ULTRA-RARE COVER VARIATION:
LOW-GLOSS 'POWDER COAT' FLAT FINISH BACK COVER SLICK
AND ALSO INCLUDES THE MEGA-RARE COLORBAND AND BRACKETS LOGO LABELS

CONDITION: VG+++ (NM-) / VG+++ (NM-)
ITEM#: LP522
PRICE: ------

THERE ARE THREE DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT VARIATIONS TO THE MONO AND STEREO BACK COVERS TO VERSION ONE OF "INTRODUCING THE BEATLES". IN ITS FIRST INCARNATION, THE BACK COVER SERVES AS AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR 25 OF VEE-JAY'S "OTHER FINE ALBUMS OF SIGNIFICANT INTEREST", THUS BEING TAGGED THE "AD BACK" COVER AMONG THE COLLECTOR'S WORLD. THE SECOND VARIATION OF THE "INTRODUCING THE BEATLES" BACK COVER IS ALSO SHROUDED IN MYSTERY AND SPECULATION LIKE THAT OF ITS PREDECESSOR, THE "AD BACK", AND IS AT THE OTHER SPECTRUM - A GLOSSY BLANK WHITE SLICK. THIS VARIATION IS KNOWN AMONG COLLECTORS AS THE "BLANK BACK" COVER. THE BLANK BACK WAS A LIMITED AND SHORT TRANSITIONAL RUN THAT WAS A SUBSTITUTION AFTER ALL "AD BACK" SLICKS HAD BEEN USED, BUT JUST PRIOR TO THE RECEIPT OF THE THIRD BACK COVER THAT LISTED THE SONG TITLES.

THIS THIRD BACK COVER IS MUCH MORE CONVENTIONAL, AND ALTHOUGH IT HAS NO LINER NOTES OR PICTURES, IT DOES LIST THE SONG TITLES IN THICK BLACK PRINT IN TWO COLUMNS. THIS BORING AND FINAL COVER VARIATION, REFERRED TO AS  THE "TITLES ON BACK" COVER, IS CLEARLY THE RESULT OF VEE-JAY'S DESIRE TO GET THE ALBUM ISSUED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. IT IS LIKELY THAT ALL THREE COVER VARIATIONS WERE ASSEMBLED WITHIN WEEKS OR EVEN DAYS OF EACH OTHER AND WERE ISSUED AT THE SAME TIME IN JANUARY OF 1964. BY THE TIME VEE-JAY RESUMED TAKING ORDERS FOR "INTRODUCING THE BEATLES" IN THE SECOND WEEK OF FEBRUARY 1964, DUE TO THE LEGAL COMPLICATIONS WITH CAPITOL RECORDS, AND ONCE THE LEGALITIES HAD CLEARED, THE COMPANY HAD DECIDED TO REISSUE THE ALBUM WITH "PLEASE PLEASE ME" AND "ASK ME WHY" REPLACING "LOVE ME DO " AND "P.S. I LOVE YOU". THIS HELPED CREATE THE VERSION TWO RELEASE.

PRESENTED AND OFFERED HERE IS THE ULTRA RARE MONO VERSION ONE "INTRODUCING THE BEATLES" ALBUM COVER THAT FEATURES AN EXTREMELY RARE COVER VARIATION OF WHICH THE "TITLES ON COVER" BACK SLICK DOES NOT HAVE THE COMMON GLOSS FINISH, BUT RATHER A FLAT FINISH, KNOWN AS A 'POWDER COAT'. ADDITIONALLY, THE ¼" FLAPS AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE INSIDE COVER ARE NOT PRESENT.

ONLY SEVERAL OF THESE RARE COVERS HAVE SURFACED TO DATE, AND ACCOMPANIED BY THE VEE-JAY COLORBAND AND BRACKETS LOGO STYLE LABELS. (VJ1062(1).MR3A, SPIZER). PRESSED BY ARC, IT HAS LEFT JUSTIFIED SONG TITLES AND INDENTED CREDITS WITH "INTRODUCING the BEATLES" (THE WORD "THE" IN LOWER CASE), AND ALSO THE WORDS "MICROGROOVE" AND "LONG PLAYING". THE TRAIL-OFF AREAS TO THIS RECORD HAVE HAND ETCHED MARKINGS: "AB", THE MATRIX NUMBERS 63-3402 AND THE DATE 1-10-64 ON SIDE ONE; "A11", THE MATRIX NUMBER 63-3403 AND THE DATE 1-11-64 ON SIDE TWO; AND "ARC" ON BOTH SIDES. ONLY 4,925 ARC DISCS WITH THE BRACKETS LOGO REPRESENT ONLY ABOUT 6% OF THE TOTAL MONO VERSION ONE RECORDS PRESSED, THUS EXPLAINING THEIR RELATIVE SCARCITY AND HIGH VALUE IN THE COLLECTOR'S MARKET.

THIS RARE COVER ON THIS EXAMPLE IS IN BEAUTIFUL AND MOST SOLID VG+++ CONDITION WHICH BORDERS STRONGLY ON NEAR MINT MINUS. THE FRONT COVER IS STUNNING WITH ONLY MINIMAL RUB WEAR AT THE BOTTOM EDGE CENTER. THERE IS NO RINGWEAR OR RECORD IMPRESSION ANYWHERE ON THIS COVER. THE SPINE AND SEAMS ARE ALL INTACT AND SOLID. THE RECORD IS FULL OF DEEP LUSTER WITH  SHIMMERING GROOVES. THE VINYL GRADES A VG+++ TO NEAR MINT MINUS, AND THE ULTRA RARE BRACKETS LOGO LABELS GRADE A STUNNING NEAR MINT.

THE RECORD ALSO HAS THE ORIGINAL RED BORDER VEE-JAY "THE REALLY GREAT RECORDED TALENT IS ON VJ" INNER DUST SLEEVE INCLUDED.

ACCOMPANIED BY A LETTER OF AUTHENTICITY FROM PERRY COX, BEATLES U.S. RECORDS EXPERT AND AUTHOR OF "THE BEATLES RECORD PRICE GUIDE" SERIES OF BOOKS.