon for a moment here’s an image sent in by Andrey in Russia of the Lennon’s in New York – holding court with assembled media and hangers-on in their apartment in February, 1972 in Greenwich Village:

There’s obviously a record you can see sitting there at the foot of the bed:

But what and who is it? I was having real trouble identifying this one. Well, thanks to Andrey’s Russian-speaking friends we’ve been able to find that LP. He asked one of the Beatles.ru forums for some help. Which artist could it be? Andrey says he got the answer in about ten minutes:

The Power Pop website says that the group Soup was from Wisconsin in the USA and the members were Doug Yankus, Rob Griffith and David Faas . The band released a self-titled album in 1970, however what we can see here is the bands second LP, The Album Soup, from 1971. How it came to the attention of John Lennon, and what he thought of it we’ll probably never know.

Continuing on the Lennon theme – this time with Yoko and a gentleman named Kristofer Englehardt, author of the book “The Beatles Undercover“, holding a copy of her solo LP from 1971 called Fly:

In Part Six there’s a terrific photo of George Harrison in the back of a limo holding up a copy of his All Things Must Pass LP. Here’s another good one from around the same time:

Could it be that this photo below was taken on the same day and location? It looks very much like the same shirt George is wearing above. Perhaps he’s playing one of the sides from All Things Must Pass on his record player at home?

One final shot of George taken in 1972 according to the caption, this time with his triple LP from 1971 The Concert for Bangladesh:

When you are Paul McCartney, just getting into a building you are visiting can have it’s challenges. The photo below shows the type of crush which can eventuate when everyone wants a photograph or an album signed – including one fan bravely holding up a copy of the 1988 Russian release Снова в СССР:

Here he is again – this time with fans thrusting forward copies of (amongst other things) Help! and Tug of War (you can see the cover of Tug of War at the very bottom right-hand side of the photo):

One other final shot of Paul holding a 45 single, this time with Ringo and John. It is what is reported as a test acetate recording (printed in limited quantities and used by the band and engineers for checking the quality and the mix) – it is supposedly of a song from Sgt Pepper:

There’s another photo from the studio on the same day below – from a different angle with George also in attendance and more acetates lined up on the piano:

One final photo for this instalment – again of the Beatles as a group and possibly arriving in Rome. I say that because the gentleman in the light coloured jacket, moustache and glasses (who is a fellow named Alf Bicknell – the Beatles chauffeur between 1964-1966) is holding a copy of the Italian version of A Hard Day’s Night. You can tell it’s the Italian cover of the LP because the large type across the top saying “The BEATLES” is distinctively different to the standard UK release:

Thanks to all those who have sent in content and further information. You can see the other parts in “The Beatles with Records” series here: Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 , 6, 7 , 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16 and 17.

There will be more “Beatles with Records” soon….

Christmas Eve – “Christmas Kisses” Rare Vinyl and More…..

Posted on December 24, 2012 by beatlesblogger

On this Christmas Eve a post to mark the time of year. Paul McCartney always seems to have ways of making his releases just that little bit collectable and sometimes very difficult to keep up with…

Take his holiday release “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)“.

For those completists among us you’d think it’d be a simple thing to secure a copy for your collection. It’s just one song after all – done in the same crooner style and the light jazz instrumentation of Kisses on the Bottom, Paul’s LP from earlier in the year.

The first we heard of this song’s existence was that it was coming out on a compilation CD called Holidays Rule:

Christmas Rules front US

Easy. Just order a copy of the CD, or download the song from iTunes and you are up-to-date. Not so because then comes the news that it is also to be released as a vinyl single. But not just any vinyl single. There will only be 5000 copies made, it will be on coloured vinyl, it will have custom labels, and will only be available from independent record stores… Oh, and in the Christmas spirit some of the vinyl will be red, and some will be green:

Thanks to Andrey in Russia for sending through these scans. He got them from a mate in Germany who ordered the single from two different sources and was lucky to get one copy of each colour. Apparently one of his friends in the USA ordered five copies but got all of them in the red colour. Another collector in Japan ordered four copies and got all of them in the green….As the covers are all sealed in heat-shrink plastic nobody knows what colour vinyl will arrive until they open them. And, given it’s limited release status, the single has been for sale on Ebay at very inflated prices…..

