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German Odeon Beatles Albums

Typical Odeon green label (mono) and "white/gold/red label" (stereo)

1960's mono and stereo Hör Zu labels

First Style White Odeon (and Red Hör Zu)

Original Odeon mono LP's appear on a green label with Odeon logo. Since stereo was the norm in Germany by 1964, all mono LP's can be considered difficult to find.

The Odeon white label (stereo) LP's appear in two slightly different styles. The first of these styles, shown above, features the following print around the rim of the label:

Original Hör Zu labels were red with a white rectangular logo. Similar to the Odeon series, they experienced a copyright statement change in 1966, continuing until 1970.

For the benefit of non-German-speaking people, I refer to this issue as the "Alle" issue. Records with "Alle" as the first word of the rim print were issued by German Odeon until 1966. Some LP's were issued with as many as three catalog numbers, in the Odeon Series, the Hor Zu series, and the ZTOX/OPX series, which was apparently distributed to foreign military bases within Germany. Additionally, all Odeon series albums in the "Alle" issue were numbered in the 80000's. When they were reissued in 1967, these catalog numbers were changed to the 70000's. The change from the "Alle" label to the "Urheber" label came before the change to the 70000 series numbering, as "Urheber" copies exist of the more common LP's in the 80000 series. There is also a late (1968-9?) label variation present at least on some LP's that shows the catalog prefix in the same size font as the number. The ZTOX number is also missing from these labels.

The Odeon Series numbers as (S*)O 80000's.
The Hor Zu Series numbers as (S)HZE ###.
The other series numbers as OPX/ZTOX 5000's.

Those albums which were originally issued on the "Alle" label are as follows:

NOTE: The OPX/ZTOX series albums are hard to find. The first of the ZTOX/OPX series appears to have been issued in mid-1964, not in March as reported in some literature. Although the OPX numbers have always been reported as being the same as the stereo numbers, this is not the case. Furthermore, although Hard Day's Night and Something New are reported as part of this series, no copies have surfaced with the ZTOX/OPX designation only.

NOTE2: Since the German Beatles albums are scarce in mono, I expect the values of the mono albums to rise well beyond their stereo counterparts.

NOTE3: The German With the Beatles album contains a version of "All My Loving" with the so-called "hi-hat intro."

NOTE4: The German Something New album contains a version of "And I Love Her" with an extended ending. That LP also features "Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand" in rechanneled stereo. Given that, and the distinctions in cover graphics, clearly the German LP was prepared separately from the American LP, with Odeon only receiving certain Graphics from the USA. Others have reported copies of HDN with the extended ending; my copy does not have it.

NOTE5: The first several albums, at least through ZTOX 5550 were packaged originally in cardboard covers with paper on top of the cardboard. Help! can also be found in this packaging. The first pressings of the first two (?) albums had print on the back cover which indicated that the stereo album should be played only with a stereo stylus. Albums from mid-1964 (including ZTOX 5550) have this information changed, saying that stereo and mono are compatible but giving "Technical direction" -- look for the expression "13 m" in the information at the bottom of the back cover, which is notable because it uses Greek. After mono was phased out in November of 1964, all printings (including those that still have the "Alle" label) and later albums say instead that with a modern turntable a stereo record can be played on a mono turntable and do not list the "technical direction". The "STO" prefix LP's appear to have been replaced by "SMO" prefixes after the elimination of mono.

NOTE6: Stereo copies pressed prior to the elimination of mono are found with a large, round, gold stereo sticker. Stereo copies of those same LP's and of the next few (stereo-only) LP's are normally found with a smaller, rectangular stereo sticker. Later stereo LP's are found either with the contents of the stereo sticker printed on the cover itself or without any stereo sticker whatsoever (since the buyer would naturally assume the record to be stereo).

Second Style White Odeon (and Red Hör Zu)

In mid 1966, the rim print was changed on all Odeon releases to read:

Again for the benefit of those who do not read German, I will call this the "Urheber" issue. LP's made from 1966 to 1969 are of the "Urheber" variety. Although there were no new red label Hör Zu releases by the Beatles during this period, their earlier Hör Zu records were reissued onto the "Urheber" label. A list of all Beatles albums which were originally issued on the "Urheber" label follows:

NOTE: Beatles Beat had been issued in mono only in 1964. By 1966, German Odeon was turning to all-stereo. Consequently, the album was reissued in early 1967 into a stereo format.

NOTE: From this point on, the Hör Zu albums have a standard Odeon (or Apple) label underneath, with the Hör Zu logo stamped onto it. First issues of the Hör Zu Revolver have the Hör Zu logo stamped in black on top of the Odeon stereo logo. Second issues of Revolver and all copies of the Hör Zu Sgt. Pepper have two Hör Zu logos in red, positioned to the sides of the Odeon stereo logo.

NOTE: Sgt. Pepper was available on Hör Zu SHZE 401, but the Odeon issue is the harder to find. Conflicting sources say that the Odeon series was "for export," and that the Hör Zu series was for "record club" sales only. Neither of these can be true in general. While there were certain "export" copies made in the Odeon series, these had different (yellow) labels and a "9" at the beginning of the catalog number. Additionally, certain LP's were only available as Odeon series records -- even those which were mainstream pressings. On the other hand, there are too many Hör Zu copies of Help! and Sgt. Pepper's for that series to be confined to a record club. Pepper also poses a problem in that the Hör Zu Electrola (SHZE) series was issuing numbers in the 200's through 1969, and SHZE 327 is the correct catalog number for an LP (Magical Mystery Tour) that was issued in late 1971 or early 1972, as other catalog numbers from the series show. Since the Hör Zu issue of Pepper appears to be contemporary with the Odeon issue, clearly the number of 401 represented its being part of a different series.

Apple Albums

In early 1969, all new Beatles releases switched to the Apple label. By April, however, Germany had become part of the European Economic Community (EEC). From that point on, all records, new and rerelease, would be issued with the new EEC numbering system. Most albums from Abbey Road on feature the new numbering. Here is a list of German Beatles albums on the Apple label.

NOTE: The White Album was originally issued, as in England, with a top-loading cover, numbered, and with 4 pictures and a poster.

NOTE2: Magical Mystery Tour was originally released, as in England, in EP form in 1967. Following the success of the US album, Apple/Hör Zu released MMT as an album in late 1971 or early 1972. This album contains the first stereo appearance anywhere of "Baby, You're a Rich Man" and the second stereo appearance of "Penny Lane." This original album issue has the older rectangular Hör Zu logo on the cover and label. Second pressings from 1973 feature the newer "record player" Hör Zu logo. In 1976, MMT was reissued with the EEC numbering and a large apple on the front cover; the price code changed from 062/064 to 072 in 1981. This last issue is the most common.

NOTE3: The change to the blue label came shortly BEFORE the change to the EEC catalog numbers. I have seen blue label LPs with the old "SMO" number."

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