Something New

LP.2108.1.2 is the second pressing of Something New in Canada, released around mid 1965. Like its predecessor, it was issued in mono only, as no stereo edition of Something New was manufactured in Canada until early-mid 1968 (see LP.2108.2.3). This pressing is identical to LP.2108.1.1, with the only difference being the use of a "new" Canadian-made master instead of the original USA plates. This pressing is recognized by its rainbow Capitol label with no brackets around the word “CANADA” in the perimeter print, by the album thumbnails presented in the wrong order on the back cover, and by its hand-written matrix numbers, denoting the use of Canadian-cut pressing plates.

Availability

This variation was available between mid 1965, and late 1965 (for a few months) when the album order on the back cover was corrected (see LP.2108.1.3).

General Information

It is not known exactly why Capitol of Canada started using locally made masters after using the USA pressing plates for a year. Worn-out original plates are the most common and probable explanation. It is likely that original master tapes were sent to Canada from the USA to produce a new set of Canadian masters that could be duplicated in the future, as needed, when new plates would be required.

For some reason, the original (decommissioned?) plates were used again around early 1968, when copies were found with a hybrid assembly (hand-written on side 1, and US-stamped on side 2). One theory is that side one of the USA plates broke earlier than side 2, and Capitol of Canada kept the remaining original plates in case they were ever needed again. They would have been used once or twice for the very last mono pressing runs in early-mid 1968 (see LP.2108.2.2).

Pressing Information

Capitol of Canada once again subcontracted the RCA pressing plant in Smiths Falls (Ontario) to manufacture this batch of pressings. With only one exception around early 1968, from this point forward the records were pressed from Canadian-made plates. RCA Toronto cut a set of lacquers from the Capitol USA master tapes, replacing the USA-supplied plates used on LP.2108.1.1.

LP.2108.1.2 has markings as follows:

Side 1: T-X-1-2108-3
Side 2: T-X-2-2108-3

These pressings feature the same 70 mm deep-groove RCA pressing ring as previous pressings. Labels still feature the "no brackets" rainbow label (see perimeter print at the bottom of the label: "Manufactured in Canada by Capitol Records of Canada" with no brackets around the word CANADA).

Cover

The jacket for LP.2108.1.2 is identical to LP.2108.1.1: the inner seams (the inside fold of the cardboard jacket) are still cut straight and measure 10 mm high.

Covers up to the mid 70s used a “front slick” construction (a larger back slick, usually printed in black and white that wrapped around the front of the cardboard cover, onto which a smaller colour front slick was glued, creating a white frame effect all around the front image).

Both slicks were printed by Parr's Print and Litho in Toronto and assembled onto the cardboard frame by Modern albums.

The Canadian album adapted the list of albums on the back to reflect the Canadian market: Beatlemania! and Twist and Shout stand in for Meet The Beatles and The Beatles' Second Album, and Long Tall Sally was added ahead of The Hollyridge Strings' Beatles Song Book. A Canadian back cover lists four Capitol albums, one more than the American.

Early variations before late 1965 feature these albums in the wrong chronological order (Twist and Shout before Beatlemania), a mistake corrected on later reissues.

Packaging

Copies from this point forward were packaged in the newer tight shrink wrap.

These were sold with / without a red and white Capitol / Pathé paper LP inner sleeve.

Sales

Sales records show that 9,924 copies sold in 1965 (this includes variations LP.2108.1.2 and LP.2108.1.3) (source: P. Hemmingsen, The Beatles’ Canadian Discography part. 3). From these numbers, one could guess that half might have featured the wrong-order covers, and the other half the corrected covers. All these were MONO copies, since the first stereo pressing was released in 1968.