The Beatles - Please Please Me, PMCO 1202 - Original Australian LP
A$
35
$
23
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Description
This is where it all started!
The first of the Beatles LPs as released in March 1964. This is the Yellow/Black Parlophone label version, PMCO 1202.
There were a number of early releases of this lp:
- The Gold Mono A released in October 1963
- The gold Mono B, released in Jan1964
- The Yellow/Black mono version released in March 1964 (THIS RECORD)
- the Banner Stereo version of April 1964.
There were then later versions issued in 1969, 1978, 1982 and 1987. Do not be fooled by similar records on sale that are claimed to be "original pressings". This is the original release record from March 1964, and comes in the second version of the Australian sleeve (contains both mono and stereo catalogue numbers, and the flipback sleeve).
Also note that with this version of the LP, there are 6 different variations of the label; this record has the label version with track 1.3 "Go to Him" in italics, and a gap between the text publisher stamps on both sides of the record.
I have had this record since purchasing it new in 1964, and the cover has been stored in a plastic sleeve all that time. The quality of the front of the cover is high with no blemishes other than the record outline from storage. The rear of the cover has my name written on both the top and bottom, and again shows wear from the record edge. There is a tear at the midpoint of the edge of the sleeve, due to the record. For a 50 year old cover, it is in excellent condition. (see notes below)
The record has a slight blemish on the 'B' side, where a name label was originally affixed. this gives a slight shading on the area of the RPM letters. The record does show signs of surface scratches, however I believe it to be in good playing condition (it has been many years since I last played this record!!)
The record will be shipped as a parcel, being wrapped inside 2 stiff boards for added protection.
THE AUSTRALIAN VERSION OF THE SLEEVE
All Please Please Me album sleeves manufactured in Australia between December 1963 and December 1980 are characterised by the following:
The front picture of the Australian sleeve is subjectively 'brighter' than the U.K. original; detail that was obscured in shadow on the UK sleeve is evident in the local version. The reason for this is that due to a Union ruling, EMI Australia was not allowed to use imported film negatives as source material for printing sleeves; so a photograph was taken of an imported UK sleeve and the resulting negative used as the source to produce local sleeves. Unfortunately film is analogous to an analogue format so a photograph of an LP sleeve will have some form of 'generation loss', which equates to compromises to colour, detail and relative brightness of the original. Presumably the image was tweaked to the most acceptable level of presentation and printing plates produced from that 'master'.
Blue text was utilised on both sides of the sleeve; not out of any determination to make the sleeve uniquely Australian but simply because it was cheaper to have blue text than black. It should be remembered that at that point in time, The Beatles were largely unknown in Australia and so EMI Australia was reluctant to spend any more than they absolutely had to on sleeve production - which is why 500 sleeves were imported from the UK to house the first Australian copies of Please Please Me.
Being a photograph of an early UK sleeve, the Australian sleeve features the credit for photographer, Angus McBean, at the bottom extreme-right, visible on the rear flipside of the cover.
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