The Beatles - Ultra rare 1961 UK 1st press on Polydor

	£		195
	$		258

This is the ultra-rare UK 1st pressing of ‘My Bonnie’ on the Polydor label. This certainly is an historic 

and extremely significant record, for this was the first ever time those magic words "The Beatles" appeared on a commercially released record (the German version only credited The Beat Brothers as

did the US Decca version). It was also the first time this record was released anywhere in the world

 with the English introduction.

Pressed in late 1961 and released in the first week of January 1962 only days after their first recording session with Decca (Pete Best was still drummer at this time). This ultra-rare 1st UK pressing is one of the rarest Beatles records in existence and

was issued long before they were famous and should NOT be confused with the much more common 1963 Polydor re-issue which was produced in very large quantities. This 1961 pressing had an extremely small press run, and as most hard core Beatles fans had already bought the German version some months earlier, this record effectively went unnoticed when released in January 1962; consequently it only sold in very small numbers. This 1961 record is even rarer than the ‘Please Please Me’ Black Gold Stereo LP issued on Parlophone.

By June 1963 Polydor had decided to re-press and re-issue the record in order to capitalise on Beatlemania which was just about

to take the country by storm. Almost 50 years later the 1963 re-issues are often passed off as being original 1961 pressings. Although very similar in appearance the two records could not be further apart in terms of their significance to Beatle history.

The two records can be easily distinguished as follows:-

Firstly, the genuine 1961 pressing had a far more chunkier type face than its June 1963 counterpart. On the June 1963

re-issue the catalogue number of NH66833 occupies a significantly smaller space on the orange label than the original 1961

pressing. Please refer to the pictures and the example of a 1963 re-issue. The 1961 pressing can also be easily distinguished

by the different “&” character located on the label between the words  TONY SHERIDAN “&” THE BEATLES.

Secondly, the matrix numbers were different; the matrix numbers for this the original 1961 pressing are NH66833 A 1

for side 1 and NH66833 B 1 for side 2; on the later 1963 re-issue the matrix numbers changed to NH66833 A 1 v v 1

for side 1 and NH66833 B 1 v v 1 for side 2.

Thirdly, the OT tax code is only present on the 1961 pressing.

Many collectors are of the opinion that had the 1963 record not been re-issued then the value of the original 1961 pressing

would be considerably higher than it is today. As Beatles collectors throughout the world become acquainted with these subtle

but highly significant differences, the value of these genuine 1961 pressings will undoubtedly rise.

CONDITION

Disc

Labels: NEAR MINT

A superb set of labels, showing little sign of wear. There is no writing to either label and the OT tax code is clearly visible on side 2 (The OT tax code ran from July 1961 to April 1962)

Visual: VERY GOOD +

There are a number of surface marks however the vinyl lies 100% flat on the turntable. There are no skips or jumps.

Audio: VERY GOOD +

There is audible surface noise and crackle to the intro to both sides which is consistent to this first pressing however the actual music signals are totally undamaged and so the overall sound is bright, dynamic and clear with a sonic presence shining through. Recorded in Hamburg in 1961, this Bert Kaempfert recording still sounds good today. 

Cover:

EXCELLENT -

This original 1961 Polydor cover which is now very nearly half a century old is in great shape with only light signs of wear.

For more information on early Beatles Polydor recordings check out ‘From Cavern to Star Club’ by Hans Olof Gottfridsson.

Any questions please ask

PLEASE NOTE: 1st class next day Special Delivery to UK addresses will be 5.75 GBP. For worldwide shipments please email me for price.

This record has been strictly and conservatively graded to UK 'RECORD COLLECTOR' standards.

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