You’d think that would be the end of it. But no. There are two different versions of Paul McCartney’s rendition of “The Christmas Song” (and thanks to the WogBlog site for this information).

One version comes with strings and is only available as a bonus track on the digital download album called Complete Kisses. This is an iTunes exclusive, digital-only album released in conjunction with the DVD/BlueRay of Paul performing all the songs from Kisses on the Bottom live.

However, the song on the vinyl singles above and on the Holidays Rule CD are without the strings, just Paul singing backed by a small jazz ensemble.

So, if you want every version of just this one McCartney song you have to hunt around – and reach deep into your wallet – this Christmas.

Happy Christmas, happy collecting, and happy holidays everyone.

Mojo – The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour Special Edition

Posted on December 20, 2012 by beatlesblogger

OK. So I didn’t know this was out until I stumbled across it in my local newsagent store yesterday while looking for something else. Turns out it’s been out since October…

That’s the front cover of a special edition of “Mojo” the British music magazine. Clearly timed to co-ordinate with the release of the digitally remastered Beatles Magical Mystery Tour DVD and BluRay sets, this is a very good collection of articles and sometimes eye-poppingly good photographs – many of which I have not seen before. There’s a section called Unseen Photos, featuring snaps by Henry Grossman of the Beatles homes and parties, many of which have never seen the light of day:

This 132 page special focusses on the period 1967 and where the band was at at the time. It combines, amongst other things, archival features on the albums Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper and of course Magical Mystery Tour:

There’s a whole section on the influence of Indian music at the time, quite a coincidence with the passing just last week of master musician Ravi Shankar who played such a key role in the sound of the band at the time. And of course this period saw the Beatles play their last live concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The magazine features a lengthy transcript of a press conference given in Los Angeles – again the last they would give as a touring band.

If you can get yourself a copy of this special edition of Mojo I think it’s worth it. Very well put together and lots to interest the avid collector or those only occasionally interested in the band and the late 1960s era. Here’s the magazine’s rear cover:

POSTSCRIPT: I’ve had a couple of readers contact me about a special, limited edition cover to this magazine. After a bit of research I understand that there were only 1000 copies of an alternate “Walrus” cover produced and these were only available via online order. So, those people who got them have a bit of a collectors item:

Label Variations Part Nine – Plastic Ono Band “Cold Turkey”

Posted on December 16, 2012 by beatlesblogger

In Label Variations Part Eight an unusual New Zealand Parlophone label version of John Lennon’s “Imagine” was featured.

I’ve stumbled across another from NZ – this time Lennon’s anguished drug withdrawal song “Cold Turkey“, performed by the Plastic Ono Band. It’s definitely original and as you can see pretty beat up, but interesting I guess – especially for one particular reason which will be revealed later:

It is in it’s original New Zealand Parlophone bag – very faded, but the rear side is interesting with it’s groovy “Young Internationals” advertisement for Air New Zealand (only $397.50 one-way to Singapore or Hong Kong!):

The main point of interest though is the black and yellow Parlophone label:

The printing on the A-side is kind of faded and difficult to read because the silver-coloured lettering does not stand out well on the black background. Like the UK edition, this 45 rpm single carries the catalogue number APPLES 1001, and as in other markets around the world the flip-side is the Yoko Ono song “Don’t Worry Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)”. However, this New Zealand pressing has a spelling mistake. It clearly says “Don’t Worry Kajoko”, and it has no sub-title printed on the label:

Some people quite like collecting label printing mistakes and so this makes it interesting as well. The spelling should be “Don’t Worry Kyoko….”:

Here are some other label variations from around the world, starting with Australia:

These images following aren’t from my collection but gleaned from the web. Here are two different variations from Brazil:

The original UK version looked like this:

And the US and Canadian versions:

Here’s one variation from Germany, followed by one from the Netherlands:

And since posting this I’ve been contacted by Claude Defer in France with two French variations. He says: “In France, we have 2 types of labels : the first one has «Cold Turkey» on the white part of the apple and the second one has «Cold Turkey» on the green part of the apple. The first one was probably a misprint and the second one fixed it.”:

Also, Andrey in Russia sent another France variation which is very similar to the one above, just a greener Apple:

If you have any other label variations you would like to share please email me.

