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 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.