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Parlophone Label: Compilation Albums
18. Magical Mystery Tour (U.S. Edition) (PCTC 255)
(Update: 22th. April 2018)
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"Magical Mystery Tour" album was issued in U.S. on 27th. November 1967 as Capitol MAL 2835 (mono) and SMAL 2835 (stereo). The package was a huge hit with the public, generating the highest level of initial sales of any album to date. Realising the Capitol had created a product too popular to ignore, EMI imported a number of copies to the United Kingdom. This U.S. version of  Magical Mystery Tour officially was released in the United Kingdom on 19 November 1976. When the album was issued in Britain, EMI did a straight pressing from the American album, The left much to be desired as three of the tracks, gPenny Laneh, gBaby Youfre A Rich Manh and gAll You Need Is Loveh, are in fake stereo.
sleeve
  Parlophone 1st. Sleeve


Notice* Click the label of each album, so you can see the large picture image.

#18-1 Magical Mystery Tour (Imported from U.S. "with Import Sticker": (S)MAL-2835)
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Both mono and stereo versions of the U.S. album were exported for U.K. The covers have a gold foil sticker stating "Specialy Imported by E.M.I. RECORDS" in red. Through the usual EMI ordering procedures British record shops could order it using the U.S. catalogue number of (S)MAL 2835 and it became the biggest selling import for E.M.I. selling over 50,000 copies.
mono
U.S. MONO Press (MAL-2835)
U.S. STEREO Press (SMAL-2835)
mono mono



#18-2 Magical Mystery Tour (1st. Press "EMI RECORDS LTD rim": PCTC 255)
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TITLE MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR
CATALOG NUMBER PCTC 255
RELEASE DATE 19th. November.1976 / First Press
TRACK LISTING SIDE 1 SIDE 2
Magical Mystery Tour
Hello Goodbye
The Fool On The Hill
Strawberry Fields Forever
Flying
Penny Lane *fake stereo
Blue Jay Way
Baby You're A Rich Man  *fake stereo
Your Mother Should Know
All You Need Is Love  *fake stereo
I Am The Walrus
 
FRONT --> Click! BACK --> Click! SIDE 1 --> Click! SIDE 2 --> Click! DISK
sleeve sleeve label label label
INNER SLEEVE
INSIDE --> Click!
sleeve sleeve sleeve
The UK LP had a gatefold cover, inside which was a 24-page booklet with photographs from the filming of Magical Mystery Tour, and a cartoon strip telling the story. Had the lyrics in the gatefold.
FRONT COVER CLOSE UP BACK COVER CLOSE UP
sleeve sleeve Catalog No. "PCTC 255" and international catalog No.(EMI country code) were printed at the upper right of the back cover.
The EMI country codes (introduced on 1 June, 1969): In most cases the EMI Codes are the first two letters of the record's catalog#. These EMI Country Codes were used to indicate the country in which the record was pressed (0C = UK).
The credit "?1967 NEMS ENTERPRISES LTD" was printed at the front cover.
INSIDE CLOSE UP
sleeve Parlophone logomark and the printer credit "7611 Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. Pat. No. 1224339" were printed at the bottom of the inside.
sleeve At the inside sleeve, the old Apple mark, which looks like a drawing, and the word "apple presents" was printed.
INSIDE CLOSE UP
sleeve Beneath the title I Am The Walrus in the song listing is a handwritten "("No you're not!" said Little Nicola)", a reference to Nicola Hale, a five-year-old girl who appeared in the film.
sleeve
The credit "?1967 Northern Songs Ltd. Reprinted by permission" at the inside sleeve.
INSIDE CLOSE UP
sleeve The credit: "Produced by Big George Martin" was printed on the inside of the gatefold.
LABEL CLOSE UP
label label This label have two "EMI" marks, which are white with black print (reversed).
Songwriters on labels just credited with their last name and producer George Martin without the prefix "Big".
LABEL CLOSE UP
label STEREO and catalogue number "PCTC 255" were printed at the right side of the center hole of the label.
label label "EMI RECORDS LTD." printed at the start perimeter print and "MADE IN GT. BRITAIN" printed at the end of the perimeter print.

