How The Beatles U.S. Capitol Albums Were Sold in EUROPE

U.S. servicemen and their families stationed in Europe in the 1960's, the U.S. Army and Air Force were kept supplied with Beatles records via on-base stores called the PX or BX. While some were imported from home, three of The Beatles early U.S. albums were pressed by EMI in the UK for export to these military establishments. They are now among the most collectible Beatles albums in the world and this is their story.

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[tediarocci]

I'm a first generation fan/collector and I have been on the look out for these for years (for a reasonable price!) I finally found one on sale by one of my fav EBAY sellers about 2 years ago. It is "Something New". Overall it is in pretty good shape. It was an auction which I won for $56 ! So thrilled to have scored this.

[bengtl]

On 10 May 1965 the Beatles did a recording session especially for Capitol. The two tracks recorded were Dizzy Miss Lizzy and Bad Boy and these were intended for Beatles VI. The crossed out matrix number on side two (ST2-2451) does not correspond to any Capitol Beatles LP, US originals has the matrix ST2-2358-A1. The CPCS records are the first British pressed LPs to include stereo mixes of many tracks, like Thank You Girl (with all the harmonica parts), the Long Tall Sally EP tracks, Rain, Lady Madonna, Hey Jude and Don't Let Me Down. But on them you will also find horrible duophonic versions of You Can't Do That and Yes It Is.

[clevebaker]

Phenomenal job!! After 60 years of collecting this is why it’s good to get information from many different sources!! You are the best in presentation and intelligent information! Thank you sir!!

[jmad]

Geez I never knew about these Andrew.
Always learning new Beatles stuff from you and your channel.
In the US navy we called the the Exchange.

[goodiesguy]

Beatles VI was also oddly released in New Zealand, though the label incorrectly called it Beatles IV.

[philippecolinge]

Highly informative!
One tiny mistake, though.
The photo from the record shop section in the BX in Maryland shows a copy "The Graduate" soundtrack, which only came out in January 1968. Thus the picture cannot be from 1967.

[LeftyPem]

The PX record dept photo is actually from 1968, as it contains the Graduate soundtrack, which released in late January.

[tommytoggle]

Thanks for including my friend, Jeff Uleau’s artwork. We grew up together and became Beatlemaniacs around the same time.

[shnibby]

Thanks, Andrew! You’re my “go-to” guy for anything Beatles!

[donnhall]

Very interesting! My Father served in the US Army and the PX was the absolute best place to purchase albums. I think the last one I bought at the PX was Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells which a buddy and I had heard on the FM radio while hanging out in his purple room with black lights and posters. We heard Tubular Bells almost a year before The Exorcist came out and bought a copy at the Ft. Knox PX! Funny though, we never thought of the music as scary until seeing /hearing it in the context of The Exorcist.
I enjoy your videos very much - Rock On!!!

[charlessweedler]

Excellent video as always, Andrew. I appreciate that you clarified that the Barbados and Kenya LPs on export labels were not Decca contract pressings. Fighting this misinformation is like plowing the ocean, but hope springs eternal.

Another interesting wrinkle is that the Dutch EMI licensee, Bovema, also pressed Something New using UK-supplied stampers and G&L sleeves.

However (yes, there's always a however) I have two quibbles about the intended destinations of the export copies.

1. The Odeon YS may have been sold in Gibraltar and Malta, but more than 90% of all copies I've seen offered for sale in the past 15+ years surfaced in Portugal. This makes sense because Portugal did not press Beatles LPs domestically until the mid-1970s but was a good market for the Beatles' music (as evidenced by the many EPs and singles pressed there during the 1960s). A significant, possibly the largest, fraction of the export copies of Abbey Road and Let It Be also surface in Portugal.

2. I don't believe the Apple version of Hey Jude was intended primarily for export. First, most of them seem to surface in the UK, and in large numbers. Second, the export versions of the other Apple LPs were pressed on Parlophone (and in the case of YS, Odeon) labels because of Apple trademark issues in some countries. An Apple version of Hey Jude does not address that problem. I believe the Apple version of Hey Jude was a regular domestic pressing, with the CPCS catalog number because it originated with Capitol. I believe the copies intended for export were the insanely hard to find P-CPCS 106 copies on one box Parlophone labels.

[wininboy]

I used to own "Beatles VI" as an export. It's one of the very few Beatles lp's I have sold, because I though it sounded so horrendously bad. Regrets? I've had a few... Great and informative video, Andrew, as always! Thank you so much for sharing your vast knowledge.

[matthewbuzzell]

Thanks for this episode! I was an army brat and spent many hours exploring various PXs during my childhood. I bought vinyl copies of Yellow Submarine and the White Album at our PX in the mid 1970s. I also scored copies London Town on cassette and Nilsson’s Son of Dracula on vinyl at our PX. The photo brought back a lot of memories!

[jameseybhoy]

I managed to find a copy of “The Beatles Second Album” in a charity shop in Scotland for £20 a couple of years ago.

[Renshen]

I remember the PX in the US. Travis AFB, Mare Island Naval Base, Hamilton Field, Fort Ord Army Base before and after my father retired after 20 years service in the 1960s. Except Travis, these are no longer military bases, except the Hospital which was built on Fort Ord. I don’t remember any Beatle albums, although I did play Thank You Girl on a Juke Box in one the NCO restaurant for service men.

[BeatleAaron]

Every time I think I know quite a bit about the Beatles, you hit me with another video full of fun and obscure info! Thanks for another great one!

[Wogew]

In Scandinavia, the Parlophone U.S. albums were sold in regular record stores, and also appeared in brochures from E.M.I. which listed the available Beatles albums.

[scottroberts]

Iv'e always wondered what Help would have looked like if they went with the original title of Eight Arms To Hold You. I know that has nothing to do with the export albums, just happened to think of it. Great video as always. Thanks.

[OuterGalaxyLounge]

Such an enjoyable video. Super fascinating. Geopolitical military history and recording history, two of my favorite subjects at once.

[Zappa-bndq]

Excellent as usually, everything stops on a Sunday when the phone “pings” to eagerly devour the post.