CURRENT INVENTORY / VEE-JAY "SOUVENIR OF THEIR VISIT TO AMERICA" EP - FULL INVENTORY / | VIEW CART |
"SOUVENIR OF THEIR VISIT TO AMERICA" VEE-JAY EXTENDED PLAY (EP) COVER AND RECORD VEE-JAY E1-903 ISSUED: 3/23/64 RAREST
LABEL VARIATION FOR THIS EP RELEASE: |
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DESCRIPTION (ACTUAL SCANS) IN ENGLAND, THE BEATLES ACHIEVED HUGE SALES OF NOT ONLY 7" 45RPM SINGLES AND 12" LONG PLAYING 33⅓ RPM ALBUMS, BUT ALSO 7" 45RPM EXTENDED PLAY ("EP") RECORDS. WHILE SINGLES HAD ONE SONG PER SIDE, THE EP FORMAT TYPICALLY HAD TWO SONGS ON EACH SIDE. EPS NORMALLY COST MORE THAN SINGLES, BUT LESS THAN ALBUMS. ALTHOUGH THIS FORMAT APPEARED IN THE UNITED STATES THROUGHOUT THE FIFTIES AND SIXTIES, IT NEVER REALLY CAUGHT ON IN AMERICA THE WAY IT DID IN ENGLAND AND OTHER FOREIGN MARKETS. VEE-JAY'S CREATIVE MARKETING DEPARTMENT ALWAYS TRIED TO SQUEEZE MORE PRODUCT OUT OF ITS 16 BEATLES SONGS THAT WERE CONTRACTED TO THEM. FOUR TRACKS, NAMELY MISERY, TASTE OF HONEY, ASK ME WHY AND ANNA, WERE PULLED FROM THE INTRODUCING THE BEATLES ALBUM AND ISSUED ON 'VJEP 1-903' SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET SINGLE ON OR ABOUT MARCH 23, 1964 - MAKING IT THE VERY FIRST BEATLES EXTENDED PLAY 45 RELEASED IN THE UNITED STATES (CAPITOL'S TWO EPS FOUR BY THE BEATLES EP WAS RELEASED ON MAY 11, 1964 AND 4-BY THE BEATLES WAS ISSUED ON FEBRUARY 1, 1965). WITH THE BEATLES FEBRUARY ARRIVAL IN AMERICA AND THEIR APPEARANCE ON THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW FRESH IN EVERYONE'S MIND, THE EP WAS MARKETED AS A "SOUVENIR OF THEIR VISIT TO AMERICA". TRADE MAGAZINE ADS PROCLAIMED "FOUR GREAT SONGS NEVER RELEASED AS SINGLES. EACH A HIT IN ITS OWN RIGHT" THE RECORD WAS DUBBED "THE E.P. (ECONOMY PACKAGE) OF THE CENTURY." THIS ALL BLACK LABEL WITH "VEE JAY" BLOCK LETTERS LOGO VARIATION FEATURING THE
THIN SILVER MICROPRINT FONTS (VJEP 903.06, SPIZER) IS CONSIDERED THE
RAREST OF ALL THE VEE-JAY EP ISSUES AND IS AT LEAST 75 TO 1 SCARCER THAN ANY
OTHER LABEL VERSIONS FOR THIS EP RELEASE. THE NEXT RAREST LABEL IS THE BLACK
LABEL WITH COLORBAND AND BRACKETS LOGO WITH THE THIN MICRO-PRINT FONTS
WHICH RATES 50 TO 1 SCARCER (VJEP 903.02B, SPIZER).
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