Description
Offered for sale is a nice example of an original U.S. stereo peeled, or “Third State,” “Butcher Cover” pressing of the 1966 LP Yesterday and Today by the Beatles.
This particular copy includes the original “Trunk Cover” slick, as it was successfully removed in one piece when the cover was peeled. Stereo copies are much rarer than their mono counterparts.
About this copy: The copy of Yesterday and Today offered for sale is an original 1966 stereo Third State Butcher cover, issued on the Capitol label.
This means that the second “Trunk Cover” slick has been removed, revealing the original “Butcher Cover” slick underneath it.
This copy was pressed at the Scranton, Pennsylvania pressing plant, as noted by the small number 2 in the lower right hand corner of the back cover.
The cover overall is a very nice VG overall with no seam splits. The “trunk” cover slick has been professionally removed and the “butcher” slick is fully intact.
The cover “curves” a bit; this is a result of the peeling process. It will flatten out over time if stored properly.
The seams are almost completely intact except for a small 1.5 cm bare spot on the spine. The spine text is fully legible. There is a small repaired tear (about 3 cm) at the lower right hand corner. There is slight wear at the corners.
The cover has moderate foxing on the front and back that tends to give the front cover a slightly brown-colored tone.
The back cover has moderate wear and there is a small stain at the lower right hand corner.
This cover has:
- Legible writing on the spine
- No writing on the cover
- No cutout holes
- No seam splits
The record is a correct Scranton stereo pressing. The disc is Good condition, with many small scratches. It will play, but it’s going to be noisy.
The original orange inner sleeve is included. It has no splits.
The included original “Trunk Cover” slick is in G+ condition, and is all in one piece with a number of wrinkles, but no tears. This is one of the nicest removed slicks we’ve ever seen with a peeled Butcher cover.
It is rare to find a Butcher cover that still has the original “Trunk” slick, as the slicks are usually removed during the peeling process.
We will include a photocopy of the original “recall” letter from Capitol Records announcing the recall of the album from the market.
An exceptionally nice example of a stereo Third State Butcher Cover and an affordable alternative to a First State issue. This is the first stereo copy we’ve had for sale in several years.
Background: There are millions of records that people could possibly collect, but few are as infamous as the original release of Yesterday and Today by the Beatles, which was first released with the cover now known as the “Butcher cover.”
This cover photo depicted the band dressed in butcher smocks, surrounded by plastic doll parts and pieces of raw meat. When the original cover met with hostile responses from reviewers and distributors, Capitol Records made the decision to withdraw the cover and replace it with another one.
While a few copies with the original cover were kept by reviewers, the remaining copies were returned to Capitol Records prior to the album’s scheduled release date. Capitol then pasted a new cover over the existing one, put new shrinkwrap on the cover, and shipped the records with the “pasteover” cover to record distributors.
Most copies sold around the time of the album’s release date actually had two covers, with a cover showing the band standing around a steamer trunk pasted over the original “Butcher cover” photo. Over time, many of these copies have had the top cover removed, rendering original copies increasingly scarce as fewer intact examples remain.
Copies of Yesterday and Today with the original cover that have never had the second cover pasted over them are known as “first state” issues. Copies that have the second cover still pasted on top of the first one are known as “second state” copies.
Second state copies are identifiable by looking at the white area on the cover just below the word “today” in the album title. If that particular copy is a second state Butcher cover, a black triangular area can be faintly seen; this area is where Ringo’s black shirt collar appears on the cover underneath.
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Country of origin: | U.S. |
Size: | 12″ |
Record Label: | Capitol |
Catalog Number: |
ST-2553 |
Year of Release: | 1966 |
Format: | Stereo |
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