Beatles DECCAGONE 33 1/3 EP & Picture Sleeve 'By Royal Command' M-

$

35

I have been a collector of 45s from the 1950s and 1960s for the past 55 years and have been collecting the Beatles US picture sleeves since they were first issued 50 years ago.

The Beatles picture sleeves, LPs, and 45s I have listed on eBay are my personal collection. The highest grade I will give a picture sleeve or record is M- unless I know it is old store-stock and as new. Your satisfaction is guaranteed.

These picture sleeves have been stored in polyethylene sleeve protectors without the record in them since I acquired them. This was to prevent a record label “push” from degrading the sleeve. The sleeves have been stored in an area of my listening room (I’m a long-time analog audiophile) that is away from sunlight and room light. My house has always been smoke free.

The pictures of these sleeves on eBay were taken with a high resolution scanner. Using eBay’s mouse-over feature on the scans of these sleeves is the equivalent of looking at the actual sleeve with a magnifying glass. The scans of these sleeves are not cropped. My goal is to give you a complete view of both sides of the sleeve. In scanning the sleeve I have deliberately left a white margin around it so you are able to see a close up of the edges and corners of the entire sleeve. I have noted any obvious flaws on the sleeve but the scans of the sleeve speak for themselves. My scanner will often leave shadows and/or dark areas on the white parts of these sleeves. This is some kind of flaw in my scanner as the white parts of these sleeves are snow white with no darkening or toning.

On January 1, 1962 John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Pete Best went into the Decca recording studio for an audition they hoped would lead to a recording contract. During that recording session the Beatles recorded 15 songs picked out by Brian Epstein which he believed would showcase the range of the Beatles talent and convince Decca they were good enough to sign to a recording contract. Three of the songs were Lennon/McCartney originals. 

As every Beatles fan knows, in one of the most catastrophic commercial misjudgments in history, Decca rejected the Beatles. The tape of that recording session remained in Decca’s vaults and unheard until 1976 when John Pope, the publisher of the Beatles fanzine Strawberry Fields Forever, obtained a copy of the tape. He used this tape to produce seven 45 rpm singles pressed on colored vinyl. These 45s were pressed in very limited quantities and for promotional use only. They were pressed on a label that Mr. Pope designated DECCAGONE. They included a picture sleeve with each 45.

Along with the seven 45s of the Decca recording sessions, Mr. Pope also pressed a bootleg recording of four of the Beatles songs they performed on November 4, 1963 in a Command Performance for British Royalty. This EP was pressed as a 33 1/3 promotional 7" record on colored vinyl, also on the DECCAGONE label. This was the performance in which John uttered the famous line to the audience asking “those in the cheaper seats, clap your hands, the rest can just rattle your jewelry”.

This sleeve and record is the 33 1/3 EP By Royal Command, DECCAGONE PRO 1108. This EP contains 4 of the songs the Beatles performed on November 4, 1963 in a Command Performance for British Royalty. The finale of that performance was the Beatles singing Twist and Shout and it was during John's intro to the song that he says the famous line, ".... those in the cheaper seats, clap your hands, the rest of you can just rattle your jewelry". It is not to be missed. Classic John and it brought the house down. The royal audience loved it. It's all on this EP.

Sleeve Grade: M-

All four corners of the sleeve are sharp and tight. The sleeve is perfectly flat with no hint of ring wear. There are no bends, creases, or folds. It has no corner bumps, marks, or seam splits. The sleeve colors are sharp with no fading. The white parts of the sleeve are snow white with no darkening or toning.

Record: M-

The vinyl is flawless. It looks and plays mint. There are no ticks, pops, crackle, hiss or any other kind of surface noise with the music or in the run-ins or run-outs. All you will hear is the music.

Labels: M-

The labels show no signs of handling wear. As is evident from the photos, there are a few slight indentations but I believe these were from the pressing process as the labels show wear, no loss of color, and no signs of handling.

Payment, Shipping, and Returns:

Please do not remit payment until you receive an invoice. The buyer is responsible for all shipping costs. All shipping boxes and other shipping materials are new. Each 45 is packaged in a custom made 45 mailing box along with protective insert stiffeners. Shipping costs include only the actual costs of shipping and the required shipping materials. Shipping within the US is USPS Media Mail and the cost is $5.00.

Shipping costs vary widely outside the US. International shipping service is USPS International. For all locations outside the US please contact me for an exact shipping cost. The buyer is responsible for any customs or import duties.

Satisfaction guaranteed. Notification of intent to return a sleeve must be made within 48 hours of receiving the sleeve and must be returned to me within 7 days of receipt. Shipping costs are not refundable and the buyer pays return shipping. A returned sleeve must be packaged in the same manner in which it was received and I must receive it in the same condition as it was received by the buyer.

Other Listings:

I have other Beatles LPs and 45s listed on Ebay.