THE BEATLES B.C. -- Before Capitol

Part Two

Last Updated: 14 My 06

In part one of this article, I outlined all American Beatles records issued on Vee Jay or Swan BEFORE the outbreak of Beatlemania. In this article, we'll examine how those records were reissued once Beatlemania hit the States. Once again, approximate values and descriptions of each of the records will be given. Any questions should be addressed to me, Frank, at this address. I hope these articles answer a lot of questions about Beatles issues on Vee Jay and Swan.

After Beatlemania began to erupt in the USA, Vee Jay met at the end of the first week in January to discuss releasing Introducing the Beatles, which was sitting dormant in the Vee Jay vaults. Since the company had already printed 6,000 front cover sleeves, only a back cover needed to be designed. The original design, featuring Tony Barrow's liner notes, had been misplaced, and since time was of the essence, Vee Jay used the art from their typical inner sleeves to make back covers for Introducing. Since not all of the Coburn-printed covers were used up, there seems to have been about 5,000 copies pressed.

Copies exist with various back covers. These are identified in turn, in both mono and stereo, in this article.

If you are trying to identify your copy, it would be good to first check the Vee Jay and Swan counterfeits page. The Introducing the Beatles album has been so widely faked that counterfeits are much more common than genuine copies of the album -- particularly "stereo" copies. If your copy is not genuine, be sure to look through that page's listings to locate it among the counterfeit issues.

Introducing the Beatles

Ad Back Copies



Introducing the Beatles VJLP 1062 (mono)
The back cover to this issue pictures twenty five "other fine albums of significant interest" by other Vee Jay artists such as Jimmy Reed. Black label with color band. Oval logo. The front cover has "Printed in U.S.A." in the lower left hand corner. Has "Love Me Do" and "PS I Love You." Released January 10, 1964.
The record exists with three label styles. These are:

There may be 3,500 copies of this LP.
Value in NM Condition: $2000



Introducing the Beatles VJSR 1062 (stereo)
The back cover to this issue pictures twenty five "other fine albums of significant interest" by other Vee Jay artists such as Jimmy Reed. Black label with color band. Oval logo. The front cover has "Printed in U.S.A." in the lower left hand corner. Has "Love Me Do" and "PS I Love You." This is a stereo record and PLAYS IN STEREO. The label reads STEREO either at the top or on the side. Any copy claiming to be stereo which does not play in stereo is a fake. Any copy claiming to be stereo which does not say stereo on the label is a fake. Released: January 10, 1964
The record exists with three label styles. These are:

There may be 1,500 copies of this LP.
Value in NM Condition: $6000+

For reasons unknown, a transition issue exists with slick, blank, back covers. These were NOT promotional copies, but appear to have been created after "ad back" copies ran out but before the new "column back" copies were printed. Some of the "blank back" covers are coupled with front covers that were part of the original 6,000 printed by Coburn. All later covers (which do not have "Printed in USA" on the cover) were printed by Ivy Hill.

Introducing the Beatles

Blank Back Copies

These have the SAME FRONT COVER as the above issue, although only SOME copies say "Printed in U.S.A." Their back covers are as follows:

Introducing the Beatles VJLP 1062 (mono)
The back cover to this issue is glossy white and is blank. It may have been a transitional issue. It has often been called a promotional issue, although there is no print indicating this. Black label with color band. Oval logo. Has "Love Me Do" and "PS I Love You." Occurs in the same label variations as the Ad Back version. Issued shortly before Meet the Beatles in January, 1964.
Possibly 1,500 copies were pressed.
Value in NM Condition: $1000

Introducing the Beatles VJSR 1062 (stereo)
The back cover to this issue is glossy white and is blank. It may have been a transitional issue. It has often been called a promotional issue, although there is no print indicating this. Black label with color band. Oval logo. Has "Love Me Do" and "PS I Love You." This is a stereo record and PLAYS IN STEREO. The label reads STEREO either at the top or on the side. Any copy claiming to be stereo which does not play in stereo is a fake. Any copy claiming to be stereo which does not say stereo on the label is a fake. Occurs in the same stereo label variations as the Ad Back version. Issued shortly before Meet the Beatles in January, 1964.
Possibly 500 copies were pressed.
Value in NM Condition: $3500

