THE BEATLES - WHITE ALBUM - "HARRISON" 1ST PRESS - A28/B29 - PROMO - VG+

$

970

Apple Records "THE BEATLES" 
This is an original, Promotional, Scranton PA pressing of The Beatles album (White Album) made using the "compressed" A28/B29 Capitol lacquers that were destroyed in October 1968, a few weeks prior to the album's initial release.
SO WHAT IS THE "COMPRESSED" WHITE ALBUM???

The story, as chronicled in the December 1968 issue of The Beatles Monthly Book (edited by Frida Kelly) and later in Bruce Spizer's book The Beatles On Apple Records, is that George Harrison and Beatles Assistant Mal Evans took a trip to Los Angeles in October 1968, where George was to produce tracks for a Jackie Lomax album and to appear on the Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour before returning to England later that month. George left London for LA prior to the banding session during which the order of the songs for The White Album was selected, so while in LA, George dropped by the Capitol Tower to hear the finished product. 

As detailed on page 270 of Bruce Spizer’s book The Beatles Swan Song, George Harrison did not approve of the original mastering job done by Capitol and insisted on working with the engineers to remaster the US Stereo album. As was often the practice at the time, Capitol’s engineers had run the master tapes through a limiter and compressed the volume range of the recording by cutting back the high volume peaks and bringing up the low passages. This would have been particularly noticeable on “Helter Skelter,” with the fake fade-out ending, and Harrison’s “Long, Long, Long,” which has quiet passages throughout and loud distortion at the end.

George got his way and the work took place at Sound Recorders Studio, located around the corner from the Capitol Tower, and not by Capitol’s engineers, but by Sound Recorders’ Armin Steiner, assisted by Carl Frisk, under George Harrison's supervision.

THE WHITE ALBUM was released in the US on November 25, 1968. At the time of the remastering, all lacquers made with Capitol's "compressed" master were supposed to have been destroyed but a few of the U.S. albums had been already been pressed using the first Capitol A28/B29 master by mistake.

In Perry Cox’ 2007 book Price Guide for The Beatles American Records, one such copy of the album was described:

“This variant has lacquer numbers in the trail off area ending in numbers LESS than 34. These records were pressed with metal parts generated from the initial 33 lacquers, which were supposed to be destroyed. George Harrison objected to the use of a limiter that had compressed the sound during the mastering process. He insisted that the initial lacquers be destroyed and that the album be remastered. Harrison’s remastered version is found on all subsequent copies of the album which have lacquer numbers 34 or higher. Only one copy, which is a VG- condition Scranton pressing with lacquer numbers A-28 and B-29, has been confirmed, though there are undoubtedly others out there.”

Well, Perry was right. There are a few others out there and this is one of those copies.

These discs, obviously, also contain ALL SEVEN LABEL ERRORS found in the song titles of the earliest first pressings.
They are, as follows: Side 1: Obladi Oblada (As opposed to: Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da) 
Side 1: Bungalow Bill (As opposed to: The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill) 
Side 2: Rocky Racoon (As opposed to: Rocky Raccoon)
Side 2: Why Don’t We Do it in the Road (As opposed to: Why Don’t We Do it in the Road?) 
Side 4: Revolution No. 1 (As opposed to: Revolution 1) 
Side 4: Revolution No. 9 (As opposed to: Revolution 9) 
Side 4: Goodnight (As opposed to Good Night)   
So ... is this the "ultimate" White Album?

Well, it's not Ringo's UK mono #0000001, but this is the rarest of all US Stereo White Albums, and this mastering is not available anywhere else in the world, in any format.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
CONDITION:
Laminated vintage white cover with an embossed 'The Beatles' on the front, 'Stereo' at the top right corner of the back cover and 'The Beatles Stereo SWBO 101' on the spine. The gatefold cover contains a serial A1391313 number stamp at the bottom right corner. Covers with an "A" in the same size and style font to the subsequent numbers, beginning with a "1" and with no space between the "A" and the "1" identifies this as a cover from the Capitol Records Scranton, PA pressing plant.

Scranton pressings began with A1380000, so this rare promo copy is the 11,313th copy pressed at that plant. 

The cover seams have been extensively repaired but the album cover - front and back - is remarkably clean and legible, and retains its glossy laminated surface with only modest signs of age. True 1st print Manufactured by Apple Records pressed by Capitol Records Pressing Plant SWBO-101 catalog number stereo green Apple Records labels with a 'Manufactured By Apple Records. Inc.' rim print on the slice side of the label. 
The full matrix numbers are as follows: 

Side 1: SWBO-1-101-A28        IAM in Triangle
Side 2: SWBO-2-101-B29       IAM in Triangle
Side 3: SWBO-3-101-A28#2   IAM in Triangle 
Side 4: SWBO-4-101-A28       IAM in Triangle

The "IAM in Triangle" stamp identifies this as a pressing by the Capitol Records Scranton, PA pressing plant, and this early promo set contains a very odd matrix error on Side 4 (A28, should be B29). 
CONDITION:
COVER: GOOD (G)
SIDE 1:  VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+)
SIDE 2: VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+)
SIDE 3:  VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+)
SIDE 4:  VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+)
LABELS: EXCELLENT (EX)
APPLE RECORD PLAIN WHITE PAPER INNER SLEEVES: VERY GOOD (VG) LYRIC POSTER: VERY GOOD (VG)
4 PHOTOS: VERY GOOD (VG)
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO EMAIL WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR TO SEE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS.
 
NO INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING. USA ONLY.

WILL SHIP FEDEX 2-DAY DELIVERY. THANKS!!