THE SGT PEPPER HMV BOXSET SIGNED BY PRODUCER GEORGE MARTIN

SGT. PEPPER CD BOXSET – The Beatles were not always the first:

For whatever reason, the Beatles were not the first artists to take advantage of the new CD medium that became pretty dominant in the ’80s and early ’90s. For a long time, eager Beatles fans were clamoring for the Beatles catalog to be released on CD until finally their record company and distribution channels relented and as a result, they did exceedingly well in sales. In recent years as streaming has dominated the marketplace, hardcopy or physical media seems to garnish less much less interest with the youth market. Vinyl may be the exception as interest in vinyl records has undergone a renaissance as some audiophiles claim it has the warmest sound.

HMV in the UK issued a series of boxsets to commemorate the Beatles albums on CD and I wanted to highlight a special one today. This is the Sgt Pepper boxset signed and dated by its producer, the late Sir George Martin. Somewhere, boxed away in the collection, I also have the Yellow Submarine HMV box also signed by Mr. Martin. One day when I locate that, I will also post it.

The boxset cover:

George Martin’s signature dated June 1987. Twenty years from the release of the original album:

They reproduced the original cutouts from the LP:

The small 6-page booklet provided inside the box which has information about the album tracks and outtake photos from the cover setup that were provided by the album photographer, Michael Cooper’s son, Adam Cooper!

The cd rests in its depressed container:

THOUGH THE SGT PEPPER CD HOLDS A PROUD PLACE IN MY COLLECTION, THE ACTUAL FIRST BEATLES CD EVER OFFICIALLY ISSUED WAS: ABBEY ROAD

The first legitimate (authorized) Beatles CD was released in Japan in 1983 by Toshiba-EMI under catalog number CP35‑3016 rarebeatles.com. This pressing, often referred to as Abbey Road Volume III in collector circles, was a limited run and quickly made its way to the U.S., where it was briefly available in a few stores, including Tower Records rarebeatles.com.

Key details

• Release date: 1983 (Japan), with a short U.S. run before withdrawal rarebeatles.com.
• Label: Toshiba-EMI (a joint venture with EMI).
• Catalog number: CP35‑3016.
• Format: Standard jewel case with OBI (outer blue paper sleeve) and, in some cases, a gold sticker or bubble pack packaging rarebeatles.com.
• Withdrawal: Legal issues caused EMI to pull the CD from the market rarebeatles.com.
• Reissue: It was re‑released worldwide in 1987 as part of EMI’s first major Beatles CD campaign, which also included the first four U.K. albums (Please Please Me, With the Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, Beatles for Sale) in mono Ultimate Classic Rock+1.

Collector value – subject to market and other economic considerations:

Original pressings with the OBI and sealed in the original packaging are highly sought after. Prices can exceed $100, and those still sealed with the OBI can sell for over $300 rarebeatles.com.

In summary: The 1983 Toshiba-EMI Abbey Road Volume III CD was the first authorized Beatles CD ever issued globally, predating the 1987 EMI reissue by four years

Unfortunately, my personal copy of the first Beatles CD is also boxed away! Shame on me!

When I find my personal copy of the Yellow Submarine HMV boxset signed by George Martin, I will post it for you!

I want to close by saying that for me, an aging Baby Boomer, streaming media will never replace the thrill of having physical media such as vinyl or CDs, and the tactile satisfaction of that being in your actual possession and not on your phone cannot be surpassed for me!

The times, they may be a changing, but NOT ALWAYS FOR THE BEST!

That is my opinion for what it’s worth! Do you agree? What do you think? Let me know

Be happy and be healthy!

Buzz

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