Vinyl Nostalgia Back to The Beatles discography
Tracklist
Side A
- Two Of Us (3:27)
- Dig A Pony (3:54)
- Across The Universe (3:49)
- I Me Mine (2:26)
- Let It Be (4:03)
- Maggie Mae (0:41)
Side B
- I've Got A Feeling (3:38)
- One After 909 (2:55)
- The Long And Winding Road (3:38)
- For You Blue (2:33)
- Get Back (3:07)
Labels & dead wax
Visual reference for this specific pressing. Click any image to enlarge.
Why this pressing matters
The Korean version of Let It Be (Oasis OLE-170) has one fewer track than any other release of this album. The improvised short "Dig It" is missing from side 1. This omission is not due to a pressing or label printing error. Although it is difficult to find a definitive explanation for the removal of this track, everything points to its length and the perceived lack of significant content. This is also evidence of a censorship system, in which the Korean Ministry of Culture and Information conditioned release approval on the removal of controversial recordings.
In South Korea, songs could be removed from album releases due to censorship regarding content deemed inappropriate, such as sexual lyrics or discussions of sensitive social issues. The same mechanism removed two tracks from the Korean version of Sgt. Pepper's in 1977, deemed to contain drug references. Oasis Record Co. It pressed EMI's repertoire under license, and the label's border documents the passage of censorship with a ministry approval and the appropriate registration number.
Let It Be, with the missing "Dig It," is therefore an interesting phonographic artifact, and therein lies its greatest collector's value.
How to authenticate this pressing
Specific verification cues for this exact variant.
The checklist below confirms that a copy is the Korean licensed Oasis Record Co. edition OLE-170 of 1977, rather than the British or another edition. Each step states what an authentic copy should show.
- Track list without "Dig It". This is the most reliable identifying sign. On the side 1 label the improvised "Dig It", present between "I Me Mine" and "Let It Be" on the British edition, does not appear on the Korean edition. Side 1 therefore has six tracks instead of seven. If "Dig It" is present in the list, the copy is not this first Korean edition. Important remark: in 1991, a reissue of Let It Be was released in South Korea with the song "Dig It" on side 1. In this case, we have to look for confirmation in the catalog number and the matrix numbers
- Catalogue number and perimeter print. The label carries two numbers: the Korean OLE-170 and the inherited British PCS 7096. Rim text states: "Manufactured under licence in Korea by Oasis Record Co.", a notice of approval by the Ministry of Culture and Information with registration number 16, and "Licenced by EMI Records, London". This licensing and censorship formula is characteristic of Korean Oasis editions of this period.
- Dates on the label. The label face shows two dates. "(P) 1970" denotes the year of the original publication of the recording. The second, written as "P 1977 6 5", indicates the actual date of the Korean edition, probably 5 June 1977. The presence of the 1977 date alongside the 1970 date confirms this is a censorship-era edition, not an early reissue.
- Matrix numbers. OLE 170 A R and OLE 170 B R are unique to the first Korean pressing. The 1991 edition has the following matrix numbers: EKPL-0115 A and EKPL-0115 B.
- Label. The label is a yellowish Apple: a whole apple on side 1, a sliced apple on side 2. Below the track list is the credit "An E.M.I. Recording" and "Reproduced for disc by Phil Spector". The standard STEREO marking and the number PCS 7096 sit on the right side of the label face.
Historical context & other notes
On the collector market, Korean licensed Beatles editions from the censorship era form a separate, sought-after category precisely because of the altered track lists. Since censorship led to tracks being removed or substituted, Korean albums sometimes have unique tracklists found on no other market. This makes them of interest to collectors documenting political interference in the record industry, not only to gatherers of pressing variants.
Other releases
This album's releases in other countries, or special editions within the same market. Full per-country chronology lives in each country's hub page.
