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Tracklisting & More Information
This legendary first Beatles album was released on Friday 22nd March 1963 on the Parlophone label. It topped the charts on 11th May 1963 where it stayed for 30 weeks until it was knocked off the number one spot by 'With The Beatles'. Much of the album was recorded in just one day, under the guidance of George Martin. Unusually the mono edition was issued six weeks before the stereo copies. At the time of release of the album the design of the Parlophone label was in a transition period. The label was being changed from a black and gold design to a black and yellow design. Very few mono copies of Please Please Me were issued with the black and gold labels and have become highly sought after by collectors and when found they are usually in average condition at best due to the amount of parties they were taken to.
The Beatles FIRST official L.P. release. For the ONLY time, the mono version was issued 6 weeks BEFORE the stereo version.
This album contained the "A" and "B" sides of their first two singles, plus ten new songs ALL recorded in one incredible session at Abbey Road. The session cost just £400 and lasted 16 hours.
The album took exactly 6 months to pass the sales figure of 250,000, and went on to sell over half-a-million in the U.K. with world sales of almost two million.
It still holds the record for the longest continuous stay at number 1.
The cover photo was taken at EMI's Manchester Sq. headquarters by Angus McBean, and the sleeve notes are by Tony Barrow.
Whilst trying to think of catchy names for their first album release, George Martin offered the title, "Off The Beatle Track", but this was bypassed. Mr. Martin clearly liked the name, and used it himself in 1964.
MONO/STEREO DIFFERENCES
"Please Please Me" The stereo version has John making a mistake in the words of the final verse, which causes him to chuckle in the final chorus ... these are NOT heard in the mono version
Condition
The labels are in fantastic condition. There is no excessive spindle wear, just a few light scuff marks, nor any writing on either side of the labels - just one small sticker residue mark, the gold print is striking and clearly legible. This is a very presentable looking example fit for museum purposes!
This is the second batch first press with 'Northern Songs Ltd' label publishing credit for the songs I Saw Her Standing There, Misery, Do You Want To Know A Secret & There's A Place, but retains the "Dick James Mus. Co" credit for Please Please Me & Ask Me Wht. There is no tax code visible by the spindle hole either side of the label.
The matrices are machine stamped in the run-outs & read:
Side One: XEX 421-1N
Side Two: XEX 422-1N
Sleeve -
The "Emitex" inner is present & correct & free of any writing or tears.
The front of the Ernest J Day laminated flipback picture sleeve is in Very Good condition with rich, vibrant colours & no fading. It features a large MONO logo on the far right hand side of the sleeve. The spine is legible & a nice off white with no laminate chips. The front laminate is nice & clean & reveals only the very lightest laminate crease with just a few tiny paper marks, very little in the way of any creasing, with just a couple of faint indentations. The four corners & edges show minimal shelf wear with just some corner scuffs.
The rear of the sleeve benefits from having secure flipbacks [three flipbacks in total with one along the spine], there is some correction fluid in the bottom left corner, which we guess covers some writing, otherwise has just the general discolouration to confirm its age, and has a vintage shop sticker at the top.
The 'Printed & Made by Ernest J. Day' text is clearly visible along the bottom flip. There are no signs of paper loss, which is remarkable for this album's jacket. Very nice indeed & all firmly within the Very Good grade.
The Labels:
Vinyl -
Both sides of the disc have been professionally cleaned & play tested. The electrifying second side of the record had none of the usual heavy 'burring' associated sometimes with 'Twist & Shout'. The sound is loud & bright with no distortion or jumps. Visually there are multiple marks, paper hairlines & the odd light scratch apparent on both sides, but all are obviously surface & mostly cosmetic, with the deep grooves & superior quality of sixties vinyl negating their effect. These early pressings are the real deal - before mass production got involved. The disc is graded Very Good & playback reveals some light background surface during the quieter sections with a couple of occasional light clicks on rotation to be expected - nothing excessive and nothing to spoil the listening experience. This is a great looking example & always in demand as a future investable. It all started here folks!
Tracklisting
1. I Saw Her Standing There
2. Misery
3. Anna (Go To Him)
4. Chains
5. Boys
6. Ask Me Why
7. Please Please Me
8. Love Me Do
9. P.S. I Love You
10. Baby It's You
11. Do You Want To Know A Secret
12. A Taste Of Honey
13. There's A Place
14. Twist And Shout
LP RECORD
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