Beatlemania! With The Beatles Canadian stereo difference

I found several interesting albums at a garage sale today. Among all the nick nacks were about 500 LPs. The seller was once a collector. So the prices weren't $1 or 50 cents, but they were OK. This guy knows his stuff. He had some Beatles LPs that I immediately snapped up, including a Capitol Canada, Beatlemania! With The Beatles stereo pressing from the late 1970s on the purple label.

I mentioned to him that there were one, possibly two pressings where the stereo was "narrowed". He understood what I was saying and went inside with the LP to check it for me. He came back and said, 'this LP is definitely the original "wide" stereo mix.

Soon as I got home I checked the LP against the one I bought through eBay a couple of months ago, that, unknown to me, was the "narrowed" stereo pressing. Some of you may remember the thread where we discussed this before, Beatlemania! With The Beatles (in stereo, sort of) . You can listen to some samples of the "narrowed" stereo version of the LP here as well. I still have the link active. There are immediate visual differences between the two pressings. On the LP jacket there is more white around the title "BEATLEMANIA!". On the vinyl, as you will see here, the version of the LP with the "narrowed" stereo has a very wide run-off groove. The proper "wide" stereo mix has the same short run-off groove that the U.K. version of With The Beatles has. The label on the "wide" stereo LP is a darker purple as well. There are also differences in the matrix numbers. I'll post those tomorrow, when it is brighter and I can see them better.

BTW, the "wide" stereo pressing sounds great. If you can find one of these pressings or even one of the original monos, go for them. The Capitol Canada tapes are aparently direct copies/flat transfers from the U.K. master, no Dave Dexter Jr. trickery.

Steve or anyone, if the LPs are identical, in terms of track listings and length, how come one version has such a wide run-off groove?

On the left, the "narrowed" stereo pressing. On the right, the proper "wide" stereo mix.

 

On the "narrowed" stereo version of Beatlemania! With The Beatles the information on the run-off groove is as follows:

Side 1
ST 6051-------------XEX 447 - 1--------------JAMF
The ST 6051 and XEX 447 - 1 are handwritten. The JAMF is machine stamped.

Side 2
ST 6051-------------XEX 448 - RE 6----------JAMF

On the "wide" stereo version of Beatlemania! With The Beatles the information on the run-off groove is as follows:

Side 1
ST 6051 A------------TLC A
All handwritten.

Side 2
ST 6051 B------------TLC-A---------JC
All handwritten.

Capitol Canada goofed with the matrix numbers. The original mono Canadian LP used the same numbers as the U.K. With The Beatles XEX 447 and 448 on the run-off groove and on the LP label. But the stereo U.K. With The Beatles has YEX 110 and 111 on the run-off groove and LP label. Capitol Canada still used the XEX 447, 448 letter number sequence.

Does anyone know what the "RE 6" means?

Thanks.

 

Thanks Steve. I wonder why there is such a difference between Side 1 a -1 and Side 2 a Recut 6, as you say?

Also does anyone know about the run-off grooves? Does it take more room with "wide" stereo as opposed to that fold-down version?

 

I have the mono version of this album on the rainbow label and the narrowed down stereo version on the purple label.

I have seen this album on the orange label. Does anyone know which of the three versions is on the orange label?

 

I have the orange label and it's the narrowed down stereo.

Ken

 

Thanks, Ken.

I think I'll try to find either the wide stereo purple label, or better yet, a British stereo pressing of WTB.

I've read that some copies of the purple label Long Tall Sally contain some stereo tracks, while mine is mono from start to finish. My purple label Twist And Shout is mono on side 1 and stereo and fake stereo on side 2.

 

What would be the sonic pros and cons between narrow and wide groove cuttings?

 

You have a mid 1970s orange label Capitol pressing that is stereo? It was my understanding that Capitol Canada's first stereo pressings were on the purple label. Interesting.

I have also heard of the rumours of Long Tally Sally eventually getting a stereo release, but my purple Capitol copy is mono on both sides.

I've never heard until now, that Twist & Shout was issued in stereo. My copy of Twist And Shout is an original black rainbow pressing in mono. I also have a black rainbow copy of Long Tall Sally, mono.

 

I wish I had a scanner, sorry

Also have an orange label Long Tall Sally mono.

I've never seen any Twist and Shout other than the black rainbow mono.


Ken

 

One thing I find interesting are that the XEX matrix numbers here are those of the mono Parlophone LPs. The stereo Parlophones are YEX 110 and YEX 111. (XEX generally meant mono, as far as I can tell.)