Introducing the Beatles

"Love Me Do" Column Back Copies


Introducing the Beatles VJLP 1062 (mono)
The back cover to this, the final "original" issue lists the song titles in two columns. "Love Me Do" and "PS I Love You" are listed and are featured on the album. Black label with color band. Oval logo. Issued in January, 1964.
The record exists with four label styles. These are:

Perhaps 70,000 copies were pressed.
Value in NM Condition: $1000


Introducing the Beatles VJSR 1062 (stereo)
MANY COUNTERFEIT COPIES HAVE CIRCULATED OF THIS ALBUM IN STEREO. ALL known genuine copies of this album in stereo say STEREO on the (oval style) label and play in stereo. The cover of an original must also indicate stereo. There are NO known genuine "version one" stereo copies on the brackets label. If any exist they would say STEREO on the label and play in stereo.
Fake covers exist in the hundreds of thousands, and so any copy of the album claiming to have this cover must be verified by an expert. To date, about TWENTY original copies of this album in stereo with "Love Me Do" in the song titles are known to exist. If you have a "sealed" copy, expect it to be one of the many fakes. It is possible to steam the back slick from a "Love Me Do" mono cover and paste it onto a stereo cover. Due to the price variation, this should be inspected for. The price given is that of a reported sale, but if more copies surface, the value may fluxuate.
Very few copies were pressed.
Value in NM Condition: $8,000+

Introducing the Beatles VJLP 1062 (mono)
The back cover to this, the final "original" issue lists the song titles in two columns. "Love Me Do" and "PS I Love You" are listed and are featured on the album. Black label with color band. Brackets logo. The MONO Brackets logo copies are harder to find than the mono Oval logo copies. Issued January, 1964. There are no verified STEREO brackets label "Love Me Do" copies of this album, although there are many fakes in that configuration.
Perhaps 5,000 copies were pressed.
Value in NM Condition: $1500

Introducing the Beatles

"Please Please Me" Column Back Copies

By the time it came to issue the Beatles' fifth single, Capitol was ready for them. The company issued an extensive promotional campaign, allegedly spending $50,000 to promote the group. "The Beatles are coming" was plastered everywhere, a la Paul Revere's proclamation "The British are coming!" And they came with force. During the period (mid January to early February) when Vee Jay was subject to an injunction not to release any Beatles product, they were also sued by Beechwood Music, the publishing company which owned the US rights to "Love Me Do" and "PS I Love You" -- a company that was linked to Capitol Records. Beechwood had the right to dictate who would release those songs first in the USA, and by January of 1964, Capitol had decided that they wanted them. Vee Jay was prevented from issuing Introducing the Beatles with those two songs.

At once, Vee Jay records reissued its Introducing the Beatles album, this time with the more acceptable "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why" in the place of "Love Me Do" and "PS I Love You." Vee Jay was by no means out of legal trouble, however. The album was supposedly reissued on January 17, 1964, but stampers were not made until January 24th, and Vee Jay was not allowed to issue Beatles product in late January, so more likely the LP was ready by the second week in February.

Earlier back covers have no comma in the title "Please Please Me." Later copies show the title as "Please, Please Me". Some copies with the comma have a small "2" in the lower right hand corner (see below).


Introducing the Beatles Vee Jay VJLP-1062 (mono)
The back cover to this issue lists the song titles in two columns. "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why" are listed and are featured on the album. Black label with color band. Oval logo.
The record exists with two label styles. These are:

Value in NM Condition: $350


Introducing the Beatles Vee Jay VJSR-1062 (stereo)
The back cover to this issue lists the song titles in two columns. "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why" are listed and are featured on the album. Black label with color band. Oval logo.
The cover may indicate "stereo" by means of a banner across the top (part of the cover), or by a sticker added to a mono cover, or by means of machine stamped gold print on the cover. This is a stereo record and PLAYS IN STEREO. The label reads STEREO either at the top or on the side. In addition, the matrix number in the trail-off has an "S" suffix. Any copy claiming to be stereo which does not play in stereo is a fake. Any copy claiming to be stereo which does not say stereo on the label is a fake.
The record exists with three label styles. These are:

