**NM/MINT** BEATLES 'SOUVENIR OF THEIR VISIT TO AMERICA' VJ EP 1-903 BRACKET LABEL WITH RARE HARD COVER SLEEVE VEE JAY PRESSED IN MARCH 1964 WITH STUNNING *MINT* 7" 4-SONG EP

The hard to find VJ EP 1-903 hard-cover sleeve is NM/MINT stunning with NO writing, NO rips/tears, NO price stickers/glue residue, NO color fading and NO creases. It's the nicest I've ever had in my collection, as most of these you see for sale show lots of wear. Not this one ! This is the absolute best of the best !!

The EP record is also *NM/MINT* stunning and shows little to almost no play. The labels are stunning as well, NO writing, NO rips/tears, NO fading and NO stickers/glue residue !! Absolutely Stunning in every way !!

Companies:

  • Published By: Gil Music Corp.
  • Published By: George Paxton Corp.
  • Published By:Concertone Songs
  • Published By: Hollis Music
  • Lacquer Cut At: Universal Recording Studio
  • Pressed By: Monarch Record Mfg. Co. – ∆51772
  • Lacquer Cut By: J
Notes:
      Rainbow label with brackets logo, "Ask Me Why" is in the same size font as the other titles.

Publishers:
      A side: Gil Music Corp., Geo. Paxton Corp.
      B side: Concertone Songs, Hollis Music

Barcodes/Identifiers:
  • Rights Society: BMI
  • Rights Society: ASCAP
  • Matrix / Runout (Side A label): 64-3915
  • Matrix / Runout (Side B label): 64-3916
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout, side A, etched): 64-3915 URJ ∆51772
  • Matrix / Runout (Runout, side B, etched): 64-3916 [circled 'R'] ∆51772X URJ

Track listing:

Side 1
  1. "Misery" (McCartney-Lennon)
  2.  "A Taste of Honey" (Rick Marlow/Bobby Scott)
Side 2
  1. "Ask Me Why" (McCartney-Lennon)
  2. "Anna (Go to Him) (Arthur Alexander)
Please note: The credits are issued as McCartney-Lennon, instead of the other way around as we have been accustomed.
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Souvenir Of Their Visit To America, Vee-Jay VJEP 1-903. March, 1964. Record were issued in a colorfull cardboard sleeve with a black background, that had the same layout and drawings of the Beatles faces as the Do You Want To Know A Secret single. “The Beatles” appears in white, the record number and VJ brackets logo in deep blue and each song title in a different color. The top of the cover contains the phrase “Souvenir Of Their Visit To America” in light blue script. The front and back covers are identical. The layout, organization and assembly of the finished art for EP jacket was completed by George S.Whiteman Graphic Disign & Photography of Hollywood, California.

With thin print and “SIDE 1” and “SIDE 2”. On Side 2, “Concertone Songs” appears on the top line of the song publishing credits to the right of the center hole, and the songwriters’ credit are in slightly smaller print. “URJ” and the matrix numbers are hand etched in the trail off areas along with the machine stamped Audio Matrix logo.
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Capitol Records, a unit of EMI and sister label to The Beatles record label Parlophone, had first refusal rights to any material released by an EMI label. Capitol in the USA repeatedly turned down The Beatles for most of 1963. So The Beatles' first two 1963 singles and an altered version of their first album were released by Vee-Jay Records. Vee-Jay Records was a small company with few resources. As a result of little publicity or promotion, the records sold poorly. Vee-Jay lost the rights to The Beatles for nonpayment of royalties. The smaller Swan Records received the rights to the "She Loves You" single. When The Beatles were booked to perform on the popular Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964, Capitol finally exercised its option and said yes to The Beatles in November 1963. In a legal settlement with Capitol Records, Vee-Jay received rights to market the Beatles recordings they possessed until 10 October 1964, at which point all rights to all EMI Beatles recordings in the United States were assigned to Capitol Records. Vee-Jay's offering, an EP entitled 'Souvenir of Their Visit to America', was a great success. It is by far the most common Beatles EP of all the US releases. However, because part of the EP's sales were through mail-order offers, the trade magazines refused to chart the EP.

With the Beatles February 1964 arrival in America, and their appearance on the Ed Sullivan show fresh in everyone's mind, the EP was marketed as a 'Souvenir of Their Visit to America'. Trade magazines ads proclaimed "Four great songs never released as singles, each a hit in it's own right". The record was dubbed 'The EP of the century' !!

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