Remember this?

Back before Christmas you might recall us running a story about Yoko Ono and Sean Ono Lennon sending out another batch of rare, specially cut acetates to a select group of 50 charities. You can read about that here.

Well, one of the charities has been in touch to let us know how they are using their acetate to raise much needed funds to promote the cause of peace. Here’s their press release:

Limited-edition John Lennon and Yoko Ono ‘Give Peace a Chance’ vinyl acetate available in prize draw to fight extreme poverty

International humanitarian organisation Concern Worldwide is running a prize draw for the exclusive vinyl acetate, newly released in 2023 and hand-cut at Abbey Road Studios. It is one of 50 that has been gifted by Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon to charities that support peace.  

Funds raised from the prize draw will go directly towards Concern’s work across 26 countries to end hunger and extreme poverty.  

“It’s amazing to be able to offer our supporters the chance to win such an exclusive item, with such an important and unique history, and we’re grateful to Sean and Yoko for including us,” says Lucy Voakes, Fundraising Innovation Manager at Concern.  

“The prize draw will raise vital funds at a time when nearly 300 million people around the world need humanitarian assistance and protection, due to conflicts, climate emergencies and other economic factors.” 

Concern delivers life-changing interventions in some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities, including emergency response, health and nutrition, livelihoods and education.  

The record bears a machine-printed signature from Yoko Ono and is a collector’s item. It also includes the B-Side ‘Remember Love.’  

‘Give Peace a Chance’ was first produced fifty-five years ago in June 1969, during John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “bed-in for peace” in Montréal, Canada.  ‘Give Peace a Chance’ quickly became the anthem for the anti-war movement at the time.  

To enter the prize draw, visit the charity’s crowdfunder page. Tickets are £5 for a single entry. To enter the draw for free, submit your entry via post. Visit the crowdfunder page for more information: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/give-peace-a-chance-vinyl  

So, that means we know where limited edition acetate number 14 of 50 was sent, and how they intend to use it to help fight poverty.

But what of the other 49? We know where they’ve gone (scroll down the News page on the official John Lennon site to see the full list of charities), but what are they actually doing with them?

As we did for the 50 acetates that the Lennon estate sent out to record stores previously, we decided to have a look around the web to try to find out.

However, it’s proving a much more difficult task this time around because not many of the charities have (yet) openly publicised their intentions. Here’s our very short list to date:

14/50 as we know is Concern Worldwide. They are selling raffle tickets for a prize draw (as per the details above). This closes on May 31. More info can be found at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/give-peace-a-chance-vinyl. Here’s their disc:

45/50 War Child UK. They are holding a timed online auction 24 April – 16 May called Spring Clean for War Child. Lots of other rock and pop culture memorabilia is available to bid on, but you’ll need to register. Details on the acetate they were sent – it is Lot 59 – is available here. As of the date of publication the current bid is £500, and there are 13 bidders:

Unknown disc number. Refugees International. They have already held an online auction and it ended on April 30. The winning bid for the limited edition acetate was $500. See: refugeesinternational.afrogs.org/#/view/942515 for more.

Unknown disc number. Beyond Conflict UK. Details of just how they intend to raise funds are unknown at present. They have posted online that they will disclose details “in the new year”. So we guess it is a case of ‘watch this space’. beyond-conflict.co.uk/mediahub/blog/john-lennon-donates-rare-give-peace-a-chance-record-to-bc/

And that is it!

We’ve been able to track down just 4 of the 50 acetates!

If you know where any of the others have ended up, and what the plan is on how to use them, please let us know!

Paul McCartney – CHOBA B CCCP – Two Editions (How to distinguish them, what needs to be checked)

Last post we looked at how to go about identifying an unusual Australian pressing of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. This type of id task comes up all the time when collecting Beatle and solo discs. Exactly which pressing do I have, and what are the key things to look out for?

One of the big collectables with a range of variations is original pressings of Paul McCartney’s CHOBA B CCCP. So it was great to have sent to us this week a handy article describing the basics of identifying the key differences to look out for with this LP. It is penned by our mate, Andrey Lukanin:

As we know, the 1st and 2nd editions of the album СНОВА В СССР have the same
catalogue and main matrix numbers. This led to Soviet Melodiya pressing plant employees getting confused about these editions. So a good deal of so-called “hybrid” albums went on sale – with the records having different covers/labels/vinyl.

