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British Single Releases

Identification and Price Guide

While the American Beatles singles on Capitol Records were all released originally with the same label style, this was not true for their singles from England. This provides the modern Beatles collector with a definitive way of attaching a date to his Beatles singles.

When the Beatles signed their contract with Parlophone in 1962, that record label was pressing singles on its classic red label, as shown above.

Original red label copies of "Love Me Do" feature the version of the song with Ringo on drums. In order to conform with the Please Please Me album, later issues of the single featured the version with Ringo relegated to tambourine. In 1982, the original version was reissued and made common again, but before that time, the original version was rare. I might note that all later records which feature the "Ringo" version of the song were dubbed from a single, for the original tapes of that take (and associated mix) were destroyed.

White label promotional copies of "Love Me Do" were pressed with matrices that indicate that they were promo copies. About 500 copies of the red label "Love Me Do" single were pressed using one of the promo stampers (the b-side stamper). If you have one of these, then it was one of the first 500 pressed.

Copies of the red label Parlophone singles normally have "Made in Gt. Britain" under the Parlophone logo. Copies without that sentence are worth double the prices listed above.

Most of the Parlophone labels you see after the "red label" issue will look very similar. In fact, except for certain identifying marks, the labels haven't changed much since 1963 when they were introduced.

From April of 1963 through the end of the year, Parlophone singles featured the new black label with "The Parlophone Co. Ltd." in the rim print. There is no printed slogan across the middle of the label on this issue.

There are two major "sub-variations" of this label style. The rim print may be found in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS or in normal upper and lower case. The version with both upper and lower case letters in the rim print is generally more sought-after by collectors and appears to be more scarce. The last single known with this style is "A Hard Day's Night."

In 1964, legalities forced Parlophone to add a "resale statement" to their records. All Parlophone singles produced between 1964 and late 1965 will have The Parlophone Co. Ltd. in the rim print and will have the Sold in UK message across the middle of the label.

The latter two singles also appear to have been released at the same time on the label style which follows (different rim print). The "Parlophone" copies are harder to find; the more common "Gramophone" singles sell for $25 to $30 in NM. Records with the rim print in ALL CAPITALS are more common than records with the rim print in Large and Small letters.

From this point until 1968, copies with solid centers appear to be less common than copies with punch-out centers.

From 1965 until 1969, all Parlophone singles were released with labels having The Gramophone Co. Ltd. in the rim print and the Sold in UK message across the center of the label.

For the first time, a picture sleeve was issued with the "Penny Lane" single. The original UK sleeves were made of thin paper and do not sport the EMI logo anywhere. An original "Penny Lane" sleeve in NM condition sells for $100.

In mid-1969, all of the Beatles Parlophone singles were reissued onto a label having "The Gramophone Co. Ltd" in the rim print but having NO "Sold in UK" message across the middle of the label. This is commonly called the 70's label, because it lasted through most of the 70's.

Some time c.1976, the Beatles Parlophone singles were again reissued, onto labels mentioning EMI in the rim print and having the EMI logo at the bottom of the label. Except for the two singles that were reissued onto red labels in the 80's, this label was essentially the most recent. Copies made around 1976 can be found with green picture sleeves. Copies made from 1982 on can be found with colorful "20th anniversary" sleeves.

In 1968, the Beatles switched to the Apple label. In the United States, their albums and (eventually) singles would be reissued onto Apple labels, but this was not the case in England. In the UK, singles that started on Parlophone remained on Parlophone.

The first Apple singles featured the "Sold in UK" message across the label which was found on all Parlophone singles of the period.

By this time, it was less common to find singles with the "punch out" centers than it was to find them with solid centers. The "Get Back" single was released in mono in England; in the USA, the "Get Back" single was released in stereo.

In 1969, the "Sold in UK" statement was removed. All Apple singles from 1969 through the early 70's featured dark Apple labels without the "Sold in UK" statement across the label.

First pressings of "Let It Be" show what was going to be the original matrix number in the trail- off of the b-side, when "You Know My Name" was going to be issued as a Plastic Ono Band single (APPLES 1002). Also, "Let It Be" was the second and last original Beatles single from England to be issued in a picture sleeve. The PS sells for $50 in NM condition. Reissue sleeves from the 80's and 90's were made of thin paper stock; the original was almost as thick as posterboard and did not feature the EMI logo anywhere on the sleeve.

Singles on the Polydor Label

Beginning in January, 1962, the Beatles were Polydor recording artists in England. Their first release, "My Bonnie," sold well enough as a German import to pique the interest of a record shop owner who would become their manager. All in all, not many different singles were released on Polydor in England during the 60's... and here they are!

The Polydor label that began the 1960's was the orange "scroll" label. This label was replaced by the red label (below) in June, 1964.

Copies of any of the above with solid centers sell for double the prices listed.

Polydor's red label remained the standard issue from June 1964 through the end of the decade.

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.

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