BEATLES Yesterday & Today IMMACULATE N/M BUTCHER COVER.

	£		2,717
	$		3,243

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Artist or Band: THE BEATLES

Album Title: Yesterday … And Today.

Producer(s): George Martin.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Drive My Car; I’m Only Sleeping; Nowhere Man; Dr Robert; Yesterdan; Act Naturally.

Side 2: And Your Bird Can Sing; If I Needed Someone; We Can Work It Out; What Goes On?; Day Tripper.

Label/Format: Capitol – original ‘rainbow’ format (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean and attractive with only very light and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area.

Cat Number: T 2553.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 142 grams.

Country of Manufacture: USA.

Rarity & Simple Overview: ‘ “Yesterday” … and Today’ was issued in the United States and Canada and was a compilation of songs from ‘Help’, ‘Rubber Soul’ and the then forthcoming album ‘Revolver’, it also included ‘Day Tripper’ and ‘We Can Work It Out’, a single. What made this album notorious was the initial artwork used on the cover, known as ‘The Butcher Cover’, this became probably the most controversial ever included with a long-playing record. The concept was conceived by Robert Whitaker and was reputed never to be intended for use on a commercially available album sleeve. It featured the Fab Four dressed in white overalls with dismembered dolls parts and pieces of meat – not most people’s idea of what this popular act were all about. But the idea was approved and a substantial number of covers were printed intended to be distributed to the shops for sale. Before this happened however, some were sent out as ‘Advanced Copies’ to shops and for use by radio DJs. Immediate outrage and disapproval followed with enough complaints to alarm the record company who decided to recall these promotional copies. A reputed figure of 750,000 copies of ‘The Butcher Cover’ were printed, the initial plan was to do destroy them all and many were. But that figure clearly cost a lot of money to produce and new sleeves would have to be made in haste with the original records to get them into people’s homes. So Capitol had another idea of covering up the ‘Butcher’ artwork with a paste-over, with something far more conventional, this arwork was known as ‘The Trunk Cover’.

There are now three ‘States’ for ‘Butcher’ covers: a ‘First-State’ cover is an original cover that was never covered over and is ‘as originally made’. These are immensely rare and command very high prices, especially the stereo version that out-numbered the mono version by around 10 to 1. ‘Second-State’ covers are original ‘Butcher’ covers that were pasted-over with the new ‘Trunk’ artwork. These are now quite rare as many people, suspecting they had a ‘Butcher’ cover, tried, usually in vain to remove the paste-over themselves. Amateur attempts to do this were usually catastrophic removing massive piece of the surface of the cover – many simply could not resist in attempting the near impossible. The ‘Trunk’ cover-up was just thin enough to reveal tell-tale evidence a ‘Butcher’ laid beneath. ‘Third-State’ covers (as per this one on offer), were an original ‘Butcher’ cover that had been successfully ‘peeled’, usually with immense skill by a craftsman or even professional ‘peeler’ and in supreme conditions with little to no damage to the infamous artwork. These were often commissioned to be ‘peeled’ by serious Beatles’ collectors who were desperate to have a ‘Butcher’ cover that could be seen. Clearly they were limited and rare as most originals had been destroyed or written-off by wreckless peeling by an unskilled owner. This ‘Butcher’ Third-State on offer is a stunner and peeled, at a cost, by one of the world’s leading exponents. So good infact, at first glance it could almost pass as a ‘First-State’. The only real evidence this was once covered up is a fine glue residue around the white perimeters. The ‘Butcher’ artwork is as close to pristine perfect as you will ever see on a ‘Third-State example. It looks truly amazing and the skill in removing the ‘Trunk’ paste-over to this standard is little short of remarkable. Not only that, the original paste-over ‘Trunk’ artwork is included too – FULLY INTACT – with NO tears or repairs and only a small number of ‘thins’ seen on the back that still retains most of its paste (or glue). More details on visual conditions further down. It has to be said, there are a few more ‘Third-States’ available these days but so many that survived as ‘Seconds’ were wrecked by hasty and ill-thought-out attempts at amateur removal. Few will ever look as good as this – a ‘Third-State’ that almost thinks it’s a ‘First-State’. The original inner sleeve is included and although the record has surface marks, it still plays very well indeed. A rare album where the cover outshines the importance of the record in every way. The record is common as it was issued when the cover was reprinted for real with the ‘Trunk’ artwork, and in terms of Beatles albums are of little worth. This infamous cover has long been a coveted piece for Beatles collectors and are far harder to find outside the United States. ‘Third-States’ peeled to this standard of excellence are still highly prized and this sets an almost unbeatable standard. This one even includes what appears to be an original Capitol Records ‘recall’ letter which is printed on quality watermarked paper used more for official use. It urges the receiver to return the (Butcher) cover to be replaced by another within a week to 10 days, this is dated June 14, 1966 and was ‘signed’ (in print) by Ron Tepper, the then Manager of the Press and Information Service. It explains the original jacket was to be discarded and replaced by a new one and how the original was created in England as ‘pop art’ satire. But due to negative public reaction it was subject to ‘misinerpretation’ and to avoid controversy and undeserved harm to The Beatle’s reputation, it has been decided to withdraw it. I hope my picture of the rare letter is big and clear enough to be read by any interested collector, this is a major bonus for the winning bidder. There are also repros of pressing cuttings and other relevant commentaries around in 1966 included with the set. Yes, this did cause outrage at the time and its impact has diminished little over time and is still a regular feature it the retro music magazines. One last piece of detail is also included: the original shrinkwrap that is almost undamaged. It was carefully removed off the cover. What you get is an almost perfect historical piece here, okay, the record has surface marks which is hardly unusual for imported US discs. What is important in this case is the cover and as far as mono ‘Third-States’ go, they hardly get better, cleaner or fresher and visually stunning than this. The literature that comes with it means a substantial bonus for the specialist Beatles fan and few will have ever seen this before. This again came from a discerning collector of which several items I am currently offering also came from. A remarkable piece of Beatles’ history, one that still gets mixed views and the controversy refuses to go away.

