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Italian LP Releases

Identification and Price Guide

Red Parlophon Label

When the Beatles first hit the scene in Italy, Parlophone was using a red label. It was in use until mid to late 1965, when it was replaced by the black label. The red label issues were originally in mono only.

Although the albums appear to be almost equally scarce, the Beatles in Italy album is highly sought-after. In its original pressing, the cover is gatefold, showing the Beatles on stage. The album is not a "live" album, instead featuring a collection of various non-LP tracks. Because of its scarcity, it has been highly counterfeited.

Black Parlophon Label

In 1965, Parlophon changed its LP label color to black. All of the earlier LP's were reissued onto this label style. These are listed below, along with the new releases -- starting with Rubber Soul. New LP's came to be issued in stereo as well as mono.

All of the Parlophon releases are considered hard to find.

Black/Silver Parlophone/EMI Label

In early 1969, the record label switched to "Parlophone" and came to resemble more closely the labels used in other countries. The rim print, however, is in Italian. All of the albums were reissued in stereo onto the Parlophone label, with the exception of Beatles in Italy, which was a mono-only release.

At around the same time as the switch to Parlophone/EMI, Italy began to use the EEC numbering system. The country code for Italy was "3". Some copies of the black Parlophon label can be found with the additional EEC number; these are harder to find. Most copies of the black-and-silver Parlophone/EMI label have both the EEC number and the original Italian number -- except Beatles In Italy, which was not given an EEC equivalent.

The cover for Beatles in Italy is still a gatefold but sports the new logo. Copies of the album with the "champagne glass" photo on the front were actually pressed in Israel, not in Italy; these have been widely faked.

Later (post-black-label) copies of Help! bear the English title on the front cover.

Apple Label

In 1968, the Beatles switched to the Apple label. The albums on Parlophone did not switch to Apple in Italy but remained on Parlophone. Also, in 1969 Italy became part of the European Economic Community numbering system.

Add $3 to $5 to the value of the White Album, The Beatles, if the original poster is present. Add $2 for the presence of each of the four glossy photos. Add $2 for the presence of each original black inner sleeve.

NOTE: Original copies of The Beatles opened from the top and were sequentially numbered. Reissues were unnumbered and opened from the side. Numbered copies with numbers less than No. 0010000 are generally worth more than the typical copy, depending on how low the number is.

NOTE 2: Some copies of the first pressing of The Beatles have the UK numbers on the labels and were shipped in German-made top-loading covers. The labels say only STEREO instead of STEREO-MONO on them.

NOTE 3: Let It Be was originally released as a boxed set as in England with a thick book of photographs, usually called the Get Back book. The book is normally found in reasonable condition, and so it is the condition of the flimsy outer box which determines the grade of the boxed issue.

A Word About Condition

The condition of a record is all-important as to determining its value. The values shown are drastically reduced for lesser condition copies, as shown below:

Near Mint, or NM, condition records are unscratched. If the label has stickers or tape, this must be noted. Essentially, they look like they just came from the store.

Very Good Plus, or VG+, condition records will have very few scratches. Without close inspection, they might pass for Near Mint copies. A VG+ record normally sells for half what a NM copy goes for.

Very Good, or VG, condition records have a fair amount of scratches, but they by no means appear "beat up". A VG condition record normally sells for one fourth of the NM price.

Very Good Minus, or VG-, condition records are starting to appear quite scratched. Still, when played, they play through, although the surface noise is becoming distracting. Many singles are commonly found in this condition. A VG- condition record normally sells for one sixth of the NM price.

Good, or G, condition records look scratched--basically all over, but they'll play through well enough to enjoy the song. A G condition record sells for one tenth of the NM price. [Some dealers also use a grade of G+, which sells for one eighth of the NM price.]

Fair, or fr, condition records are generally worthless unless the record is rare. They're scratched up and have distracting surface noise, but they're not completely ruined. No chips missing, and not cracked. They sell for one twentieth of the NM price or less.

Poor, or pr, condition records are basically ruined. They may be warped, cracked, chipped, or otherwise unsuitable for collecting. Most collectors only accept poor condition copies of something really rare until a better one comes along. They're virtually worthless.