A Hard Day’s Night, Parlophone, PCS 3058.

A Hard Day’s Night, Parlophone, PCS 3058, 07.10.1964, stereo. Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. front laminated cover, with mid-sized “stereo“ on front. Tracing-paper-lined “Use Emitex” die-cut inner sleeve. With or without KT tax code on the label.

1. First pressing. July 10, 1964. Black label with yellow logo and silver print. “The Parlophone Co. Ltd” printed at the start perimeter print. “Recording first published 1964″ and “Sold in U.K.” text. Label have thin print. With or without KT tax code on the label. Matrix numbers: Side 1: YEX 126-1; Side 2: YEX 127-1.

Variation A. This type was chubby and rounded and only lasted a short time but as so many copies were pressed initially to satisfy the preorders, it is the style most commonly seen for this album.

Variation B. The title “Songs from the film A Hard Day’s Night” doesn’t take up as much width across the label as before or as it does in future. This variation is placed here as this smaller text may have been an experiment after the chubby text style was changed. This version has a few variants.

2. Second pressing, January 1965 – summer 1965. Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. front laminated cover, with small “stereo“ on front. Black label with yellow logo and silver print. “The Parlophone Co. Ltd” printed at the start perimeter print and “Sold in U.K.” text. Print the publishing year as “(p) 1965“. Tracing-paper-lined “Use Emitex” die-cut inner sleeve. With or without KT tax code on the label. Matrix numbers: Side 1: YEX 126-1; Side 2: YEX 127-1.

(computer graphics)

3. Third pressing, late 1965 until 1969. Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. front laminated cover, with small “stereo” on front. Black label with yellow logo and silver print. “The Gramophone Co. Ltd” printed at the start perimeter print and “Sold in U.K.” text. Tracing-paper-lined “Use Emitex” die-cut inner sleeve. With or without KT tax code on the label. Matrix numbers: Side 1: YEX 126-1; Side 2: YEX 127-1.

Variation A. In late 1965, the typeset used on the “Hard Day’s Night” label was also changed from Sans Serif to Times New Roman. The layout of the track listing was also re-arranged to incorporate the differering type size. The layout on the stereo label, interestingly, is different to the equivalent mono TNR pressing.

(computer graphics)

Variation B. On later labels was returned Sans-Serif font again. Matrix number is shifted relative to the date.

Variation C. Sans-serif print. Matrix number is centered relative to the date. This late version has a label with an misprint, an extra dot in “IN.U.K.” on the side 1. Therefore, we date this label to 1968.

Variation D. Several copies of the third pressing has “Songs From The Film “A Hard Day’s Nigth” title credits on the both sides. Most likely an error pressing, but worth highlighting here. The title Songs From the Film ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ was added to the side 2 label in error. Whether or not this was a stereo only anomaly is unknown, but to date no mono copies have surfaced displaying this.

4. Fourth pressing, summer 1969 – November 1969. Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. front laminated cover, with small “stereo” on front. Black label with yellow logo and silver print. “The Gramophone Co. Ltd” printed at the start perimeter print. Plaine white or sepia “LP advertising“ inner sleeve. Without tax code. Matrix numbers: Side 1: YEX 126-1; Side 2: YEX 127-1.

5. Fifth pressing, November 1969 until 1970. Black label with one black-white EMI logo and silver print. “The Gramophone Co Ltd” printed at the start perimeter print and “Made In GT. Britain” lower text. Laminated flipback “Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd” sleeve. Sepia or black & white “LP advertising” inner sleeve. Matrix numbers: Side 1: YEX 126-1; Side 2: YEX 127-1.

6. Sixth pressing, early 1971 until 1973. Black label with two white-black EMI logos and silver print. “The Gramophone Co Ltd” printed at the start perimeter print and “Made In GT. Britain” lower text. Laminated flipback “Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd” sleeve with or without small “stereo“ on the front side. Sepia color “LP advertising” inner sleeve. Matrix numbers: Side 1: YEX 126-1; Side 2: YEX 127-1.

7. Seventh pressing, summer 1976 until October 1980. Black label with two white-black EMI logos and silver print. “EMI Records Ltd” printed at the start perimeter print and “Made In GT. Britain” printed at the end of the perimeter print. Laminated “Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd” sleeve with mid-sized “stereo“ on the front side. White paper EMI custom inner sleeve. Matrix numbers: Side 1: YEX 126-1 (or -2); Side 2: YEX 127-1 (or -2; -3).

8. Eighth pressing, October 1980 until April 1984. Black label with two white-black EMI logos and silver print. “ALL RIGHTS OF THE PRODUCER” printed at the start perimeter print. Importantly, around the 11 o’clock position in the rimtext the wording is: “UNAUTHORISED PUBLIC PERFORMANCE, BROADCASTING, COPYING AND HIRING”. Instead, added “MANUFACTURED IN THE UK BY EMI RECORDS LIMITED” text at the end of the perimeter print. Unlaminated sleeve with mid-sized “stereo“ on the front side. White paper EMI standard inner sleeve. Matrix numbers: Side 1: YEX 126-2; Side 2: YEX 127-4.

