Revolver first (standard) press mono

The August 1966 release of Revolver came with a production hiccup that is rarely covered in Polish collector writing. It concerns what is arguably the most interesting detail for any collector — the original side 2 lacquer, on which the so-called Remix 11 („RM11”) of „Tomorrow Never Knows” was cut. That version has never found its way onto any official release since. Not on CD, not on streaming, not on the 1996 Anthology, not even on the 2022 super deluxe edition of Revolver. It exists solely on a handful of vinyl copies pressed on 14 July 1966 at EMI’s Hayes factory in the UK.

There’s a story doing the rounds in Beatles collector circles, attributed to Yoko Ono, that John Lennon listened to a test pressing, phoned George Martin, and told him the lacquer had to be redone. It seems, however, that the true version is the one given by About The Beatles and by Mark Lewisohn’s The Beatles Recording Sessions: it was George Martin who, on 14 July 1966 — with the album already at the pressing stage at EMI — phoned engineer Geoff Emerick with instructions to replace RM11 with the earlier Remix 8, cut on 27 April 1966. The replaced side 2 lacquer thus received the matrix number XEX 606-2, and pressings carrying that code are regarded as the standard issue.

Before Martin managed to stop the pressing machines, however, a small run had already been produced, and the XEX 606-1 copies went out through the regular UK distribution network. Another Beatles unicorn was born. As for how many — here it’s worth listening to Bruce Spizer, the author of the definitive The Beatles on Parlophone Records. A single EMI stamper from this period could press roughly 5,000 copies before wear required replacement. If RM11 was being pressed across a full Sunday or Monday (most likely 11 July 1966, three days before Martin’s decision), and UK mono pre-orders for Revolver exceeded 300,000 copies, then the RM11 print run could have reached the low tens of thousands — that’s 5-15% of the total UK mono pre-order. If so, these copies are not nearly as rare as auction sellers suggest, though they remain a prized catch for collectors.

Exactly such a copy sold at auction in 2018 for £720 (then approx. 917 USD).

To recap, the first pressing carried the matrix numbers:
Side 1: XEX 605-2
Side 2: XEX 606-1

The standard first issue is therefore taken to be the copies pressed after the side 2 lacquer was replaced, with matrices:
Side 1: XEX 605-2
Side 2: XEX 606-2

These matrix numbers alone let you identify the pressing with confidence, because the next pressing (already from 1967) used a different side 2 lacquer, numbered XEX 606-3.

Let’s look at the label, though. Revolver comes in two distinct label variants.

Variant 1

The standard first pressing of Revolver with the first variant label uses a sans-serif typeface from the Monotype Grotesque family or Helvetica (1957), both standard in British print at the time. Silver text on a dark background, yellow PARLOPHONE logo. On side 2 (in both the RM11 and early RM8 pressings) the title misprint „Dr. Robert” instead of „Doctor Robert”. At the top of side 1, only „Taxman” sits on the first line, with „Eleanor Rigby” dropping to the second. Credit format: „Title (Composer)-Lead Vocalist”.

Variant 2

My own copy of the standard Revolver pressing has the second label variant — the much more readily identifiable one. First of all, the catalogue number PMC 7009 on the right-hand side of the label is larger and sits immediately below the sentence „SOLD IN U.K. SUBJECT TO RESALE PRICE CONDITIONS, SEE PRICE LISTS”. The side number is likewise much larger than on other variants. The typeface used on the second-variant label is Times New Roman. Credit format changed to „Title-Lead Vocalist (Composer)”.

On the left-hand side of the label, there’s an easily spotted difference: on no other mono Revolver pressing — and no stereo pressing either — is the side number placed under (P) 1966 shifted so noticeably towards the (P) (roughly centred against the line above) as it is on the second-variant label. In every other case it is right-aligned and tucked between the digits of 66.

Most copies with this label variant carry the misprinted title „Dr. Robert” for track 4 on side 2 (matching the sleeve), rather than the correct „Doctor Robert”. Surprisingly, my own second-variant copy has the correct spelling of the title (I haven’t yet seen such a pressing described in the literature). As the sole source, TheBeatles-Collection does record a so-called „Variation C” — a sans-serif variant with the corrected „Doctor Robert” — but a combination of the Times New Roman label and the corrected title hasn’t, to my knowledge, been documented.

Importantly, later pressings no longer carry the sentence „SOLD IN U.K. SUBJECT TO RESALE PRICE CONDITIONS, SEE PRICE LISTS” on the labels, so its presence points either to the standard issue or to the ultra-rare original pressing with the wrong side 2 lacquer. In both cases, we’re looking at a rarity straight out of 1966.

