"A COLLECTION OF BEATLES OLDIES"
PARLOPHONE PCS 7016, STEREO
RELEASED 12/9/66

ITEM#: PAR297
PRICE: -----

IN OCTOBER OF 1966, BRIAN EPSTEIN INFORMED EMI THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE BEATLES CAREER, THE GROUP WOULD NOT HAVE AN ALBUM OF NEW MATERIAL FOR THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SEASON. THE PREVIOUS YEAR THE BEATLES HAD DELIVERED THEIR GROUNDBREAKING RUBBER SOUL LP AND A DOUBLE A-SIDE SINGLE DESPITE WAITING UNTIL OCTOBER 12 TO START RECORDING. BUT THIS YEAR THERE WOULD BE NO MIRACULOUS MUSICAL MARATHON. THE MOST EMI COULD HOPE FOR WAS THE GROUP COMING TOGETHER TO RECORD A SINGLE IN TIME FOR THE CHRISTMAS TRADE. IN ORDER TO FILL THE VOID, EMI TURNED TO ITS ARCHIVES, AND GEORGE MARTIN BEGAN PREPARING THE ALBUM IN LATE OCTOBER 1966. THIS MARKED THE FIRST TIME EMI ATTEMPTED A BEATLES HITS LP, AND THIS 16 TRACK "OLDIES" LP FEATURES MOST OF THE GROUP'S MAJOR HITS AND ONE NEW TRACK BAD BOY, WHICH WAS UNRELEASED UNTIL NOW.

THE FRONT ALBUM COVER FEATURES A DRAWING BY DAVID CHRISTIAN. ITS BRIGHT COLORS AND MOD IMAGERY PORTRAY THE SWINGING SIXTIES. THE BACK COVER FEATURES A COLOR PHOTO OF THE GROUP TAKEN IN THEIR HOTEL SUITE IN TOKYO, JAPAN, BY ROBERT WHITAKER ON JUNE 30, DURING THE BEATLES 1966 WORLD TOUR. THE PICTURE IS FLIPPED AND PRINTED IN REVERSE. THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S NAME IS MISSPELLED IN THE BACK COVER CREDITS AS 'WHITTAKER".

BRITISH STEREO PRESSINGS ARE MUCH RARER THAN MONO, FOR RECORD COMPANIES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM PRESSED RECORDS ON THEIR DEMAND. THE MARKET FOR STEREO POP RECORDS WERE COMPARATIVELY MINIMAL AS TO MONO AND THESE EARLY STEREO PRESSINGS ARE SOME OF THE RAREST BEATLES RECORDS YOU CAN FIND. MONAURAL OUTNUMBERED STEREO BY A TEN TO ONE RATIO, AND FOR THE POP MARKET, THAT NUMBER MAY BE QUITE LITERALLY 100 TO 1, FOR SO FEW WERE PRESSED.

THIS COVER IS THE VERY FIRST ISSUED, WHICH WAS MANUFACTURED BY ERNEST J. DAY, HAVING THE "STEREO" DESIGNATION PRINTED IN THE DRAWING ON THE FRONT COVER IN THE UPPER RIGHT CORNER (PAR 7016.SC1B, SPIZER). THE BACK COVER HAS "PSC 7016" AND A STEREO EQUIPMENT WARNING IN THE UPPER RIGHT CORNER.

THIS INITIAL STEREO PRESSING HAS THE BLACK AND YELLOW PARLOPHONE LABELS WITH GRAMOPHONE PERIMETER PRINT AND THE "SOLD IN THE U.K." PRINT ACROSS THE LABEL ABOVE THE SPINDLE HOLE. THIS LABEL VARIATION HAS THE SONG TITLES IN WIDE FONT WITH SERIFS, AND THE "STEREO" PRINT IS THE LARGER FONT STYLE AND IS PLACED ABOVE THE "ONE" IN THE WORD "PARLOPHONE" (PAR 7016.SR1B, SPIZER).

THE TRAIL OFF STAMPINGS ARE: SIDE ONE: ""YEX 619-1G" & "GM". SIDE 2: "YEX 620-1G" & "3" & "GA".
THE SIDE ONE LABEL ALSO HAS THE RAISED LETTER TAX CODES, "K" AND "T".

THE CONDITION OF THE COVER IS A SOLID NEAR MINT MINUS WITH ALL SEAMS FIRM, NO RINGWEAR, AND MINIMAL HANDLING. THE SPINE IS MERE PERFECTION. THERE IS NO 'TONING' AT ALL ON THE BACK COVER. THE CONDITION OF THE RECORD IS A SUPER NEAR MINT VINYL, AND NEAR MINT LABELS. THIS RECORD HAS NOT SEEN MUCH PLAY TIME. SIMPLY STUNNING AND TRUE GLEAMING NEAR MINT.

THIS STEREO SET OFFERED HERE IS A WONDERFUL EXAMPLE OF EMI'S COMPILATION RELEASE, SQUEEZED IN BETWEEN REVOLVER AND THE MASTERPIECE SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND. THE BEATLES SHOWED NO ENTHUSIASM TOWARDS THIS "COLLECTION" ALBUM, WHICH WAS PUT TOGETHER WITHOUT THEIR INPUT AND WAS ISSUED AT A TIME THE GROUP WAS BREAKING AWAY FROM THEIR FAB FOUR MOP TOP DAYS.

ACCOMPANIED BY THE ORIGINAL 1966-67 EMI PROTECTIVE SLEEVE FEATURING BURGUNDY COLORED IMAGES OF OTHER ALBUMS AVAILABLE ON EMI LABELS, AND THE 'EMITEX' PRINTING ACROSS THE BOTTOM EDGE ON ONE SIDE.