Value in NM Condition: $2000+ white stereo sticker: +$100 gold stereo sticker: +$200 sticker reading "stereo stereo stereo" (vertically): +$200 copies with gold stamping by machine: +$150


Introducing the Beatles Vee Jay VJLP-1062 (mono)
The back cover to this issue lists the song titles in two columns. "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why" are listed and are featured on the album. Black label with color band. Brackets logo.
The record exists with six label styles. These are:

Value in NM Condition: $200 for normal copies
$500+ for 45 label

Introducing the Beatles Vee Jay VJSR-1062 (stereo)
The back cover to this issue lists the song titles in two columns. "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why" are listed and are featured on the album. Black label with color band. Brackets logo. The cover may indicate "stereo" by means of a banner across the top (part of the cover), or by a sticker added to a mono cover, or by means of machine stamped gold print on the cover. This is a stereo record and PLAYS IN STEREO. The label reads STEREO either at the top or on the side. In addition, the matrix number in the trail-off has an "S" suffix. Any copy claiming to be stereo which does not play in stereo is a fake. Any copy claiming to be stereo which does not say stereo on the label is a fake.
This record exists with five label styles. These are:

Value in NM Condition: $1200+ (same values as above for stereo stampings)

The album began to sell, becoming a hot item. Vee Jay contracted out for others to press their records using whatever labels they would make at the pressing plant, explaining the unusual variations.


Introducing the Beatles Vee Jay VJLP-1062 (mono)
The back cover to this issue lists the song titles in two columns. "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why" are listed and are featured on the album. All black label. Logo is simply "VJ" underneath which "VEE-JAY RECORDS" is written (in two lines).
This record exists with two label vatiations. These are:

Possibly pressed by Columbia Records.
Value in NM Condition: $200


Introducing the Beatles (second issue) Vee Jay VJSR-1062 (stereo)
The back cover to this issue lists the song titles in two columns. "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why" are listed and are featured on the album. All black label. Logo is simply "VJ" underneath which VEE-JAY RECORDS is written (in two lines). The cover may indicate "stereo" by means of a banner across the top (part of the cover), or by a sticker added to a mono cover, or by means of machine stamped gold print on the cover. This is a stereo record and PLAYS IN STEREO. The label reads STEREO either at the side. In addition, the matrix number in the trail-off has an "S" suffix. Any copy claiming to be stereo which does not play in stereo is a fake. Any copy claiming to be stereo which does not say stereo on the label is a fake.
This record exists with two label vatiations. These are:

Possibly pressed by Columbia Records.
Value in NM Condition: $1750
(same values as above for stereo stampings)


Introducing the Beatles Vee Jay VJLP-1062 (mono)
The back cover to this issue lists the song titles in two columns. "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why" are listed and are featured on the album. All black label. No color band. Oval logo.
Possibly pressed by Columbia.
Value in NM Condition: $400


Introducing the Beatles Vee Jay VJLP-1062 (mono)
The back cover to this issue lists the song titles in two columns. "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why" are listed and are featured on the album. All black label. No color band. Small brackets logo. Any copies with large brackets labels are later fakes.
Note1: Many, if not all, of these copies have a "2" in the bottom right corner of the back cover.
Pressed by Southern Plastics.
Note2: I own a copy of this album which features a "Version One" label on one side. No "Version One" discs have appeared with this label style.
Value in NM Condition: $2000+

The Introducing the Beatles album was faked many times, as early as the late '60's. Many of these fakes claim to be stereo. Many of these fakes have the Love Me Do song title on the back. Some copies have brown borders surrounding the regular cover. NO original has this border. On some fakes, George does not have a shadow on the front cover; he has one on the originals. Some fakes have color band labels which are not well centered. Original color band labels are well-centered. The article in this series about counterfeits discusses several counterfeit variations.

The album wound up being a hot seller for Vee Jay, being kept from the top spot on the charts only by other Beatles records.

