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| How To Spot Fake Beatles Discs (Page 1 of 5) | | Dave Haber on 7/1/06 10:53 PM |
These comments pertain to this FAQ:How To Spot Fake Beatles Discs
| | [Posted by Dave Haber on 7/1/06 10:53 PM] This reminds me of my favorite fake in my Beatles LP collection. If Introducing The Beatles is, as Bruce said, the most counterfeited Beatles album, and the Christmas Album the second, then possibly Let It Be is third. I purchased a copy of Let It Be in a great record swap meet that used to be held many years ago in the parking lot across the street from, ironically, the Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood. Besides coming with a very poorly manufactured gate-fold cover who's two outside-edges don't match when folded together, side one of the LP has a wonderful label which was obviously reproduced from a photo of the original label, and the fake was printed OFF CENTER, so you can see the where the center hole was on the original. By the way, I also own one of those fakes of the Christmas Album with the very large center indentation that Bruce described, purchased at the same swap meet. It was a great weekend for finding fun fakes.
| | [Posted by Brian Kelly on 7/2/06 1:07 PM] I have owned fake copies of Let It Be and The Christmas Album and another good way to tell them apart is by looking at the label itself. You can actually see the right size center ring in all the photocopied labels. I always look for this tell tale sign when I come across these 2 lp's. By the way is that hum that appears during Tiny Tims part of the 1968 message appear on all copies of The Christmas Album and/or single or just the fakes?
| | [Posted by Dave Haber on 7/2/06 1:31 PM] Excellent point about the center ring in the photo of the label, Brian! I only have one of the fake LPs and also a bootleg CD of the album and there's no telling what the CD was made from, and both of those have the hum, I always assumed it was on the original tape. But if someone has an authentic copy of the Christmas LP, or better yet, a copy of the 1968 Christmas flexi, and could verify that for us, that would be cool. By the way, all copies I've ever heard of the Christmas LP (and admittedly they're probably all fakes) sound like they were made by copying from the flexis, as opposed to the original tapes, as when each track starts, record pops and clicks greatly increase. Are only the fakes like this, or does the legit LP also sound like this? In the meantime, I'd love to reply personally to everyone but I just haven't enough pens...
| | [Posted by Brian Kelly on 7/3/06 7:54 AM] Alas all copies of The Christmas Album that I have ever heard were fakes too and they all sounded that way to me too. There used to be a used record store here and the guy that owned the store actually got 4 of the flexi's over the years he was open and I never once thought to ask him (before he sold them) to play them while I was in the store. So I have no idea about the hum or how scratchy they sounded.
| | [Posted by John Peluso on 7/3/06 8:33 AM] I can understand why there was a need to counterfeit "Introducing The Beatles" and "The Beatles' Christmas" album, etc. The records were out of print...yet a demand existed. I know that the "Let It Be" LP went out of print sometime in the mid-70's, creating a demand for counterfeit copies. Why was this allowed to happen to an album as important as "Let It Be"? Surely catalog sales were still strong. Did it have something to do with problems with United Artists (who owned the rights to the film)? Did Let It Be 8-Tracks and cassettes also go out of print in the mid-70's? Just curious.
| | [Posted by Brian Kelly on 7/3/06 8:44 AM] Ok no one yell at me if I'm wrong but I had heard that the original pressing of Let It Be were pressed by United Artists and not Capitol/Apple. That was why the apple was red instead of green and why the label and cover looked kind of blurry/washed out. I know a bootleg I once had of it the label and cover were actually BETTER looking then the original. Correct me if I'm wrong I know you will....lol!
| | [Posted by Dave Haber on 7/3/06 9:02 AM] OK, it's confusing. Someone will correct me if I don't get this exactly right, but: United Artists did have the rights to release the music from Let It Be. That means they legally had the rights, and they got the money. However, the LPs were distributed by Apple, had red Apple labels, and in America, the LPs were actually manufactured by Capitol. As to the real reason for the red label, some say it was in deference to UA, some say it was to denote "soundtrack", some say it was to denote the last Beatles LP on Apple. But, I believe no one knows for sure.
| | [Posted by Brian Kelly on 7/3/06 9:09 AM] I think it's really a Paul is dead clue..... Yet another rock 'n' roll mystery
| | [Posted by John Peluso on 7/3/06 1:16 PM] There are also counterfeit 45's out there too. I have a white label Swan "She Loves You" with red print. There are quotation marks around the title. This is listed in many price guides as a late 60's issue. However, it's actually a fake as Swan was dissolved by the late 60's. The quotation marks are the givaway. Then there are all those counterfeit Butcher Covers they're CURRENTLY manufacturing overseas for $50 (with no record)...
At least they're being listed as reproductions. Another case of supply and demand I guess. But I wonder about unscrupulous dealers buying these things and selling them to unsuspecting buyers on the secondary market.
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