Rubber Soul: label variations with missing running times

On pressings of Rubber Soul the earliest Mono and Stereo issues list the four individual Beatles by name on the label, with no mention of "The Beatles". Within a short period of time "The Beatles" was added to the label just above the individual names creating a significant variation. In addition additional variations can be found due to the absence or inclusion of "running times" on a number of tracks. 

On some labels the running times for Side-1 track 1, 3, & 5 and Side-2 Track 1, 2, 3, & 5 are absent while updated labels include the running times for all tracks.  

  

Label variations with and without "The Beatles" and with and without running times are summarized below.

 
1) Compo mono pressings where the label has only the Beatles' individual names and is missing running times

2) Compo mono pressings where the label has only the Beatles' individual names and all running times are present

3) Compo mono pressings where the label has "The Beatles" added above the individual names with all running times present 

4) Compo stereo pressings where the label has only the Beatles' individual names and is missing the running times noted above.

5) Compo stereo pressings where the label has only the Beatles' individual names and has all the running times.

6) Compo stereo pressings where the "The Beatles" is added to the label and all the running times are present. 

While Rubber Soul has a number of label variations any one, in excellent condition, adds perhaps a twenty percent premium to the value.        

(The Beatles Again) Hey Jude transition label variations

Apple SO-385 "The Beatles Again" was released in late February, 1970. Within a month the title was changed to "Hey Jude" and assigned the catalogue number Apple SW-385.

During this change over a small, but unknown number of  LP's, were released with transition labels. Known copies have the catalogue number SO-385 on the A-side and the catalogue number SW-385 on the B-side. It is possible there are copies with the reverse configuration - SW-385 on the A-side and SO-385 on the B-side. 

 The L.P. was pressed by both RCA and Compo for Capitol. This is a Compo pressing. The existence of transitional labels on an RCA pressing remains unknown. 

Transitional label copies in excellent condition can expect to sell in the $30 to $55 range.

   

Twist & Shout / There's A Place 45 RPM # B-72146

The pairing of Twist & Shout and There's A Place was released on thirteen different Capitol of Canada labels beginning with the Capitol swirl in 1964 and ending with the purple label in 1989. Coming at the end of the vinyl era this pressing is hard-to-find. Perhaps only a few thousand copies were pressed. It is often overlooked by collectors as it has been issued/reissued more than a dozen times.

Issued in Canada in a gray/black and white mottled design Capitol company sleeve probably imported from the U.S.A.

A NM/NM- copy with original company sleeve has a value of approximately $25 - $30 CA. 

  

Long Tall Sally rare cover variation T6063

Long Tall Sally, the third Beatles album issued in Canada, was released in April, 1964.  The mono L.P. was the last of three unique to Canada albums. After this, Canadian issues would match the groups United States releases starting with "A Hard Days Night". 

The cover on some early 1965 rainbow label issues of this L.P. have a unique difference. At the top right front the usual catalogue statement 

File Under: The Beatles Pop Rock, Vocal Group 

has an added asterix located before and after the catalogue information

*  File Under: The Beatles Pop Rock, Vocal Group * 

There is no accepted reason for the inclusion of the *

This is a little known variation, which may explain the few copies in the hands of collectors.  Approximately 15 copies are known, making this a rare cover variation.

There is no record of this variation being sold at auction.  A guesstimated value of a copy with excellent or better vinyl, cover and labels is between $75 and $150.  

Miss-labelled & miss-pressed Canadian Beatle's records.

In the four decades vinyl records were issued in large numbers their production was an industrial process.  When production peaked in the 1970's an amazing 530 million 12" and 7" records were being pressed annually so it is not surprising errors were made.

The majority of production errors fall into the category of miss-labelling, text errors on the label or miss-pressings.  Label text errors are the most common with mismatched labels or errors in  application of labels coming second.  Actual miss-pressings are rare. 

Typos, text errors, text spacing errors, etc., on the label are the most common mistake.  In many cases they are quickly corrected while in other instances they continue on labels for years.  

Miss-labelled with reversed labels. The "Boys" side plays
"Kansas City" while the "Kansas City" side plays "Boys"

Some collectors view these errors as a novelty and assign no premium to them, others view them as defects and have no interest, while others view them as unique collectibles.

A miss-pressed 1978 white vinyl White album with the correct
label but a pressing from side 1 of  Love Songs 

A text error on a purple label issue of Abbey Road is hard to find as it appears to have been corrected quickly.

As these are production errors it is impossible to know how many were made.  An error could be a "one of" or thousands could be produced before the error is corrected or in some cases never corrected. Sometimes the corrected version is rarer.

The most well known Canadian labelling error is Apple 2654 "Something/Come Together" with "Something" on the B-side label rather than the A-side label.  A few thousand were labelled this way and made it onto retail shelves before being corrected.

