BEATLES "HELP" SOLID CENTRE MIS- PRESS

	£		63
	$		83

                                                        BEATLES "HELP"

RARE AND UNUSUAL 1966 UK SOLID CENTRE MIS-PRESS.

"HELP" WAS RELEASED IN THE UK ON JULY 23RD 1965, INITIAL FIRST PRESSINGS OF THIS SINGLE CARRY "THE PARLOPHONE CO" RIM TEXTS AND WHERE PRODUCED WITH PUSH-OUT CENTRES.

ON JULY 1ST 1965 EMI UNDERWENT A MERGER AND EACH INDIVIDUAL LABEL CEASED TO BE A LTD COMPANY AND BECAME A SUBSIDIARY OF "THE GRAMMOPHONE CO", WHICH OWNED EMI. THIS MERGER MEANT A LABEL CHANGE OCCURRED AND THE PREVIOUS "PARLOPHONE CO" RIM TEXTS WHERE REPLACED WITH THE NEW "GRAMMOPHONE CO" RIM LABELS. THE NEW LABELS DIDNT ACTUALLY COME INTO USE UNTIL OCTOBER 1965 AND EMI DID CONTINUE TO USE UP THE OLD "PARLOPHONE" LABELS UNTIL STOCKS CEASED WHICH EXPLAINS WHY A FIRST PRESSING OF "DAY TRIPPER" STILL FEATURES THE OLD "PARLOPHONE" LABELS EVEN THOUGH IT WASNT RELEASED UNTIL DECEMBER 1965.

IN NOVEMBER 1966 EMI CEASED PRODUCTION OF PUSH-OUT CENTRE RECORDS IN THE UK (EXCEPT FOR SPECIAL ORDERS FOR PUSH-OUT'S) THERFORE IT IS SAFE TO ASSUME THAT ANY SOLID CENTRE UK ISSUE SHOULD CARRY THE "GRAMMOPHONE" CO RIM TEXTS.   

THE ONLY DOCUMENTED SOLID CENTRE PRESSING FOR "HELP" IS REPUTED TO BE A 1969 THIRD PRESSING WHICH CARRIES "THE PARLOPHONE CO" RIM TEXT'S...? NO EXPLANATION APPEARS TO BE OFFERED AS TO WHY IT WOULD SEEM THAT EMI HAVE REVERTED BACK TO USING "PARLOPHONE" RIMS IN 1969, FOUR YEARS AFTER IT CEASED AND SURELY THE ARGUMENT FOR USING UP OLD LABEL STOCKS WOULD NOT HOLD UP IN THIS CASE BECAUSE IN 1965 A SECOND PRESSING OF "HELP" WAS ISSUED WHICH FEATURES "THE GRAMMOPHONE CO" RIMS AND SINCE THE ISSUE OF THE FIRST PRESSING OF "DAY TRIPPER" NO OTHER EMI PRESSING HAS APPEARED FEATURING "PARLOPHONE" RIMS,  IT IS THEREFORE SAFE TO ASSUME THAT ALL OLD STOCKS OF THE "PARLOPHONE" LABEL MUST HAVE BEEN USED UP BETWEEN LATE 1965 AND SOMETIME IN 1966.  

WHILST IT MAKES SENSE THAT ANY SOLID CENTRE SHOULD CARRY "GRAMMOPHONE" RIMS THERE IS NO DOCUMENTED SOLID CENTRE PRESSING OF "HELP" WHICH FEATURES THESE RIMS, YET SURLEY IF A THIRD PRESSING WAS ISSUED EVEN AS LATE AS 1969 ITS CHARACTERISTICS SHOULD BE A SOLID CENTRE WITH "GRAMMOPHONE" RIMS.

IAM THEREFORE INCLINED TO BELIEVE THAT THE THIRD PRESSING WAS ACTUALLY ISSUED JUST AFTER OR DURING NOVEMBER 1966 (WHEN SOLIDS WERE INTRODUCED) BUT BEFORE THE OLD "PARLOPHONE" LABELS HAD BEEN COMPLETELY USED UP. I ALSO BELEIVE THAT A "TRUE" THIRD PRESSING SHOULD CARRY GRAMMOPHONE RIMS AND THAT THIS WAS PROBABLY EMI'S INTENTION BUT BECAUSE OF THEIR PRACTICE OF USING OLD LABELS ONLY A VERY SMALL NUMBER WERE PRESSED AT THE VERY END OF THE PRODUCTION AND THAT NUMBERS ARE SO SMALL THAT IT WAS BELIVED THAT A SOLID CENTRE VERSION OF "HELP" WITH "GRAMMOPHONE" RIMS DOESNT EXIST WHEN IN ACTUAL FACT IT DOES.

