A Hard Day's Night
(US Format)

K7.11921.3A.1 is the earliest documented incarnation on the cassette format to date. This title was possibly first issued earlier around 1978 when Capitol acquired the rights from UA, but no earlier copy has surfaced to date. Prior UA issues on cassette seem to have been imported from the USA only. This Canadian variation features the "black J-card" with three white bars. This J-card holds a black shell tape with silver print.

Availability

K7.11921.3A.1 was available between 1980 and 1982. To date, no copies have been documented on the SDR format so this variation could hypothetically have remained available until 1985 when the J-card design changed (see the formats page for details).

General Information

The United Artists title does not seem to have been issued in Canada before Capitol gained the rights to the UA catalogue. Cassettes were probably imported before that. An earlier pressing of this Canadian tape could have been made as early as 1978 (e.g., possibly with a yellow paper label), but no copy has surfaced to date. This black shell tape is the earliest example to have been documented.

Pressing Information

This "pressing" was released around 1980 and was available until approximately 1982 (when the SDR format was introduced). No SDR variation of this title has ever been documented, so it is possible that the regular black J-card format was used until 1985.

Different types of shells (black and cream) were used simultaneously and seemingly, also interchangeably, but the black J-card has remained identical.

Cover

The cover (or J-card) was under the old black spine with three bars format. The layout and design were generic to all Capitol releases. Black spine tapes were originally introduced quite early and overlapped with blue spine issues. (It is not known what made a release blue or black spine). Early releases had paper labels (white and/or yellow) on a white plastic shell. White paper labels were used until the mid 1970s, when yellow paper labels were used instead, around 1978, but no copy of A Hard Day's Night was ever confirmed on these earlier incarnations. This variation dates from 1980, but the cover remained unchanged until 1985.

Packaging

Tapes were sold in a black back jewel case , and most likely sealed in either a regular heat-tightened shrink wrap.