In 2023 and 2024, XEX 606-1 copies in EX+ condition sold at Parlogram Auctions for £1,200 (then approx. 1,507 USD)-1,600, and one Mint copy (unopened, in its original factory shrinkwrap) went for over £2,000 (approx. 2,706 USD). Recent RRPG editions value this variant at £1,000 (approx. 1,353 USD)-1,500 NM, £700 (approx. 947 USD)-900 EX, and £400 (approx. 541 USD)-600 VG+. By comparison — the standard first pressing XEX 606-2 with the „Dr. Robert” label runs £80 (approx. 108 USD)-120 NM. The gap between „nearly-rarest” and „that one day at the Hayes factory” is staggering — twelvefold.

The Revolver XEX 606-1 Pressing — A Vinyl Unicorn from 14 July 1966

The August 1966 release of Revolver came with a production hiccup that is rarely covered in Polish collector writing. It concerns the most interesting detail for any collector — the original side 2 lacquer, which carried the so-called Remix 11 („RM11”) of „Tomorrow Never Knows” — a version that has never appeared on any official release since. Not on CD, not on streaming, not on the 1996 Anthology, not even on the 2022 Revolver: Special Edition super deluxe box. It exists solely on the handful of vinyl copies pressed on 14 July 1966 at EMI’s Hayes factory in the UK.

Fact vs Folklore — Who Actually Withdrew Remix 11?

Let me correct one story that circulates in the collector trade and gets repeated most often by eBay sellers. The version runs roughly: „John Lennon listened to a test pressing, phoned George Martin, and demanded the mix be withdrawn.” It sounds good, it fits the Lennon-as-perfectionist legend — except there’s no solid source for it.

The most accurate chronology comes from About The Beatles and from Mark Lewisohn’s The Beatles Recording Sessions: it was George Martin who, on 14 July 1966 — with the album already at the cutting stage at EMI — phoned engineer Geoff Emerick with instructions to replace RM11 with the earlier Remix 8 from 27 April 1966. No test pressings were played to the band, no Lennon intervention — it was simply a producer’s call made during production. TheBeatles-Collection and sellers on popsike keep repeating the Lennon version, but that’s auction folklore, not a primary source. Even stranger is the version floating around in Polish circles, attributing the decision to a Yoko Ono account. The snag: Yoko didn’t meet John until 9 November 1966 at the Indica Gallery — four months after Remix 11 was withdrawn. She couldn’t have witnessed the events. So let’s leave folklore aside and stick with Lewisohn.

How Does Remix 11 Differ From the Standard RM8?

A key question for the collector — if we’re going to hear this mysterious variant, it helps to know what to listen for. Compared to the universally known RM8:

• Lennon’s vocal is louder and clearer above the layer of effects — in RM8 the effects periodically drown the voice; here the vocal is more exposed.
• The fade-out is longer, with a noticeably stronger „Mrs Mills” piano figure at the end.
• The „seagull” effects (in fact a sped-up „ah ah ah ah” from McCartney) are stronger and appear at different moments.

Paul Moss of Parlogram Auctions, in his 2016 article „XEX 606-1 is 50”, writes that some collectors — himself included — actually prefer this version to the standard one. It has more drive, less „psychedelic haze”, and moves closer in character to the stereo mix (YEX 606-1), even though it remains formally a mono version.

The Run Size — Not „Liverpool”, But „First Day of Pressing”

Another piece of folklore to correct. Many auction listings claim „a small number of copies went to Liverpool shops” — a nice story, but without any source. Parlogram Auctions, today one of the most respected UK auctioneers specialising in Beatles vinyl, puts it plainly: „This mix was replaced with an alternate mix after the first day of pressing.” The issue is therefore the first day of pressing at the EMI Hayes factory (not Liverpool — Hayes is a town in Middlesex west of London, where EMI’s pressing plant was located), not geographical distribution. XEX 606-1 copies went out through ordinary UK distribution channels before Martin intervened on 14 July.

As for how many — here it’s worth listening to Bruce Spizer, author of the definitive The Beatles on Parlophone Records. A single EMI stamper from this period could press roughly 5,000 copies before wear required replacement. If RM11 was pressed across a Sunday or Monday (probably 11 July 1966, three days before Martin’s decision), and UK mono pre-orders for Revolver exceeded 300,000 copies, then the RM11 print run could have reached the low tens of thousands — that’s 5-15% of total UK mono pre-orders. Less than the „handful for Liverpool” auction story, more than the legendary „few thousand”. The truth sits in the middle, and it matters for today’s market: these copies are not as rare as auction narratives suggest, though they remain a valuable collector’s piece.

Matrix Numbers — What Exactly to Check

First pressing (withdrawn, with Remix 11):

• Side 1: XEX 605-2 (second lacquer — the first lacquer for side 1 never entered distribution, probably scrapped early or used only for test mothers)
• Side 2: XEX 606-1 ← this is our unicorn matrix

In the dead wax you therefore read: XEX 605-2 on side 1 and XEX 606-1 on side 2.

