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| CURRENT INVENTORY / VEE-JAY PROMOTIONAL 45 SINGLES / | VIEW CART |
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"SOUVENIR OF THEIR VISIT TO AMERICA" VEE-JAY EXTENDED PLAY (EP) PROMOTIONAL RECORD VEE-JAY E1-903 ISSUED: 3/23/64
WITH "ASK ME WHY" HIGHLIGHTED SONG TITLE
IN LARGER AND BOLDER PRINT ON SIDE 2 |
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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." PROMOTIONAL RECORDS WERE DISTRIBUTED FOR FREE IN ORDER TO PROMOTE A RECORDING THAT WOULD BE COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. "PROMO" RECORDS WERE SENT DIRECTLY TO BROADCASTERS, SUCH AS RADIO STATION DISC JOCKEYS, AND AT TIMES, MUSIC JOURNALISTS IN ADVANCE OF THE RELEASE OF COMMERCIAL "STOCK COPY" ISSUES, IN THE HOPE THAT AIRPLAY, REVIEWS, AND OTHER FORMS OF EXPOSURE WILL RESULT AND STIMULATE THE PUBLIC'S INTEREST IN THE COMMERCIAL RELEASE. BECAUSE PROMOTIONAL RECORDS WERE PRODUCED IN SMALLER QUANTITY THAN RELEASES THAT WERE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, THEY ARE CONSIDERED EXTREMELY VALUABLE, FOR THEY WERE NEVER RELEASED IN RECORD STORES. OFFERED HERE IS THE VEE-JAY EXTENDED PLAY (EP)
BLUE AND WHITE LABEL "PROMOTIONAL COPY".
THIS LABEL VARIATION LISTS "SIDE 1" AND "SIDE 2" AND
HAS "ASK ME WHY" IN LARGER AND BOLDER PRINT THAN THE OTHER TITLES.
(VJEP903.DJ2B, SPIZER).
THIS STYRENE DISC WAS MANUFACTURED BY MONARCH, AND WERE DISTRIBUTED
WITHOUT THE SPECIAL CARDBOARD JACKETS (WHICH ONLY ACCOMPANIED THE STOCK COPIES). THIS PROMO COPY IS ACCOMPANIED BY IT'S ORIGINAL 1964 VEE-JAY "LEFT & RIGHT BRACKETS" RECORD SLEEVE (VJ RS.03, SPIZER). IT HAS THE PHRASE "SINGLES OF SIGNIFICANCE" AND DIFFERS FROM THE OTHER VEE-JAY SLEEVE BY HAVING THE SEVEN BRACKETS LOGOS FORMING THE BORDER OF BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE OF THE SLEEVE. THE PAPER STOCK AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE SLEEVE ALSO VARIES FROM THE ONE COLUMN BRACKETS SLEEVE. IT LOOKS AND FEELS LIKE A PAPER BAG. THIS SLEEVE IS MUCH LESS COMMON THAN THE ONE COLUMN BRACKETS SLEEVE. THE CONDITION OF THE SLEEVE IS VG+++.
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