MONKEES headquarters "beard" cover- how rare is it?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by gilbert green, Feb 11, 2008.

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  1. gilbert green

    gilbert green Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I've been looking out for these, and have seen 1 copy out of 200 regular ones. What is the value of this thing if any? And...just how rare is it? Less rare than the Mamas & Papas "toilet" cover? I've certainly seen 10 times the number of butcher covers...

    (O, I should say)- the "beard" cover has a pic of the lads with 3-day stubble, on the REAR cover, later deleted.
     
  2. mr.schneider

    mr.schneider Active Member

    Location:
    N. Beechwood Dr.
    Thanks ebay, for making this one more common. The 'beards cover' used to be a $25-40 LP... Now you'd be lucky if you could get $15. Changes was easily a $100 LP in mint condition. Now, it's rare if it hits $75.
    Interestingly enough the sealed album prices are about the same. Hmm.
     
  3. MarkTheShark

    MarkTheShark Senior Member

    I used to see this one occasionally...saw a nice mono copy in a used record store in Champaign-Urbanana (I think) when I was visiting a friend in college, circa mid-1980s...passed on it.

    I think it's a little harder to find because those copies were later in the run. Being a #1 album, they must have sold oodles of these right out of the box.

    I think the reason they changed the photo in the first place is because the original picture was of Chip Douglas and engineer Dick Bogert, but incorrectly captioned, misidentifying Bogert as Hank Cicalo, who was the engineer on most of the sessions. So rather than fixing the caption, they just used a different photo with the "real" engineer. (I think Bogert engineered a couple of the early "group" sessions, but not sure if any of those made the album.)

    Funny how people think the "beards" cover was the "original" (despite the RE on the back cover) and I used to see it in Goldmine ads that would say "BANNED BEARDED COVER!!!" "Banned?" By whom? Why?
     
  4. cwitt1980

    cwitt1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    Carbondale, IL USA
    I haven't seen the beard cover, I know of the pics on the back being different... but there is a "beard" cover? Anyone have a link where I can see this?
     
  5. Juan Samus

    Juan Samus New Member

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Huh? He's talking about a picture on the back of the sleeve. It's a picture of the Monkees with beards.
     
  6. cwitt1980

    cwitt1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    Carbondale, IL USA
    Huh? Why is it called "beard cover" then???
    Is the cover the back too?
     
  7. Juan Samus

    Juan Samus New Member

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Yes. They're talking about the BACK COVER.
     
  8. cwitt1980

    cwitt1980 Senior Member

    Location:
    Carbondale, IL USA
    I see. It's a bit confusing isn't it?
    I understood they wanted to have a different cover, so I just wanted to make sure I know.

    Oh I could hide...
     
  9. reechie

    reechie Senior Member

    Location:
    Baltimore
    The picture in question. As mentioned, this is actually the SECOND version of the cover, not the first as many had originally assumed:
     
  10. reechie

    reechie Senior Member

    Location:
    Baltimore
    And here's the FIRST released picture, with the incorrect Hank Cicalo credit. The beards picture replaced this one:
     
  11. mr_mjb1960

    mr_mjb1960 I'm a Tarrytowner 'Til I die!

    The "Beards" Back cover also appeared on the 1994 CD Booklet Of "Headquarters" as well as the Colored Vinyl Sundazed LP's,too. Michael Boyce
     
  12. Pawnmower

    Pawnmower Senior Member

    Location:
    Dearborn, MI
    My LP has the beards picture on the back.. but it's a 1986 Rhino pressing, so it doesn't count.
     
  13. Sunset Sam

    Sunset Sam Forum Resident

    Location:
    Irvington, IN
    Now...can someone PLEASE, PLEASE!!!! tell me why Colgems re-reissued this album, and gave it an RE2 stamp on the back? Check your '95 Rhino CD to see what I'm talking about....Andrew slipped that sucker in there and thought only the geeks would notice. Well, Andrew.....you were right.
     
  14. TheNomadicSoul

    TheNomadicSoul Active Member

    Location:
    Chicagoland
    I don't know if this answers your question, but I have three US Colgems beards covers, each one only having RE on the back. I also have a Canadian RCA beards cover with RE2 (stereo pressing).

    And to address the OP's question. I don't think this one is as rare as the lunatic sellers out there suggest. The reason it seems more scarce is because there are MILLIONS of the first run still out there. OK, maybe not millions, but you know what I mean. FWIW, I've never seen a "toilet cover" Mamas & Papas LP in person, but I've seen probably a dozen or so beards covers.

