The Beatles. A Hard Day’s Night. UK mono LP, Parlophone Records (1964).
A music documentary about the third UK LP from British rock band The Beatles, entitled ‘A Hard Day’s Night’, featuring John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. The album was produced by George Martin (who also played piano on the record) at Abbey Road studios in London, between January and June 1964. It was the soundtrack to the first feature film starring the band, an Oscar-nominated comedy musical which was released on 6th July 1964. The album was issued by the EMI Parlophone label and contains original songs written by Lennon and McCartney, such as I Should Have Known Better, If I Fell, And I Love Her and Things We Said Today. It also included two songs released as singles, the title track and Can’t Buy Me Love, both of which were were transatlantic number ones, and features George Harrison’s 12-string electric Rickenbacker, a prototype given to him by the manufacturer, which made its debut on the record. This ringing guitar became a characteristic sound of the group, greatly influencing bands like The Byrds, and was a catalyst for the folk-rock explosion of 1965. I will describe the early British mono pressings on the yellow and black label design, and cover the label and sleeve variants. As usual, I will provide the price guide value at the end. I hope you enjoy the video!