top of page

MARY JANE - SPICY BEATLES SONGS

2.jpg

Company: TMOQ

matrix: MJ-543-A / MJ-543-B

release date: July 1973

Country: USA

 

SIDE A

1. HAVE YOU HEARD THE WORD (incomplete) 2:45

2. dialogue DON'T LET ME DOWN/THOSE WERE THE DAYS 1:31 dialogue

3. WHAT'S THE NEW MARY JANE 3:17

4. COTTONFIELDS 0:20

5. Paul intro TWIST AND SHOUT 2:48

6. DIZZY MISS LIZZIE 2:46

 

SIDE B

7. John intro YOU REALLY GOT A HOLD ON ME 0:54

8. George interview & intro ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN 2:19

9. John interview & intro ALL MY LOVING 2:10

10. Ringo interview & intro I WANNA BE YOUR MAN 2:13 - A. Freeman comment

11. chat & intro A HARD DAY'S NIGHT  1:32

12. chat & intro THINGS WE SAID TODAY 2:13

13. A. Freeman intro FROM  US TO YOU  :29

 

Sound Quality: VG-mono

 

Source:

1: the Fut, 1970 (no Beatles involvement)

2: John, during "Bed-in'' in Amsterdam, March 1969

3: unreleased Plastic Ono Band single, December 5, 1969 (half stereo mix)

4: EMI Studios, June 5, 1968, Kenny Everett interview

5,7: Stockholm, Karlaplansstudio, October 24, 1963 (edited with the officially released version finale, from "Beatles Story'')

6: BBC radio "The Beatles (invite you to take a ticket to ride)'', June 7, 1965

8 to 10,13: BBC radio "From us to you'', March 30, 1964

11,12: BBC radio Overseas Service "Top of the Pops'', 1964

COMMENTARY

One year after his last Beatles' record, TMOQ reappears with new material: an obscure extract from a press conference (track 2), a complete, better-sounding What's the New Mary Jane, and a previously unbootlegged BBC session (March 30, 1964), later to reappear in more complete form in the eighties. Track 4 is taken from  UNA SENSAZIONALE INTERVISTA DEI BEATLES, Apple DPR 108, a 7" released only in Italy in 1968, including part of a Kenny Everett interview with the Beatles at EMI studios.

RELEASES

1. July, 1973 (photo below the title).  The tape transfer and the master cutting were done on June 10, 1973. According to the indication on the master, the mothers were made on July 18, 1973. The first pressing had colored vinyl, the colored jacket had a square pig sticker, golden or silver, and the rubber-stamped title MARY JANE. It included an insert, titled SPICY BEATLES SONGS, prepared by the famous artist William Stout, dated June 15, '73. The labels used for the first release were black with silver pig.

9.jpg
6.jpg

Late summer, 1973. This version had Stout's drawing directly printed on a green cardboard sleeve, which lacks the rubber-stamped title; it had a colored label with silver pig, and the disc was on colored vinyl, sometimes splashed.

Late 1973 to early 1974. In these months the records had the same jacket with rubber stamp as #1; the full size insert was usually printed on green paper, the disc was on colored vinyl, with white label with black pig.

3.jpg

1974 to 1976. Rubber-stamped cover as #1 (1974), or only slipsheet in reduced size with Stout's drawing (1975); in 1976 the insert was renumbered S-210; white label with black pig, black vinyl.

4.jpg

1977. K&S limited numbered edition (150 copies) on multicolored vinyl, with a new insert and blank labels.

7.jpg

1986. Box Top Records release; colored jacket with a Beatle photo and rubber-stamped titled MARY JANE - SPICY BEATLE SONGS, back cover with track listings on a sticker, blank or colored TMOQ label with pig, black or colored vinyl. The mothers originating the stampers used for these issues were made on February 14, 1986. 400 copies of this version were included in the 15-LP box THE BEATLES TMOQ COLLECTION, released in late 1986.

1.jpg
10.jpg

1987. The last appearance of the record derived from the MJ-543 masters dates to 1987, when it was included in the Max Hammer Collection, titled SPICY BEATLE SONGS, black vinyl, generic Max Hammer labels.

8.jpg

INTEREST. As for all the TMOQ records, the versions on colored vinyl retain a great collector's interest, the first being the most valuable (****/***). The K&S limited release is also highly sought after by collectors (***). The remaining releases have less value, depending on the series and the vinyl, the BoxTop one being more appreciated (**/*).

THE TMOQ SMOKIN' PIG RELEASES

TMOQ-Smokin' pig released the same record from a different master, numbered 1892-A / 1892-B in late 1973 or early 1974.

The records derived from these stampers had the same insert as the previous release, sometimes directly printed on the jacket, or had an insert of smaller size, with the track listing added on the left, and colored labels with the Smokin' pig logo; the vinyl was black.

5.jpg

Late 1974 and spring 1975. New stampers were made on November 7, 1974. The mothers had the old number 1892 scratched and the new reference TMQ-71076-A / TMQ-71076-B added. More stampers were cut on March 3, 1975.

11.jpg
14.jpg

The records derived from these stampers had the usual insert, generally in reduced size, and the disc had either the Smokin' Pig labels, or blank white or colored labels, or generic labels with 1/2 side indications.

BUG CRUSHER

Late seventies. Some copies were released with new inserts, for both the front and back covers, titled BUG CRUSHER LIVE.  The labels were blank. This version was not realized by the original producer; it was probably a limited pressing made by some other bootlegger who had access to the stampers that were kept at the pressing plant

12.jpg
13.jpg

1983. This version had a new insert titled SPICY BEATLE SONGS, partly folded over the back; it was on black vinyl, and had colored Smokin' pig label.

1984. A last repressing, using the same cover as the 1983 release, was included in the LXXXIV series of repressings (LXXXIV # 15), on colored vinyl in a limited edition of 100 copies with Great Live Concert GLC labels.

INTEREST. All these records are only useful for completists. **/*. The last one, of course, is sought after due to the very low numer of copies pressed (***/****).

The entire album was squeezed on side b of FIVE NIGHTS IN A JUDO ARENA / SPICY BEATLES SONGS, issued in 1976 by Fyg Records.

bottom of page