This is a private records collection of The Beatles. The owner of this collection is sure that this site will provide lots of useful information for people interested in collecting of Beatles vinyl. Information - is the main purpose of the site, however some things will be released for sale. All rights reserved copying, broadcasting and the publication of materials from this site is possible from the sanction of the owner of the site only. The collection will be always updated.

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Universal Recording Corporation, Chicago. EMI master types were sent to Universal Recording Corporation for mastering, a process that involves the cutting of lacquer discs. The recording engineer who cut the lacquer hand etched his initials “RA” into the trail off area of the discs, along with each song’s master number. Subsequently another difference appearing in the trail off areas of the other variation is that the initials “URJ” appear instead of “RA”. Apparently, these discs were mastered by an individual whose initials “URJ”. His hand-etched initials are found in the trail off areas of many Vee-Jay singles pressed in 1964.

Audio Matrix Inc, Bronx, New York. The lacquers were sent to Audio Matrix Inc. to prepare the metal parts necessary to manufacture the records. These metal parts included masters, mothers and the actual stampers used to press the records. Metal parts produced by Audio Matrix have the company’s logo machine stamped into their trail off areas, which transfers to the finished record. The sharpness of the logo varies among individual records. This is due to the image on the stamper wearing down from excessive use. On some discs the words “Audio Matrix” are clearly visible while on others all that remains is what appears to be a series of dots. Job numbers of Monarch Records. The discs manufactured by Monarch Records contain a hand etched job number preceded by a triangle symbol.

Symbols of manufacturers:

The primary pressing plants used by Vee-Jay were:

1. ARP – The American Record Pressing Co, Owosso, Michigan.

2. MR – Monarch Record, Los Angeles, California.

3. no – Southern Plastics, Nashville, Tennessee.

4. T1 – Columbia Records, Terre Houte, Indiana or Bridgeport.

5. no – Silver Plastics, Southampton, Pennsylvania (1964, VJ 581 with black label & silver brackets logo and TOLLIE 9001 with yellow label & boxed logo, only)

Master numbers of Universal Recording Corporation and job numbers of Monarch Records:

VJ 498 A: Please Please Me – master number 63-2967, job number 46527

VJ 498 B: Ask me Why – master number 63-2968, job number 46527-X

VJ 522 A: From Me To You – master number 63-3218, job number 47843

VJ 522 B: Thank You Girl – master number 63-3219, job number 47843-X

VJ 581 A: Please Please Me – master number 63-2967, job number 46527

VJ 581 B: From Me To You – master number 63-3218, job number 47843

TOLLIE 9001 A: Twist And Shout – master number 63-3194, job number 51071-X

TOLLIE 9001 B: There’s A Place – master number 63-3193, job number 51071

VJ 587 A: Do You Want To Know A Secret – master number 63-3191, job number 51070

VJ 587 B: Thank You Girl – master number 63-3219, job number 47843-X (rather 51771)

VJEP 1-903 A: Misery / Taste Of Honey – master number 64-3915, job number 51772

VJEP 1-903 B: Ask Me Why / Anna – master number 64-3916, job number 51772 (as Side A)

TOLLIE 9008 A: Love Me Do – master number 63-3188, job number 51068-X

TOLLIE 9008 B: P.S. I Love You – master number 63-3189, job number 51069

1. 1963 Vee-Jay Record Sleeve. During 1963, Vee-Jay often issued its singles in red, white and black center cut sleeves with VEE-JAY printed in the same typestyle as oval logo and with Vee-Jay’s 1449 South Michigan, Chicago, address printed at the bottom.

2. 1964 Vee-Jay Right Brackets Record Sleeve. After Vee-Jay switched from the oval logo to the brackets logo towards the end of 1963, the company began using record sleeves with the brackets logo. These sleeves have the phrase “SINGLES OF SIGNIFICANCE” and, significantly, do not have the label’s Chicago address at the bottom.

3. 1964 Vee-Jay Left & Right Record Sleeve. Sleeve have the phrase “SINGLES OF SIGNIFICANCE” and do not have the label’s Chicago address at the bottom. These sleeves have one column og seven brackets logos forming the border of both the left and right side of the sleeve.

Please Please Me / Ask Me Why, Vee-Jay VJ-498. The first record released in the United States to bear the Beatles name was VJ-498, which was released on or about February 20, 1963. The single contained the group’s second British 45 RPM single, “Please Please Me” backed with “Ask Me Why”, and was released in England on January 11, 1963, as Parlophone 45-R 4983. Both songs was recorded at November 26, 1962 on the Abbey Road Studio, London. Interestingly enough, Vee-Jay did not even know how to spell the group’s name. All initial issues of the record, as well as advertisements in the trade journals, added an extra “T” to the name. Thus, when VJ-498 was released in February of 1963, it was credited THE BEATTLES. The songwriters were listed as “J. Lennon-P. McCartney”. Vee-Jay sold approximately 5,650 copies during the first half of 1963. By mid-year the record had run its course as evidenced by Vee-Jay;s claim that only two copies were sold in the last six months of 1963. A limited pressing of the of the single in 1964 added sales of approximately 1,650 units, raising total sales to 7,310 copies.

This the PROMOTIONAL ISSUE: DISC JOCKEY ADVANCE COPY. White Label with Oval Logo an outer rim “colorband” with varying shades of grey. It has black print lettering, “Disc Jockey Advance Sample” and “NOT FOR SALE”. The misspelled “BEATTLES”. First Record released in the United States to bear the Beatles name. THIS PROMOTIONAL ISSUE IS SIMILAR TO THE STOCK COPY, AS IT WAS ALSO MANUFACTURED BY The American Record Pressing Co. (ARP). ITS TYPESETTING IS IDENTICAL TO THE STOCK COPY DOWN TO THE MISSPELLING OF THE GROUP’S NAME IN THIN PRINT. ITS TRAIL-OF AREA MARKINGS ARE ALSO IDENTICAL TO THOSE OF THE STOCK COPY, MEANING THAT THE ARP. STOCK AND THIS PROMO RECORD WERE PRESSED FROM THE SAME STAMPERS.

Please Please Me / Ask Me Why, Vee-Jay VJ-498. February 20, 1963. All variations of Vee-Jay Beatles records pressed in 1963, as well as many pressed in 1964, have the initials “RA” and the master number hand etched and Audio Matrix Logo machine stamped in their trail off areas. All three variations of the misspelled “BEATTLES” stock copies were manufactured with metal parts sent to the three different regional pressing plants on the same day, it makes little sense to claim that any one of these discs was released prior to the other two. All three misspelled variations are original issue records.

1. This record has thin silver lettering on a black label with oval logo and outer rim colorband. The initials “ARP” appear in script in the trail off areas, indicating that this record was pressed by ARP.

2. Record has thick silver lettering on a black label with oval logo and outer rim colorband. The MR symbol symbol machine stamped in the trail off areas indicate that this disc was pressed by Monarch Records. The trail off areas also contain the job numbers 46527 hand etched on the A side and 46527-X on the side B.

3. Although record has the same colorband oval logo label. These include a “#” symbol preceding the recor number, the words “VOCAL” and “TIME” and the publishing information entirely in capital letters, the songwriter credits in microprint and the lack of a pressing plant logo in the trail off areas. It has been determined that this variation was manufactured by Southern Plastics.