Talkin About My Generation!

Welcome to Part 2 of the American Beatle releases!

This is one of my favorite Beatle recordings! I did not own this one but I would sneak into my sister’s room and play her copy on her record player when no one was home. I think the clandestine approach along with the great music made this a real winner! The Beatles were writing some spectacular music by now.

Something New is the The Beatles’ third Capitol release, but fifth American album following the United Artists release of A Hard Day’s Night.  Released on July 20, 1964 this album includes eight songs from the original British release of A Hard Day’s Night, as well as the remaining tracks Slow Down and Matchbox from the Long Tall Sally EP and the German release of Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand. It was released in both mono and stereo and the mono release contains alternate versions of  Any Time At All, I’ll Cry Instead, When I Get Home and And I Love Her

BTW, The #1 song in the country on this day was Surf City, the first surfin’ record to get to the top of the charts!

My two favorite tracks were:   Tell Me Why If I Fell This record was also released on the Parlophone label for sale only on American Armed Forces bases in Europe. These copies have great collector value. Moreover, the album was also issued in Germany on the Odeon label. The German version contains the unedited version of “And I Love Her”, which was later released on the US version of Rarities.

On Oct. 1, 1964, Vee Jay packaged its Introducing the Beatles album together with The Golden Hits of the Four Seasons and called the collection “The Beatles Vs. The Four Seasons.” The front cover featured new drawings of the Beatles and the Four Seasons, plus listings of all the songs. The back cover featured a ‘scorecard’. The album was issued with a poster which featured the drawings of the Beatles from the VJ 587 picture sleeve.

Estimated prices on “the Beatles Vs. the Four Seasons Album

Beatles vs. The Four Seasons Vee Jay VJDX-30 (mono) black labels with color band; brackets logo.The labels list the original titles of the albums. value: $500-$1500

Beatles vs. The Four Seasons Vee Jay VJDXS-30 (stereo) black labels with color band; brackets logo. The labels list the original titles of the albums. The cover and the record labels say stereo, and the albums play in stereo.value: $2200

Beatles vs. The Four Seasons poster–value: $200

Making certain to CAPITOL IZE on the incredible phenomenon that was Beatlemania, Capitol Records released on Nov 23, 1964 The Beatles’ StoryThis was a documentary double album featuring interviews, press conferences, and some songs by the The Beatles. It was The Beatles’ fourth release by Capitol and sixth U.S album, released in both in mono and stereo. The disc is unremarkable except for brief stereo excerpts of their 1964 Hollywood Bowl concert, which was unreleased until May 1977. Unfortunately, with a small allowance, I did no think that this was a worthwhile investment at the time. I thought LP’s by the Kinks and Animals were the proper choice. What a mistake. This is one of the only Beatle recordings that has not been re-released!

Beatles 65 was released on December 15, 1964. I had my own copy of Beatles 65′ and come to think of it, so did my sister! The sixth American Beatle release includes most of the songs from Beatles for Sale, but deleting “Eight Days a Week”, “Words of Love”, “Every Little Thing”, “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party”, “What You’re Doing”, and the “Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey” medley, which would show up later in Beatles VI. It picked up “I’ll Be Back” from A Hard Day’s Night and includes the single “I Feel Fine”/”She’s a Woman”. These two latter songs were remixed into “duophonic” [fake] stereo and drenched in reverb by Capitol Records’ executive Dave Dexter, Jr. to cover up the use of the mono mixes sent from England.

I Feel Fine

I’m A Loser

Baby’s in Black

I played this LP into the ground! There wasn’t a bad song in the bunch! In the US ,the album was a blockbuster hit, and jumped from #98 straight to #1, making the biggest jump to the pole position in the history of the Billboard Album Charts up to that time. In what may be testament to the overwhelming market appeal of the Beatles, several albums were released and promoted in America during 1965 sporting a similar title. These included Sinatra ’65 by Frank Sinatra and Ellington ’65 by Duke Ellington on Reprise Records, Trio ’65 by jazz pianist Bill Evans on Verve Records, and Brasil ’65 by Sergio Mendes on the Beatles’ own Capitol label.

On the back cover you can see the advertisement for other Beatle recordings. Would somebody email me and tell me that they actually bought this next gem?

The Hollyridge Strings were an in-house act released by Capitol Records. Throughout the 1960′s, they were perhaps best known for their instrumental versions of Beatles songs. This was music for my parents!             The Hollyridge Strings-She Loves You

The Early Beatles was released on March 22, 1965. The album resembles more of an early compilation because all of the tracks had previously been featured on the early 1964 Vee-Jay release Introducing… The Beatles. The front cover photo for this album is the same as the back cover photo for the British LP Beatles for Sale.

Baby It’s You

Anna

Chains

Since I had all of these songs on other LP’s I abstained from purchasing it.

Beatles VI was released on June 14, 1965 and was the eighth album released in less than 18 months! The Mets were no hit by Cincinnati pitcher Jim Maloney but they lost 1-0 in the 11th! and John Lennon releases his second book, A Spainard in the Works!

Two tracks on Beatles VI were recorded specifically for the North American market.  Bad Boy and Dizzy Miss Lizzie, both covers of Larry Williams songs, and both recorded on Williams’ birthday (10 May 1965), marking perhaps the only time that the Beatles recorded material especially for the US market.

The remaining six tracks left off  Beatles ’65 from Beatles for Sale Yes It Is , the B-side to the single “Ticket to Ride”. This is a “duophonic” stereo remix from the original mono track, with additional echo and reverb and two tracks from the forthcoming British release of Help! You Like Me Too Much

and Tell Me What You See

As on Beatles for Sale, the “Kansas City”/”Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey” medley was originally listed only as “Kansas City”. After attorneys for Venice Music notified Capitol of its error, the record label was corrected, although the album cover was not.

Please let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!