Original Year of Release: 1966

Matrix Nos: T1-2553-F 1 3 / T1-2553-G 2 3

This Cover’s Potential for Wear and Damage: Massive.

Cover Grade and Format: Mint(-) a genuine original ‘Third -State’ professionally ‘peeled’ ‘Butcher’ cover in Mono. It has a matt finished textured surface on the front and is also a paste-on type. This includes the original ‘Trunk’ cover peel and inner sleeve and historical texts written at the time of issue. Printed and made in the USA.

Cover Front: Arguably the most famous or (infamous) cover ever made. It caused outrage when first seen by a relatively small few DJ’s and retailers who received advanced copies. This is in stunning ‘Third-State’ condition and only the fine glue residues around the white perimeters top and left give clues it has covered over. Expertly peeled to the highest possible standard with NO ink or damage to the controversial artwork. This is supremely clean with no damage at all, the lack of speckle to the textured surface is little short of remarkable and there is no creasing or straining either. The residue on the white margins is mildly discoloured. The grizzly artwork retains ultimate freshness and has no fading, only under light are the slightest traces of glue lines present which only help to confirm its 100 per cent originality. The original owner had had this a considerable number of years and it’s barely even seen daylight. Truly, I cannot imagine a ‘Third State’ front ever looking better than this.

Cover Back: Faint tone traces near the left entrance edge, that apart almost as made.

Top & Bottom Edges: Both clean as new and totally unsplit or even stressed.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with no wear or feathering, guaranteed untrimmed or tampered with in any way. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: As made with just the usual ‘US’-style crinkle. Solid, straight, uncompressed and totally devoid of split, grubbiness or damage. All text is unworn and fully present.

Corners: Odd microscopic tip semi-crease, and this being critical, all retain super shape.

Cover Summary: A truly immaculate and stunning ‘Third-State Butcher’ of connoisseur standard. For those wanting this legendary cover, a better one – especially outside the United States – will prove immensely difficult to find. This is as close to ‘perfect’ as any peeled ‘Butcher’ sleeve ever gets.