Due to this same confusion with catalogue/matrix numbers, various plants released a
number of mispressed editions too. These came with with 12 tracks (instead of 11 or 13) and such records are a great rarity. Their sleeves and labels could look the same as any other pressing, but the number of tracks on the actual disc is different. That’s why it is very important to always check the number of tracks on each side of the vinyl itself. If they add up to 12 tracks it is very rare and collectable.

Aside from the rare 12 track version, the most common variations out there are the 11 track and 13 track variations.

To purchase a truly complete 1st pressing (11 tracks) or truly complete 2nd pressing (13 tracks), you need to check these three main components of the album: 1) the sleeve, 2) the labels, and 3) the number of tracks on the vinyl itself.

How to do this quickly and accurately:
1) Sleeve, front side (without looking at the back side: which could be yellow or white):
1st edition – MPL logo is in the upper right corner
2nd edition – MPL logo is in the lower right corner

2) Labels (without reading/counting song titles):
1st edition – tracklist is in Russian
2nd edition – tracklist is in English

3) Number of tracks:
1st edition – the total number of tracks on both sides of the vinyl should be 11
2nd edition – the total number of tracks on both sides of the vinyl should be 13

There is another way as well – and that’s to examine the endings of the full matrix numbers on the vinyl, but this is not very convenient.

So, those who already own this Soviet-made album in their collection have a reason
to check their copy.

Interestingly, in 2014 the Melodiya company celebrated its 50th anniversary. On the company’s website, a poll among music lovers was launched in advance: what records would they like Melodiya to re-release in limited quantities in honor of its anniversary? СНОВА В СССР appeared in the list of winners. But for some reason, like many other records from the list, the album has never been officially re-issued by Melodiya.

Andrey Lukanin

See also: Why Are There Two Versions of CHOBA B CCCP?; Another Variation of McCartney’s Choba B CCCP; Label Variations Part 3 – Versions of McCartney’s Choba B CCCP.

A Rainbow of McCartney III LPs!

If you don’t believe there are collectors out there intent on having every single variation, then think again:

This is a photograph from the collection of one of our readers and contributors – Guy from the USA. Guy has managed to secure no less than 16 different McCartney III colour variants, and 10 different McCartney III Imagined double LPs.

You can check them off against our two guides to all the known variants below (they include CDs and cassettes – which Guy also has BTW!). Click on the images to enlarge:

Heaps of RSD 2024 Titles for Beatle Fans and Collectors

Apologies, but we’re a little slow of the mark with the Record Store Day 2024 news from last week. However, it has given us a bit more time to research and hopefully provide a few more details – so here goes.

First up, from Apple Records is another unique format first for The Beatles. It is a tiny The Beatles Limited Edition RSD3 Turntable, featuring a Beatle-branded dustcover and turntable facing. Each turntable is Bluetooth-enabled and housed in a Beatles’ box that includes four super small 3″ records featuring the four songs they performed 60 years ago on The Ed Sullivan Show: ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’, ‘Til There Was You’, ‘She Loves You’, and ‘I Saw Her Standing There’. Each record is housed in an outer box and comes in a picture sleeve. There is also a poster for each. The package also includes a bright yellow Beatle-branded carrying case, which can hold up to ten 3” records. These little discs apparently play at 331/3 rpm.

If you don’t want the record player, the four 3″ singles will be sold separately, also housed in an outer box, with a picture sleeve and poster. The records only have music on one side:

The concept of these 3″ singles and their accompanying tiny record player have been around for a while (think the Foo Fighters, The White Stripes, or The Doors as recently as last year for RSD). However, they represent a limited format The Beatles have not yet embraced, making them a bit like those cards from last year containing special editions of the Red and Blue albums for kids to play on their Yoto players. So they could potentially reach a whole new younger audience. If you want to get an idea of just how small the turntable and discs are check out this Youtube unboxing.

