Beatles Rare A Label promo 45 Australian Hey Jude
A$
358
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237
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Description
The details of Beatles promotional records (Demos) issued by EMI Australia 1963 to 1978
Of the total of 33 Beatles 45’s issued in Australia during this period, the first 20 (from “Please Please Me” to “Strawberry Fields Forever”) were issued only with the red “bullet” stickers indented in the label (usually on the “A” Side) to signify a radio station or promotional copy, as distinct from the standard copy sold in shops to the groups many (millions) of fans. The promo copies with the red bullet all had a very high attrition rate due mainly to the popularity of the group during the 60’s. That is, the radio stations literally played the majority of these 45’s to death. Hence any promo copies of the 45’s are extremely difficult to locate, full stop.
In Mid-1967 (and many years behind the UK parent company) EMI Australia finally opted to signify a demo or promo copy by printing a large “A” on the label making them much easier to identify as a radio station (promotional) copy and also making them much more attractive to the serious collector. Due to their unique nature, these sort of items are far more sought-after than the “red bullet” promo items. To add to the collectability of these later items, the 1st two (All You Need Is Love” & “Hello Goodbye”) were issued not on the standard black Parlophone label but a unique white label with a red “A” (similar to early English demos of Beatles records) – they are exceptionally rare. The one copy I have of either of these two 45’s (“Hello Goodbye”) is currently on auction on E-Bay (check separate listing) – closing on 25th March though!!
For the two 45’s “Lady Madonna” and “Hey Jude”, the promo copies came with the standard black Parlophone label with the grey large “A” imprinted into the label.
Later pressings of “Hey Jude” of course also became the 1st single on the groups own “Apple” label – for all Apple releases, the promo copies again were only ever issued with the red “bullet” sticker, rather than a large “A” imprinted into the label.
During the 70’s, with the pressings of the newly-reissued 45’s “Yesterday”, “Got To Get You Into My Life” and “St Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” (which were all issued in the years 1976 to 1978), demo copies again used a large “A” imprinted on the black Parlophone labels, this time also with a release date embedded onto the label as well. All these items are also exceptionally hard to find these days.
Here is the 2nd of the two Parlophone promo "A" label 45's on the black label - "Hey Jude" & "Revolution". Parlophone A8493. The "A" Side has one large sticker on the label which I have not attempted to remove - with a bit of care, the buyer will be able to remove it if they wish. The record has been played a lot (visually G) and but fortunately has no major defects and plays through loud & clear, except the quiet bits at the start which are a bit on the noisy side. The sound quality probably raises the overall grading to G+. One of the Beatles all-time classics from the 60's and a rare demo copy. These radio station promos are virtually extinct these days. Here is your chance to own a copy - and one day a mint one may turn up also although you might die waiting!! In the meantime, here is a chance to own a copy, albeit a bit down on condition.
