ABBEY ROAD REVISITED
THOSE WERE THE DAYS
Company: Contra Band Music
Matrix Number: WEC 3907-A / WEC 3907-B
Release Date: September 1973
Country: USA
SIDE A
1. John intro YOU REALLY GOT A HOLD ON ME 2:54
2. HAVE YOU HEARD THE WORD (incomplete) 2:48
3. dialogue DON'T LET ME DOWN/THOSE WERE THE DAYS 1:31
4. MEAN MR. MUSTARD 0:17
5. ALL TOGETHER ON THE WIRELESS MACHINE :58
6. announcer's intro STEP INSIDE LOVE 2:12
7. dialogue & intro BYE BYE BYE (NICE TIME) 2:35
8. COTTONFIELDS 0:19
9. Paul intro TWIST AND SHOUT 2:37
10. DIZZY MISS LIZZIE 2:46
SIDE B
a copy of RENAISSANCE MINSTRELS I minus track 9
Sound Quality: mono (see individual sources)
Source:
1 to 3, 8 to 10: from MARY JANE (VG)
4: Radio Luxembourg, Kenny Everett jingle, September, 1969 (no Beatle participation) (G)
5: Radio One jingle for Kenny Everett, "Where it's at", aired November 25, 1967 (F)
6: Paul demo, January, 1968 (F)
7: Kenny Everett TV show 1969 (F)
COMMENTARY
A record released together with CAVERN CLUB. In the second half of 1973 CBM started to run out of original material and began releasing repackagings of previous records. However, here are a couple of interesting items: Paul's version of Step Inside Love (later given to Cilla Black), and his jingle for Radio One, unfortunately of only fair quality.
RELEASES
1. September, 1973 (photo below the title). The record was released with a blue insert. The label of the first pressing was white with brown A side indication and the CBM disc logo (this is the only Beatles release that used the white label with brown side indication), and on side B the label was white with a 1" bar in red color. All the copies that were seen have this combination of labels.
Late, 1973. The subsequent pressings were produced at the same plants as the first one, and they had the orange label used at the time. After the producer moved from Virginia to Minnesota, in October 1973, the company started using the new pressing plants (see the different pressing marks here below, on left the ring at 7 mm, on right the ring at 12 mm from the hole and with a second ring at 32 mm) and the label that they used was the blue one with A/B side indications and the disc logo in black, or a white blank label.
In December, 1973 and January, 1974 the records had the white label with red pirate, and the insert had the number 3907 added on top left. The inner sleeve was made of brown paper, as was customary at the time.
Summer 1974, 1975 and 1976. In summer 1974 the releases had the green label with black pirate, and the jacket had the J. Fish drawing printed on the back. In spring 1975 the records had orange or red King Kong labels, that were replaced with blank white labels in the second half of 1975; the insert had always the 3907 number on the top left. In early 1976 the insert was again without the number and the label was red with black pirate.
INTEREST. The first release has interest for specialized collectors (***), the remaining releases are mainly for completists **/*.
Side A was repressed on the compilation CAVERN DAYS - SUPER STUDIO SERIES 5, coupled with Side A of CAVERN CLUB.
THE WIZARDO REKORDS RELEASE
A copy of this record was pressed by Wizardo Rekords on matrix WRMB 353-A / WRMB 353-B, titled ABBEY ROAD REVISITED. We saw the following issues:
Spring 1976. Wizardo Collector's Special blue/red labels, rectangular insert on white or pink paper, with number on bottom right, black or blue vinyl with black speckles. In late 1976 the records had Cat 'n' Dog labels and the vinyl was black. Some later pressings released in late 1976 or early 1977 had white blank labels. All these records were pressed at the Lewis plant.
A copy of this record was pressed by Wizardo Rekords on matrix WRMB 353-A / WRMB 353-B, titled ABBEY ROAD REVISITED. We saw the following issues:
LIVE IN VANCOUVER CANADA
Company: Contra Band Music on Instant Analysis Label
Matrix Number: VN 1032 A 4164 / VN 1032 B
Release Date: November 1974
Country: USA
SIDE A
1. TWIST AND SHOUT
2. YOU CAN'T DO THAT
3. Paul intro ALL MY LOVING
4. John intro SHE LOVES YOU
5. George intro THINGS WE SAID TODAY
6. ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN
7. Paul intro CAN'T BUY ME LOVE
8. Paul intro BOYS
9. John intro A HARD DAY'S NIGHT
10. Paul intro LONG TALL SALLY
SIDE B
11. John intro SHE LOVES YOU
12. George intro THINGS WE SAID TODAY
13. ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN
14. John intro IF I FELL
15. I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND
16. Paul intro BOYS
17. John intro A HARD DAY'S NIGHT
18. Paul intro LONG TALL SALLY
Sound Quality: side A: G-mono; side B: VG-mono
Source:
Side A from VANCOUVER 1964
Side B from SHEA THE GOOD OLD DAYS
COMMENTS
As soon as VANCOUVER 1964 was released by TMOQ, CBM made an incomplete copy on its Instant Analysis label, coupled on side B with part of the Hollywood Bowl 1964 show. It's worth noting that the awful rendition of If I fell from Vancouver 1964 has been dropped here...
RELEASES
1. November 1974 (photo below the title). The first pressing had the jacket with the J. Fish drawing printed on the back, the insert was printed in "rainbow effect", but due to some printing error, a yellow stripe, partly covering the title, appeared at the center; the labels were the yellow Instant Analysis labels with side indications.
2. Early 1975. The subsequent reissue had the insert reprinted with better balanced colors, and the labels were orange Instant Analysis with side indications. The jacket was white, without the J. Fish drawing, or yellow. There are no more repressings.
INTEREST. Although nowadays musically worthless, it is still interesting for collectors of the CBM and related companies' releases ***/**.
THE JAPANESE JL COUNTERFEIT
In 1975 JL Records counterfeited the second pressing of the CBM record, on matrix JL 515 A / JL 515 B, with the cover directly printed on the jacket, the number JL 515 added on the bottom right and orange counterfeit Instant Analysis labels.
INTEREST. Interesting for the Japanese market and for completists. **