Next up, from the John Lennon camp, comes a 4 track, 12″ EP teaser for the forthcoming Mind Games Ultimate Mixes box sets – due in June. Two versions of this will be available – one on “glow-in-the-dark” 140g luminous vinyl, and one described as “black ‘audiophile’ 180g vinyl”:

Gotta say the cover for the EP is great. The track list is:

Side A:
1. Mind Games (Ultimate Mix)
2. I’m The Greatest (Ultimate Mix) – feat. George Harrison & Ringo Starr

Side B:
3. Aisumasen (I’m Sorry) (Ultimate Mix)
4. You Are Here (Outtake, Take 5)

Ringo Starr will have an RSD 12″ 45 EP called Crooked Boy available on exclusive black & white marble vinyl – and also in a really cool cover:

Written and produced by Songwriter’s Hall Of Famer Linda Perry, Crooked Boy features four brand-new tracks from Ringo. The EP also includes guitar performances on every song from Nick Valensi of The Strokes.

On a recent video Ringo showed the inside cover:

And a quick shot of what looks like a green vinyl edition. Maybe that is coming later?

Zoetrope picture discs seem to be all the rage this RSD. There are no fewer than nine LPs being released, including artists like Blur, Marc Bolan and T.Rex, Fatboy Slim, Lily Allen, and even one from Doctor Who.

What is a Zoetrope Picture disc? They look fantastic spinning on a turntable. Have a look at this YouTube from last year of Blur’s ‘The Ballad of Darren (Zoetrope Vinyl)’:

Dark Horse Records and Record Store Day have announced a multi-year partnership to release limited Zoetrope picture disc pressings of George Harrison’s entire studio album catalogue. The first two titles in the RSD exclusive series – Wonderwall Music and Electronic Sound – will be available on Record Store Day in April 2024. Limited to 8,000 units globally and exclusive to Record Store Day, each is individually numbered in silver foil and will include an insert reproducing the original artwork. The front cover will look like this – with a cut-out window showing off the LP plus a hype sticker and limited edition numbering also on show:

As mentioned there’ll be an insert in each LP with the original cover artwork included:

Dark Horse is once again extremely busy this RSD. They’ll also have out a 25th anniversary edition of Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros’ Rock Art & The Ex-Ray Style, the debut album by the band in a limited pink vinyl Record Store Day exclusive 2LP pressing. The remastered 1999 album, which was Strummer’s first album release in a decade, is spread over 2 LP’s for optimal sound quality, and the original gatefold artwork by Damien Hirst will be meticulously reproduced:

One obscure Dark Horse release can be found only on the US RSD list as a Limited Run/ Regional Focus release with only 800 copies made. Its an album called Dreamers In The Field by Huun-Huur-Tu, Carmen Rizzo and Dhani Harrison:

From Wikipedia: Huun-Huur-Tu are from Tuva, a Russian federative republic situated on the Mongolia–Russia border. Their music includes throat singing, in which the singers sing both a note and its overtones, thus producing two or three notes simultaneously. The overtone may sound like a flute, whistle or bird, but is solely a product of the human voice. They also play traditional Tuvan instruments. However, in recent years, the group have begun to selectively incorporate Western instruments and electronic music.

Carmen Rizzo is an American record producer, mixer, programmer, DJ, remixer and recording artist. A two-time Grammy nominee, he’s worked with Seal, Coldplay, Dido, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Pete Townshend. In addition to collaborating with Huun Huur Tu, Rizzo co-founded the world/electronic act Niyaz with Azam Ali and Loga Ramin Torkian (with three #1 iTunes albums). He’s released his own solo electronic albums too, so this RSD release looks to be an eclectic sound mix!

And lastly, on the UK and Australian RSD sites, there are two Dark Horse Yusuf/Cat Stevens LP re-issues listed (….can’t seem to find these on the US list).

They are (from 1975) Numbers on black vinyl LP – which will be limited to 2,000 units globally, and reissued for RSD with a lenticular gatefold cover. Included will be a reproduction of the original 16-page book with lyrics and illustrations:

And also (from 1977) Izitso – again, limited to 2,000 units globally and presented in a lenticular gatefold cover:

So, a lot of product from Dark Horse for RSD 2024…..

Record Store Day 2024 is on Saturday, April 20.

Weird Sgt. Pepper “Radio Station Promo” – Anyone Seen It Before?

