title
title
uk singles home
Non-Capitol Label Recording
  Vee-Jay Records
#1 Please Please Me / Ask Me Why (VJ 498)
(Update: 28th. September 2016)
label
Vee-Jay Company Sleeve
  • #1-1 BEATTLES credit / Monarch Records Press



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

#1-1 Please Please Me / Ask Me Why
(1st. Press "BEATTLES credit / Monarch Records Press" VJ 498)

Back to the top of the line
TRACK LISTING
SIDE 1
Please Please Me (J. Lennon - P. McCartney)
SIDE 2
Ask Me Why (J. Lennon - P. McCartney)
RELEASE DATE
20th. February 1963 / First Press
FRONT--> Click! BACK --> Click!   SIDE 1 --> Click! SIDE 2 --> Click! DISK --> Click!
label label label label label
SLEEVE CLOSE UP
LABEL CLOSE UP
doyou doyou
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 the oval logo and with Vee-Jay's 1499 South Michigan, Chicago, address printed at the bottom.
SIDE-1: LABEL CLOSE UP
doyou doyou doyou It was pressed by Monarch Records, has silver print on a black label with the outer rim colorband featuring the oval logo.
The master number and the word "Vocal" are to the left of the center hole.
The publishing information (two lines) and running time of the song are to the right.
SIDE-2: LABEL CLOSE UP
doyou doyou doyou The song title and the group's name are  in thicker print than"ARP pressing". It was credited to "THE BEATTLES" and songwriters were listed as "J. Lennon - P. McCartney"
"Please Please Me" assigned the master number 63-2967 and "Ask Me Why" assigned the number "63-2968"
LABEL CLOSE UP
doyou Vee-Jay did not even know how to spell the group's name. All initial issues of the record added an extra "T" to the name. Thus, when VJ 498 was released in February of 1963, it was credit to "THE BEATTLES".
OTHER ITEM
-

CATALOG NUMBER VJ 498
LABEL
Vee Jay Black rainbow with oval logo type-2
MIX MONO
PRESS FACTORY Monarch Records in Los Angeles, California
MATRIX No.
SIDE 1 63-2967  RA   ?46527 (hand etched)   (MR) symbol and Audio Matrix logo (machine stamped)
SIDE 2
63-2968   RA   ?46527-X (hand etched)   (MR) symbol and Audio Matrix logo (machine stamped)
SLEEVE STYLE
Vee-Jay Company Sleeve Type-1
VINYL COLOR BLACK
PUBLISHER'S NAME
SIDE 1
Concertone Songs ASCAP
SIDE 2
Concertone Songs ASCAP
RUNNING TIME
SIDE 1 2:00
SIDE 2 2:22
COVER DESIGN/ PHOTO/ NOTES
-
COMMENTS
The Beatles' first United States single (VJ 498), was released on or about 20th. February 1963.
Vee-Jay did not even know how to spell the group's name. All initial issues of the record added an extra "T" to the name. Thus, when VJ 498 was released in February of 1963, it was credit to "THE BEATTLES".

Vee-Jay did not press its own records. Instead, the company had the metal parts sent to regional  factories for manufacture. Records were then sent directly from these pressing plants to distributors, who in turn sent records to retailers and other distributors.
In 1963, three of the primary pressing plants used by Vee-Jay were;
(1) The American Record Pressing Co. ("ARP") in Owosso, Michigan
(2) Monarch Records in Los Angeles, California
(3) Southern Plastics in Nashville, Tennessee

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. All three misspelled variations are original issue records.

(1) The American Record Pressing Co. ("ARP")
ARP pressings have a raised relief script "ARP" machine stamped logo in the trail off areas.
(2) Monarch Records
The discs manufactured by Monarch Records are easily identified by a circled (MR) symbol machine stamped in the trail off areas, which also contain a hand etched job number preceded by a "?" symbol.
The song title and artist's name are located below the center hole in capital letters and thick print. The remaining information is in small print with the master number and the word "Vocal" to the left of the center hole and the time and publishing information to the right.
(3) Southern Plastics
These records have thin print throughout the label, with the song title and artist's name in all capital letters below the center hole. The names of the songwriters are in upper and lower case "microprint". The master number and the word "VOCAL" are to the left.
Single pressed by Southern Plastics  up to and including VJ 498 have a "#" symbol preceding the record number.
The lack of any pressing plant information in the trail off areas.

The oval logo variation of this record with thick print has the (MR) symbol in its trail off areas, indicating that it was pressed by Monarch Records.
The job number ?46527 is hand etched in the trail off area of the A side and ?46527-X appears on the B side.



back