At about this time, the "She Loves You" single was given a second pressing by Swan Records. This time, all possible efforts were taken to make the record a hit, including the addition of a picture sleeve.

"She Loves You"/"I'll Get You"
Swan 4152

The Swan single, "She Loves You," exists in five chief label styles. These will be identified in this table and referred to in all descriptions of the single.

Style "Nickname" Description
Style 1 "Wide Print" The song title appears s p r e a d o u t and does NOT appear in quotation marks. In the A-side publishing credits, there are two lines, but (BMI) alone is the second line.
All records with style 1 labels were pressed by Monarch Records of Los Angeles and bear the MR logo and D (delta) number. Their records were pressed from styrene, a less flexible plastic.
Style 2 "Medium Print" The song title, artist name, and catalog number (S-4152) all appear in the same size print. The quotation marks resemble simple hash marks; they are not rounded. On the A-side, "BMI" appears on the same line as "Corp."
Style 3 "Thin Print" The song title and artist name are written in a type face that is much thinner than it is tall. These records were pressed by RCA at their Rockaway plant.
Style 4 "Thick Print" The song title appears in bold face type. The quotation marks appear "serifed". I.e., they do not look like simple "hash marks" but have extra points. The artist name appears in a different style font than the title. On the A-side, "BMI" appears on a line by itself, so that the publishing credits are in 3 lines. These recrods were pressed by RCA at their Indianapolis plant.
Style 5 "Thin Wide Print" The song title and artist name are written in a type face that is much thinner than it is tall. The song title on each side appears s p r e a d o u t and DOES appear in quotation marks, which are also spread out. These are later records from 1965. The "AudioMatrix" stamp and "Virtue Studio" appear in the matrix. These records were pressed by American Record Pressing Co. (ARP).

She Loves You/I'll Get You Swan 4152
Black label with silver print. Label style 1. On this single, there is a blank line on the left side of the label between the publishing credits and organization: between "Gil Music Corp" and "(BMI)." The words "DON'T DROP OUT" appear on the label.
Value in NM Condition: $50

She Loves You/I'll Get You Swan 4152
Black label with silver print. Label style 1. On this single, there are NO blank lines between the publishing credits and organization: between "Gil Music Corp" and "(BMI)." The words "DON'T DROP OUT" appear on the label.
Value in NM Condition: $50

She Loves You/I'll Get You Swan 4152
Black label with silver print. Label style 2. "DON'T DROP OUT" appears on the label. Some of these labels appear dark green
Value in NM Condition: $40

She Loves You/I'll Get You Swan 4152
Black label with silver print. Label style 3. The words "DON'T DROP OUT" appear on the label.
Value in NM Condition: $40

She Loves You/I'll Get You Swan 4152
Black label with silver print. Label style 4. The words "Don't Drop Out" do NOT appear on the label.
No copies of style 4 singles are known on the white label.
Value in NM Condition: $30

She Loves You/I'll Get You Swan 4152 PICTURE SLEEVE
This picture sleeve has been counterfeited. The counterfeit's picture lacks the quality of the original. Also, some counterfeits have perforated edges. Not so with the original.
Value in NM Condition: $125

Probably in late 1964, the words "Produced by George Martin" were added to existing style 1, style 2, and style 3 labels. Style 5 appears only in 1965, with "Produced by George Martin" on the label.

She Loves You/I'll Get You Swan 4152
Black label with silver print. Label style 1 The words "DON'T DROP OUT" appear on the label. "Produced by George Martin" appears under "THE BEATLES" on the A-side only.
Value in NM Condition: $70

She Loves You/I'll Get You Swan 4152
Black label with silver print. Label style 2. "DON'T DROP OUT" appears on the label. "Produced By George Martin" appears at right.
Value in NM Condition: $60

She Loves You/I'll Get You Swan 4152
Black label with silver print. Label style 3. The words "DON'T DROP OUT" appear on the label. "Produced by George Martin" appears at right.
Value in NM Condition: $65

