Beatles Early Days

Early Days Collectibles

Here's some of the earlier publicly released records that The Beatles provided for fans. These were released during their rise to fame in England, Sweden and some parts of Europe. Prior to EMI, Beatle records could be seen on many different record company labels. Here are some of them.

Brazilian EP of what many fans believe to be one of The Beatles earliest publicly released recordings on the original Polydor label from the summer of 1963. Interesting credits on "Cry For A Shadow" are Harrison-Lennon. This Polydor EP was released in many countries and is sought after by collectors. Another early release, "Ain't She Sweet" is displayed below. Brazilian EP's were released in a clear plastic cover that preserved them well with the exception of this first release. This simple gatefold cover is in Excellent condition aside from very minor wear to two of the corners and a sticker on the back. The rest is clean and sharp with only slight fading on part of the edges. The vinyl is in VG+ condition with minor spindle wear but very clean label with no markings. It's difficult to find copies of these early releases in this condition.

This original pressing of the Twist and Shout EP shows all identifying marks of EP's released in 1963-64. The thin cardboard laminated cover has folding flaps onto the back with rounded corners. The label has "THE PARLOPHONE CO. LTD." in the rim print starting at lower left. The words "RECORDING FIRST PUBLISHED 1963" is on the left side of the label. There is no printing on the centrepiece (that was introduced in 1965). The type font of the words has pointy letters, not rounded. It also has the Tax mark letters "K" and "T" above and below the centre hole (hard to see here). This was the highest selling of The Beatles EP's and many copies of it exist in various conditions. This copy is in VG/EX condition with no markings to the cover or labels. The ringwear on the cover is common to U.K. EP's because of the thin, soft cardbaord used in early releases. There is very little spindle wear noticeable and the label is clean, clear and sharp.

The Beatles' Hits - Sept 6 1963 : This 2nd British EP released by Parlophone has four of their earlier songs. The cardboard picture sleeve is the original because of the rounded corners of the folds on the back. The front and folds are also laminated. The label on the this original release accidentally omits the words "Recording first published 1963" above the "(7TCE.761)" on left side. The rim print reads "The Parlophone Co Ltd". See closeup at right. There is no "Sold in U.K." print on the centerpiece. This was introduced in 1965 after the original release of this EP. The sans-serif typefont on this EP is rarer than the more common Roman typefont with the serifs. This copy is in VG/EX condition. There are no marks on the cover or the record label. There is fading and some bends on the cover but it is still intact and solid. There is some spindle wear but the vinyl is very clean and scratch free.

This is a great copy of the U.K. release of The Beatles No. 1 EP originally released on November 1, 1963. By looking at the sharp corners of the folds on the back, this means it was a re-release of the EP sold from 1969-1976. The laminated cover shows it was earlier as lamination disappeared from 1970's releases of U.K. record albums (both EP's and LP's). The closeups of the rim print, far right, shows "The Gramophone Co", not "The Parlophone Co", as in the earlier 60's release - shown above. Much later 1980's releases of British EP's show "EMI Records Ltd". This copy is in EXC/EXC condition. The cover is clean and clear with sharp corners and no markings. There is no visible ringwear and it looks almost new. The vinyl is perfectly clean, shiny and no spindle wear on this copy.

Here are two early North American releases of Beatle hits released on alternate record labels in their original bid to become successful in the American marketplace. U.S. release of "Ain't She Sweet / Nobody's Child" on Atco Records (Atco 6308) credits the Vocal by John Lennon. This release of "She Loves You" on the Swan label has the words "DON'T DROP OUT" at the upper left (Swan S-4152). Some copies omit these words. This version is slightly rarer. When there were originally marketed by these small labels, they sold poorly, until the release of "I Wanna Hold Your Hand". They are still considered rare by many collectors. The Atco copy is in VG condition with some initials and a jukebox sticker on one side. It is the rarer of these two items. The Swan label has very slight wear and is very clean and clear.

Left: Twist and Shout / There's A Place on Tollie records. Tollie labels were yellow but sometimes the logo had various thicknesses of the lines surrounding their logo. Some copies also have a greenish tint instead of the black print shown here. Right: VeeJay release of "From Me To You". VeeJay sold many early Beatle records in the U.S. and there are many different label styles. They stood up as a good competitor to Capitol with single, EP and LP releases that are very desirable to collectors today. Apologies for this poor scan, I do have a better one that I'll either find or reproduce.

Left: Early picture sleeve for the VJ release of the 45 rpm record in the United States. This sleeve was conterfeited and we're not sure about this copy. Most copies have "THE BEATLES" in red letters. Right : Bootleg record of early Beatle recordings. The cover is on the left and the record on the right. This was released much later on but does have an appropriate picture on the cover.