Yoto players are designed for kids to listen to stories and music on pre-recorded digital cards that slot into the player, plus they can record their own creations onto blank cards and play them back. The Boys of Dungeon Lane card contains the full album, and it comes with unique cover art. So far it looks like this edition is only available through the UK Yoto store.
The company is slowly building up quite a relationship with McCartney and The Beatles. A couple of years back they issued short versions of The Beatles 1962-1966 [Yoto Edition]:
They also have a unique compilation album called Say Hello to Paul McCartney, designed to introduce kids to McCartney’s back-catalogue:
This 14-song card includes two tracks never-before released on a music product – the ‘Hey Grandude’ and ‘Hey Nandude’ themes in full, from Paul’s two children’s books.
Speaking of which, in line with the kid’s storytelling aspect of the players, Yoto has audio book versions of the two titles, Hey Grandude and Grandude’s Green Submarine:
Now, if you’re thinking these cards look kind of cool and collectable but I don’t want to buy an expensive device just to listen to them, you don’t actually 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:
Even on popular discussion forums (like the Steve Hoffman Music Forum – currently up to 846 pages talking about The Boys of Dungeon Lane), there are fans who doubt anyone could possibly try to collect each and every variation of the latest McCartney release. We’ve tried to capture all of the current variations we’re aware of in this chart. Here’s the latest version:
[Click image to see a larger version]
However, there ARE collectors out there who do go for gold (and silver, and red, and white, and splatter…..etc. etc.!) and try to get everything.
One of our readers, Guy in the United States, has now amassed no less than 18 versions of Dungeon Lane. He sent us through this image:
The variants in the covers are: red, green, blue, embossed white (i.e. ‘the gatefold’), Third Man Records, Jacaranda Records, and Amoeba.
The vinyl LP variants: red, white, black, silver, green, yellow, pink, blue, purple, gold, splatter, picture disc, and white label.
Inner Sleeves: red, green, blue. Booklet.
Other Formats: red CD, green CD, red CD sleeve, green CD sleeve, cassette and booklet.
Doo Dads: eight different postcards, plus the Dungeon Lane tote bag from the listening party (not pictured).
I think you’ll agree his collection is an impressive sight displayed as it is. Thank you Guy for sending through the image, and big congratulations on the effort in tracking each of those variants down.
Another avid collector is Beatle Dustino, who has been detailing on YouTube his quest to collect every variant of The Boys of Dungeon Lane from around the world. As each came in he’s been uploading an unboxing video. As an example, here’s his video showing all the different lyric cards and photo prints that came in various editions.
As you can see he includes the lyric cards that came with the McCartney Store exclusive green vinyl; the Target exclusive red vinyl; and the Target CD. Plus the photo prints exclusive to the McCartney Store green CD; the Walmart exclusive CD; the Barnes & Noble or Rough Trade gold vinyl; and the listening party exclusive silver vinyl. Plus he shows the lyric card, photo print and post card that came with the Japanese SHM-CD Deluxe Edition. Phew!
Since we posted about the new Paul McCartney solo releaseThe Boys of Dungeon Lane there’s been some developments, mostly to do with new variations and vinyl colours being added.
As we did for McCartney IIIand it’s sibling McCartney III Imagined, we’ve started the chart below showing all the known variations so far to help you keep up. We’ll add to this as more come down the pipeline:
(Click the image above to see a larger version)
Two new collectable vinyls have been added to the list. They’re not actually new covers or colours, but consist of a limited edition outer sleeve which slips over the cover of either the standard black vinyl, or the pink vinyl being made available to independent record stores. These come from The Jacaranda Records and Club in Liverpool (which has a long association with the Beatles, going back to the early 1960s). You also get a printed 12″ insert and a replica 1960 Jacaranda Club membership card:
We’ve also added to the graphic the two Japanese pressings (standard black vinyl and limited red vinyl) along with their unique OBI strips. These images have not been available previously:
Last week the big news was blue. A very limited blue vinyl was made available to The Beatles mailing list subscribers for a limited time. If you’re a subscriber you got an email with a link through to your country’s UMe store (e.g. for us it is Universal Australia). This limited blue vinyl comes with alternate embossed cover artwork with blue text, an alternate red and blue inner sleeve, and a 12-page lyric booklet:
Prior to that a spectacular blue splatter vinyl variation was announced. This one was strictly limited to 4000 copies pressed and was exclusive to Blood Records in the UK. It sold out in a matter of hours:
Blood Records is an interesting cross between pressing plant and online retail store – a boutique supplier producing limited edition, exclusively pressed vinyl. They pick and choose only those artists who resonate with their ethos of making only exclusive records and promoting listening to music as something special. And they’ve added The Boys of Dungeon Lane to their catalogue – in an embossed cover with blue lettering and a “Ripples in a Pond” splatter LP with a crystal clear and blue/white liquid effect. As mentioned, it is limited to 4,000 copies in a one-time only pressing run and is hand-numbered. It also has a red and blue inner sleeve, the same as the limited blue vinyl version from UMe stores mentioned above.
The previous week a very limited, UK customer-only pink vinyl with a Japanese-inspired OBI strip was announced. It’s available exclusively through Assai Record stores based in the UK. This was limited to 500 copies, each hand-numbered with an embossed Assai logo. There’s a 12-page lyric booklet and embossed cover artwork. It too is now sold out:
There was also a very nice looking picture disc featuring the screen-printed collage announced. This is only available through official McCartney stores (i.e. UK and US), plus Universal Music stores like Bravado in Germany, Udiscover Music in Mexico, The Sound of Vinyl in Australia, etc.:
And don’t forget the “extremely limited” silver vinyl. This one is only to be sold at “listening parties” to be held in a limited number of US bricks and mortar record stores on release day (May 29), and then for the following two days while stocks last. It comes with a fourth variation of the black and white portrait postcard included (see below). Customers, who have to show up in person at their participating store, will also get a Dungeon Lane tote bag plus entry into competition to win “a very special prize”.
A couple of weeks back a McCartney and UME Store exclusive with 180g black vinyl, gatefold blind-embossed cover artwork, full collage interior spread, and a 12-page lyric booklet was also added to the list, as was a cassette which comes with a fold-out print of the same collage.
Gotta admit, the collage looks great. It is screen‑printed and made from over 100 archive images, including previously unseen photography from Paul’s personal archive:
Along with the different cover art and vinyl colour variations, one other difficult thing emerging for the absolute completists (who must have everything in every permutation) is the different lyric cards to be included with some of the vinyl and some of the CDs.
So far there are 7 different cards: 3 collage lyric cards, and now 4 b&w portrait postcards.
In the green vinyl exclusive to the McCartney and Universal Music stores it is a green/purple collage card, while in the red vinyl – exclusive to larger chain stores – the card is an orange/red/blue colour with different images. It is also orange/red/blue in the Target exclusive CD, but it depicts a different collage of faces.
Then, in those releases that come with the portrait postcard, there are 4 different photos in use. One for the gold vinyl (exclusive to Barnes & Noble, and possibly Rough Trade UK – but this is still to be confirmed); one for the green cover CD (a McCartney Store/Universal Music exclusive); a third variation for the Walmart exclusive CD; and now a fourth iteration for the exclusive US launch-day silver vinyl just announced. We’ve tried to show these on the chart, but here they are side-by-side for comparison.
We’ll be updating this variations page and chart as soon as any more different colours or packaging is announced.
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