Tracklisting & More Information
These Demos were issued in late 1962 as the single was released on January 11th 1963. They were issued in a 'Top Pop Rush Release' sleeve.
Given that this was the single that kickstarted the Fabs on their incredible journey, it isn't surprising that this has certainly seen some action.
The A Side is marked with an 'X' in a circle [as if the A Label wasn't clue enough] and has the number twelve on both sides, presumable for a 12th January proposed release date, although there is also a three, so it may also be that it arrived on 3rd December. Who knows ?
Like the red label first issue singles themselves, these are normally found pretty much destroyed as they ended up being played to death and partied endlessly for the next few years. The longer they were in the wild, the more 'partied' they got.
This copy is no exception.
The playing surface itself is littered with small scuffs on both sides, varying in visibility from the spider hairline to the more obvious scuff, along with some axial wear on some grooves indicating play on something a little less HiFi than we are now used to. The bedroom 'Dansette' comes to mind.
Having said that though, although it has obviously been rested on a surface with no sleeve frequently and been played with a very heavy stylus with probably the same frequency, it is amazingly free of anything you'd call a 'scratch' and does in fact play from beginning to end without jumping. Needless to say, surface noise is considerable, so don't expect to want to play this.
So, why 'Wrecked But Rare' ?
In over thirty years of trading and buying all over the world, this is the only one of these that we have ever seen. We have bought hundreds of thousands, if not millions of singles & demo records in that time, but this is the first and only copy we have come across.
We frequently get black & gold label copies of the album in both Mono & Stereo in a variety of conditions pass before our eyes, but one of these ? Nope.
Elvis Rock & Roll LP on HMV - Yes. This ? - No.
The few of these that survive in better condition than this were snapped up into private collections over fifty years ago and only very rarely hit the market and consequently command huge sums of cash. Currently you'd be looking at not getting a lot of change, if any, from £1,000 [$1,300] for one anything close to unmarked and 'Mint' ones don't exist.
Consequently, it may be wrecked, but it is certainly rare and may just be the missing disc in your Beatles collection that you too, like us, have been searching for for decades.
It's not cheap for a G/G- condition 7" from 1963 but it's incredibly cheap for what it is and it might be another thirty plus years before we see another.
If you want a collection filler at an unbelievably advantageous price, then this might just be the answer to your problem.
7" RECORD
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