Beatles 1987 cd Packaging and Manufacture Questions in USA

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by RnRmf, Aug 21, 2017.

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  1. RnRmf

    RnRmf Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Orlando, FL and NJ
    I didn't buy the Beatles 1987 compact discs upon release. I've been buying compact discs since 85/86 but didn't get the Beatles, upon release, for whatever reason.

    I'm thinking about picking up a couple of the 1987 issues to compare with the 2009 remasters.

    It has me questioning how the 1987 Beatles compact discs were packaged for sale in the United States.

    I DO NOT recall longbox issues of the Beatles compact discs in my local record store/s. The first time I specifically remember seeing longboxes of Beatles compact discs was in Costco in the late 90's or early 2000's. Yet, I see longboxes with "made in germany" stickers on the back which lead me to believe there were early (first?) pressings packaged and distributed in longboxes.

    So my questions are... Were all released 1987 Beatles titles distributed in longboxes in the USA? Were all the first issues made in Germany? Did this include the numbered "White" cd set?
    Was "White" originally in a fat double case or two single cases in a longbox?

    Thanks in Advance for the answers!
     
  2. mikeja75

    mikeja75 Forum Resident

    Location:
    U.S.
    I bought them all the day that they came out in the US and they were all in longboxes.

    My White Album CD is two separate discs in two standard jewel cases -- it was not in a fat boy case. Both of the single cases were in the same standard longbox.
     
  3. curbach

    curbach Some guy on the internet

    Location:
    The ATX
    Yes, they all came in long boxes. No, they weren't all made in Germany.
     
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  4. applebonkerz

    applebonkerz Senior Member

    All of mine came in long boxes... what they said. ^^^
     
    musicfan37 likes this.
  5. RnRmf

    RnRmf Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Orlando, FL and NJ
    Thanks. Was it a numbered edition?
     
  6. Thievius

    Thievius Blue Oyster Cult-ist

    Location:
    Syracuse, NY
    This exactly.

    And to answer your second question, the white album did have a number which was located on the cover of the booklet for CD 1.
     
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  7. RnRmf

    RnRmf Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Orlando, FL and NJ
    Great info. Thanks.

    Besides Germany, what other countries were represented by the early pressings distributed in the USA?
     
  8. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Good question.
    All I've seen for first run US 87's have been DADC, Capitol JAX and W Germany for US (PDO)
    Early mid 90's using 87 mastering's I've seen were EMI MFG's
     
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  9. curbach

    curbach Some guy on the internet

    Location:
    The ATX
    I don't think mine has a number, but I'll have to doublecheck. I'm think I got it sometime in 1988. . .
     
  10. JamesD1957

    JamesD1957 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cypress, Texas
    All of mine were in long boxes. Wish I'd kept the boxes, but I'm definitely keeping the CD's!
     
  11. Mr_Vinyl

    Mr_Vinyl Forum Resident

    In Canada, one or two of them were made in Japan. I can't specifically remember which ones, but I think it was Help and Rubber Soul, or Rubber Soul and Revolver.
     
    Bingo Bongo likes this.
  12. curbach

    curbach Some guy on the internet

    Location:
    The ATX
    I seem to recall the Sgt Pepper long box had the cutouts from the original lp (or is my mind playing tricks on me?)
     
  13. davers

    davers Forum Resident

    There are also a couple of JVC Japan for US pressings of some of the early titles.

    There are US PDO pressings at least from Revolver forward, recognizable by the silver-to-center inner hub (these are the least common in my experience).
     
    fortherecord and c-eling like this.
  14. PhoffiFozz

    PhoffiFozz Forum Resident

    It did on the back.
     
  15. npgchris

    npgchris Forum Resident

    Yes, they did indeed. For that reason, I saved that longbox, and still have it to this day. I wished I'd saved the other ones, but didn't.
     
    fortherecord likes this.
  16. PhoffiFozz

    PhoffiFozz Forum Resident

    And yes, I bought all the US releases on release day. They were all in long boxes. I still have the long boxes!
     
