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The Beatles Yesterday and Today mono 'first state' butcher cover (Capitol, T 2553). The 'holy grail' of Beatles collectibles, this original example features the notorious 'butcher' cover in which John, Paul, George, and Ringo are seen in white smocks, draped with meat and decapitated doll parts; 'first state' signifies that this is an original example that never had the 'trunk cover' pasteover applied. The record is included.
The initial front cover artwork for Yesterday and Today featured a photo of the Beatles wearing butcher smocks, gruesomely covered with decapitated baby dolls and raw meat. Capitol Records prepared 750,000 covers featuring this controversial artwork for the album's release before testing consumer reaction—which was extremely negative. To avert potential disaster, Capitol recalled all copies of the LP from distributors to replace the offending image and destroyed any other macabre promotional material. The recalled copies were 'retrofitted' with a new pictorial flat, pasted over the first, featuring an innocuous image of the boys posed around a steamer trunk; these have frequently been peeled away by collectors to reveal the infamous butcher image below. Original first-state versions, untouched by the recall and pasteover process, are among the most desirable and elusive of all Beatles collectibles—only a small number exist today.
This mono first state of the 'Butcher' album is in VG+ overall condition, but most importantly, it retains an incredible and nearly flawless NM front cover slick. Front white borders have some aging and a couple of minor stains. Top seam is very nice with only some tip wear. The bottom seam and spine have some minor splitting, but very tight overall. The record is also VG+. Accompanied by two letters of authenticity from Beatles expert Perry Cox, as well as a modern copy of the Capitol Records recall notice.
From the Mark Erbach Collection.
