Beatles'65

8T.2228.4.1 is the first Lear Jet incarnation of Beatles'65 in Canada on the 8-Track format. This variation was issued in stereo. It is recognized by its new black Lear Jet shell, dressed with the same Canadian black slick as 8T.2228.3.1: full album cover art, four programmes, the 8-track cartridge logo, the Capitol target logo, "MANUFACTURED AND DISTRIBUTED BY CAPITOL RECORDS (CANADA) LTD." and three white bars. The shell has a slightly different shape and carries the Lear Jet recess on the back.

Availability

This variation was available from mid-1973, when Capitol moved from Ampex to Lear Jet shells, until the USA-artwork slick took over (see 8T.2228.4.2, circa 1974-1975). Lear Jet shells themselves stayed in use until 1976, when Capitol moved 8-Track production in house.

General Information

Around mid-1973, Capitol decided to subcontract Lear Jet to produce its 8-track tape shells, replacing Ampex. In practice, these new shells were manufactured by a Toronto-based company, Hardman Industries, which produced 8-tracks for Capitol (and other clients) under license for Lear Jet, the company widely credited with standardizing the 8-track format as we know it today.

These shells can be identified by a shorter gripper cavity, shorter slot lines on the top of the shell, and the presence of a larger recessed area on the back marked “LearJet”. They are found with both Canadian (this variation: 8T.2228.4.1) and U.S. artwork slicks (8T.2228.4.2) and were used until approximately 1976. U.S. slicks from this period continued to feature the earlier dome logo and different font in a yellow rectangle, rather than the “target” logo normally used at that time.

As with the other variations, the song 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.

Pressing Information

Capitol of Canada subcontracted Hardman Industries Limited, under license from Lear Jet, to manufacture the next series of Canadian Beatles 8-track tapes. Bill Lear (best known for the Learjet aircraft) also played a key role in the development of the 8-track format. Building on earlier cartridge systems (such as the Muntz cartridge), Lear, in collaboration with companies like Ampex, helped refine the design into the standardized 8-track format we know today. This evolution notably involved integrating key mechanical components directly into the cartridge shell, improving both stability and playback efficiency.

Lear Jet licensed tapes were used by Capitol from approximately mid-1973 until 1976, when the company transitioned to in-house manufacturing. Tapes with Canadian slicks seem to have come first, with later tapes using the US artwork.

8T.2228.4.1 has markings as follows:

• Black plastic shell
• Short gripper cavity
• A wide shaped slot with Lear Jet markings
• 5 clip holes holding the two halves of the shell together
• Black paper slick, Canadian artwork (same slick as 8T.2228.3.1)

Cover and packaging

The Lear Jet tapes were packaged in the same standardized generic slipcase as previous variations, featuring "Capitol" text and logos. Earlier models appear to have been made from a thicker, darker cardboard, whereas later versions used a thinner, almost white type of cardboard.