Pressing errors on L.P.'s such as Love songs, the 1962-1966 & 1967-1970 double sets, as well as on the purple labelled White Album are know.  In these examples one of the sides is pressed twice while all four labels are correct. 

A number of original Capitol swirl 45's can be found with labels on the wrong side or the same label on both sides.  On occasion 45's with wildly off center labels can be found with some examples even  encroaching on the playing surface. 

A few Capitol swirl and Apple labels can be found blank with no text.  The B-side of the "Let It Be" single has the title error   "...Look Up My Number" when the correct title is "...Look Up The Number". This error was never corrected on Apple pressing and all subsequence pressings.

Cover errors are not uncommon. These include miss-applied slicks were the rear slick is upside down. Few cover errors carry any premium.  

Some errors, especially those that are corrected quickly, attract collector interest while others are viewed as more of a novelty.  An excellent example is the Apple 2654 error.  Complete with a white Apple sleeve it sells for about $70 to $100. 

Most error label and pressing errors are difficult to value as there are few previous sales for guidance. Most have a similar value to the non-error issue, while a few do attract a premium price.    

              

Canadian Virgins

John Lennon's and Yoko Ono's "Unfinished Music No 1 Two Virgins" was released in Canada in November, 1968, in electronically rechanneled stereo.  The avant-garde tracks combined with a nude John and Yoko on the cover instantly created a controversial issue.

The Canadian album was released in a brown paper sleeve to obscure the nude cover.  Unlike the U.S. were the cover slipped into the brown paper sleeve from above the Canadian brown paper sleeve wrapped around the cover and was sealed on the opening side with an oval orange sticker.  A few copies sealed with a yellow or blue sticker are known.

The more common orange sticker and the less common yellow sticker

The cover had no printers logo. On the back is the text "Apple Records in association with Tetragrammaton Records May 1968. Made in Merrie England". "Mfg. in Canada, Distributed by Tetragrammaton Records" is printed on the label.  Only a few thousand copies were pressed in Canada.

It is reported that when batches of  U.S. covers were confiscated in New Jersey Canadian covers and possibly the Canadian wrap-around brown paper sleeves were sent to the U.S. 

The release was panned by critics and shunned by most Beatle fans. Due to the avant-garde content, the controversial cover images and Capitol's refusal to distribute the L.P. the album was not widely distributed. Many department stores refused to carry it and many copies never made it on to retail shelves. Not long after its release the L.P. could be found in the delete bin for 99 cents or not found at all. 

A sealed copy sells for approximately $150 and an open copy in excellent condition sells for about $70.     

Beatles '65 cover variation ST 2228

 A very few 1966 stereo pressing of the Beatles '65 have an error on the cover.  On the front right opening edge can be found the printed mono catalogue number T2228. 

The slick was manufactured by Parr's.  The T2228 number located on the right edge of the slick was probably used in the printing process as an identifier and was supposed to have been trimmed off prior to being applied to the cover.

Likely very few of these cover errors exist creating a very hard to find variation. 

Few copies come up for sale so the estimated value of a copy in excellent condition is $70+

The Canadian "Butcher" cover

In July, 1966, Capitol Records of Canada were preparing for the release of  Yesterday and Today.  The records were being pressed and the covers and slicks were being prepared. However, after negative feedback from U.S. radio station personnel, reviewers and capitol executives the decision was made to withdraw the cover in both the U.S. and Canada.

While the initial directive in the United States was to destroy the covers it was decided that using a new "paste over" slick would save time and money and allow the new album to be in retail stores sooner.  Many butcher covers were destroyed, but a sizeable number, perhaps 600,000+ received the "paste over" treatment.

Capitol of Canada received the same directive and followed through with the destruction of the covers.  There was no attempt in Canada to use a "paste over" as unlike the US version Canada's butcher used a laminated paper and for this reason a "paste over" may not have worked.  There are no known Canadian mono or stereo "paste overs".

The Canadian cover was manufactured by Modern Album, the mono and stereo slicks were produced by Parrs and Compo pressed the vinyl.

There are many "mysteries" around the Canadian Butcher cover. Some believe that some 1st state copies made it into retail stores. Others support the idea that the Canadian covers were not disposed of in Canada, but shipped to the U.S. and buried in a landfill near Needham, Massachusetts. 

At this point in time it is believed only three Canadian mono Butcher covers have survived. There are no known stereo covers, although a salesman's example of the slick does exist. Also, the June 23, 1966, issue of the Toronto Telegram's "After Four" magazine displayed the image of a Canadian stereo cover confirming they were produced.

In recent years a number of fantasy Canadian Butcher covers have appeared. Below is a fantasy  promotional copy below complete with the Parrs logo. 

