This section features company samplers, bargain compilations and albums that were not released by a major record label. These mostly cover material for which legal rights were still unclear at the time. These mostly cover the same material, not taken from the Beatles' core catalogue; early shows, the Decca audition, Star Club performances, Tony Sheridan material, Pete Best material or even interviews. Mostly released in the 1970s and 1980s, these Canadian releases remain "officially released" in Canada, but flirt to various degrees with the likes of bootlegs or unofficial cash-grab releases. They are presented here because they constitute and interesting "side quest" for collectors of the completists kind.
These releases were never produced in Canada on the LP format, they were almost always readily imported by local shops and record chains, mostly from the UK, and some from the USA. They were, though, often pressed in Canada on other formats (cassette or CD).
In recent years though (2017 to present), a number of "foreign" pressings have a "Made in Canada" sticker or print on the shrink wrap. It seems that Universal Music subcontracted local manufacturers when needed, and sent plates and/or artwork to Canada and other countries, but they are not "Canadian pressings" as they were only manufactured in Canada, and not necessarily marketed and distributed in Canada. These new "Canadian pressings" seem, more often than not, to be below the standards of the original local pressings from the 60s; these subcontracted runs are often made with newer small operations that do not necessarily have the experience of the old corporate plants from the 60s and 70s.