The Beatles Songs, Pictures & Stories of the Fabulous US Orig'64 VJ Stereo Issue

$

1,803

ORIGINAL UNIQUE ¾, 8-INCH FOLD-OVER GATEFOLD "STEREO" BLUE PRINT BANNER COVER

THE BEATLES ~ SONGS, PICTURES AND STORIES OF THE

"SOUVENIR OF THEIR APPEARANCE
AT THE COW PALACE, SAN FRANCISCO, AUGUST 19, 1964" PROMO STICKER

MISPRINT LABEL "COFFIN-KING" INSTEAD OF THE CORRECT "GOFFIN-KING"

VERY EARLY 1ST MATRIX NUMBER A1 / A1

VERY RARE STEREO DEEP GROOVE LABELS WITH THE "STEREO" BANNER AT THE 12 O'CLOCK POSITION 

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The Beatles kicked off their first US tour at San Francisco's Cow Palace on August 19, 1964. This copy was purchased before the concert at the venue's lobby with the memorabilia and souvenirs dedicated to The Beatles' first US tour and contains an original unique "SOUVENIR OF THEIR APPEARANCE AT THE COW PALACE, SAN FRANCISCO, AUGUST 19, 1964" large black "concert banner" promotional sticker at the bottom of the front flap. Original thick cardboard unique ¾, 8-inch fold-over gatefold cover with the front flap of the cover shorter than the back flap. Very rare 1st variation Stereo cover with the blue "STEREO" banner at the center top. The album comes with the original Vee-Jay Records inner sleeve containing the other VJ releases. Original 1st print color band Vee-Jay VJLP 1062 catalog number 2.75" diameter deep groove pressing ring black labels with a multicolored spectrum band along the label's edge, Vee-Jay Records logo brackets version and bold "STEREO" silver print printed at the 12 o'clock position representing a very rare label variation. Centered song titles and credits, including the "Coffin-King" misprint, instead of the correct spelling "Goffin-King" under the "Chains" track title on Side 1, along with "Microgroove" and "Long Playing" banners. The runout groove of the vinyl includes the "S" suffix before the matrix numbers on both sides, referring to the Stereo format of this copy, "AudioMatrix" stamp, the identifier of Audiomatrix Inc., New York, a handwritten manufacture date "1-24-64" and "URJ" stamp, identifying the mastering by Universal Recording Studios. The full matrix numbers are as follows: Side 1 - S 63-3402-1 URJ A1 1-24-64 ARP AudioMatrix; Side 2 - S 63-3403; S 63-3403-1 URJ A1 1-24-64 ARP AudioMatrix.

★

I grade the cover as Excellent Minus because it's in great condition indeed and considering that the majority of these rare Stereo covers are found with a severe ring wear and splits. The vintage cover still has some very light shelf wear and scuffing on the front and back. The text on the spine is fully readable. The interior gatefold is in Near Mint Minus condition only having a light creasing in the lower right-hand corner. The corners have some very light bumping along with a little bit of soiling. The front and back cover only a super light hint of ring wear but not the actual ring wear. I grade the vinyl as Very Good Plus with Side 1 being in a slightly better condition than Side 2 which has three non-feelable marks. Overall, the vinyl has some very light surface hairlines and scuffs from the inner sleeve, none of which can be felt with a finger nail. The clean labels have a minimum amount of scuffing and are in Excellent condition. The original Vee-Jay Records inner sleeve is in Near Mint Minus condition. The glossy vinyl sounds great only having some light occasional static noise during the quiet passages and a series of light clicks in the beginning of Track 3 on Side 2, which most likely will go away if the record is professionally cleaned using a VPI cleaning machine.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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