In 2020 a Canadian mono butcher, one of three known, was auctioned by Heritage Auctions. However, a sale was not made as the reserve price was not met.    

Hard to find "Revolver" mono label variation.

Revolver was issued in Canada in August, 1966, as the Beatles eleventh studio L.P.  It was released in both mono and stereo with early stereo pressings being less common.  All initial issues were pressed by Compo.

On a few very early, or perhaps the earliest mono pressings, the title "REVOLVER" on the label is in quotations.  There is no known copies of this label variation on stereo copies. 

As with most label changes transition copies exist with the "REVOLVER" label on one side and the revised REVOLVER on the other. 

On side 1 this label variation has two print errors. The first is the song title Taxman which is printed as Tax Man with a space. The second is track 3 which reads "Love You Too" when it should read "Love You To".    

This mono label variations are hard to find.  A estimate of the number of copies with this label variation would be a few thousand. The estimated value of a copy in excellent condition is between $60- $100.  

Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers in Canada

The Beatles met Tony Sheridan during their first Hamburg trip in 1960 and the following year they occasionally backed Sheridan in Hamburg clubs.  This experience led to the opportunity to support Sheridan at a recording session in June, 1962. At the session a number of songs were recorded including eight with the Beatles participation. On the record they are listed as "The Beat Brothers".

As the Beatles' fame rose songs from this session were recycled through a number of releases on L.P.'s, E.P.'s and singles either  available on Canadian releases or through imports.

The rare Decca 31382 My Bonnie / The Saints was pressed in Canada by Compo and released in April, 1962. Only a few hundred stock copies were pressed and the release never charted. About 15 copies are known to exist. No promotional labelled copies were released.  

Currently prices for the original Decca 45 range from a high of $6000+ for an EXCELLENT copy to about $3000 for a VG copy.  

In 1963 a few of the Tony Sheridan / Beat Brothers recordings were available on the Polydor label as imports in Canada.

With the Beatles' fame rising in early 1964 MGM released "My Bonnie / The Saints" in January of that year. The disc was pressed in Canada by Quality Records and released in a gray MGM company sleeve. The record failed to chart in Canada. The current value for a copy in Excellent condition is between $25 and $50.

In February, 1964, MGM released the L.P. "The Beatles with Tony Sheridan And Their Guests".  This was the third Beatles' LP released in Canada. It was pressed by Quality Records and only released in mono in Canada. Of the twelve tracks, six were credited to The Beatles and Tony Sheridan although the Beatles only participated on four.  The remaining six tracks were credited to The Titans, a group of New York session musicians put together for this L.P.

 

In March, 1964, MGM released Why / Cry For A Shadow.  In Canada a very few copies came with the rare red picture sleeve imported from the United States.  Like the previous MGM release it did not have any chart success. The current value for a copy in Excellent condition is between $35 and $70. A picture sleeve in excellent condition has a value in the range of $200 - $350. 

In July, 1964, Atco released "Ain't She Sweet / Nobody's Child". The
record had minor regional chart success. Enough copies were initially pressed that the disc is more common than the MGM releases. Copies in Excellent condition sell in the $12 -$20 range.

   

In October, 1964, Atco released the L.P. "Ain't She Sweet".  It was pressed by Compo and distributed by London Records. Only a few songs featured the Beatles and Tony Sheridan, The remaining tracks were performed by The Swallows, a studio band.  

The L.P. had no chart success. Probably only 5000 copies were pressed and in 1964 and 1965 could be found in record store discount bins.   

 

  

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery - copycats and "cash-ins".

The Beatles were a musical and social force so it is not surprising that numerous attempts were made by copycat acts trying to cash in on their success.  Some "Copy Cats" copied the Beatles in every way or attempted to associate their sound to the Beatles.  Others mimicked the Beatles' image or incorporated the word "Beatles" or "Beetles" into their tune's title or group name.  Below is a selection of Canadian releases that appeared in the first few years of Beatlemania.  There are many more...

       

Canadian Radio Charts

From the 1950's through the early 1980's radio charts were issued weekly or monthly by most pop, rock and country stations in Canada.  In the 1950's through the early 1960's the charts tracked singles and by the later 1960's LP's were frequently added.  At times charts were published in local newspapers, but most frequently they were distributed through local record and audio stores.

Throughout the 1960's and into the 1970's the Beatles made a perennial appearance on radio charts across Canada with a number of charts featuring images of the Beatles, Beatle contests or album and single adverts.

Charts featuring the Beatles are sought out by Beatles' collectors. Early charts featuring number one singles or Beatles' images usually sell in the $15 to $25 range. Later charts sell in the $10 to $20 range.

  

Radio charts, especially in the early years of Beatlemania, are an excellent source of information for the collector and researcher. They offer insight into what was happening across the country as well as regional trends.