She Loves You/I'll Get You Swan 4152
glossy white label with blue print. Label style 3. The words "DON'T DROP OUT" appear on the label. The words "Produced by George Martin" appear on the label.
This single is often assumed to have been released before the switch to the black label. Instead, these copies (with the George Martin credit) were released in 1965. This is the most common "white label" variation of "She Loves You" and is only about as scarce as the other "George Martin credit" copies. Its high resale value is generally attributed to its being confused with the earlier "white label" issue.
To view the b-side, click here
Value in NM Condition: $600

She Loves You/I'll Get You Swan 4152
Black label with silver print. Label style 5. The words "DON'T DROP OUT" appear on the label. "Produced by George Martin" appears at right. No copies of Style 5 are known on the white label.
Value in NM Condition: $75

These singles were counterfeited. See the notes in part four of this article on distinguishing an original from a fake, and for photos of typical fakes.


Swan also issued several varieties of a one-sided promotional single featuring "I'll Get You." These were all white label copies with black print. All of these, except for label style 4, have "DON'T DROP OUT" on the label. The known varieties are:

I'll Get You/ Swan 4152
White label with black print. Label style 1. "PROMOTIONAL COPY" appears on the label. "NOT FOR SALE" appears at right (not shown). The b-side has a blank white label and no play groove -- just smooth vinyl.

I'll Get You/ Swan 4152
White label with black print. Label style 2. "PROMOTION COPY" appears on the label along with two "X's". The b-side has a blank white label and a no play groove -- just smooth vinyl. The words "Produced by George Martin" appear on the a-side label.

I'll Get You/ Swan 4152
White label with black print. Label style 3. No promotional markings. The b-side has a blank black label and a silent play groove. The words "Produced by George Martin" appear on the label.

I'll Get You/ Swan 4152
White label with black print. Label style 3. The words "PROMOTION COPY" appear on the a-side label. The b-side has a blank white label and a silent play groove. The words "Produced by George Martin" appear on the label.

The value of each variety is between $600 and $700 in NM condition.

The reissued Swan single hit number one.

Meanwhile, Vee Jay also thought of another way to capitalize off its two Beatles singles, including them on an album of studio recordings by one of the label's other artists. Frank Ifield is best known for his version of "I Remember You." Since "From Me to You" and "Thank You Girl" had not yet been mixed for stereo, the songs appear in mono on the stereo album. This was the only US appearance of "From Me to You" on an album until 1973. This album was issued on Feb. 26, 1964.


Beatles and Frank Ifield On Stage Vee Jay VJLP 1085 (mono)
Cover features the drawing of a man with glasses, a moustache, and a Beatle haircut. May be found with oval, brackets, or all black "VJ" label styles. All three are of equal value.
About 60,000 copies exist.
Value in NM Condition: $250

Beatles and Frank Ifield On Stage Vee Jay VJSR 1085 (stereo)
Cover features the drawing of a man with glasses, a moustache, and a Beatle haircut. May be found with oval style, two different brackets styles, or all black "VJ" label style. All three are of equal value. This is a stereo album; "Please Please Me," "Ask Me Why," and the Ifield songs should PLAY IN STEREO. Also, the label says stereo.
About 4,000 copies exist.
Value in NM Condition: $500

The above two albums are also called Jolly What! because these words appear at the top of the front cover. The albums have been counterfeited. All originals should have printing on the spine and should otherwise resemble other Vee Jay albums. The album was reissued with artwork from the "Love Me Do" US picture sleeve. Since the change happened in Fall, 1964, and since Vee Jay stopped issuing Beatles records in mid-October, both mono and stereo issues are rare.

