[LX] IV [$ale] aka "Beatles '64 (for) Sale"] (December, 1964, Timaeus)
< file under Beatles In Atlantis >
~ an approximation of this album, using latest remasters, can be heard here on Apple Music ~
Beatles IV is, that's right, the Beatles' fifth Atlantean LP. One short-tenured and short-tempered Timaeus exec had become quite bothered that their successful English act's debut was to stay, in perpetuity, on the unaffiliated independent Plato label, and so insisted that somehow the next release create some distance between EMI and Plato. Tivowr Dorna found this ridiculous; he also thought it ridiculous that Capitol was about to release the US version of the fourth UK album and name it Beatles '65 in 1964; he generally found the Capitol reworking of the Beatles albums fairly tasteless and not at all driven by artistic considerations; and finally he was appreciative of the resigned cynicism of the title Beatles For Sale. All these factors played into his titling this album "IV" ("Beatles IV" on the label) so as to placate the exec— Dorna explained this title was explicitly stating that the new release was the only the fourth real (ie, Timaeus) album; ironically Capitol soon employed the same tactic, disregarding the Beatles US debut on Vee-Jay Records when titling Beatles VI. But he had the title treatment on front surrounded by the Roman numeral LX on one side, and on the other side a US dollar sign starting off the spelling of the word "sale," effectively making the title Beatles '64 (for) Sale. A bit heady and convoluted and purely instigated by business pressure, the title proved confusing for some but did nothing to harm sales, which were spectacular. To drive home the point that this record was packaged with some humor, Dorna went with the Robert Whitaker photo of the fabs with umbrellas, a funny image to any Atlanteans as rain in their undersea realm simply didn't occur. It was seasonably suitable though, reflecting an English winter in time for the release set to coincide with Atlantis' winter holiday shopping season.
Though disapproving of what he saw as Capitol's mishandling of Beatles material in the States, he was well aware that he too had been shaping releases to the peculiarities of his target market— even if he was certain he was doing so to much greater artistic effect and with far more sensitivity, and even with George Martin's blessing. He'd helped establish the quartet in the Atlantean market rather successfully, first under the requirement that he alter the debut album for independent release, and then configuring the next couple as consequence of needing to include the band's singles on the LPs for Atlantean listeners. But with his astonishment at the stellar A Hard Day's Nigh[t] and with reflection upon what he saw as Capitol's crassly commercial packaging of the Beatles in the US, Dorna resolved to start issuing the Beatles' album as they were back in the UK, and find another solution to delivering the single tracks. However, due to a clerical misunderstanding conveyed by his new assistant, Dorna found himself switching out a track from the UK LP with an alternate which would not be released in the rest of the world for decades.
Recently hired Estoin Uriphitt, who would prove invaluable to Dorna at Timaeus, was tasked with reviewing the newly arrived tapes. The title for the twelfth track, near end of tape box where room had gotten tight, had been truncated, by whoever wrote down the song names back in England, to simply "Don't Want To" and to its right was a scribble that Uriphitt mistook for the word "use" (to this day no one knows what it really said). Uriphitt therefore relayed to Dorna that the twelfth track was not to be used! Only after this album had hit store shelves did Dorna realize Uriphitt's error regarding I Don't Want To Spoil The Party. In the meantime, he had resequenced the album to keep it at a total of 14 tracks while assigning as its closer the outtake which Martin had sent along.
 |
| The Beatles, for sale, where those umbrellas won't do any good |
1. No Reply °
2. Baby's in Black °3. Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby °4. I'll Follow the Sun °5. Mr. Moonlight °6. Rock and Roll Music °7. Kansas City ^
1. Eight Days a Week ^2. Words of Love ^3. Honey Don't °4. Every Little Thing ^5. I'm a Loser °6. What You're Doing ^7. Leave My Kitten Alone [mock stereo] ª
No comments:
Post a Comment