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YESTERDAY AND TODAY
CAPITOL T-2553 MONO, RELEASED: 6/15/66
BUTCHER COVER
FIRST STATE
FACTORY #6 - LOS ANGELES, CA.

CONDITION: NM- / NM
ITEM#: BC340
PRICE: ------

DESCRIPTION
THE ORIGINAL COVER TO "YESTERDAY AND TODAY" CAUSED QUITE A STIR WHEN IT MADE ITS LIMITED APPEARANCE IN JUNE 1966. IT MARKED THE FIRST TIME THAT THE BEATLES JUDGMENT WAS SEVERELY AND UNIVERSALLY CRITICIZED. THE CONTROVERSIAL COVER DEPICTED THE BEATLES IN WHITE BUTCHER SMOCKS SURROUNDED BY SLABS OF MEAT AND DECAPITATED BABY DOLLS.

CAPITOL RECORDS PROCEEDED WITH THE PRESSING, PACKAGING AND SHIPPING OF 750,000 COPIES TO ITS DISTRIBUTORS. THE RESPONSE WAS IMMEDIATE AND UNIFORMLY NEGATIVE, AND FORCED CAPITOL'S PRESIDENT ALAN LIVINGSTON, TO PULL THE PLUG ON THE BUTCHER. A MASSIVE RECALL WAS QUICKLY FORMULATED AND SET INTO MOTION SO THAT ALL COPIES OF THE ALBUM WERE TO BE RETURNED AND A REPLACEMENT FRONT SLICK WAS TO BE PASTED OVER THE "OFFENSIVE" BUTCHER COVER, ALTHOUGH THOUSANDS OF THE BUTCHER COVERS WERE ALREADY DESTROYED BY CAPITOL'S JACKSONVILLE, ILLINOIS PLANT. ONCE THE RECALL DECISION WAS MADE, CAPITOL BEGAN PREPARING THE REPLACEMENT COVER FOR THE 750,000 RECORDS THAT HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THE BUTCHER COVER JACKETS. THE NEW "PASTE OVER" SLICK SHOWED THE BEATLES STANDING AROUND A STEAMER TRUNK (WITH PAUL INSIDE) AND THIS CAME TO BE KNOWN AS THE "TRUNK COVER".

FAB 4 COLLECTIBLES OFFERS HERE THIS MOST STUNNING MONAURAL FIRST STATE BUTCHER COVER - THE ALBUM AS ORIGINALLY RELEASED AND PRIOR TO THE RECALL. IT IS TRULY A GORGEOUS SURVIVING FIRST STATE EXAMPLE OF A LOS ANGELES PRESSING. IN PERSON, THIS COVER IS A REAL BEAUTY.

THE CONDITION OF THIS BUTCHER COVER SLICK ITSELF IS AN EXEMPLARY BRILLIANT AND SHARP NEAR MINT, WITH NO BLEMISHES AT ALL. THE GRAPHICS AND IMAGES REMAIN BOLD, WITH DEEP COLORS AND RICH, VIBRANT CLARITY. THE CONDITION OF THE OVERALL COVER RATES A NEAR MINT MINUS WITH THE FOLLOWING ISSUES: MINOR TIP WEAR ON THE UPPER AND LOWER RIGHT CORNERS. FINALLY, THERE IS SOME WEAR TO THE EDGE ALONG THE MOUTH OPENING AT THE VERY BOTTOM AREA OF THE COVER ADJACENT TO RINGO'S KNEE, MEASURING ONLY APPROXIMATELY 1¾". THERE ARE NO SEAM SPLITS, RIPS OR TEARS.

THE BACK COVER REMAINS A CLEAN "BRIGHT" WHITE - NO RINGWEAR, NO SPOTTING, YET HAS THE TYPICAL LINE OF FAINT YELLOWING ALONG THE EDGE OF THE MOUTH OPENING.

THE SPINE IS PERFECTLY CENTERED, SOLID, FIRM AND LEGIBLE. THE COVER LAYS PERFECTLY FLAT.

THIS FIRST STATE MONAURAL LOS ANGELES #6 COVER IS ACCOMPANIED BY IT'S MATCHING WEST COAST RECORD, GRADED IN GLIMMERING NEAR MINT CONDITION WHICH TRULY APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN PLAYED ONCE THEN STORED, ALONG WITH IT'S ORIGINAL CAPITOL '66 ORANGE INNER SLEEVE.

AS AN ADDED ATTRACTION, A COPY OF THE CAPITOL RECORDS ORIGINAL "RECALL LETTER" THAT WENT OUT TO ALL DISTRIBUTORS & PROMOTERS ON JUNE 14, 1966 - IS ALSO INCLUDED.

HERE IS A HIGH RESOLUTION CLOSE-UP SCAN OF THE FRONT COVER'S CENTER AREA.
THE QUALITY AND CLARITY OF THIS COVER IS MARVELOUS: