A possible undocumented White album variation?

Ok Beatle experts, I'm trying to identify a copy of the White album that I bought used around 82. It is a UK pressing with glossy cover with the raised letters for "The Beatles" and the embossed number 0114893. It is SIDE OPENING. It has a protective sheet over the photos. The label Mfg. in UK and both the Stereo and Mono numbers are on the spine of the album, white inner sleeves. The matrix numbers are as follows;

Side 1 YEX 709-1 5 OOG
Side 2 YEX 710-1 0 GPT
Side 3 YEX 711-1 5 GPL
Side 4 YEX 712-1 1 GO and either 1.1 or H or L


I've check all sources and everything points to an early copy EXCEPT the Side opening and white inner sleeves.

 

Somebody must know something about this come on guys, fill me in.

 

Is it possible it's a swapped cover and inserts??

 

I'm curious about this myself. I doubt if it could be a swapped cover, swapped from what? Look at the low number on the cover itself? I saw one of these on ebay and have been talking with the seller trying to figure it out. Low number but side opening????

 

What would be wrong if EMI used one of their pressers with old plates? I really doubt, like Steve said, that they throw away everything.

I'm already convinced that some of the "Digitially Mastered" Beatles vinyl...is not. Betcha on some of the equipment, they just loaded older mothers and made stampers out of them again. It's cheaper! Eletrolosis in redundancy would be something a corporate entity would put a stop or slow to.

Iinteresting that we're unraveling more than what meets the eye.

 

BUMP, I want to see if anyone has the answer for low-number side opening UK.

 

It's a mid-1970s UK pressing. Nice, non-flipback, side-opening laminated cover. They started over again when numbering these. The mono and stereo catalog numbers on the spine stayed into the 1980s as I have an early 1980s UK stereo pressing like that. However, beginning with these early 1980s issues, the covers were no longer laminated...and the numbers on the front cover of the White Album were finally ditched. Your's is a pretty neat copy. Not a first pressing, but still with a laminated, numbered cover...and pretty nice sound.

 

Thanks, Arin

 

Arin is dead on. Take a look at the reverse of the white inner sleeves. If they are EMI issue, they'll have some EMI markings on the reverse, and (sometimes) a date, like 6/78 on either the bottom left or bottom right corner.

Let me know the results!

 

Thanks Arin, you have solved my mystery.

 

Hold the weddin'! I have four top openers- all have seven numbers. I have four numbered side openers, from a circa '69 with dark labels, black inners, and thick cover- to typical '70's light labels, and all have only six numbers. Could be an oddball press...

 

xios: Hold the weddin'! I have four top openers- all have seven numbers. I have four numbered side openers, from a circa '69 with dark labels, black inners, and thick cover- to typical '70's light labels, and all have only six numbers. Could be an oddball press..

Hmmm. Interesting thread.

The numbered side-opening variations of the UK White Album are not documented anywhere! I had searched high and low for information on these over the years but I never managed to come up with anything. The only documented UK White Albums are the original '68 numbered version and un-numbered side-opening reissues - nothing in between seems to have been documented.

The original UK White Album was, as we know, a top-opening set with laminated covers, embossed "The Beatles" and 7-digit number.

A couple of years back somebody I knew who had been collecting Beatles vinyl for far longer than I've even been on the planet once told me that he was certain the first side-opening numbered reissues appeared in late 1969 (which would concur with your LP's, xios). However, I was told that the reissues were initially 7-digit numbered, the same as the original release.

This would explain the copy Tommy has with the -1 matrix and the low 7-digit number, assuming the numbering system started again for the first reissues after the original issue had finished it's initial run.

As you say xios, this could be an oddball press but I'm not so sure. I have been recently been offered a mint condition numbered White Album by a dealer I know very well on a personal level. It is a reissue with side-opening jacket and white inners but it has dark Apple labels and 7 digits on the front (# 0111908). Thee matrix no's on the runout groove are the same as the LP Tommy described (i.e. YEX709/10/11/12 -1), which suggests this is a very early reissue.

I am actually beginning to think there could have been *TWO* different numbered side-opening reissues of the White Album in the UK - one with the 7 digits and then possibly a later re-run with 6-digits. The fact that your collection of no'd reissues have only 6 digits on each but some appear to have circa '69 labels is only confusing me even more

I'll do some detailed analysis of my various UK pressings and post my findings here.


Kipper

 

I guess whichever inner sleeves Tom's copy has would help pinpoint the vintage. Hey Kipper, I think I remember someone (maybe it was you) posting something about EMI ceasing the pressing of Beatles reissues for the first few years of the 1970s, and then resuming in 1973. That would explain the variation in the reissue copies xios has. The reissues with 6 digits and black inners would be the early reissues, and the 6-digit/white inners copies would be those released after EMI resumed pressing Beatles reissues in 1973.
Of course there's still Tom's side-opener with 7 digits. Maybe EMI switched to side-opening covers before they switched to the 6-digit numbering system. If Tom's copy has black inners and dark labels, this might be possible. Then again, if it has white inners and light labels, it's just downright frustrating!

 

Oops, just reread Tom's original post...white inners. I guess it's downright frustrating then! Geez, pinpointing original pressings is WAY easier than this!

 

The white inner sleeves have no date but are labeled emi in very small print in the bottom hight hand corner (hopefully I didn't change the inner sleeves at one time). I don't know what a "dark" vs "light" apple label is.

 

Arin/Tommy/Mike

I am now more confused than ever about the whole White Album reissue conundrum

Note the description of the reissue I was offered recently: side-opening jacket and white inners with dark Apple labels and *7* digits on the front (# 0111908). This seems to fit the same description as Tommy's LP would imply the copy Tommy has was possibly among the first batch when the jackets were switched to side-opening.

I've attached images of the 'dark' and 'light' Apple label below. Which one would you say your side-opening numbered LP label looks the most like? I've also attached an image of the *original* numbering style which is very different to my 70s numbered repress in terms of font and darkness (my 70s issue has darker numbering/letters and also thinner in style). How does it compare to your *reissue* copies Arin & Tommy?

Today I've been looking at the matrix no.'s on my UK LP's - from 1968-70 originals through to mid-80s repressings. I've also been looking at the different White Albums I have and will post my findings shortly.

I'm definitely developing a very unhealthy obsession with this


Kipper

 

Of course it helps if I actually remember to attach the images...

 

1 of 3. This is an original 'dark' Apple label

 

2 of 3. The 'light' Apple label.

 

3 of 3.

The *original 7 digit* no. style (sorry don't have an image of a 6-digit number)

 

White Album findings...

Earlier on today I dug out the following copies of the UK White Album:

1. Original '68 STEREO press - dark Green Apple labels with "Sold In UK..." text on label. The LP is #0324466 and is top-opening with black inner sleeves and all the inserts. The sleeve is the laminated type with two flipbacks inside (folded over at the top of the sleeve) and has the embossed "The BEATLES" on the front cover. The rear sleeve has the word 'Stereo' in the top right-hand corner - no other UK issues pre-digital have this.

Matrix no's (listed Side 1-4):

YEX 709-2
YEX 710-2
YEX 711-1
YEX 712-2


2. Reissue numbered STEREO pressing (exact year unknown at this stage). Dark-ish Green Apple labels, no "Sold..." obviously. The LP is numbered, #289615. It's side-opening with plain white inners and all the inserts.

Matrix no's:

YEX 709-1
YES 710-1
YEX 711-1
YEX 712-1

Now, I say "dark-ish" Apple labels because the label is definitely a little lighter (and brighter) in colour than the '68 original but still darker than my 80s mono reissue and 80s stereo reissues. The labels also just have the songs listed without the publishing credits after them, unlike the original label. The publishing credits appear underneath the song titles on this label.

The other key differences I noticed between this no'd reissue and the original LP:

The sleeve on this issue is also laminated (but without the flipbacks inside cover) and has the same 'crease' in the spine as the original '68 but the spine itself itself is a little thinner. The reissue has the same text on the spine but the text is a little darker than the original.

"The BEATLES" is not as prominent on the front cover - in fact it looks just a tiny bit smaller than on the original - and it doesn't have that heavily-embossed feel to it although if you run your fingers over it you can definitely feel the letters. In fact, looking at later pressings it is identical to to the words "The BEATLES" found on those (French 70s press, early 80s stereo, etc).

The number on the front jacket also differs. Apart from the obvious difference of being 6 instead of 7 digits, the typeface is noticeably different - it's smaller, darker in colour and definitely thinner in style - and also it's positioning is different. Instead of being angled down in the front right-hand corner, it is still placed over to the right but not as far over and is *almost* straight.

Perhaps the biggest surprise to me was the matrix no's. This reissue has a -1 matrix no. on all 4 sides whereas the original '68 copy has -1's and -2's. Either I've completely lost the plot with this (!) or there is some sane explanation!!!


3. French-pressed un-numbered STEREO reissue (c.mid-70s)

This LP was pressed in France for the UK market - French manufactured LP's put into UK sleeves. It has the same laminated sleeve style as the above UK no'd reissue, except it isn't numbered. The spine has the 'crease' but the text on the spine is lighter than the no'd reissue, in fact it's more like the UK '68 original.

The label on this issue is completely different in style to the above two variants - it's darker than the reissue and the design is different. Of course, it also has MADE IN FRANCE ALL BY PATHE-MARCONI and other text which differentiates it from a standard UK release.

The matrix no's are (again, much to my surprise):

YEX 709-1
YEX 710-1
YEX 711-1
YEX 712-1

What surprises me is that the vinyl on this issue is heavier than the UK reissue. I understood these "French-pressed" LP's to be from the mid-70s (sometime between '73 and '76). This LP is thicker and heavier than the no's reissue - in fact it's more like the original issue in this respect.

What I can't be sure of at all is whether or not the 6-digit no'd reissue came BEFORE or AFTER the French-pressed LP!