Standard first pressing (post-replacement, August 1966):

• Side 1: XEX 605-2
• Side 2: XEX 606-2

Second pressing (1967):

• Side 1: XEX 605-2 (unchanged)
• Side 2: XEX 606-3

This matters — you cannot tell an RM11 copy from the label alone (all three variants share the same early „Dr. Robert” first-pressing label). You need to look into the dead wax and read the matrix. On auctions people get this wrong all the time — ordinary XEX 606-2 first pressings get listed as „Remix 11”, either by mistake or on purpose. If you see „first pressing Remix 11” in a listing, always ask for a runout photograph.

Sleeve Identification — Garrod & Lofthouse vs Ernest J. Day

Two different printers produced first-pressing Revolver sleeves: Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. and Ernest J. Day & Co. Ltd. In both cases these are tri-flipback sleeves with laminated fronts (and, on some variants, laminated backs). The back cover carries the title „Dr. Robert” (uncorrected, first-pressing variant) along with the printer’s imprint along the bottom edge. The Ernest J. Day variant is rarer for collectors — produced in smaller numbers and more sought-after today. Both printers sleeved copies with both XEX 606-1 (RM11) and XEX 606-2 (RM8) — the sleeve itself doesn’t tell you what’s on the vinyl.

Labels — Two Variants, But Not Arial

Now for an interesting technical correction. Many sources say variant 1 of the label uses the „Arial” typeface and variant 2 uses „Times New Roman”. The first is anachronistic for the obvious reason: Arial was created in 1982, as Monotype’s response to the licensed Helvetica. In 1966, Parlophone couldn’t have „used Arial” because the typeface didn’t exist yet. TheBeatles-Collection’s entry also says „Arial” — but that’s shorthand. Technically the label used a sans-serif typeface from the Monotype Grotesque family or Helvetica (1957), standard in British print at the time.

Variant A (the standard first-pressing label): sans-serif typeface, silver text on dark background, yellow PARLOPHONE logo. On side 2 (in both the RM11 and early RM8 versions) the misprint „Dr. Robert” instead of „Doctor Robert”. At the top of side 1, only „Taxman” sits on the first line, with „Eleanor Rigby” dropping to line two. Credit format: „Song (Composer)-Lead Singer”.

Variant B (the so-called Times New Roman label): serif typeface (Times New Roman), a completely different layout — on side 1, both „Taxman” and „Eleanor Rigby” fit on the first line. Credit format switched to „Song-Lead Singer (Composer)”. Likely appeared in late 1966. TheBeatles-Collection stresses: „This vinyl was pressed on the EMI on old machines press. IT’S NOT CBS PRESSING as many people think! THIS IS EMI PRESSING!” — a useful clarification, because this variant frequently gets mislabelled in the collector trade as a CBS contract pressing. Parlophone did in fact use CBS for contract pressings in the 1970s, but not in 1966.

On variant B, the „Dr. Robert” error typically remains uncorrected. A curious exception: the original Polish author of this piece has a variant B copy with the corrected „Doctor Robert” — and indeed TheBeatles-Collection lists a „Variation C” with a sans-serif label and corrected spelling. However, the specific combination „Times New Roman + Doctor Robert” is not documented in the sources — this genuinely could be an unrecorded pressing sub-variant, worth its own Discogs entry with photographic evidence.

The 2018 Auction — £720 (then approx. 917 USD) for a Remix 11 Copy

The original Polish author mentions a 2018 auction at £720 (then approx. 917 USD). I can confirm — on 21 October 2018, Gripsweat recorded a sale of an XEX 606-1 copy (EX+) for exactly £720 (approx. 974 USD), after 50 bids. It was a Garrod & Lofthouse sleeve copy with uncorrected „Dr. Robert” on both labels and sleeve.

But the market has moved sharply upwards since 2018. In 2023 and 2024, XEX 606-1 copies in EX+ condition sold at Parlogram Auctions for £1,200 (then approx. 1,507 USD)-1,600, and one mint in shrink copy (never opened, in original factory shrinkwrap) went for over £2,000 (approx. 2,706 USD). Recent RRPG editions value this variant at £1,000 (approx. 1,353 USD)-1,500 NM, £700 (approx. 947 USD)-900 EX, £400 (approx. 541 USD)-600 VG+. By comparison — a standard first pressing XEX 606-2 with the „Dr. Robert” label runs £80 (approx. 108 USD)-120 NM. The gap between „nearly-rarest” and „that one day at the Hayes factory” is twelvefold.

Super Deluxe 2022 — and Why RM11 Isn’t On It

For completeness: when Apple issued Revolver: Special Edition in 2022 (Giles Martin’s remix using AI de-mixing from MAL technology), enthusiasts hoped Remix 11 would finally get an official reissue. It didn’t. The box carries demos, alternate takes, and a new stereo mix — but no RM11. Apple, Giles Martin, and the Abbey Road team haven’t stated a reason — most likely they treated RM11 as a historical curiosity rather than an artistic alternative. For the collector, that means one thing: the only way to hear Remix 11 is to find an XEX 606-1 copy — or YouTube, where a transfer from someone’s collection has been circulating for years.

Comparative Table of Revolver Mono Pressings (PMC 7009)