Beatles'65

8T.2228.1.1 is the first pressing of Beatles'65 in Canada on the 8-Track format. This variation was issued in stereo. It is recognized by its white (cream) Ampex Datapack shell and white slick marked "MANUFACTURED AND DISTRIBUTED BY CAPITOL RECORDS (CANADA) LTD.", and above all by the first slick design: under the "BEATLES '65" title, set in a YELLOW rectangle, it shows only the main umbrella photograph (the later design follows the LP cover with all four photographs, see 8T.2228.1.2).

Early copies were housed in a red and black side opening cardboard slipcase featuring the song titles, and this copy still has it.

Availability

This variation was available from the fall of 1968, when Capitol of Canada launched its 8-track line, until 1969, when the slick was redrawn with the full album cover art (see 8T.2228.1.2). Ampex then moved on to black shells in 1970 (see 8T.2228.2B.1 and 8T.2228.3.1).

General Information

These first 8-Track tapes from November 1968-1970 were not manufactured by Capitol (Capitol hired subcontractors until 1976, as they were doing for vinyl records before they opened their own pressing facility in Mississauga). These early Canadian tapes featured a white Ampex Datapack shell with a white Canadian paper slick. This was different from the USA tapes released at the same time, which used 2-piece separate colored slicks instead.

Canadian white shell tapes were originally housed in a unique red and black cardboard Capitol slip case onto which was glued a unique paper title sheet. These slip cases were dropped around the summer of 1969, after which generic slip cases were used instead.

The four programmes split the album as follows: 1 No Reply, I'm A Loser, Rock And Roll Music; 2 I'll Follow The Sun, Mr. Moonlight, Honey Don't; 3 Baby's In Black, I'll Be Back, She's A Woman; 4 I Feel Fine, Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby, You Can't Do That. That last title is not on the album: You Can't Do That (the B side of the Can't Buy Me Love single, and an album track on The Beatles' Second Album) was added to the 8-track to bring programme 4 up to the length of the other three, a common practice on the format. Every Canadian 8-track of Beatles'65 carries it.

Note** Canada never produced the 4-track "Muntz" tape that was available in the USA (these looked like clear top 8-Track tapes), sticking only to the more common 8-Track format and regular cassette format. Furthermore, it is unlikely that any Beatles Muntz tapes were imported by Capitol of Canada.

Pressing Information

Capitol of Canada subcontracted Ampex of Canada Limited in a suburb of Toronto, to manufacture these Canadian 8-Track tapes. As Piers mentions in his Discography pt. 2 book, the Ampex of Canada 8-track tapes were manufactured in Canada using plastic “Datapack” shells (the shell model that was produced under licence from Data Packaging Corp. in the USA). These generic shells were unbranded, allowing companies to present the cartridges as their own in-house productions (source: P. Hemmingsen, The Beatles’ Canadian Discography part. 2 and 3).

The Ampex Datapack format was used in white, then black, until 1973 when Capitol turned to "Lear Jet" instead of Ampex for 8-Track tape production.

8T.2228.1.1 has markings as follows:

• White (cream) plastic shell
• Long gripper cavity
• A deep "U" shaped slot on the top left back side
• 5 clip holes holding the two halves of the shell together
• White paper slick, first design (title in a yellow rectangle, umbrella photograph only)
• White paper title label on the bottom edge: "BEATLES '65 / 8XT 2228" with the Capitol dome logo

Cover and packaging

Early Ampex releases were sold in a cardboard slip case that would fit sideways (unlike later top opening slip cases). These were generic black and red Capitol cases with a cutout to show the album cover on the inserted shell, onto which was glued a white piece of paper wrapped around featuring the specific album title and catalogue number on the edge, and the track listing wrapped on the back. These are EXTREMELY hard to find today, in any condition. These were sold in a tight shrink wrap. The red and black cardboard slipcases were available until approximately the summer of 1969, after which generic slip cases were used instead.

The copy documented here came with its red and black slip case: the front window shows the cartridge slick, and the back carries the white title sheet with "Capitol 8-Track Stereo", "MANUFACTURED AND DISTRIBUTED BY CAPITOL RECORDS (CANADA) LTD." and the four programmes.