BEATLES - "LET IT BE " - 1ST UK CASSETTE RELEASE - JUNE1970 - EXC - MISPRINT
£
95
$
126
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Description
The first EMI musicassette United Kingdom (UK) release of The Beatles "Let It Be" album in June 1970. In excellent condition. Plays perfectly. No writing or marks. With clear front, black rear original Norelco case. Paper labels . Note the mispelling of the track "I've Got a Feeling" as "I Got a Feeling".
It can be said with certainty that this is the June 1970 first release of the cassette version of "Let It Be" - shortly after the release of the vinyl LP album - and before EMI opened their tape duplicating facilities in Hayes, Middlesex in July/August 1970. This is indicated by the paper label having the old style Parlophone logo. Up to EMI producing their own cassettes at their new factory at Hayes, Phillips, (the Dutch firm who pioneered the cassette format) manufactured cassettes for EMI, and this is one of them. The new style "black box" EMI/Parlophone logo was introduced for the first EMI-manufactured cassette releases of the other Beatles albums in September and October 1970.
Rarely will you see this (or any other first release Beatles UK cassette albums) for sale on E Bay. You will see similar REissues from 1972 onwards with the all-gold inlays and white paper labels or ink-impressed tracklistings - but not this. Markedly rarer than the vinyl counterpart, Beatles cassettes were only introduced in small numbers into the market place by a wary EMI from 1968 to end of 1971, until it became clear that the cassette had mass market "music on the move" appeal from 1972 onwards. Now you could listen to The Beatles "on-demand" on car stereo players when previously you could only hear them at home on record players. Quite a novelty.
The paper labels, the circular 1&7/8ths inches per second logo on the spine, the presence of the cat no TC-PCS 7096 on the spine, the tracklisting on the inside of the inlay, the other Beatles music advertising on the foldover, the album front cover picture extending to the very bottom of the inlay, the elementary "newspaper-like" design, the grey cassette shell - all indicative of the first release cassette design. Look under my other items for a Beatles first release UK cassette guide 1968-71 for further detailed info.
. EMI were not quite sure how to present the new music format, which resulted in varying unique artwork designs (and paper label variations) up to Autumn 1970. The standard "all gold" design was introduced in Jan 1972, but by this time, these first release Beatles cassettes had been manufactured, making them ideal items for collectors, today,. 46 years on. Look at any other "Let It Be" cassette album on E Bay carefully, and you will notice the differences. EMI's slow start in taking up the new format was indicative of its worry of the effect it might have on its lucrative vinyl market.
See my other first release Beatles cassettes under my other items
Posting in the UK and worldwide.
