Tag Archives: With The Beatles

Beatles Japan Visit – 60th Anniversary Releases Announced

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The Beatles’ Japan Store has just announced a special 60th anniversary project commemorating the band’s visit to Japan in 1966.

The Beatles performed at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo from June 30 to July 2 – and created something of a sensation throughout the country. Back then the previously unreleased albums Please Please Me and With The Beatles, were issued as special commemorative editions for the visit. Now, in June 2026, they’re being re-issued as special cardboard-sleeve SHM-CDs, recreating the artwork from that time, plus they’ll include a poster:

Additionally, Please Please Me gets a vinyl release in the same style:

Back in 1966 these releases were based on the UK Please Please Me and With The Beatles albums. They included tracks in stereo that had previously only been available in mono in Japan. They both came in a deluxe specification featuring uniquely designed jackets and obi strips, plus 8-page bound-in booklets with color photos and lyrics. The new 2026 re-issues will feature that same specification, recreating the artwork of the first Japanese LP editions as much as possible (though it doesn’t seem to extend to the record labels – these should be black Odeon labels, not the UK Parlophone which is disappointing).

They will however recreate the obi strips from those first Japanese editions, and include a six-panel fold-out 868mm x 580mm poster. At the Beatles Japan Store you can also opt (at extra cost) for a special postcard to be included with the two CD’s and the LP. The songs are in the same order as the original UK albums (they had a different running order on the original Japanese releases) and will use the 2009 remastered audio. It’s not clear why With The Beatles isn’t also getting a vinyl release.

Also back in 1966 a Japanese 7″ single was released following the concert tour and, only at the Beatles Store in Japan, there’s to be a recreation of this single – ‘Yellow Submarine’/’Eleanor Rigby’:

This new 2026 release reproduces the design of the original first-pressing jacket and its company inner sleeve. It comes on white vinyl and features the 2023 mix of the songs. However, again it looks like they’ve opted for non-authentic labels. This too should be black Odeon labels, not the UK Parlophone shown in the promo shots:

In addition, Universal Music Japan will launch a special Beatles pop-up store at the Universal Music Store in Harajuku (near Shibuya in Tokyo) from June 25 to July 5. Only at that store they’ll be selling a limited edition red vinyl of the 7″ single:

The Beatles “With The Beatles” Australian EP

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While we were in Long Jetty last week we discovered a nice copy of John Lennon’s Rip It Up – 15 Rock’n’Roll Greats. This was at The Sound Exchange Record Bar. Immediately next door is a small bric-a-brac/old wares store called Webster’s Vintage:Websters

Inside this bright green building is crammed a veritable potpourri of clothing, jewellery, books and all sorts of knick knacks. You name it, they’ve got it.

While looking around we spied, in a glass case behind the main counter a lone Beatle record that looked interesting. It was a 1965, Australia-only pressing of a four-song EP called With The Beatles:With The Beatles EP

We asked the owner if she could open the cabinet so that we could check it out. The records was in very good condition. With its dark front cover image (unique to Australia) it’s rare to find these without a lot of ring wear showing, and the vinyl itself was very good too:With The Beatles Label

Rear cover:With The Beatles Rear

So, another nice Aussie EP addition to the collection.

 

With The Beatles: Inside Beatlemania

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We were in the city of Sydney last week and dropped by our fave discount bookshop to see if there was any Beatle treasure lurking there. And there was. Stacked on one table where multiple copies of this very beautifully produced large-format hardback:01_Beatles

The book’s full title is LIFE With The Beatles: Inside Beatlemania, and it features hundreds of never-before-seen and rare photographs by Robert Whitaker, who was hired by the Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein to document what was happening to the band for two crazy years between 1964 and 1966.

Typical of LIFE magazine, the book has a wealth of great and unusual images:09_Beatles04_Beatles

A Google search revealed a website for a company called Li’l Robin, the people who actually worked on the design and layout of the book. Their site has more images from inside. It’s very much worth a look. Li’l Robin has also produced a digital version of this book:03_Beatles_iPad-566x379Nice. Amazon has a “Look Inside” if you would like a further peek at the contents.