Something New

LP.2108.2.3 is the first stereo pressing of Something New, appearing in mid 1968 for the first time in Canada. As the mono format was being phased out, Capitol of Canada had no choice but to offer a "new" stereo version for the first time in order to keep the album in the current catalogue. The label is the stereo version of the "rainbow brackets" design (catalogue number with a new prefix ST-2108), and this first stereo variation is recognized by the arrow-shaped STEREO banner on the front cover. Notably, the cover carries no "Also Available in Monophonic" notice since they were (exceptionally) never sold simultaneously.

Availability

This variation with the arrow banner was available between mid 1968, and 1969 (for approximately one year) when it was replaced by the BLOCK stereo version (see LP.2108.2.4).

General Information

Something New waited almost four years before seeing a Canadian stereo edition. Capitol of Canada saw no market for stereo Beatles LPs in 1964 and did not press any of its Beatles albums in stereo until Beatles ’65 at the very end of that year. Most of the catalogue then caught up, but Something New and The Beatles’ Story were the odd ones out, with no stereo version until early-mid 1968 (source: P. Hemmingsen, The Beatles’ Canadian Discography part. 2). The three unique 6000 series albums (Beatlemania, Twist and Shout and Long Tall Sally) waited even longer, until 1975 before seeing a first stereo version, well after mono was officially phased out!

Many albums in the 1960s were sold in both formats at once. These covers carried an "Also Available in Monophonic" notice to indicate the availability of the other pressing. LP.2108.2.3, on the other hand, does NOT carry the notice, indicating that the stereo edition only appeared once mono had been phased out. It is likely that the switch to stereo was to keep the album in the catalogue after mono, as a format, had ceased to be produced.

The stereo masters were derived from the British YEX-126 and YEX-127 masters (the two sides of the stereo A Hard Day’s Night LP), received via Capitol USA. The Long Tall Sally EP tracks and Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand, on the other hand, were not in true stereo.

Pressing Information

As with all previous variations, Capitol of Canada subcontracted the RCA pressing plant in Smiths Falls (Ontario). A new set of stereo plates was required: the deadwax shows hand-written matrix numbers, indicating the stereo lacquers were cut in Canada by RCA Toronto, from masters supplied via Capitol USA.

LP.2108.2.3 has markings as follows:

Side 1: ST-1-2108
Side 2: ST-2-2108

These pressings feature the same 70 mm deep-groove RCA pressing ring as previous pressings. Labels now feature the "brackets" rainbow label (see perimeter print at the bottom of the label: "Manufactured in Canada by Capitol Records (Canada) Ltd." with brackets around the word CANADA).

Cover

The jacket for LP.2108.2.3 features an identical build to its predecessor: the inner seams (the inside fold of the cardboard jacket) are still cut straight and measure 5 mm.

Covers up to the mid 70s used a “front slick” construction (a larger back slick, usually printed in black and white that wrapped around the front of the cardboard cover, onto which a smaller colour front slick was glued, creating a white frame effect all around the front image).

Both slicks were printed by Parr's Print and Litho in Toronto and assembled onto the cardboard frame by Modern Albums.

The back cover keeps the Canadian-market list of albums introduced with the first pressing: Beatlemania! and Twist and Shout instead of Meet The Beatles and The Beatles' Second Album, with Long Tall Sally added ahead of The Hollyridge Strings' Beatles Song Book. A Canadian back cover lists four Capitol albums, one more than the American.

The front cover now carries a newly prepared front slick made by Parr's, with the arrow-shaped STEREO banner. The albums on the back remain in the corrected chronological order.

Packaging

Copies of LP.2108.2.3 were packaged with a tight shrink wrap.

These were sold with / without a red and white Capitol / Pathé "ATTENTION" paper LP inner sleeve.

Sales

We have no sales figures for the stereo era: the available records stop in 1967, when sales had declined to 1,943 copies for the year (source: P. Hemmingsen, The Beatles’ Canadian Discography part. 3). The arrival of stereo might have caused a small spike of renewed interest, but these were demand-driven pressings of an aging catalogue title.