    Now who wants to figure out the label variations? One has Randy Scouse Git credited to "Mickey Dolenz" and one has "Micky Dolenz". Neither one seems more scarce than the other in my experience.
     
  15. "R" Ed

    "R" Ed Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mercer County,NJ
    Sunset,

    I believe when Colgems was about to release "Head" they also were re-releasing the first four albums again. It was at this time the so called beard shot first appeared (late 1968). I've only seen the first album with the RE2, which I have as well as Headquarters, but have never come across "More of .. except only a RE version. Never seen an RE on "Pisces.... or "The Birds, The Bees....".

    Both the RE2 of "The Monkees" and RE of "More of..." came with the Colgems logo.
     
  16. izgoblin

    izgoblin Forum Resident

    This could be true, but I just recently saw a mono beard cover, so I'd have guessed that wouldn't be issued past early 1968 since mono albums weren't selling well at the time, no?

    I was going to pick it up just for the heck of it, but the condition of the LP wasn't in proportion with the price.
     
  17. vinnie

    vinnie Senior Member

    Location:
    New Jersey
    So if that's not Hank, who is it?
     
  18. readr

    readr Forum Resident

    It's got to be either Dick Bogert, Richee Schmitt, or Ray Hall......
    all listed as engineers during Headquarters, along with Hank Cicalo
     
  19. GV1967

    GV1967 Senior Member

    Location:
    Northeastern US
    I have a mono beard cover. How can it be the second version of the cover if mono was phased out by early 1968 ("Head" is late '68)? I always thought the beard cover was replaced with the Chip and stranger shot because the powers that be didn't want the Monkees to be seen with facial fuzz as it might hurt their image?
     
  20. Drawer L

    Drawer L Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    Long Island
    The "beards" covers ALL have "RE" next to the cataloge number.That was RCA's standard of noting a change in the cover/packaging/cataloge number.The one with the other picture DOESN'T have the "RE" added,thus it's an original pressing.
     
  21. Michelle66

    Michelle66 Senior Member

    Sometimes urban myths are spread because the "facts" seem to fit together so well.

    Early pressings of the Monkees' first LP have "Papa Jean's Blues". This was corrected to "Papa Gene's Blues", and the corrected sleeves got the little "RE" notation.

    The beards covers also has the RE notation, so it must have come out later than the covers with just the two men in the bottom picture.

    I think the myth of the back cover is spread by sellers at eBay who like to punch up their auction listings by going on about the "rare" beards cover.
     
  22. GV1967

    GV1967 Senior Member

    Location:
    Northeastern US

    Yup. Got the "Jean's" covers in both mono and stereo too! :righton:

    I had heard that myth about the beards cover in the 1980's. Then again, so much information has been corrected through the years so why not this? Glad I now know the truth.
     
  23. JDistheone

    JDistheone Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denton, TX
    Eric Lefcowitz perpetuated this myth in his book "The Monkees Tale". Strange the 'experts' couldn't figure out the signifigance of the RE on the catalog number.
     
  24. Chip TRG

    Chip TRG Senior Member

    The "RE" designation was a RCA thing which was always there if something was changed on a released album, be it artwork or content or whatever. The first Jefferson Airplane LP? That went to RE1 and then RE2. Nilsson's Ariel Ballet got an RE also because of the dumping of Daddy's Song. And almost ANY Elvis LP ended up having it on there with the numerous cover changes over the years.

    Just think of "RE" as "RE-Issue" or "REvision".
     
  25. cmcintyre

    cmcintyre Forum Resident

    RCA "RE" clarification

    Hi there,

    A late question / comment I know.

    I was under the impression that:

    when the catalogue number on a RCA LP is followed by RE, as is the case with the Nilsson LP Aerial Ballet without Daddy's song, that the musical content has been altered. The catalogue # becomes (eg) LSP - xxxx RE.

    when the RE appears on the cover ( but not next to the catalogue number) that means that the cover has been altered. Eg Hunky Dory by David Bowie was revised to include a credit about Rick Wakeman & A&M records, and has an RE designation on the cover, but nowhere near the catalogue number.
    The catalogue # does not include RE

    when RE appears on the insert, the insert has changed ( but nothing else), ie second issue (Still an orange label) Young Americans by David Bowie had a revision to the lyric sheet.
    TThe catalogue # does not include RE

    If this is was also how RCA did it in the 60's as well as the 70's, that would mean the Headquarters with an RE next to the catalogue number contains a difference in the music.

    Any clarification would be welcome.

    Colin M
    Melbourne
     
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