Beatles and Frank Ifield On Stage Vee Jay VJLP 1085 (mono)
Cover features a drawing of the four Beatles and lists the four Beatles songs featured on the album. Normally found with the all black label, but all three are of equal value.
Possibly 3,000 copies pressed.
Value in NM Condition: $3,500

Beatles and Frank Ifield On Stage Vee Jay VJSR 1085 (stereo)
Cover features a drawing of the four Beatles and lists the four Beatles songs featured on the album. May be found with oval, brackets, or all black "VJ" label styles. Normally found with the all black label, but all three are of equal value. This is a stereo album; "Please Please Me," "Ask Me Why," and the Ifield songs must PLAY IN STEREO. Also, the label says stereo.
Possibly 500 copies pressed.
Value in NM Condition: $8,000+

While the Ifield/Beatles album was not popular, Vee Jay Records kept right on issuing Beatles singles. In order to continue to promote the Introducing the Beatles album, Vee Jay issued promo copies of an "Ask Me Why"/"Anna" single. No copies were ever commercially released. The matrix information indicates that these singles were made before the matrices for the coming "Twist and Shout" single. In fact, Bruce Spizer reports that Vee Jay documentation indicates that Vee Jay was testing the waters for potential Vee Jay singles. They considered "Anna" to be a potential single, and by March (1964) it was issued a tentative number, VJ 586. That number was never used.

Ask Me Why/Anna Vee Jay "Spec. DJ No. 8"
white label with 4 blue crossbars. Two brackets logos on label. Label reads "PROMOTIONAL COPY" twice. Fewer than 5 known copies.
Value in NM Condition: $8000+

On its new "Tollie" subsidiary, Vee Jay issued a chart topper: "Twist and Shout"/"There's a Place." The single came out in late February, 1964 (traditional date March 2). There are sixteen label variations of this single, mostly on yellow labels, although an all black style exists. There are five different Tollie logos used on those labels, including one with Tollie in brackets! The most common singles are valued at $30, while the rarest go for $75. No genuine picture sleeve was ever issued for this single. The vinyl of the fakes is usually somewhat pocked marked. I refer you to Perry Cox's Price Guide to Beatles Records and Memorabilia for more details. Label variations include:

NOTE: Copies on red vinyl are not genuine.
Also, no genuine copies were issued with picture sleeves. There are two known configurations of counterfeit sleeve: first, a sleeve that resembles the sleeve for VJ 587; second, a sleeve that features partial head shots, as on the Hard Day's Night LP cover.

On Mar 23, 1964, Vee Jay issued its next "new" Beatles single: "Do You Want to Know a Secret"/"Thank You Girl," accompanied by a picture sleeve featuring a drawing of the Beatles' heads. This drawing was to be re-used twice.

Do You Want to Know a Secret?/Thank You Girl Vee Jay 587
white label with 4 blue crossbars. Brackets logo appears twice. 'PROMOTIONAL COPY' appears twice.
Value in NM Condition: $225

Do You Want to Know a Secret?/Thank You Girl Vee Jay 587
PICTURE SLEEVE for commercial copies.
Value in NM Condition: $125

Do You Want to Know a Secret?/Thank You Girl Vee Jay 587
The following label styles are known:

NOTE: Copies with an all black label, brackets logo, and the title on one line are counterfeits.

Vee Jay was having success issuing new LP's and singles, so it tried its hand with an EP, also very successfully. The EP was offered with a potato chip promotion as well; because of this, it was not charted. But this is by far the Beatles' best selling EP in the USA.

Souvenir of Their First Visit to America Vee Jay VJEP-1-903
white label with 4 blue crossbars. Two brackets logos. label features 'PROMOTIONAL COPY' twice. These early copies featured all four songs in the same size print. No cover for most promos.
Value in NM Condition: $300

Souvenir of Their First Visit to America Vee Jay VJEP-1-903
white label with 4 blue crossbars. Two brackets logos. label features 'PROMOTIONAL COPY' twice. Some copies feature "ASK ME WHY" in larger print. There are two label varieties of this promo. No cover for most promos.
Value in NM Condition: $300

Souvenir of Their First Visit to America Vee Jay VJEP-1-903
promo title sleeve. While most promos were issued without covers and some came in the regular cover (similar to the PS for VJ 587), a few promos were issued a special title sleeve promoting "Ask Me Why." The sleeve calls the EP "the EP that is selling like a single." Fewer than 10 copies are known to exist of this rare item.
Value in NM Condition: $12000+


Souvenir of Their First Visit to America Vee Jay VJEP-1-903
commercial copies may be found in 9 label styles, including:
The cover is composed of hard cardboard, not paper or posterboard. Copies with the color band label (oval or brackets logo) are worth $250. The other label styles are worth about $300 - $350 each.
NOTE: Copies with an all white label and oval logo are counterfeits.

