Something New

K7.2108.7B.1 is almost identical to the preceding 7A variation, which has not been documented for this title: it was still pressed on a black shell with silver print (although some copies can be found with a white shell), had a color J-Card (each title had a different color) and a C4 catalogue number, but this variation is recognized by the addition of a bar code on the J-Card (although the spine remained identical).

The Something New J-card in this series is black, with the doubled "SOMETHING NEW" logotype and "THE BEATLES" in red beside the live Ed Sullivan Show photograph used on the album cover. The spine reads "THE BEATLES / SOMETHING NEW" with the catalogue number C4 90443 below, and the panel carries the Dolby HX PRO logo and the bar code 0 7777-90443-4 4.

Availability

K7.2108.7B.1 was introduced in 1992 and remained available until 1993 when Apple logos started appearing on some J-Cards, marking the "return of Apple Records".

The color J-Card Design

While the USA continued using a rather random and custom cassette design, sometimes using old layouts from the 1960s, sometimes playing with the shape of the album cover design to fit the information text, Capitol of Canada proposed a uniform and coherent J-Card design. These standardized the placement and size of album covers, titles, band names and legal text, while sporting a vivid color palette unique to every release (the authors named this design the "color J-Card").

This made each release unique, while still retaining a clear standardized "capitol branding". These were particularly striking when lined up side by side, creating a rainbow collection of albums where background colors, text and a small separator square varied in flavour, but not in structure, making these Canadian releases very unique and recognizable.

The design remained relatively stable until 2000, with only minor details updated through time (C4 number in 1991 (7A), bar codes and XDR logo in 1992 (7B/7C), Apple on the J-Card in 1994 (7D/7E), Gold color J-Card for UK format albums in 1987 (8 and 9A), smaller and longer number in 1995 (9B)).

**Note** Only the back catalogue would retain this design after 1993, while new releases (starting with the reissue of the remastered red/blue albums) each featured a unique custom sleeve design after 1993.

Pressing Information

This variation was pressed between 1992 and approximately 1993, and features the same black shell with silver print as the previous variation. Early tapes until the mid 1990s used the distinctive "futuristic robot font" (see the big "1" and "2"). These were later changed to a more standard font in the mid to late 1990s. Most of these tapes started losing the "techno font" for a more traditional one. Some releases also featured a WHITE shell, but these were randomly found between 1985 and 1994.

No photograph of the shell of this particular copy has been documented yet.

Different types of shells were often used simultaneously and seemingly, also interchangeably. There is no clear timeline based on the types of shells that were used.

Packaging

Tapes were sold in a black back jewel case, and sealed in either a firm wrap that was folded shut, or a regular heat-tightened shrink wrap.

Both types of wrapper have been verified to be used randomly between 1982 and 1995.