One theory is that, once LP's were reverted back to being pressed in the UK the numbering system was re-introduced. That would make sense if the French were using heavier vinyl than the Brits (hmmm!) because the no'd reissue IS thinner vinyl but why would EMI have stopped numbering them, only to start again??? Especially as - except for the number and the slight difference in text colour on the spine, the sleeves on this issue and the no'd reissue are virtually identical.

My theory is the UK no'd reissue MUST have come first and that the French were using thicker vinyl but that might not be the case of course...

4. STEREO un-numbered reissue - early 1980s
(c.1980/81 - judging by the dates on the inner sleeves, 12/80). This is actually my girlfriend's copy.

This LP has the same cover style as the no'd reissue and the French-pressed version except the spine doesn't have the 'crease' in the middle - it's a more "solid" spine type. The sleeve is laminated and I think Arin is right here, the laminated sleeves ran into the early 80s - other Beatles LP's from that time that I own have the laminated sleeves whereas mid-80s issues don't.

Here the Apple labels are most noticeably lighter and is quite obviously a later pressing - the dates on the inner also indicate this.

The matrix no's are:

YEX 709-1
YEX 710-3
YEX 711-1
YEX 712-2


5./6. STEREO mid-80s & MONO reissues (Stereo c.1986 going by the inner sleeve, Mono issue from 1982)

These LP's have completely different sleeves - they are not laminated at all and "The BEATLES" is just printed on the sleeve. The labels are light green Apple (like the '80 stereo) and they are VERY obviously later issues.

The mid-80s stereo matrix no's are:

YEX 709-50-1-2
YEX 710-6
YEX 711-2
YEX 712-3-1-2

I had a shock when I saw the matrix no. on this copy! -50! I've never seen a number that high before.

Phew! That's a pretty exhaustive exercise over with! Hopefully it's going to be of use to some of you guys, and I'd be interested to know how your reissues compare.

Of course the only thing I STILL haven't determined is just WHEN was my no'd reissue released?! And what about Arin's and Tommy's copies?!!

I'm sure between us we'll be able to work it out!!!


Cheers.

I'm off to have a beer...



Kipper

 

Re: White Album findings...

Nice detail, Kipper. Actually, I don't own a numbered White Album. My only copy of that title is a non-laminated cover reissue circa early-1980s, though it matches pretty closely what I've quoted from you above. While not laminated, the cover of this copy has "The BEATLES" embossed and is totally white rather than just printed in gray. I've seen (and heard) a number of UK copies and never picked up on the difference in the size of the numbers between UK original pressings and numbered reissues...interesting observation. FWIW, the matrix information on my early-1980s copy (at least I THINK it is) is as follows:

YEX 709-50-1-1
YEX 710-6
YEX 711-2
YEX 712-3-1-1

I did notice something about the inner sleeves. While the LPs were "Mfd. in U.K." and the cover was "Printed and made in Great Britain by Garrod and Lofthouse International Ltd.", the inner sleeves say "ENVELOPE MADE IN WEST GERMANY". I picked this up as part of a package of Beatles reissues several years ago from a fella who said he bought them in the early 1980s (which would seem plausible given the embossed, though non-laminated, cover of the White Album) and stashed them away. It's interesting that only the Apple reissues from this lot have German inners. The Parlophone reissues have UK inners. All of the covers are the G&L UK versions. It was a neat little lot as it was cheap as dirt and they were all essentially as new...nice play-'em-whenever-you-want-without-worry kind of copies.
At any rate, I guess it was around this time that EMI modified their matrix system as one can't make heads or tails of these copies using the old "GRAMOPHLTD" system. The only thing that's familiar are the old tape sequence prefixes/numbers. Oh well, cheap and easily-found copies with pretty decent all-analog sound...certainly better than the digitally-remastered pressings. I really oughta track down an earlier pressing one of these days.

 

Re: Re: White Album findings...

Sounds like your un-numbered White Album is from the same era as the girlfriend's copy. That's definitely a 1980/81 copy. Sounds identical. Compared to the mid-late 80s copies in my BC13's I'd say your copy IS laminated! Those later LP's in my BC13 have horrible, cheap looking covers. URGH!

Sorry, I got you confused with xios - he's the one with the variations of numbered side-openers. I've had a few beers since posting that long post - that's my excuse anyway

 

Kipper,

Do any of your laminated cover reissues have the white "Important Notice" inner sleeves? I have two laminated cover UK reissues each of "Abbey Road" and "Let It Be" from the mid-1970s that all have these inner sleeves with black printing. With regard to laminated sleeves, I suspect they ran into the early 1980s only to be replaced by the non-laminated variety. In other words, I think maybe both could be found at different times in the early 1980s. I say this as my laminated cover Apple pressings have those 1970s-style "Important Notice" inners where your laminated sleeve White Album copies seem to have the later style inners with dates. None of the "Important Notice" inners in either my mid-1970s Parlophone or Apple pressings have dates.

 

I'll check the inners for all of the reissues - the later ones have dates, I don't believe the early ones do. I'll post my finding on this - probably be tomorrow now.

I'm off to watch Back To The Future 3 on DVD as I've had a really full-on day of Beatles today!


Cheers

Kipper