The Paste-Over ‘Trunk’ cover-up: Putting a grade on this is purely subjective, but I doubt if many will better this. The ‘peeler’ managed to remove this FULLY INTACT, yes this is in one piece. Okay, it has some mildish crinkle but this original ‘Trunk’ artwork still looks lovely. The back has most all of its original paste still attached with any thinning to the paper minimal and only really seen when held to light. This has no tears and the alternative artwork looks lovely. Clearly a highly skilled task, I feel no ‘amateur’ could have ever done this so well for themself. Thus, often large sums were paid to specialists to perform this almost surgical act where the use of heat was used with utmost care and considerable skill to remove this fragile paste-over.

The Inner Sleeve: EX+ and looks even better, only graded a little down because of the almost mandatory edge splits. Those apart, on the bottom and one side, there is little else to fault bar a small crease on the top opening.

The Shrinkwrap: With just one edge split, this too is in superb condition an few examples will ever retain it. Some crinkle but all is present and this is almost remarkable.

The Capitol ‘Recall’ Letter: Mint: this has been printed on quality watermarked, cream-coloured paper. The content of the letter written by Ron Pepper is more than invaluable to the collector as it gives an insight into the controversy that quickly rose against this cover and the immediate, almost panic-stricken’ response by Capitol Records to withdraw it immediately (or cover it up as it turned out, on the surviving ‘Butcher’ covers that remained undestroyed). Also included are repros of newspaper and music press comments of the day about this infamous piece.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Very Good, it has light surface marks and hairlines but plays way above its visual grading. A highly respectable 1966 mono record that is very clean clean with impressive shine, intense black and very solidly pressed. The labels seem to indicate few plays and marks on imported records are hardly unusual. I am sure US-mad records are made with softer material and were simply more prone to marking. Visually a fine record that should please many collectors but not the more discerning. As stated, the record itself is very common indeed in mono, this sold abundantly in the new dedicated reprinted ‘Trunk’ covers (not the replacement cover-ups hasten to add) and replacements near mint are not so hard to locate. Being largely against mix-and-match, I prefer to keep the original record with the cover, but that’s purely personal choice. Being honest, the record is of secondary importance to the cover. Better play the UK originals and savour this rare cover for what it is, because the difference finding that so pristine is far more difficult.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippetts or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This fine record plays above its visual grading with little to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. A little minor sporadic surface sounds were noted but no pops or clicks and this for a 1966 mono record plays very well indeed with enjoyable sound (this too on an LP12 for which it has hardly designed to be used on). Little of any note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this US mono record. There will be better examples available for sure for looks, but the cover is the factor here and that will prove nigh-on impossible to find better. If the slightly lower-grade record is an issue, do not bid.

End Piece: To describe this cover as ‘beautiful’ would not be really be politically correct of course, what I will say however, this expert peeling has been beautifully done with the utmost skill and precision. To reveal the infamous ‘Butcher’ artwork in this quality ‘Third-State’ condition is almost remarkable. Collectors will only want one mono one for their collections – a ‘First-State’ is unaffordably and ultra rare for the average collector and ‘Second-States’, although now getting scarce, hide the artwork and look practically the same as the standard ‘Trunk’ reprintings. So a near pristine ‘Third-State’ is still the one most fans want to own. And truly, this will prove near impossible to find better especially with the peeled pate-over included intact with the shinkwrap included. How many will include the Capitol ‘Recall’ letter also? This I regard as one of the most important and rare items by a major act I have ever offered on Ebay and I do not say that lightly. I truly hope this gets the home it deserves and is cherished by any potential new owner. Any questions, I will do my best to answer.

NOTE: This item will be posted FREE to the winning bidder wherever they are located using signed for and fully insured shipping.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon 2M moving magnet cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. All records are posted in professional thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). The record(s) REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with THREE or EVEN FOUR ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. The thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. I do not profit on posting and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand based on over 6,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent via Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT neccessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.

ERRATA NOTE:

My paragraph that states 'These are immensely rare and command very high prices, especially the stereo version that out-numbered the mono version by around 10 to 1.'

This should read 'These are immensely rare and command very high prices, especially the stereo version that was out-numbered by the mono version by around 10 to 1.'

Good spot Guyan and Thanks Mike.