Something New

LP.2108.6.4 keeps the first generation orange label with the GOLD perimeter text and the deep blue square printer's logo of LP.2108.6.3 on the front cover, but the mono back slick is now replaced with the proper stereo slick (ST-2108), which also corrected the overlapping legal text at the bottom of the back cover. The record changed as well: this is the first Something New pressed by the Columbia (CBS) plant rather than RCA.

Availability

This variation was available in 1973, until a new regular cover, with no blue square, appeared (see LP.2108.6.5).

General Information

Although orange pressings are generally quite common, these early orange labels are more difficult to find today; 2nd generation and third generation orange label pressings are much more common. The first generation is the scarcest of all three generations of orange labels.

First generation orange labels can be identified by the GOLD perimeter print around the label, second generations have black text that is much easier to read. This pressing was made in small quantities when demand required a new run of pressings to restock the warehouse. Another interesting fact is that this label generation was unique to Canada since Capitol USA opted for the Apple label for their Capitol reissues instead.

The mono back slick of LP.2108.6.3 was replaced with the stereo slick on this variation, which corrected the overlapping legal text at the same time, while the deep blue square remained for one more run. The fully regular cover only returned with LP.2108.6.5.

Pressing Information

For this batch, Capitol of Canada turned to the Columbia (CBS) pressing plant in Ontario instead of RCA, making this the first Columbia pressing of Something New. The records were nonetheless pressed from the same master as the previous RCA pressings (not a new Columbia cut), and therefore carry the same markings:

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

These pressings feature a 68 mm thin pressing ring, a hallmark of CBS pressings, instead of RCA's 70 mm deep groove. The first generation orange label, with its gold perimeter print, is unchanged.

Cover

The cover of this variation is similar in design to previous variations, and was also manufactured by Modern Graphics. These covers still have the 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 still appears over the deep blue square on the front cover, but the back slick is now the proper stereo slick: the catalogue number reads ST-2108, the stereo warning line appears at the bottom, and the legal text is in its corrected layout. The cover construction itself is identical to all previous variations, with a front slick construction.

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. The bottom of the back cover is now clean, with no overlapping text.

The front cover keeps the BLOCK STEREO designation. The albums on the back remain in the correct chronological order (Beatlemania before Twist and Shout).

Packaging

Copies of LP.2108.6.4 were packaged with a tight shrink wrap.

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