Beatles Yesterday and Today 1st State Butcher Cover Stereo LP (Capitol 2553, 1966)....

Description

Beatles Yesterday and Today 1st State Butcher Cover Stereo LP (Capitol 2553, 1966). Unbelievably pristine copy of what's arguably the most famous -- or infamous -- single item of Beatles memorabilia. This original cover for the Yesterday and Today album caused such a stir before hitting retail markets that virtually all copies were pulled before the public could get buy one at retail outlets.

The album was released in the US in 1966, in-between Rubber Soul and Revolver. There was even a name for the photo -- "Somnambulant Adventure," the little-used adjective referring to sleep-walking, which, of course, is completely incongruous to the image, unless you were a Beatle! So, what big brain initially decided to issue the album with this cover in the first place?
In fact, the Beatles didn't even know the photo was being used as an album cover, and it wasn't anywhere other than the US. An excellent site for details about the rise and fall of the Butcher Cover can be found online at "All about the Beatles Butcher cover".
The cover in "1st State" (not censored by a paste-over, which is how many copies were dealt with) is rare enough, especially in the Stereo version, but it's practically unheard of to find a specimen like this -- 1966 fresh! Beatles memorabilia continues to be in great demand, driven by the respect and recognition of every generation since the '60s. And the Butcher Cover may be the most sought-after Fab Four artifact of all. Condition: MT 9 (cover)/GM-MT 10 (record).

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