Having great success reissuing old material, Vee Jay tried again on April 27th, reissuing "Love Me Do" and "PS I Love You." Vee Jay had executed a new licensing agreement with Capitol Records, allowing them to issue only "Love Me Do" and "PS I Love You" (which were a single in England) as a "new" coupling of the material. No other new EP's, LP's, or single compilations could be issued. Furthermore, Vee Jay's license would expire permanently on October 15, 1964. Vee Jay continued to have new records pressed furiously, and again they had great success: another hit. Tollie/Vee Jay's success with "Love Me Do" is partly explain by the fact that Canadian Capitol's "Love Me Do" single was charting on the US charts as an import, indicating demand for a single.

Love Me Do/PS I Love You Tollie 9008
white label with black print. Logo is simply the words "TOLLIE RECORDS" at the top of the label. Label reads "PROMOTIONAL COPY" and "NOT FOR SALE." Fake promo labels with inferior print are known to exist.
Value in NM Condition: $400

Love Me Do/PS I Love You Tollie 9008
white label with black print. Logo features Tollie Records in a rectangular box. Label reads "Disc Jockey Advance Sample" and "NOT FOR SALE."
Value in NM Condition: $450

Love Me Do/PS I Love You Tollie 9008
Commercial copies can be found in six varieties, with 3 different logo styles, as follows:

Each falls in the $40-$60 range.

Love Me Do/PS I Love You Tollie 9008
PICTURE SLEEVE.
Value in NM Condition: $200

By this time, the Beatles Second Album, featuring both sides of the "She Loves You" single, was topping the charts. Swan Records' single was selling, and Swan reasoned that they ought to have the rights to issue the German version of the song, which the Beatles had recorded just before coming to America. Apparently, Swan obtained a copy of the German single, took a chance, and issued it in the USA.

The "Sie Liebt Dich" singles exist in the same label styles as "She Loves You." No "style 4" or "style 5" SLD singles are known to exist.

Sie Liebt Dich/I'll Get You Swan 4182
white label with black print. Style 1 label. Subtitle on a second line in smaller print. An "X" appears on the label. The words 'PROMOTIONAL COPY' appear on the label.
Value in NM Condition: $200

Sie Liebt Dich/I'll Get You Swan 4182
white label with red print. Style 1 label. Subtitle on a second line in smaller print.
Value in NM Condition: $55

Sie Liebt Dich/I'll Get You Swan 4182
white label with orange print. Style 1 label. Subtitle on a second line in smaller print.
Value in NM Condition: $75

Sie Liebt Dich/I'll Get You Swan 4182
white label with black print. Style 2 label. Song title on one line: "SIE LIEBT DICH (SHE LOVES YOU)". Two "X's" appear on the label. The words "PROMOTION COPY" appear on the label. For photo, see above.
Value in NM Condition: $250


Sie Liebt Dich/I'll Get You Swan 4182
white label with red print. Style 2 label. Song title on one line: "SIE LIEBT DICH (SHE LOVES YOU)".
Value in NM Condition: $60-$75

Sie Liebt Dich/I'll Get You Swan 4182
white label with black print. Style 3 label. Subtitle on a second line. An 'X' appears on the label. The words "PROMOTION COPY" appear on the label.
Value in NM Condition: $200

Sie Liebt Dich/I'll Get You Swan 4182
white label with red print. Style 3 label. Subtitle on a second line.
Value in NM Condition: $50

"Sie Liebt Dich" singles have DON'T DROP OUT on the label. All genuine "Sie Liebt Dich" singles have "Virtue Studio" in the matrix. The single just made it into the top 100, not bad for a foreign language record.

A few months went by without any activity from Vee Jay. In part 3: the rest of the Vee Jay records and the fallout from the lawsuit.

The Beatles Before Capitol
Articles © 1992, 2002 by Frank Daniels