A MAJESTIC FACTORY SEALED STEREO EXAMPLE.
VERY FIRST INITIAL PRESSING WITHOUT "PRODUCED BY GEORGE MARTIN"
EAST COAST PRESSING #3 COVER AND "BEATLES!" IN DARK BROWN PRINT.

LATE 1963 / EARLY 1964 "ROYAL BLUE" CAPITOL INNER DUST SLEEVE VISIBLE IN SEALED MOUTH

CONDITION: STILL SEALED
ITEM#: LP497
PRICE: ------

THIS SEALED EXAMPLE OF CAPITOL'S FIRST LANDMARK BEATLES ALBUM "MEET THE BEATLES!"  IS A WORLD-CLASS EXAMPLE, AND TRULY SPECTACULAR FROM CORNER TO CORNER. THE GRAPHICS AND COLORS ARE VIBRANT AND THE TONE OF THE COVER REMAINS BOLD AND BRIGHT. NO SPLITS, NO TEARS, NO RING WEAR. THE SPINE IS SOLID, FIRM AND THE PRINT LEGIBLE THROUGHOUT. ALL FOUR CORNERS ARE SHARP. THE BACK COVER IS CLEAN AND A VIBRANT WHITE.

THIS IS THE RARER STEREO EAST COAST, SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA PRESSING, INDICATED BY THE #3 FACTORY NUMBER ON THE BACK COVER IN THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER. STEREO COPIES OF BEATLES ALBUMS MANUFACTURED PRIOR TO 1966 ARE SIGNIFICANTLY RARER THAN THEIR MONO COUNTERPARTS. IT'S ESTIMATED THAT ONLY FIFTEEN PERCENT OF CAPITOL'S BEATLES ALBUMS MANUFACTURED PRIOR TO 1966 WERE STEREO.

THIS COVER IS THE VERY FIRST INITIAL JANUARY 1964 PRESSING, DICTATED BY THE BACK LINERS WITHOUT THE PHRASE "PRODUCED BY GEORGE MARTIN" CREDIT PRINT IN THE LOWER LEFT CORNER (CAP2047.SC1A, SPIZER). THE PRODUCING CREDIT WAS ADDED JUST A MONTH LATER IN LATE FEBRUARY 1964. FURTHERMORE, THE FRONT COVER SLICK IS THE FIRST EAST COAST ISSUE THAT HAS "BEATLES!" IN DARK BROWN PRINT. THE VERY IMPORTANT "STEREO NEEDLE DAMAGE" INFO DISCLAIMER PRINT IS ALSO EVIDENT ALONG THE BOTTOM EDGE OF THE BACK COVER. THERE ARE 2 FACTORY SHRINK "BREATH HOLES" EVIDENT ON THE FRONT. THE COVER HAS AN EXTREMELY TIGHT SEAL. THE MOUTH OPENING IS SEALED TIGHTLY WITH NO BREAKS AT ALL.

BARELY VISIBLE THROUGH THE TIGHTLY SEALED MOUTH OPENING, IS THE LATE 1963 / EARLY 1964 "ROYAL BLUE" CAPITOL INNER DUST ADVERTISEMENT SLEEVE. THIS FACTOR, ALONG WITH THE #3 COVER, MAKES IT A VERY HIGH PROBABILITY THAT THE DISC ENCLOSED IN THE SEALED COVER, HAS THE ULTRA-RARE VERY FIRST 'RUSH' LABELS WITHOUT THE "BMI"/"ASCAP" PUBLISHING CREDITS.

THIS IMMACULATE STILL SEALED COPY OF CAPITOL'S FIRST AND ICONIC BEATLES ALBUM RELEASE, DISPLAYS AS THOUGH IT JUST EMERGED FROM THE SCRANTON FACTORY.