One of our readers has been in touch asking about how to get a valuation on a very unusual promo copy of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

They write: “I have a radio station promo copy of Sgt. Pepper I won from them in a contest in 1967. Black/white label, songs in a different order from the released album. Etched serial numbers are SS10077-01A and SS10077-01B. Have you any suggestions for getting it appraised?”

While we don’t know the exact name of the radio station which ran the promotion, you can see some handwriting on the label that indicates it might possibly have come from a station called WCFL. According to Wikipedia WCFL is located in Chicago and is today on the airwaves there broadcasting as a Christian Adult Contemporary station. However, there’s also an online WCFL run by some nostalgia buffs with a sound similar to what it would have sounded like when it was one of Chicago’s leading Top 40 music stations. Back in the sixties WCFL’s coverage of the Beatles 1965 and 1966 U.S. tours was provided by a disc jockey named Jim Stagg, who traveled extensively with the group.

The station also began a weekly British Countdown program with British DJ Paul Michael, so it is quite feasible they had some sort of exclusive record giveaway competition in 1967.

The mystery around this one though is that no one else seems to have ever seen this record. It is not listed amongst Discogs’ 1176 versions for example and, having asked around the community, others have doubts about its authenticity and also can’t find any information about it. Some of the concerns raised include:

  • no promo markings of any kind on the labels
  • no performers printed anywhere
  • no record company, composers, or publishers listed
  • a minor spelling mistake in the LP title itself
  • several not quite correct song titles
  • two tracks missing (‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)’ & ‘A Day In The Life’)
  • and several song timings that differ with the originals

One friend thinks it’s not even a «Not For Sale» record, but simply a pirate vinyl.

It would be interesting to know if the music on the disc is actually the Beatles, and not a cover group or even orchestral/instrumental versions of the songs – though that would have been difficult to pull off quickly if the album was genuinely a 1967 radio “giveaway” at the same time as the Pepper LP US release.

As you can see, the disc looks like it has had a hard life but would probably clean up and play OK if you had a record cleaning machine.

So, what do you think? Very interested to hear your thoughts! Is this a genuine collectors item?

P.S. We suggested the owner get in touch with Perry Cox, the well-regarded valuation expert in all things Beatle. If anyone has any other suggestions on who to speak to, thoughts or knowledge about this one please chime in.

Collecting ‘Now and Then’ – and beyond….

There’s no doubt about it.

It has been a busy couple of weeks for collectors and completists in the Beatle community!

Not only have we had the release of the new/last Beatle single, ‘Now and Then’, but also a newly expanded Beatles 1962-1966 [Red] and Beatles 1967-1970 [Blue] in double CD and triple LP form.

One of our readers (Guy in the USA) prides himself on securing every possible variation and often sends us a tantalising image or two. For ‘Now and Then’ he points out that most collectors only show pictures of the outer covers. Here, he says, are the contents – photographed all together:

For collectors in the west there are no fewer than 9 variations to seek out. If you add in unique Japanese editions that number creeps up to 14.

Because there are enough different pressings we thought we’d create another visual representation to capture them all (we have previously created these for McCartney III and McCartney III Imagined too):

(Click on the image to see a larger version)

The Japanese ‘Now and Then’ vinyl pressings are unique in that they have a rear cover written in Japanese. They also come with a special lyric sheet with the lyrics in English and Japanese:

Additionally, the SHM-CD single comes with an OBI strip (and also the extra lyric insert):

To add to the onslaught on collector wallets there was also Black Friday Record Store Day.

No Beatle records that day, but for completists who also go for the George Harrison-affiliated Dark Horse Records label, we had music on vinyl from Splinter, Leon Russell, and Ravi Shankar.

Also released on that day were further coloured vinyl editions (in “Yellow Submarine Yellow”) of Ringo Starr’s Old Wave and Stop and Smell the Roses. Here’s Guy again:

You can see there on the bottom row the little Yoto kids toy card editions of the 2023 Red and Blue albums, plus a unique Paul McCartney card containing a selection of his hits for kids which also contains two hard-to-get instrumentals.

