The Beatles' Story

LP.2222.6.1 is the first Beatles' Story pressing on the orange label (first generation, with the gold perimeter print). Apart from the label, nothing changed from LP.2222.5.1: the discs were pressed by RCA from the same hand-written stereo lacquers, and they came in the same Canadian gatefold jacket.

Availability

The orange label replaced the red target in early 1972, and it was used on Capitol Beatles albums until the end of 1973, when the second generation labels (with the dark Capitol-EMI perimeter print) took over. The album was still selling slowly at the time, so these were most likely pressed in small batches as orders came in. The same label was also used on a Columbia (CBS) pressing of the album (LP.2222.6.2).

General Information

While Capitol USA had moved its Beatles albums to the Apple label, Capitol of Canada kept reissuing its back catalogue on its own orange Capitol label (see the LP label types in the Identification Guide). Covers and discs were produced as required, so the jacket introduced with LP.2222.2.3 simply carried on with the new labels.

The label layout was redone for the orange design: the side number now sits large on the left, the gold Capitol logo runs along the bottom and, curiously, the word STEREO is no longer printed on the label (only the ST prefix in the small "(ST1-2222)" line still tells it). As with all 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).

Pressing Information

Capitol of Canada once again had the discs pressed by RCA in Smiths Falls (Ontario), from the same Canadian stereo lacquers as LP.2222.2.2, cut by RCA in Toronto from New York tapes. The run-out numbers did not change (the W suffix still sits almost half-way around the run-out from the number).

LP.2222.6.1 has markings as follows (by disc, in the pairing order):

Disc 1, side 1: STBO.1.2222  W7
Disc 1, side 4: STBO.4.2222  W5’
Disc 2, side 2: STBO.2.2222  W5’
Disc 2, side 3: STBO-3-2222  W8

Read together, these markings tell how the record was made: lacquers cut by RCA in Toronto from New York tapes, then pressed by RCA in Smiths Falls.

These pressings still feature the 70 mm deep-groove pressing ring of RCA's Canadian manufacture. The perimeter print is now in gold, and much longer: it opens with "TRADE MARK OF CAPITOL RECORDS, INC. MFD. IN CANADA BY CAPITOL RECORDS (CANADA) LTD." and goes on with the usual warning against unauthorized copying.

Cover

The jacket is the same Canadian gatefold as on LP.2222.5.1: the "Litho in Canada" credit with no Parr's logo on the front, STEREO under the Capitol logo, and the Canadian back slick ("MANUFACTURED AND DISTRIBUTED IN CANADA BY CAPITOL RECORDS (CANADA) LTD.").

Packaging

As with every Canadian copy of the album, these were shipped in a loose poly plastic wrap, which let customers open the gatefold in the shop.

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