  17. davers

    davers Forum Resident

    I seem to recall they were released in a couple of batches, but not positive. Anyone know for sure?
     
  18. PhoffiFozz

    PhoffiFozz Forum Resident

    I believe (from memory) the first 4 were February 1987
    Next 3 April 3oth of May 1st
    Sgt. Pepper June
    White Album & Yellow Submarine in August
    Magical Mystery Tour in September
    Abbey Road & Let it Be in October
    and the Past Masters in March 1988
     
  19. majorlance

    majorlance Forum Resident

    Location:
    PATCO Speedline
    IIRC, the "It was 20 years ago today..." angle was a big part of Pepper's June 1987 promotional push.
     
    Last edited: Aug 21, 2017
  20. Platterpus

    Platterpus Senior Member

    Wow. You saw CDs in longboxes this late in time? In the music store I worked at the time (mid 90s) we were given the red light to get rid of them in 1994. Other stores in my area were even ahead of us in doing so like Best Buy and Media Play. Unless Costco stocked some real old dead stock CDs in longboxes kind of surprises me.
     
  21. feinstei9415

    feinstei9415 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Bend, IN
    This may be thread crap, but I'll try it anyway... Please delete if it's too off-topic.

    The HMV record stores in the U.K. sold the Beatles CD's (including the Red and Blue albums issued later) in deluxe 12"x12" box sets. Some of these were imported into the U.S. and were sold at specialty record stores. They had posters, buttons, 12"x12" booklets etc. The Sgt Peppers HMV box set also included the 12"x12" cutouts sheet. I was visiting London when the HMV Yellow Submarine box was issued. George Martin was at the HMV store signing the boxes on the first day of issue and I was very lucky to have my copy signed by him. The first four were in one box, the next three were in another, and then all of the albums from Sgt. Pepper onward were in their own box sets.

    Toshiba in Japan went even further... They issued box sets with all of the CD's that were released on that day included. The first four (Please, Please Me, With the Beatles, A Hard Days Night, and Beatles For Sale) were in one box, the next four in another box etc etc. In all of these boxes, they put a very well designed piece of jewelry, a metal shield with the "This is number xxxx of a limited edition), and a bonus book. In the one that I have (Help/Rubber Soul/Revolver), they included a copy of "The Beatles Book" from Omnibus Press. In the Sgt Peppers/Yellow Submarine/White Album box, they included a copy of "It Was 20 Years Ago Today" a book by Derek Taylor.

    There were quite a few "bonuses" in the release of the 1987 CD's....
     
  22. mrwolk

    mrwolk One and a half ears...no waiting!

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    In Montreal, Canada...they came out in long boxes...made in Germany.
    As mentioned by someone else here...the first four albums (in Stereo )were the first batch released...with subsequent titles to follow months later...I was fortunate to have a buddy who worked at the record store and he let me purchase them days before the official release date.
    I had already had the Japanese Toshiba cd of Abbey Road that i bought a couple of years earlier so i was excited about the official release of the whole catalogue.
     
    Simon A and davers like this.
  23. Bern

    Bern JC4Me

    Location:
    Allegan, Michigan
    If you are collecting for "sound" purposes...don't bother with Beatles For Sale. How they released that is beyond me.

    If you are collecting just for "collecting"...ignore this post.

    Bern
     
  24. RnRmf

    RnRmf Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Orlando, FL and NJ
    The warehouse clubs got longboxes specifically made for them long after they were discontinued for music stores.

    But i remember they had the Beatles discs for a few months way back when.

    The discs would be displayed in cardboard boxes in typical warehouse store fashion so everything came in a longbox, either generic or with the title's artwork.
     
  25. Platterpus

    Platterpus Senior Member

    Thanks for the info. I've never been to a Costco before.
     
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