McCartney also weighed in with pre-sales of the 50th anniversary, Half Speed Mastered editions of Band On The Run, and then followed that up a week later with the 3rd anniversary release (yes, that’s right 3rd anniversary….) of McCartney III, which comes in a limited edition choice of 3 coloured vinyls with new artwork and inserts.

Phew.

A ‘Red’ and ‘Blue’ for the Collector Who Must Have Everything

Ever heard of Yoto, the children’s educational toy?

Me either, until one of our readers named Tom pointed out that they exist, AND they have a couple of items that will be of keen interest to the absolute Beatle completists among us.

Yoto is a digital player that accepts specially pre-recorded cards (slightly larger than a credit card) which kids slot into the player to hear stories, podcasts, games and……..music:

The big news is that Yoto has just added two very special music cards.

One is for the The Beatles 1962-1966 Red Album (Yoto Edition), and one for the The Beatles 1967-1970 Blue Album (Yoto Edition):

Yoto describes the contents of their unique 12-track Red Album like this:

An introduction to The Beatles for kids. Enjoy timeless hits from their early years, 1962-1966.

Twelve special chosen tracks from the early years of The Beatles, 1962-1966. The perfect introduction for music-loving kids to the fab-four.

Discover the songs that broke them onto the world stage. Sing, dance and play along to these timeless classics, some of the most popular and indelible rock songs of all time.


Tracklist:

  • Love Me Do (2023 mix)
  • Please Please Me (2023 mix)
  • From Me To You (2023 mix)
  • She Loves You (2023 mix)
  • Can’t Buy Me Love (2023 mix)
  • Ticket To Ride (2023 mix)
  • I Want To Hold Your Hand (2023 mix)
  • If I Needed Someone (2023 mix)
  • Drive My Car (2023 mix)
  • Got To Get You Into My Life (2022 mix)
  • I’m Only Sleeping (2022 mix)
  • Yellow Submarine (2022 mix)

And their 12-track Blue Album like this:

An introduction to The Beatles for kids. Enjoy timeless hits from their later years, 1967-1970.

The second curated collection of tracks from the most iconic band of all time. Charting the later part of their career where they experimented with new sounds and created some songs that are loved across generations and around the world.

The perfect way to share music as a family and the ultimate inspiration for all the music-loving, dancing and singing little ones out there.


Tracklist:

  • Penny Lane (2017 Mix)
  • Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (2017 Mix)
  • With A Little Help From My Friends (2017 Mix)
  • All You Need Is Love (2015 Mix)
  • Hello, Goodbye (2015 Mix)
  • Magical Mystery Tour (2023 Mix)
  • Hey Jude (2015 Mix)
  • Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (2018 Mix)
  • Blackbird (2018 Mix)
  • Here Comes The Sun (2019 Mix)
  • Octopus’s Garden (2019 Mix)
  • Let It Be (2021 Mix)

But that’s not all the original Beatle content Yoto has. Also recently added is a unique Paul McCartney card, Say Hello To Paul McCartney:

Yoto says: Dance, sing and play along to a selection of songs, especially chosen for Yoto.

Say Hello To Paul McCartney is a unique collection of timeless songs from one of the greatest ever songwriters and performers. Paul McCartney has curated this collection of tracks from his legendary catalogue and it’s sure to get all of your family singing and dancing along.

Sway and jump to ‘Dance Tonight’, take a trip to the Scottish Coast with ‘Mull of Kintyre’ or sing along in chorus to ‘We All Stand Together’ – these and many more songs await you on this ultimate Yoto music card! This card also includes two tracks never before released on a music product – the ‘Hey Grandude’ and ‘Hey Nandude’ themes, from Paul’s highly acclaimed children’s books.


Tracklist:

  • Grandude Theme
  • Dance Tonight
  • Little Willow
  • Heart of the Country
  • Mary had a Little Lamb
  • We All Stand Together
  • Great Day
  • Mama’s Little Girl
  • Calico Skies
  • Let ‘Em In
  • Mull of Kintyre
  • Winter Bird, When Winter Comes
  • Who Cares
  • Nandude Theme

So, this is one way for you to get clean versions of two rare original McCartney tracks – the instrumental ‘Grandude Theme’ and ‘Nandude Theme’, taken from the audiobook recordings of his two children’s books Hey Grandude (2019), and Grandude’s Green Submarine (2021).

