Oh Look Out! The Beatles US Album Collection

Part 1

Introducing The Beatles

On July 22, 1963, Vee Jay Records released what was the first Beatles' album in America. It was released in two versions; the monaural (#VJLP1062) and in stereo (#SR1062), and is today one of the most valuable of all The Beatles' albums, and one of the most counterfeited. Therefore, in order to determine if you have an original or a counterfeited one, it is good to know the differences.

Initially in 1963 until late 1964, Vee Jay Records produced this album at their factories at Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri. The easiest way to determine the original from the fakes is by looking at the cover. The original albums had glossy, almost an enamel looking finish, and thus any albums that have a flat finish are in fact counterfeited.

Additionally, although the color shades may vary, the photographs are very sharp and clear, and those that feature poor quality, that is not very sharp, are too in all probability fakes.

When examining the cover. The originals had a quarter inch piece of cardboard that was folded over the top and bottom of the inside cover, that was either gray or tan in color. Counterfeited covers had this flap as well, but all seemed to be much larger, easily identifying it as a fake, or having no flap at all.

But then Vee Jay changed things around a bit. In 1964 they moved their headquarters to Santa Monica, California, but their factories remained in Chicago and St. Louis. But, some covers were manufactured in California that were identical to the others except that the back covers had a slightly less glossy finish, and the quarter inch piece of cardboard was now gone. There were less copies produced in California, thus fewer were distributed than from the other factories. Consequently, the California manufactured ones are ever rarer.

As there are many versions and many label colors etc., if you have a copy that you want to determine it's authenticity, the best source for this is: "The Beatles Price and Reference Guide For American Records" by Perry Cox and Michael Miller.

According to "The Beatles Price Guide and Reference Guide for American Records," here are some of the more common characteristics found on the COUNTERFEIT COVERS and RECORDS:

• Covers with a brown border around the front cover photo are fakes.
• Covers with a bright yellow tint and the word "STEREO" printed in black at the upper left are fakes.
• Covers without George Harrison's shadow, which is visible to his right of where he is standing near the edge are fakes.
• Covers with red, blue and yellow dots, unmistakable under the top of the back cover are fakes. These dots are that which are used by the printers during the printing process. On the originals, these dots are in a different area and are not normally visible. It is important to note this fake due to the high quality of the front cover photograph. As a result, this cover has fooled many collectors. One needs to look for these dots. The fake covers are also almost always accompanied by a fake record or disc.
• Covers for the stereo issue that list Love Me Do and P.S. I Love You, among the two columns of tracks on the back cover are fakes. It is said that there are originals like this that exist but none have been verified. Stereo copies with Please Please Me and Ask Me Why are the only ones verified as originals.

AS TO THE RECORD ITSELF:

• Any record that has a flat textured rainbow colorband is a fake.
• Labels that have "THE BEATLES" and "INTRODUCING THE BEATLES" separated by the center hole are fakes.
• On the record, if the width of the vinyl trail-off, that is that area or gap between the last track and the edge of the label is wider than one inch, it is a fake.
• Any record with black labels that DO NOT have the rainbow colorband, that are printed on glossy paper stock are fakes.
• Records with rainbow colorband labels that have a faint print and or a weak color brightness and a lack of clarity are fakes. Now, here are some of the more common characteristics found on ORIGINAL COVERS and RECORDS:
   
  • The front and back covers MUST have slicks that are either glossy or semi-glossy.
  • All Printing on the covers MUST be of high quality and professional looking.
  • Stereo copies MUST meet one of the following:

  1.) Back cover pictures 25 color photos of other Vee Jay albums. This is commonly known as the "Ad back" cover.

  2.) The back cover is totally blank, a completely white slick with no print at all.

  3.) The back cover lists the contents in two columns, including Please Please Me and Ask Me Why - and note that there are no exceptions!

