Beatles ?Abbey Road Still Sealed 1969 Cover #2 "HER MAJESTY" Listed EXT RARE MNT

$

899

BEATLES 1969 ABBEY STILL SEALED 2ND COVER STILL SEALED FROM 1969 - NEVER OPENED IN 50 YEARS
WITH "HER MAJESTY" LISTED ON THE COVER -- EXTREMELY RARE
PURCHASED 20 YEARS AGO FROM FAB4COLLECTIBLES.COM, WHO HAS THIS PIECE UP FOR SALE FOR $1,550 RIGHT NOW! 
MINE IS NICER! IN GEM MINT CONDITION. STILL SEALED NO TEARS.
THIS ALBUM IS RATED GEM MINT.  NO VINYL RINGS. NO BLEMISHES WHATSOEVER. COLLECTIBLE FOR LIFE.
SEAL IS COMPLETE WITH TWO ORIGINAL FACTORY BREATH HOLES. NO BREAK IN SEAL FROM 50 YEARS AGO.  FIRST PRESSING.....READ ON .....FROM FAB4COLLECTIBLES.COM
SHORT HISTORY OF THE 3 "ABBEY ROAD" COVER VARIATIONS 

"ABBEY ROAD" (RELEASED OCTOBER 1, 1969) WAS THE FIRST BEATLES ALBUM IN AMERICA PACKAGED WITH PRINT-ON-BOARD COVERS. THESE COVERS INVOLVED THE PROCESS OF PRINTING THE COVER IMAGE DIRECTLY ONTO WHITE POSTER BOARD, WHICH IS THEN FOLDED AND GLUED TO FORM THE ALBUM JACKET. THE PREVIOUS BEATLES ALBUM COVERS WERE CONSTRUCTED BY AFFIXING SEPARATELY PRINTED SLICKS TO CARDBOARD JACKETS. THE NEW PRINT-ON-BOARD COVERS WERE A SUPERIOR LOOKING PACKAGE. ANOTHER ADVANTAGE WAS THAT THESE COVERS WERE MANUFACTURED BY ONE COMPANY, WHEREAS THE OLDER STYLE COVERS INVOLVED BOTH A PRINTER AND AN ALBUM FABRICATOR. CAPITOL DOCUMENTS INDICATE THAT THE ALBUM'S ARTWORK WAS SHIPPED ON SEPTEMBER 11,1969. 

COVER #1: THE FIRST BATCH OF COVERS (SC1A, SPIZER) DO NOT LIST "HER MAJESTY" ON THE BACK COVER TRACK LISTING. THE FRONT COVER HAS MORE OF THE CROSSWALK AT THE BOTTOM EDGE OF THE COVER, AND INCLUDES A PORTION OF A SQUARE ROAD SEWER POSITIONED ON THE BOTTOM EDGE OF THE COVER, BENEATH RINGO AND JOHN'S FEET. 

COVER #2: PRIOR TO THE ALBUM GOING ON SALE, CAPITOL HAD THE FILM FOR THE BACK COVER REVISED TO LIST THE SONG "HER MAJESTY" AFTER "THE END". BY THE TIME THE NEW ARTWORK WAS SENT OUT ON SEPTEMBER 24, MANY COVERS HAD BEEN PRINTED. THUS, THE SECOND BATCH OF JACKET COVERS LISTING "HER MAJESTY" (SC1B, SPIZER) ARE LESS COMMON AND RARER THAN THE COVERS NOT LISTING THE SONG. THE FRONT COVER IMAGE HAS THE EXACT CHARACTERISTICS OF COVER # 1, WHICH SHOWS MORE OF THE CROSSWALK AT THE BOTTOM EDGE OF THE COVER, AND INCLUDES A PORTION OF A SQUARE ROAD SEWER POSITIONED ON THE BOTTOM EDGE OF THE COVER BENEATH RINGO AND JOHN'S FEET. 

COVER #3: AS STATED ABOVE, "ABBEY ROAD" COVERS ENDED UP BEING THE ONLY BEATLES ALBUM TO HAVE PRINT-ON-BOARD COVERS UPON ITS INITIAL RELEASE. ALTHOUGH CAPITOL WAS PLEASED WITH THE PRINT-ON-BOARD JACKETS, FUTURE DECISIONS REGARDING THE MASTERING, PACKAGING AND ADVERTISING OF APPLE RELEASES WERE HANDLED DIRECTLY BY APPLE BY VERY LOYAL INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD A LONG-STANDING RELATIONSHIP WITH QUEENS LITHO AND SELECTED THEM AGAIN TO BE THE PRIMARY PRINTER OF COVER SLICKS FOR FUTURE BEATLES ALBUMS STARTING WITH "HEY JUDE". 

WHEN CAPITOL'S PRESSING PLANTS RAN OUT OF THE PRINT-ON-BOARD COVERS, APPLE HIRED QUEENS LITHO TO PRINT SLICKS FOR ADDITIONAL "ABBEY ROAD" JACKETS. THESE THIRD (AND FINAL) BATCH COVERS (SC2A, SPIZER) USED SLICKS PRINTED BY QUEENS LITHO AND BERT-CO AND WERE MANUFACTURED BY IMPERIAL AND/OR MODERN ALBUM. THE BACK COVER SLICKS WERE MADE FROM THE ALBUM'S ORIGINAL ARTWORK AND ACCORDINGLY DO NOT LIST "HER MAJESTY" ON THE BACK COVER.