SIDE 1
SIDE 2 Master numbers "Side 1: YEX. 959, Side 2: YEX. 960", published year "? 1967", and the credit "EMI Records Ltd." were printed at the  left side of the center hole of the label.
Track A6 printed on label as "I Am The Walrus" without "("No you're not!" said Little Nicola)"
label label label
24 PAGE BOOKLET
sleeve sleeve sleeve sleeve sleeve
sleeve sleeve sleeve sleeve sleeve
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sleeve sleeve sleeve sleeve Includes LP-sided 24-page full color picture book called the "Magical Mystery Tour" book. ? 1967, NEMS Enterprises Ltd.
BOOKLET: P-01 CLOSE UP
BOOKLET: P-24 CLOSE UP
sleeve sleeve The word "PCTC 255 (I)" was printed at the upper right corner of the P24 of the booklet.
OTHER ITEM
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LABEL Black/white Parlophone label with silver print Type-3
MIX STEREO excepted as noted
MATRIX No. SIDE 1 YEX 959-1
SIDE 2 YEX 960-1
VINYL COLOR BLACK
RECORD COMPANY'S NAME EMI Records Ltd.
CENTRAL REMARK
"SOLD IN U.K..."
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RECORDING PUBLISHED CREDIT ? 1967
COVER FORM Unlaminated gatefold sleeve with 24 pages booklet
PRINTER CREDIT 7611 Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. Pat. No. 1224339
COVER DESIGN/ PHOTO/ NOTES Photo: John Kelly / Drawing: Bob Gibson / Notes: Tony Barrow
INNER SLEEVE White paper sleeve "IMPORTANT NOTICE in rectangle box" Type-2-2
PRODUCER George Martin
COMMENTS
On 8th December 1967 the "Magical Mystery Tour" soundtrack was released in the U.K. as a double E.P. package, but in the United States they had a full LP.
U.S. album was issued on 27th. November 1967 as Capitol MAL 2835 (mono) and SMAL 2835 (stereo). The package was a huge hit with the public, generating the highest level of initial sales of any album to date, and netting the label more than $8 million in just three weeks. Realising the Capitol had created a product too popular to ignore, EMI imported a number of copies to the United Kingdom (7th January 1968).
Through the usual EMI ordering procedures British record shops could order it using the U.S. catalogue number of (S)MAL 2835 and it became the biggest selling import for E.M.I. selling over 50,000 copies, which even took it into the official charts reaching number 31.
This U.S. version of  Magical Mystery Tour officially was released in the United Kingdom on 19 November 1976. When the album was issued in Britain, EMI did a straight pressing from the American album, The left much to be desired as three of the tracks, gPenny Laneh, gBaby Youfre A Rich Manh and gAll You Need Is Loveh, are in fake stereo.
In 1987 became the standard version of Magical Mystery Tour worldwide when The Beatles' back catalogue was re-released on compact disc.

The artwork for the UK and US editions were largely the same, although the Capitol Records version had a yellow border and the song titles on the front cover. It also bore the words: "Includes 24-page full color picture book".
The front cover photograph featured The Beatles in the animal costumes they wore in the film: John Lennon as a walrus, Paul McCartney as a hippopotamus, George Harrison as a rabbit and Ringo Starr as a chicken.

The UK LP had a gatefold cover, inside which was a 24-page booklet with photographs from the filming of Magical Mystery Tour, and a cartoon strip telling the story.
The LP version had the lyrics in the gatefold, but, made no mention of the five extra songs on the second side of the vinyl.
The album had the words "Apple presents" and an early version of the Apple logo on the inside of the gatefold and carried the credit: "Produced by Big George Martin".

1st. press: (19 Nov. 1976)
Black label with two white-black EMI logos and silver print. gThe EMI Records Ltdch printed at the start perimeter print and gMade In GT. Britainh printed at the end of the perimeter print.
Matrix numbers: Side One: YEX 959-1, Side Two: YEX 960-1.

2nd. Press: (Oct. 1980 - Apr. 1984)
Black label with two white-black EMI logos and silver print. gALL RIGHTS OF THE PRODUCERch printed at the start perimeter print. Importantly, around the 11 eof clock position in the rimtext the wording is: gcUNAUTHORISED PUBLIC PERFORMANCE, BROADCASTING, COPYING AND HIRINGch. Instead, added gMANUFACTURED IN THE UK BY EMI RECORDS LIMITEDh text at the end of the perimeter print.
Matrix numbers: Side One: YEX 959-1, Side Two: YEX 960-1.

3rd. press: (end of spring 1984 until 1987)
Black label with two white-black EMI logos and silver print. gALL RIGHTS OF THE PRODUCERch printed at the start perimeter print. Importantly, around the 11 eof clock position in the rimtext the wording is: gUNAUTHORISED COPYIN, HIRING, RENTING, PUBLIC PERFORMANCE AND BROADCASTINGch. gMANUFACTURED IN THE UK BY EMI RECORDS LIMITEDh text at the end of the perimeter print.
Matrix numbers: Side One: YEX 959-2, Side Two: YEX 960-1.
Later pressing with large print. Gatefold sleeve with barcode on the back side

4th. press: (1987 ? 1991)
Black label with two silver EMI logos and silver print. gALL RIGHTS OF THE PRODUCERch printed at the start perimeter print. Importantly, around the 11 eof clock position in the rimtext the wording is: gUNAUTHORISED COPYING, PUBLIC PERFORMANCE, BROADCASTING, HIRING AND RENTALch. gMADE IN ENGLANDh text at the end of the perimeter print. Gatefold sleeve with barcode on the back side.
Matrix numbers: Side One: YEX 959-1-1-1, Side Two: YEX 960-2-1-1.

In 1973 EMI decided to issue a cassette version of the Magical Mystery Tour album. This cassette contained stereo versions of all the tracks included on the album, including a stereo version of gBaby Youfre A Rich Manh that had previously been unavalaiblein Britain, although it was included on European pressings of the album. The cassette also includes the re-recorded version of gAll You Need Is Loveh, although the album contains the original single version of the song. The album has the catalogue number PCTC 255 but the cassette, in addition to the usual cassette prefix TC, has the confusing number PCS 3077, that places it between the Rubber Soul (PCS 3075) and Revolver (PCS 7009) albums.
cf. "The Beatles Collection"



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