9. Ninth pressing, end of spring 1984 until 1987. Black label with two white-black EMI logos and silver print. “ALL RIGHTS OF THE PRODUCER” printed at the start perimeter print. Importantly, around the 11 o’clock position in the rimtext the wording is: “UNAUTHORISED COPYIN, HIRING, RENTING, PUBLIC PERFORMANCE AND BROADCASTING”. “MANUFACTURED IN THE UK BY EMI RECORDS LIMITED” text at the end of the perimeter print. Unlaminated sleeve with mid-sized “stereo“ on the front side. White paper EMI standard inner sleeve. Matrix numbers: Side 1: YEX 126-3; Side 2: YEX 127-4.

10. Tenth pressing, Remastered, Parlophone 94638241317, released November 12, 2012. The album was reissued on 180g vinyl, prepared use the full 24-bit versions taken from the 2009 remasters. Album included in “The Beatles” stereo box, as well as sold separately. Cover is replicat from the original Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. sleeve without flaps. Vinyl pressed by Optimal Media GmbH, Germany.

Matrix numbers:

Side 1: 94638241317 B985775-01A3 A / Side 2: 94638241317 B985775-01 B2 N1 i…i

Side 1: 94638241317 B985775-01A3 A 3+X / Side 1: 94638241317 B985775-01 B2 N1 i…i

Parlophone french contract pressings.

Single:

Hello Goodbye / I Am The Walrus, Parlophone R 5655. Release November, 1967. Some copies of this single were pressed by the Pathé-Marconi in France. On these singles, the “MADE IN GT. BRITAIN” print the bottom of the label was replaced by a “MADE IN FRANCE” print. These singles were presumably pressed during a shortage of vinyl in the UK or because of an overwhelming demand. This is the only UK Beatles single pressed in France. The records were housed in the Type 7, 8, 9, 10 or 11 company sleeves (see 03. Beatles on Parlophone Records. Part – Singles). Black label with silver print. The publishing year was printed on the label, as “(p) 1967″. The beginning of the perimeter print was written “GRAMOPHONE CO. LTD” and “SOLD IN U.K. SUBJECT TO RESALE PRICE CONDITIONS, SEE PRICE LISTS” text. Push-out or solid center. Tax code KT on the trail off area. Also, the pressing is distinguished by the two matrices: Side A: 7XCE 18433-1 M3 256671, Side B: 7XCE 18434-1 M3 256672.

LPs

EMI temporarily ceased to release LPs in 1973 because to begin of the world oil crisis. LPs production was moved to France on the Pathé-Marconi for some time. We do not know the exact release date of this release, but we may not be wrong if we define the release date of the mid-70s (probably 1973-1975). It is on this French pressings appeared new changes in the Parlophone labels which later appeared in British labels. The start of the perimeter print was changed to “THE EMI RECORDS LTD”. Instead, added “MADE IN FRANCE” text at the end of the perimeter print. The records were housed in British-printed covers. All discs were manufactured from the original British matrices and all disсs have original British and French matrix numbers on the trail off areas.

All discs are in British-printed covers bearing “MADE IN FRANCE” 30 x 20 mm. white stickers.

PCS 3042 “Please Please Me”. Matrix numbers: Side 1: YEX 94-1 M6 298109 PCS 3042A; Side 2: YEX 95-1 M6 298110 PCS 3042B.

PCS 3045 “With The Beatles”. Matrix numbers: Side 1: YEX 110-2 M6 298111 PCS 3045A; Side 2: YEX 111-3 M6 298112 PCS 3045B.

PCS 3058 “A Hard Day’s Night”. Matrix numbers: Side 1: M6 287397 04145A21; Side 2: M6 287398 04145B21.

PCS 3062 “Beatles For Sale”. Matrix numbers: Side 1: YEX 142-1 M6 298113 PCS 3062A; Side 2: YEX 143-1 M6 298114 PCS 3062B.

PCS 3071 “Help!”. Matrix numbers: Side 1: YEX 168-2 M6 297256; Side 2: YEX 169-1 M6 297257.

PCS 3075 “Rubber Soul”. Matrix numbers: Side 1: 3075 A M6 287393 04115A 21; Side 2: 3075 B M6 287394 04115B 21.

PCS 7009 “Revolver”. Matrix numbers: Side 1: YEX 605-2 M6 298115 PCS 7009A; Side 2: YEX 606-2 M6 298553 PCS 7009B.

PCS 7016 “A Collection Of Beatles Oldies”. Matrix numbers: Side 1: YEX 619 21B M6 251111 04258A 7016 A; Side 2: YEX 620 21C M6 288217 04258 B 7016B.

PCS 7027 “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. Matrix numbers: Side 1: YEX 637-1 M6 297254; Side 2: YEX 638-2 M6 297255.