The Beatles' Story

LP.2222.2.1 is the third pressing of The Beatles' Story in Canada, and the first one on the "brackets" rainbow label (with brackets around the word "CANADA" in the perimeter print). It is still in MONO only, still in the 1-4, 2-3 pairing configuration, and still housed in the Canadian Parr's gatefold introduced with LP.2222.1.2. The discs were pressed from USA plates once again, but this copy combines parts from both earlier sets (see Pressing Information below).

Availability

This variation appeared in July 1966, when the new "brackets" labels came into use, and was available until mid 1968, when the mono format was phased out in Canada (the first Canadian stereo copies, LP.2222.2.2, arrived in early to mid 1968). The album was selling very slowly by then (see the sales figures below), so these brackets copies do not surface as often as the 1964-1965 pressings. Mono copies were still offered by the Capitol Record Club of Canada in February 1968, most likely from old stock (source: P. Hemmingsen, The Beatles’ Canadian Discography part. 2).

General Information

In mid 1966, Capitol Records of Canada was reincorporated as CAPITOL RECORDS (CANADA) LTD. From that point on (July 1966), all new labels carried the new corporate name (known as the "brackets label"). This rainbow design remained in use until Capitol moved to the green Target label in 1969. But The Beatles' Story was never pressed on the green Target label: its next reissue came on the red Target label in 1971 (see LP.2222.5.1).

As with the earlier pressings, disc 1 holds sides 1 and 4 and disc 2 holds sides 2 and 3 (the "automatic changer" pairing, explained on LP.2222.1.1).

The run-out letters bring back a small quirk already seen on LP.2222.1.1. Capitol's Los Angeles factory cut its lacquers from first generation master tapes, while the New York tapes were second or even third generation copies. The letter that follows the catalogue number in the run-out tells which coast cut each lacquer (F, G, H and J for Hollywood, P, T, W and X for New York). On this variation, sides 1 and 2 (G2 and F1) were cut in Hollywood from first generation tapes, while sides 3 and 4 (P15) came from New York (a difference that is probably very hard to hear on most systems) (source: Pink Floyd Archives, "U.S. LP Manufacturing Information").

Pressing Information

Capitol of Canada subcontracted once again the RCA pressing plant in Smiths Falls (Ontario) to manufacture this batch of pressings, now with the new "brackets" labels. The discs were still pressed from plates supplied from Capitol's Scranton pressing plant in the USA (machine-stamped matrix numbers with the triangular IAM logo). Actually, this copy mixes the two earlier sets of stampers: sides 1 and 2 carry the same lacquers as LP.2222.1.1 (G2 and F1), while sides 3 and 4 carry the P15 lacquers of LP.2222.1.2. This shows that several sets of USA plates were on hand at RCA at the same time, and were used as they came, with no regard to which set a side belonged to.

LP.2222.2.1 has markings as follows (by disc, in the pairing order):

Disc 1, side 1: T1-2222-G2  
Disc 1, side 4: T4-2222-P15  
Disc 2, side 2: T2-2222-F1  
Disc 2, side 3: T3-2222-P15  

Read together, these markings tell how the record was made: plates supplied by Capitol's Scranton plant, with sides 1 and 2 cut in Hollywood from first generation Los Angeles tapes and sides 3 and 4 cut in New York from New York tapes, then pressed by RCA in Smiths Falls.

So the stamper combination alone does not identify a variation: LP.2222.1.1, 1.2 and 2.1 could each turn up with any mix of these supplied plates (Hemmingsen's matrix chart lists yet another one, G2 and F1 paired with T4-2222-T2 and T3-2222-P15). The label and the jacket remain the reliable markers (source: P. Hemmingsen, Matrix chart for Beatles records from 1962 to 1971).

These pressings feature a 70 mm deep-groove pressing ring, a hallmark of early RCA Canadian manufacture. Labels feature the "brackets" rainbow label (see perimeter print at the bottom of the label: "MFD. IN CANADA BY CAPITOL RECORDS (CANADA) LTD." with brackets around the word CANADA).

Cover

The gatefold is the same Canadian jacket as LP.2222.1.2, printed by Parr's Print and Litho (Toronto), with the small vertical "Litho in Canada" credit and the Parr's logo at the bottom right of the front cover, and "File Under: The Beatles" at the top. The back still reads "MADE IN U.S.A. FACTORIES: SCRANTON, PA. - LOS ANGELES, CALIF." at the bottom, along with the RIAA seal, as on the American jacket.

Note the "ALSO AVAILABLE IN STEREO" line under the "High Fidelity Recording" logo, at the top right of the inside: it was carried over from the American layout, although no stereo copy of the album was made in Canada before 1968.

Packaging

These pressings were shipped in a loose poly plastic wrap, which let customers open the gatefold in the shop and look at the photos inside (source: P. Hemmingsen, The Beatles’ Canadian Discography part. 2).

These were sold with / without the newer red and white Capitol / Pathé "ATTENTION" paper LP inner sleeve.

Sales

Sales records show that only 408 copies of The Beatles' Story sold in Canada in 1966 (shared between the last "no brackets" copies and the first brackets copies from July on) and 376 in 1967, all mono (source: P. Hemmingsen, The Beatles’ Canadian Discography part. 3, "Sales of Beatles Records in Canada"). Most of LP.2222.2.1 falls within those two small figures, a far cry from the 7,637 copies sold in 1964 and the 2,377 sold in 1965.