Cover
The covers for „Help!” were produced by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. and Ernest J. Day & Co. The laminated front is folded back and glued along the edges. The outline of the word „mono” appears in the upper right corner of the front.Labels
It’s a typical black and yellow PARLOPHONE label with the text „Sold in U.K. subject…” below the label name (missing from the third pressing) and a copyright notice around the perimeter, beginning with the words „The Gramophone Co. Ltd.” The photos above show my own copy of this record. I ordered this one somewhat „blindly,” and it turned out I was lucky.
I came across an interesting variant – found only on second pressings and therefore clearly resolving the chronological issue. There’s an editorial error on page 1 at the bottom of the label. The mention „Northern Songs, NCB” (the owner of the publishing rights to the released songs) unexpectedly appears below the band’s name, not above it as it should. This error was quickly spotted, and the second variant of the label for the second pressing of „Help!” is now devoid of it. This is therefore one of the two distinctive elements to look for first.
Matrix / Runout
The first four pressings of „Help!”, up until 1970, were pressed from the same masters, so they don’t so much allow us to identify the pressing number as they do the authenticity of the UK production (foreign releases have different master numbers).Page 1: XEX 549 – 2
Page 2: XEX 550 – 2
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