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Reference Library: Beatles 78 RPM Records

Newsgroups: rec.music.beatles
Subject: Beatles on 78 rpm
Date: Sun, 10 Nov 1996 17:38:09 GMT


Scott Broe wrote:

I'm hoping somebody can fill me in on these records. I heard that Parlophone in India printed some of the earlier singles on 78's. Does anyone know which ones? What their serial numbers are? How rare are they if rare at all? If I do manage to find some, what should I expect to pay? Am I insane for even looking for these things?


Tony Cole [tcole@tor.hookup.net] wrote:

There were recently many comments on if there were Beatles records on 78 rpm. I recently saw 2 of them in London. Both were on Parlophone,... one was 'Rock & Roll Music', and the other ' I Saw Her Standing There'.

The cost? 600 pounds each.


bratcher@worldnet.att.net (Robert M. Bratcher Jr.) wrote:

Here is an old E-mail I got from 78-L about the Parlophone Beatles 78's!

---------------------------

The Beatles on 78!
by Anthony G Pavick

By the mid 1960s the 78rpm record had become a scratchy memory in the world of recorded music. The tenacity of this format in some markets however resulted in some of the most unusual and unexpected releases ever. Great Britain's EMI records continued to issue 78s in India until at least 1965, legend has it due to the preponderance of wind-up phonographs there. Among those are 7 releases by the Beatles on Parlophone. The earliest of these featured a red Parlophone label.

The discography of the Beatles' Indian 78s is:

Parlophone ONLY:
    DPE 167        If I Fell / And I Love Her
    R 5200         I Feel Fine / She's a Woman
    DPE 172        Tell Me Why / I'll Cry Instead
    DPE 180        I'll Follow the Sun / Words of Love
    R 5305         Help! / I'm Down
    R 5389         We Can Work it Out / Day Tripper
    DPE 187        Michelle / You Won't See Me

The DPE prefix releases are different couplings than that of the standard Parlophone UK issues.

Each record has an individual value of US$400, while a set of all of them, if you can find one, would set you back US$3,000.

Rumour has it that similar releases occurred in South Africa through EMI-Brigadiers, possibly of "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand". Surely such a discovery would be a treat!

The Beatles did record a 78 rpm acetate of Buddy Holly's "That'll Be the Day" backed with an original Paul McCartney / George Harrison composition "In Spite of All Danger" in 1958. This recording took place at (Percy) Phillips Sound Recording Service at 38 Kensington in Liverpool. The original cost of this 78 was 17s 6d (88 p in decimal currency or about US$1.30), its current value is incalculable as Paul McCartney owns the only copy, and he isn't selling.

McCartney did have several reproductions of this acetate prepared in both 10 inch 78rpm format and 7 inch 45 rpm format a few years ago at EMI. He went so far as to accurately reproduce not only the label, but also the acetate's physical material, a feat that had EMI hunting high and low. These copies are now safely locked away....somewhere.


you@somehost.somedomain (Jan Pettersson) wrote:

I have followed the thread about the 78s from India and would like to make a little contribution. I've read that about 30 Beatles 78s were released in India. I donīt know if this is true but I have this list of 78s from India. There are some of the 78s that have unique combinations of songs and some of them are "ordinary" 45rpm 7" transferred to 12" 78s. They were released as 78s up to at least 1968. I have seen some of these FS and the prices are $1000-$1400. The "book" value are approx. $400. The ones I have seen were in the 12" format and not in the more common 10" and they were in a plain greyish cardboard covers. I donīt know if this is the case with all of them. I can only recommend these records to a rich completist or a collector with very good Indian contacts. The Beatles did sell quite well in India (according to a friend with Indian relatives) and I donīt think that they are this expensive in India.

The list:
(I donīt know if this is complete. There are probably more of them.)

Dizzy miss lizzy                Parlophone DPE183
Girl                            Parlophone DPE188
Help                            Parlophone R5305
Here, there and everywhere      Parlophone DPE189
Hey Jude                        Parlophone DPE190
I feel fine                     Parlophone R5200
I saw her standing there        Parlophone DPE159
If I fell                       Parlophone DPE167
Iīm a loser                     Parlophone DPE178
Long tall Sally                 Parlophone DPE164
Michelle                        Parlophone DPE186
Michelle                        Parlophone DPE187
Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da              Parlophone DPE192
Please, please me               Parlophone ?
Rock and roll music             Parlophone DPE179
Tell me why                     Parlophone DPE172
Words of love                   Parlophone DPE180
Yesterday                       Parlophone DPE184
You like me to much             Parlophone DPE185


Marc Hendel [MarcHendel@worldnet.att.net] wrote:

According to a recent book on collecting original UK pressings, the Indian pressings not only exist, but supposedly there were 30 or so different titles issued! The story goes (the author appears very knowledgable on all aspects of the UK pressings) that when Parlophone decided in March of 1963 that they would stop producing 78's, they dismantled the machines and sent them to India, of all places. The demand for 78's still existed there since the records could be played on phonographs that did not require electricity and most Indians didn't have electricity. Beginning in the summer of 1964, the Indian branch of Parlophone not only pressed the 45 rpm format of Beatles singles, but also released identical issues on 78 format. Some unique singles were issued in this format, such as You Like Me Too Much/Tell Me What You See, I'll Follow the Sun/Words of Love and Good Day Sunshine/Here, There and Everywhere. From the story relayed above, one might conclude that these 78's are more common than we think. Is anyone out there from India?

Hope that this helps clear up this interesting side bar to the UK pressings.

Marc


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