  • On the record itself, the labels have "THE BEATLES" and the title "INTRODUCING THE BEATLES" above the center hole.
  • Only the glossy or semi-glossy rainbow colorband labels are used on originals.
  • All original labels have a bright, sharp SILVER print.
  • The vinyl trail-off, that gap mentioned earlier that is between the last track and the label edge is between 7/8" to 1" wide, but never greater than 1 inch.
  • The rainbow colorband that circles the perimeter of an original label is of high resolution with a smooth gradual changes in the colors.
  • The vinyl trail-off area on more than 90% of all originals has one of the following mechanical stamping:

  1.) The term "AudioMatrix."

  2.) The letters "MR" inside the circle.

  3.) The letters "ARP" in italics. Of the originals, only those that were made in Santa Monica lack machine stamping. However, these still have to have the bright silver print with glossy labels as mentioned above. It is reported that no counterfeit copy exists with machine stamping in the trail-off area.

  • There has never been found a counterfeit copy with the word "STEREO" printed on the label. Therefore any copy with "STEREO" printed on the label is likely an original.
  • All originals with black labels that DO NOT have the rainbow colorband are printed on a flat, not glossy, paper stock.

  NOTE: If any record fails to meet even one of the criterion mentioned here, it is very likely it is a fake!

  In determining the value of an original, you first of course have to determine if you indeed have an original from the criterion above. If so, there then are about ten different original versions. Each record carries the number LP-1062 for monaural and SR-1062 for stereo.

  For example, an original monaural cover and record released on July 22, 1963 in excellent condition can bring anywhere from about $200.00 to $2500.00. This same record and cover in stereo can bring anywhere from about $1700.00 to merely $7000.00.

  Others (record and cover) released in late 1963 and 1964 can bring anywhere from about $150.00 to more than $2000.00, depending on which version you may have.

  If you should have an original, you indeed have a real find. If so, be careful and mindful of its value. Also, from a collector's standpoint, also be very careful when purchasing this record. It is somewhat easy to be fooled by the many counterfeits out there. I have seen quite a few on various auctions sites that claimed to be original that were not. For the most up-to-date information on this record and its value, please consult Perry Cox and Joe Lindsay's outstanding book, "The Official Guide to The Beatles Records and Memorabilia. It is an invaluable tool when referencing many items and recordings of The Beatles.

  Vee Jay records released "Introducing The Beatles," twice in America. The first release on July 22, 1963 did not do well, as most Americans had not yet learned of The Beatles. Upon Capitol Records releasing "Meet The Beatles," on January 20, 1964, Beatlemania ensued, and to capitalize on this success, Vee Jay re-released the album on January 27, 1964.

  The songs on the album are as follows, listed as they appear on the album. If you'd like to see the lyrics and learn what the song means, please click on the accompanying link. Presently, only those songs that were written by The Beatles have links to the meanings and lyrics. Introducing The Beatles

  Side A

  I Saw Her Standing There

  Misery

  Anna (Go To Him)

  Chains

  Boys

  Love Me Do

  Side B

  PS I Love You

  Baby It's You

  Do You Want To Know A Secret?

  A Taste Of Honey

  There's A Place

  Twist And Shout

  For Additional Information of these songs, please see my article below:

  Please Please Me

  NOTE: Copyright © 1963-1964 Vee Jay Records. All song titles linked herein and lyrics seen elsewhere on this site and/or contained herein are © Copyright Northern Songs. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. The song titles and lyrics seen elsewhere on this site and/or contained herein are for the sole use of reference for the readers of this article. All other uses are in violation of international copyright laws. This use for educational reference, falls under the "fair use" sections of U.S. copyright law. The same such reference applies to images/photos of album covers used herein.  All information contained in this article, except song titles, lyrics, and photos, or as otherwise noted herein, © Copyright 2000-2022 by John T. Marck. All Rights Reserved. This article and their accompanying pictures, photographs, and line art, may not be resold, reprinted, or redistributed for compensation of any kind without prior written permission from the author. Additional informational reference for this article in whole or in part is from: "The Beatles Price and Reference Guide For American Records" by Perry Cox and Michael Miller.