She Loves You /
I'll Get You

This second pressing of She Loves You (45.72125.1.2) has a dash and number, and -2 was produced in the initial run (possibly because of a defective no dash pressing plate). These "dash and number" copies are far more common, since the single became the band's first big seller in Canada, and the single was repressed many times in 1964-1965.

Availability

Copies with a dash and number were available alongside "no dash" copies, upon the release date of 16 September 1963, and has been repressed in large numbers in the following years to meet rising demand for this "great new band". Copies up to -4 have been documented, but higher numbers are possible. This variation could technically have been pressed until mid 1966.

General Information

This 45 was the first to chart in Canada. Although it had little to no impact upon release in September, it did start to get extended airplay later that year, reaching #5 in December. Reportedly, 20 000 copies finally sold by the end of 1963 (source: capitol6000.com - see the link below the technical column on the right side of this page). In all likelihood, most of these 20 000 copies were -2 copies (or higher), "no dash" copies having been replaced upon release (see 45.72125.1.1). This variation was the one that "broke in" the Beatles in Canada once and for all, even before the USA was finally hit with what was already called Beatlemania in the UK and Canada.

Above: a "-2" copy sent to a radio station in Québec City before the official release date.

Pressing Information

This 45 was initially dubbed from the UK single, like its predecessors. From the initial no dash pressing, the stamper was quickly replaced with a -2 number to produce the initial batch of copies needed for the release. Radio stations received both "no dash" and -2 copies upon release. Copies up -4 have been documented, and considering the reported sales numbers, higher matrix numbers are also possible.

Documented matrix numbers have been documented up to:

Side A: 7XCE 17395-4
Side B: 7XCE 17396-2

Packaging

Commercial stock copies of these later repressings were found in a new FLAT black Capitol sleeve as early as December 1963.

Sales

She Loves You did not chart upon release, but it reportedly sold well when it started receiving airplay in December of 1963 (20 000 copies reportedly sold in 1963) (source: P. Hemmingsen, The Beatles’ Canadian Discography part. 3). Of these 20 000 copies, most (if not all) were -2 copies or higher. This record marks the Beatles gaining popularity in Canada well before they had any effect in the USA.

This 45 was not exported to the USA, so there were no "extra" big batches of copies produced like it was the case for Love Me Do.

She Loves You went on to sell approximately 150 000 more copies in the following year (all dash-number copies) (source: P. Hemmingsen, The Beatles’ Canadian Discography part. 3), but again, the matrix numbers do not align with these numbers, when looking only at matrix sequences.

A word on sales numbers and manufacturing quantities

It seems that in many cases, the logical matrix number sequences found or records do not align with reported sales (i.e., reported sales are not always consequent with numbers of manufactured copies, according to matrix information). It is believed that in the 1960s, up to 10 000 copies could be pressed from a single stamper before being worn out and replaced (and some numbers are even more conservative, at around 2000 copies).

Technically, every time a part was replaced, a dash and number were added to the matrix, indicating it was a new generation of parts. In the sense, a record would have an added "dash and number" at every 10 000 copies (if the part was good for that long). So again, following this logic, a -2 would be a record in the 10K-20K copies range, and so on. Similarly, a record sold at 100 000 copies would see masters up to approximately -10.

Reality is always a little different, and below are possible explanations why matrix numbers could be different from expected numbers, and therefore misalign with matrix numbers:

• 1. Records of sales / memory and recollections can be incomplete or skewed
• 2. Stampers broke or wore out earlier than expected
• 3. Older stampers were re-used later

Below is a representation of the different steps required to press a record. Terminology changes from one plant to another, but the gist of it remains valid:
Lacquer > Metal Master(s) (or Father) > Metal Mother(s) > Stamper(s).

The million-dollar question is "which part of the process saw an updated matrix (-2)?": The stamper? (Every 10 000 copies), the Mother (every 100 000 copies if a mother produces 10 stampers), or the lacquer producing multiple mothers? (i.e., even more identical copies).

This would imply two other possible explanations:

• 4. Matrix numbers only changed on lacquers (and therefore on the Father producing multiple mothers)
• 5. A single mother produces many IDENTICAL stampers (without no added -2 number)

These last two seem to be the most plausible explanation, especially when looking at singles with official sales figures that have kept very low matrix numbers (like All My Loving, 45.72144.1.1, for example) - this would account for higher reported numbers without having the high matrix numbers that would reflect the reported quantity of discs pressed. In any case, the sales numbers presented here do not always align with the records matrix numbers as we understand them and the various factors above need to be considered when exploring the different ranges of sales / pressed copies.