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"THE BEATLES & FRANK IFIELD ON STAGE"
'PORTRAIT COVER'
VEE-JAY VJ 1085, MONO
RELEASED: 9/18/64

COVER REMAINS IN ORIGINAL DISTRIBUTOR LEVEL BAGGY WRAP

CONDITION: NM / NM- (VG+++)
ITEM#: LP559
PRICE: $8,500

DESCRIPTION
(ACTUAL IMAGES)

THE RAREST OF THE VEE-JAY BEATLES ALBUMS IS THE SECOND AND VERY LIMITED PRESSING OF "THE BEATLES & FRANK IFIELD ON STAGE". BECAUSE OF POOR SALES ON THE ORIGINAL RELEASE "JOLLY WHAT!" LP ALBUM , THE SOLUTION WAS TO REPACKAGE THE ALBUM IN SUCH A WAY AS TO FOCUS ON THE ALBUM'S STRENGTHS AND DOWNPLAY ITS WEAKNESSES. THE REISSUE COVER FEATURES THE STRIKING PORTRAIT OF THE BEATLES PREVIOUSLY USED ON THE TOLLIE "LOVE ME DO" 45 SINGLE PICTURE SLEEVE. THE BEATLES SONGS ARE PROMINENTLY LISTED ON THE COVER. THERE ARE BOTH MONO AND STEREO VERSIONS OF THIS COVER, WHICH IS KNOWN AMONG COLLECTORS AS THE "PORTRAIT COVER". ON THE BACK COVER, BOTH USE THE SAME LINER NOTES SLICK FROM THE FIRST ISSUE OF "JOLLY WHAT!".

UNFORTUNATELY, NO DOCUMENTS REGARDING THE "PORTRAIT COVER" HAVE SURFACED. WHAT IS KNOWN IS THAT THIS ALBUM IS EXTREMELY RARE. IN ALL LIKELIHOOD, ONLY A FEW THOUSAND MONO AND A FEW HUNDRED STEREO COPIES WERE SOLD. ISN'T IT IRONIC THAT AN ALBUM VEE-JAY COULD NOT GIVE AWAY IN 1964 HAS BECOME SO SOUGHT AFTER BY COLLECTORS ATTRACTED TO ITS BEAUTIFUL COVER AND COLORFUL HISTORY ? DUE TO THE ALBUMS POOR SALES PERFORMANCE, EVEN THE MONO VERSION OF THE PORTRAIT COVER IS DIFFICULT TO FIND AND COMMANDS A HIGH PRICE AMONG COLLECTORS.

BOTH THE MONO AND STEREO VERSIONS OF THIS ALBUM ARE TWO OF THE RAREST AND MOST COLLECTABLE OF ALL BEATLES RECORDS. THIS MONO "PORTRAIT COVER" IN IT'S MOST OUTSTANDING CONDITION IS ONE OF THE CORNERSTONE RECORDS NEEDED TO COMPLETE ANY SERIOUS COLLECTION OF THE BEATLES AMERICAN RECORDS.

THIS MOST OUTSTANDING MONAURAL PRESSING OF THE RARE "THE BEATLES & FRANK IFIELD ON STAGE" IS ONE OF THE VERY BEST THAT HAS SURFACED IN RECENT YEARS. THE COVER IS IN SUPERB NEAR MINT CONDITION AND STILL REMAINS IN ITS ORIGINAL DISTRIBUTOR LEVEL BAGGY WRAP, WITH ONE BAGGY "BREATH HOLE" EVIDENT ON THE FRONT. THE BAGGY IS COMPLETELY INTACT FROM CORNER TO CORNER AND THE "PORTRAIT COVER" BENEATH THE BAGGY REMAINS IN AMAZING CLEAN AND BRILLIANT CONDITION, AND THE BOLD, STRIKING COLORS REMAIN SO VERY STRIKING. OUR GRADING OF AN OVERALL NEAR MINT FOR THE COVER IS TRUE, AND THERE IS NO RINGWEAR TO BE FOUND ANYWHERE, AND NO SPLITS. THE SPINE IS TREMENDOUSLY SOLID AND THE PRINT IS COMPLETELY LEGIBLE AND CLEAR THROUGHOUT. THE BACK COVER REMAINS A SHINY AND CLEAN "WHITE" WITH ONE BAGGY TEAR NEAR THE RIGHT SIDE CENTER, WITH NO AFFECT TO THE COVER WHATSOEVER. THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER TIP HAS A TOUCH OF WEAR DUE TO THE BAGGY BEING PULLED BACK A TOUCH. THESE ARE THE ONLY ISSUES ON THIS STUPENDOUS COVER.

THE SPINE PRINT AND THE ¼" CONSTRUCTION FLAPS AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE INSIDE COVER near the mouth opening ends ARE INDEED PRESENT. THESE TWO FACTORS CONFIRM THE CONCRETE GENUINE LEGITIMACY AND AUTHENTICITY OF THIS VEE-JAY RECORDS MONO "PORTRAIT COVER".

THE COVER IS ACCOMPANIED BY ITS BEAUTIFUL NEAR MINT MINUS (VG+++) MONAURAL DISC, FEATURING THE COLORBAND AND OVAL LOGO LABEL VARIATION. THE LABELS HAVE LEFT JUSTIFIED ARTIST-ONLY CREDITS AND THE ALBUM NUMBER 'VJLP 1085' IS LOCATED AT THE 9 O'CLOCK POSITION. THE TRAIL-OFF MARKINGS ON BOTH SIDES CONTAIN THE MACHINE STAMPED "MR" IN A CIRCLE AND AUDIO MATRIX LOGOS, WHICH INDICATE THAT THE DISC WAS PRESSED BY MONARCH RECORDS. (VJ1085.MR1, SPIZER). THE RECORD RETAINS A GLORIOUS SHEEN TO THE DEEP GROOVES AND DISPLAYS VERY MINIMAL PLAY TIME. THE LABELS REMAINS GLOSSY AND CLEAN, WITH VERY MINIMAL AND LIGHT SPINDLE MARKS ON SIDE ONE ONLY. EACH SIDE HAS A LIGHT SUPERFICIAL LINE EVIDENT ACROSS THE GROOVES WITH NO AFFECT TO THE SOUND..

THE ORIGINAL VEE-JAY RECORDS "AD BACK" INNER DUST SLEEVE IN NEAR CONDITION (WITH NO SPLITS) IS ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS MAGNIFICENT SET.