Category Archives: Parlophone Records

The Beatles Greatest Hits Volume 1

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A visit to a garage sale this past weekend (you might use the term “yard sale” where you come from) has added another nice LP record to the collection.

It’s the “Beatles VI”, which first came out in 1965 in the US on Capitol. However, the copy I got on Saturday is a New Zealand pressing on the Parlophone label:

 

As you can see, this New Zealand pressing has the same picture cover (front and rear), and the same running order as the US release seen here below:

In Australia the artwork of this album is a bit confusing because the cover photo for the “Beatles VI” LP is the exact same cover photo that EMI Australia chose for a completely different Beatles LP they released back in 1968 called “The Beatles Greatest Hits Volume 1”:

I’ve got this on the orange Parlophone label, which would make my pressing from the 1970’s:

But to make things even more confusing, I also have the same LP (with the same cover) on a black and silver Parlophone label – from New Zealand:

So, two different records with different songs on them, but very similar cover artwork.

In case you are wondering about the origins of the photograph, it is actually the Beatles cutting a cake:

Australian “Yesterday” Beatles EP

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A trip to the south coast of New South Wales in Australia has turned up quite a nice copy of the Beatles EP “Yesterday”.

It was discovered in an antiques, books and records store in a little country town called Kangaroo Valley,  proof that its always worth checking out these sorts of shops when you find them. (This is the same place I found my copy of “The Beatles Forever” book).

Good copies of the “Yesterday” EP are quite difficult to find in good condition as the cover is an image that is mostly black – except for the faces of the Fab Four. This means that it’s prone to the deadly “ring wear”, where the 45 rpm disc inside rubs against the outside when it is stacked or stored with other records creating a white “ring” in the centre of the image.

As you can see above this particular copy is in pretty good condition with very little, if any, ring wear on the front cover. This is the Australian release – and dates from between 1966-1968, although these EP’s where released right up to 1979 (thanks to Jaesen Jones and his very informative book “An Overview of Australian Beatles Records” – which has only just been released this year).

You can tell it’s age because the cover has the older-style fold over tabbed or “flipback” sleeve construction (you can see this in the image of the rear cover below). Later editions went to the concealed tabs:

The other indicator of this little record’s age is the style of the Parlophone/EMI logo (seen above on the rear sleeve) and of the record label (below), which indicates again it was released sometime between 1966 and 1968. The serial number for this disc is GEPO 70026.

All-in-all a nice copy of a quite old, four song Beatles Extended Play.

For more on Beatles EP’s see this Japanese box set.

An Overview of Australian Beatles Records

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Got home from work today to discover this book in the postbox. I’d ordered it online just last week. Its a fantastic new book on the Beatles output on vinyl in Australia. When you say the words “in depth” they don’t really convey the work that collector and author Jaesen Jones has put into researching every aspect of the Australian arm of the mammoth EMI company as it relates to the Beatles output here. EMI Australia was responsible for releasing all the Beatles Parlophone and Apple label records in Australia. (The book also has information of the very few Polydor Beatle discs released here).

An avid Beatles collector from Canberra (Australia’s national capital), Jaesen has really done a terrific job in pulling together a lot of relevant information about the Australian Beatles releases – some of them quite unique in the world.

This release information from Ebay sums up well the content of the book:

They toured Australia on a single occasion in 1964, but once was enough for The Beatles to claim the continent as an integral dominion in their global Empire and to forever assure record-breaking sales of their recordings.

“An Overview of Australian Beatles Records” details Beatles records manufactured in Australia, from the first in February 1963 until the last in 1990, with emphasis on those distributed by EMI (Australia). It begins with a brief history of EMI (Australia) and its introduction of The Beatles to the people of Australia. It continues by detailing both the similarities and differences between EMI (Australia) and its parent, EMI UK, before focussing on the unique Antipodean pressings.

The book describes local publishing arrangements, major record label styles, sleeve design, production outsourcing/contracting, mastering methods and official imports. Where possible, period EMI publications, newspaper clippings, press releases and people directly involved with EMI (Australia) and Festival have been consulted.

For collectors there’s a section listing recommended Australian Beatles pressings, based on the views of numerous local and international audiophiles, as well as thirty-five pages of full colour label, sleeve and sticker scans (covering singles, EPs and LPs). Included are over 180 images, representing the most comprehensive collection of Australian Beatles record labels, outer and inner sleeves, inserts, and ephemera ever gathered together in a reference document to date.

Also included is a record rarity guide that lists all known major Aussie Beatles record variations with their relative rarity.

An Overview of Australian Beatles Records is an essential aid to the collector of Australian Beatles vinyl and is a book which will surely elevate the esteem in which this interesting subset of Beatles records is held in the global Beatles community.

You can find out more at I Am The Platypus – The Beatles Australia Album Labelography – a huge online resource also covering Australian Beatles releases.

Here are some page views from “An Overview of Australian Beatles Records”:

“An Overview of Australian Beatles Records”
First Edition, 2011
Compiled by Jaesen Jones
Published in Canberra, Australia
88 A4-sized pages (210mm x 297mm)
Over 180 colour scans and photos
ISBN: 978-0-9871048-0-9 (paperback)