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| CURRENT INVENTORY / VEE-JAY PROMOTIONAL 45 SINGLES / | VIEW CART |
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"ASK ME WHY" VEE-JAY ONE-SIDED EXTENDED PLAY (EP) PROMOTIONAL TITLE SLEEVE VEE-JAY E1-903 ISSUED: 3/23/64
UNEQUIVOCALLY THE RAREST BEATLES RECORD SLEEVE IN EXISTENCE |
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DESCRIPTION (ACTUAL SCANS) IN ENGLAND, THE BEATLES ACHIEVED HUGE SALES OF NOT ONLY 7" 45RPM SINGLES AND 12" LONG PLAYING 33⅓ RPM ALBUMS, BUT ALSO 7" 45RPM EXTENDED PLAY ("EP") RECORDS. WHILE SINGLES HAD ONE SONG PER SIDE, THE EP FORMAT TYPICALLY HAD TWO SONGS ON EACH SIDE. EPS NORMALLY COST MORE THAN SINGLES, BUT LESS THAN ALBUMS. ALTHOUGH THIS FORMAT APPEARED IN THE UNITED STATES THROUGHOUT THE FIFTIES AND SIXTIES, IT NEVER REALLY CAUGHT ON IN AMERICA THE WAY IT DID IN ENGLAND AND OTHER FOREIGN MARKETS. VEE-JAY'S CREATIVE MARKETING DEPARTMENT ALWAYS TRIED TO SQUEEZE MORE PRODUCT OUT OF ITS 16 BEATLES SONGS THAT WERE CONTRACTED TO THEM. FOUR TRACKS, NAMELY MISERY, TASTE OF HONEY, ASK ME WHY AND ANNA, WERE PULLED FROM THE INTRODUCING THE BEATLES ALBUM AND ISSUED ON 'VJEP 1-903' SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET SINGLE ON OR ABOUT MARCH 23, 1964 - MAKING IT THE VERY FIRST BEATLES EXTENDED PLAY 45 RELEASED IN THE UNITED STATES (CAPITOL'S TWO EPS FOUR BY THE BEATLES EP WAS RELEASED ON MAY 11, 1964 AND 4-BY THE BEATLES WAS ISSUED ON FEBRUARY 1, 1965). WITH THE BEATLES FEBRUARY ARRIVAL IN AMERICA AND THEIR APPEARANCE ON THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW FRESH IN EVERYONE'S MIND, THE EP WAS MARKETED AS A "SOUVENIR OF THEIR VISIT TO AMERICA". TRADE MAGAZINE ADS PROCLAIMED "FOUR GREAT SONGS NEVER RELEASED AS SINGLES. EACH A HIT IN ITS OWN RIGHT" THE RECORD WAS DUBBED "THE E.P. (ECONOMY PACKAGE) OF THE CENTURY." TO PROMOTE THEIR NEW AND ONLY BEATLES EXTENDED PLAY (EP) AND AS PART OF THEIR MARKETING STRATEGY, VEE-JAY ISSUED PROMOTIONAL COPIES OF THE RECORD PLUGGING "ASK ME WHY". TO FURTHER PLUG "ASK ME WHY", VEE-JAY ISSUED AN EXTREMELY LIMITED NUMBER OF THE PROMOTIONAL RECORDS IN A ONE-SIDED BLACK AND WHITE TITLE SLEEVE, THAT HAS THE OPEN END FOR THE RECORD TO SLIP IN ON THE BOTTOM EDGE, AND MANUFACTURED ON THIN, LIGHTWEIGHT DELICATE PAPER STOCK. AS THE DECISION WAS MADE TO FOCUS ON A SINGLE SONG, THE SPECIAL EP SLEEVE FEATURED ONLY "ASK ME WHY" AND DESCRIBED THE RECORD AS : "AN EP THAT IS SELLING LIKE A SINGLE . . . AT SINGLE RECORD PRICES". THE SLEEVE ALSO HAS THE PHRASE "STILL ONLY #8 IN SALES". FAB 4 COLLECTIBLES PROUDLY PRESENTS ONLY ITS SECOND OFFERING EVER OF THE VEE-JAY "ASK ME WHY" PROMOTIONAL TITLE SLEEVE, WHICH HAS UNDOUBTEDLY BECOME THE RAREST AND MOST VALUABLE OF ALL BEATLES RECORD SLEEVES AMONG THE COLLECTORS' WORLD. THE CONDITION ON THIS MOST RESPECTABLE EXAMPLE IS A SOLID AND TRUE NEAR MINT MINUS, AND IS TRULY REMARKABLE FOR SUCH A DELICATE SLEEVE AND THE THIN, LIGHTWEIGHT PAPER STOCK THAT WAS USED TO MANUFACTURE IT. THE SLEEVE LAYS NICE AND FLAT. THERE'S JUST A TOUCH OF HANDLING WEAR AND SLIGHT HINT OF FAINT RECORD IMPRESSION (ONLY AT THE BOTTOM OPENING EDGE) ARE EVIDENT. THE PRINTED GRAPHICS ON THE FRONT TITLE SIDE ARE BOLD, CRISP AND CLEAR. THE TOP AND SIDE EDGES ARE SHARP, AS ARE THE CORNERS. NO TEARS, SPLITS OR WRINKLES AT ALL. THE TONE OF THE SLEEVE OVERALL REMAINS A BRIGHT, CLEAN WHITE WITH NO YELLOWING ANYWHERE. THERE IS NO RING WEAR EVIDENT AT ALL. THE BLANK BACK OF THE SLEEVE REMAINS CLEAN WITH NO AGE YELLOWING WHATSOEVER, just simply two tiny, miniscule age spots that are hardly discernible.
ACCOMPANIED BY LETTER OF AUTHENTICITY FROM FAB 4
COLLECTIBLES.
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