Sincere apologies if this news is going to cost you more money!

The official press announcement is up on the Paul McCartney site now as well.

Techmoan has done a great video explaining just how these little players and the cards work (you don’t have to have a player):

Our readers Tom and Guy have both confirmed that you don’t need a stand alone Yoto player. The Yoto app can be downloaded for free to your phone, and a simple tap of the card gives you access to the contents. The cards are the size of a credit card:

In Defence of the ‘Now and Then’ Cover Art

There’s been huge discussion on a lot of forums and socials about the cover art choices for the new ‘Now and Then’ Beatle single.

This post on Reddit (by PowerPlaidPlays) is an articulate argument for why it actually works:

A lot of people have a lot of negative things to say about the new single art. I initially did not like it at first ether, but it’s grown on me and I thought a post defending it would be a good counterbalance to all of the “improved cover” mock ups lol.

The biggest thing I appreciate about it is how it stands on it’s own.

It reminds me of how The White Album was a deliberate departure from Sgt Pepper’s cover, or how Abbey Road lacked the band’s name on the front. It’s not rubbing the band’s legacy in your face or leaning too hard into nostalgia. We already have Anthology if you want references to their entire career, or the Red/Blue albums if you want the ‘Please Please Me’/’Get Back’ photos paired together. It’s not just a normal boring photo of the band like the ‘Real Love’ single got. It’s not focusing too much on John like the ‘Free as a Bird’ single did by using one of his drawings. The song has it’s own unique image.

I think the most it hearkens back to old Beatles imagery is the serif font (similar to the drop-T logo) and the color palate reminds me of Abbey Road, with the blue (like the sky), green (like the trees), grey (like the road), and white (like the crosswalk).

The back cover is where I think some more symbolism is present. With the “Then” being the I ‘Wanna Hold Your Hand’ photo, and the “Now” being a clock with 3 and 9, but missing 6 and 12. I think the assembled sculpture also is fitting for a song that is a mix of 1979, 1995, and 2023 recordings, with apparently some stuff sampled from a few other Beatles songs.

I also do like how it seems to be a painting and not digital typography. Looking at higher resolution images of it, you can see the canvas texture and paint imperfections.

Admittedly I am not in love with it, and probably like it more for the things it’s not, but I can appreciate it for being an interesting decision. I keep looking at it, and it keeps making me think. It’s not just an obvious “yep, it’s a Beatles single and it has a photo of the Beatles.”

And this (from zosterpops) also on Reddit:

To add to the interpretation, the angles are reminiscent of the covers on the Red & Blue comps and it has a decades-spanning quality to it with its colors, typography, and texture.

I think it’s also worth mentioning how the cover works as a minimalist design. It’s inspired paragraphs of both appreciative and unappreciative discussion on this sub. That’s always a hallmark of good art/design for me. Something that gets people talking about it.

This make a lot of sense. Yes, it’s a very plain front cover but it has lots of references and room for interpretation.

As to the rear cover image, more information on the origins of the cute little clock image have come to light since the 7″, 10″ and 12″ records have landed in fan hands.

Inside the record sleeve is an insert with notes by John Harris which reveals the origins of the art piece shown:

(Thanks to @andrewdixonmusic for posting this info on Twitter).

So, it turns out this is an actual little clock owned by the Harrison estate, purchased by George in 1997. It was made by an Oregon artist named Chris Giffin, who is regarded as something of a local cultural treasure. She specialises in found object, assemblage and altered art.

“I create objects from materials that capture my eye, and that can be recycled materials or found objects. I make functional and sculptural and jewelry objects out of these materials that I collect. I try to take things that have had a past life and then give them a new life.”

Much of Giffin’s work involves metaphor, specifically concepts having to do with measurement, or man-made divisions applied to natural forms: “Time for me is a real metaphor, so I do make
a lot of clocks, and I have a lot of measurement objects in them. Because time is a measurement, and of course tape measures and rulers and protractors—all that kind of
stuff—to me is just the way we have chosen to decipher our need to organize our daily lives.”

What better way to depict “Now” and “Then”? You can see more of Giffin’s work on this Pinterest page. You get the feeling that the value of their pieces just went up 1000%!