Amazing Pixelated Beatles Album Covers

Posted on December 9, 2012 by beatlesblogger

OK. These are a bit old now (2003), but this is the first time I’ve seen them. So here goes.

For those of us who feel we know the Beatles album catalogue like it is part of our DNA it is always interesting to have that challenged from time to time.

The visual nature of collecting has always intrigued me. How you can know so many of the variations of album covers and album art. Looking at and handling these all the time I guess means they become ingrained in your subconscious memory. That’s why I was intrigued to see these examples of the catalogue stripped right back to the basics by British artist Jonathan Lewis.

It’s Beatle album cover inspired pixel work. I recommend taking a few steps back (or squinting) to really see how amazing these painting are.

You can see all the collection in an online book called “The Pixles” (after “The Beatles (White Album”)….but these are five of my favourites:

Please Please Me

For Sale

Sgt Pepper

Magical Mystery Tour

And last, but not least, Abbey Road

Weird “Sgt Pepper” Inner Bag

Posted on December 2, 2012 by beatlesblogger

Stumbled across a nice old copy of Sgt Pepper, and a copy of With the Beatles yesterday at a garage sale. They are both Australian pressings. The Sgt Pepper is mono on nice heavy vinyl in the gatefold cover, with the cut-out insert, and it’s on the black and yellow Parlophone label:

That, according to Jaesen Jones’ fantastic reference book “An Overview of Australian Beatles Records“, would make this pressing from around 1969. The weird thing though is the inner bag. It’s one I’ve certainly never seen before and I wonder if it’s an official variation on the original, or just a random bag that a previous owner has adopted for the purpose. It looks like this:

It looks aged and very much like it comes from the same vintage as the LP. The colours are very similar to the famous “psychedelic” original inner sleeve too. As you can see they are shades of pink, red and white – but in regimented stripes. Does anyone know anything about this one? Ever seen it included in a Sgt Pepper before? This is what the usual bag looks like:

At the same garage sale I also got a really nice copy of With the Beatles – with an original Australia-only cover:

These are difficult to find in reasonable condition as they suffered ring-wear badly. With an orange Parlophone label this means this particular copy comes from around 1969:

It would have been amongst the first to use the orange Parlophone label, but amongst the last of the Beatles LPs to have the old-fashioned flipback cover construction:

And it would have been the last to have a black and white “STEREO” sticker on the top left-hand side as these were phased out in 1969:

So, two nice additions to the collection. If anyone can help with information on the unusual Sgt Pepper inner sleeve above let us know by posting a comment below or you can email me.

More McCartney Christmas News

Posted on December 1, 2012 by beatlesblogger

Paul McCartney is to release a vinyl single of “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)”, from the Holidays Rule compilation CD and the Complete Kisses iTunes-only Christmas release.

The coloured vinyl single will be backed with McCartney’s original 1979 version of “Wonderful Christmastime”, or is it the version of the song on the Holidays Rule CD by The Shins? That is still to be confirmed. A label spokesman quoted by Beatles Examiner said the record comes out in the U.S. on December 4 and will be available through independent record stores.

Beatles Blog

Adventures in collecting Beatles music

Category Archives: Beatles Collecting

Mojo – The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour Special Edition

Label Variations Part Nine – Plastic Ono Band “Cold Turkey”

Weird “Sgt Pepper” Inner Bag

More McCartney Christmas News

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: