Something New

LP.2108.6.3 uses the same record as LP.2108.6.1: a first generation orange label with the GOLD perimeter text, the RCA 70 mm deep-groove pressing ring, still pressed from the same Canadian stereo plates as the target-label pressings. This variation is recognized by its front cover, where the printer's logo is presented over an odd deep blue square, and by its back cover, where the legal text overlaps at the bottom since it mistakenly used an old leftover mono back slick instead of the proper stereo back slick.

Availability

This variation was available in 1972, until the overlapping legal text was corrected (see LP.2108.6.4).

General Information

The reason for the deep blue square behind the printer's logo on the front cover is not known. It seems Modern Graphics experimented with different strategies to improve legibility. The overlapping legal text on the back cover, on the other hand, was clearly a layout mistake: an older leftover mono back slick was used instead of the current stereo slick. It was quickly corrected on the following run (see LP.2108.6.4), while the blue square remained for one more series of pressings.

It is quite possible that LP.2108.6.3 and the regular-logo LP.2108.6.2 were in fact produced at the same time: covers were seemingly assembled from whatever slick stock was left at the warehouse, resulting in several hybrid assembly configurations circulating together.

Pressing Information

For one last time, Capitol of Canada subcontracted the RCA pressing plant in Smiths Falls (Ontario) to manufacture new batches of albums with the first generation of orange labels. The records were still pressed from the same Canadian stereo plates as the previous variations, and therefore carry the same markings:

Side 1: ST-1-2108
Side 2: ST-2-2108

These pressings feature the same 70 mm deep-groove RCA pressing ring as previous pressings. The label design was new (the orange label with its gold perimeter print), replacing the target design used since 1970.

Cover

The cover of this variation is similar in design to previous variations, and was also manufactured by Modern Graphics, but now featured a blue square underneath the white MG printer's logo (see below for details). These covers have a 7 mm straight inner seam.

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).

On this variation, the Modern Graphics logo appears over a deep blue square on the front cover instead of being printed directly over the cover art.

The back cover keeps the Canadian-market list of albums introduced with the first pressing: Beatlemania! and Twist and Shout instead of Meet The Beatles and The Beatles' Second Album, with Long Tall Sally added ahead of The Hollyridge Strings' Beatles Song Book. A Canadian back cover lists four Capitol albums, one more than the American.

This particular variation mistakenly used a mono back slick, which resulted in an odd text overlap on the bottom of the back cover. The top right corner shows the T-2108 catalogue number with the HIGH FIDELITY logo, while the front cover and the labels are stereo (ST-2108). The overlapping legal text is clearly visible at the bottom of the back cover.

The front cover keeps the BLOCK STEREO designation (but notice the mono T-2108 number at the top; this is part of the mono back slick wrapping over to the top, below the front slick). The albums on the back remain in the correct chronological order (Beatlemania before Twist and Shout).

Packaging

Copies of LP.2108.6.3 were packaged with a tight shrink wrap.

These were now sold with a generic plain paper LP inner sleeve.