OFFERED FOR SALE IS FIRSTLY NOT ONLY PROOF THAT A SOLID CENTRE "HELP" WITH "GRAMMOPHONE" RIMS DOES EXIST BUT THAT THE ARGUMENT FOR EMI USING UP OLD LABELS IS A CREDIBLE ONE.... THIS COPY FEATURES "A" SIDE "GRAMMOPHONE" RIMS AND "B" SIDE "PARLOPHONE" RIMS.... THEREFORE ALL "A" SIDE "PARLOPHONE" RIMS HAD BEEN USED BUT NOT "B" SIDE ONES, HENCE THE CORRECT AND INTENDED "GRAMMOPHONE" RIM TO THE "A" SIDE BUT THE OLD "PARLOPHONE" RIM TO THE "B" SIDE.

ALSO FURTHER EVIDENCE THAT THIS PRESSING IS A 1966 ISSUE CAN BE DETERMINED BY THE ACTUAL LABELS . THE CORRECT "GRAMMOPHONE" LABEL FEATURES BRACKETS AROUND THE MATRIX NUMBER, THIS CEASED SOMETIME IN 1967 (THERE IS NO KNOWN PRESSING ISSUED AFTER THIS YEAR WHICH FEATURES "THE GRAMMOPHONE CO" RIMS AND HAS BRACKETS AROUND THE MATRIX....ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE 2ND PRESSING BEING THE LAST). THEREFORE THIS ISSUE MUST HAVE BEEN PRESSED PRIOR TO THAT LABEL CHANGE.

R 5305

7XCE.18280-2-2

KT TAX CODE.

THE PARLOPHONE LABELS TO BOTH SIDES ARE IN TRULY STUNNING CONDITION. WHEN CLOSLEY INSPECTED LABELS HAVE JUST VERY LIGHT BUT MINIMAL SPINDLE TRAILS PRESENT TO EITHER SIDE. LABELS ARE SPOTLESSLY CLEAN WITH PERFECT SILVER LETTERING AND THEY RETAIN THEIR DEEP BLACK BASE COLOUR.

THE GLOSSY VINYL HAS CLEALRY RECEIVED A LIMITED NUMBER OF PLAYS AND THIS IS REFLECTED IN ITS STUNNING APPEARENCE. THE VINYL APPEARS MINT IN NORMAL DAYLIGHT AND ONLY CLOSE INSPECTION UNDER A BRIGHT LIGHT REVEALS SOME LIGHT SIGNS OF PLAY IN THE FORM OF LIGHT BUT TINY SURFACE MARKS... NOTHING IN ANY WAY SERIOUS OR OF ANY CONCERN. THE VINYL LIES PERFECTLY FLAT AND RETAINS ITS ORIGINAL SHEEN WITH NO DULLING OR RUBBING TO THE PLAYING SURFACE.

HOUSED IN ITS ORIGINAL PARLOPHONE SLEEVE.

ALTHOUGH I HEADED THIS AS A MIS-PRESS IN REALITY THIS ISNT, EMI INTENDED TO USE THE LABELS THAT THIS COPY FEATURES AND BEAR IN MIND THAT BACK IN THE 60'S THIS "ERROR" WAS OF NO SIGNIFICANCE.... IT WAS JUST ANOTHER RECORD.

OVERALL A STUNNING AND BARELY PLAYED EXAMPLE OF THIS EXTREMELY RARE AND UNDOCUMENTED 1966 THIRD UK PRESSING.

THESE PRESSINGS ARE VIRTUALLY NEVER OFFERED FOR SALE AND CERTAINLY NOT IN THIS CONDITION.... THIS IS A HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER UK PRESSING WHICH WILL ENHANCE ANY BEATLES COLLECTION AND WILL, IM SURE CONTINUE TO CREATE DEBATE FOR MAY YEARS TO COME.