"Revolver" showed how much the Beatles had broken away from their roots of Love Me Do and Please Please Me. Gone are the simple little love ditties that they shook their moptops to and replacing them are delicate, intricate little musical masterpieces. It showed that music wasn't just there to be danced to, it was there to be listened to.

By 1966 the Beatles were all experimenting in drugs with John's work being most heavily influenced by the frequent LSD trips he was taking. She Said She Said was inspired by Peter Fonda telling John about how he almost died during an operation whilst they were tripping together; Peter kept telling John, "I know what it's like to be dead." Then there's Tomorrow Never Knows, a song inspired by the Tibetan Book of the Dead and uses just two chords. Tomorrow Never Knows is a heavy psychedelic song - one of the first ever to appear on vinyl. Paul tackled depression, isolation and loneliness in music with Eleanor Rigby and even George, who had been quiet on the song-writing front, has three compositions offered - something unique to a Beatles disc. Love You To showed George's heavy Indian influence, something that was also to show in The Inner Light and Within You Without You. To complete the overall package, the album contains a beauifully simply love song by Paul called Here, There and Everywhere and a fun little children's ditty sung by Ringo called Yellow Submarine.

If you have a label or font variation - no matter how small - that we haven't documented here, please contact us!

Credits:
Label 1C courtesy of Yuri Zgirsky

Stereo 1st Label, Variation A

This is how the labels first appeared on the shelves. Using the sans serif Arial typeset, the 1st labels had each song title starting on a new line meaning that "Taxman" on side 1 was exclusively on the top line with "Eleanor Rigby" starting below it. These early copies came out with the "Dr. Robert" error (instead of the correct "Doctor Robert") on side 2 and are quite difficult to find. Also something to note on these original labels is that the tracklist credit was 'Song Title, Composer, Lead Vocalist'.

Side 1 ..... Side 2

Stereo 1st Label, Variation B

As above, but the "Dr. Robert" error has been corrected to "Doctor Robert". This probably occurred within a short time after the LP was first released.

Side 1 ..... Side 2

Stereo 1st Label, Variation C

The type was set with the top line of side 1 shared by both Taxman and Eleanor Rigby instead of just purely Taxman as on earlier label variants. Also of note, the tracklist credits arrangement has now changed to 'Song, Lead Vocalist, Composer.' The correct "Doctor Robert" credit appears on the tracklist. The side 2 tracklisting has altered in layout quite substantially also.

Side 1 ..... Side 2

Stereo 2nd Label

In 1969 the tax laws that required EMI to include the 'Sold in UK' statement were repealed and so were duly removed from the labels. For a short while, just before the mono catalogue was closed and the label design changed, copies were availabe on the yellow / black label and without the 'Sold in UK' text. They otherwise exhibit the same label layout as 1C.

Side 1 ..... Side 2

Stereo 3rd Label

Here is the appearance of the 'black and silver' label design. This particular variation arrived in late 1969 and stayed until late 1970. The distinguishing mark that clearly dates it as an early black and silver is only one EMI boxed logo at the bottom of each side of the label. Also the rimtext now runs around the top edge of the label instead of around the bottom.

Side 1 ..... Side 2

Stereo 4th Label

In late 1970 a second EMI logo was added to the label at the top. This is known as the 'Two Box EMI' type label. To begin with the rimtext continued to start with 'The Gramophone Co. Ltd...'. Interestingly it was at this time that the composer credit 'Lennon / McCartney' for Tomorrow Never Knows on side 2 was removed from the label, leaving just the Lead Vocalist listed. This may have been done because the lyrics borrowed so heavily from works such as "The Psychedelic Experience" (by Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert, and Ralph Metzner) and The Tibetan Book of the Dead that, legally, it was better leaving it uncredited... Who knows, but it has remained as such since then.

Side 1 ..... Side 2

Stereo 5th Label

In late 1973 the label was slightly altered so that the rimtext now started with 'EMI Records...'. Also the 'Made In Gt Britain' credit at the bottom of the labels has now been incorporated into the end of the rimtext.

Side 1 ..... Side 2

Stereo 6th Label

In 1979 the rimtext was again slightly altered so that it now started with 'All rights of the producer...'. Importantly, around the 11 'o' clock position in the rimtext the wording is: Unauthorised public performance broadcasting copying and hiring...

Side 1 ..... Side 2

Stereo 7th Label

By 1982 the rimtext was slightly altered once more to read: 'Unauthorised copying, hiring, renting, public performance and broadcasting...' This is a minor difference that helps to distinguish between 1979-1982 and 80s copies.

Side 1 ..... Side 2

Stereo 8th Label

In the late 80s the label changed again more obviously. Gone are the white Parlophone and EMI logos to be replaced with a fully silver-print label.

Side 1 ..... Side 2 Stereo 9th Label Despite looking identical to label 8, this type is the newest and is, at time of writing, the current label design for reissued Parlophone Beatles LPs from 2003 onwards. The only difference is a dish effect underneath the labels impressed into the vinyl itself. This indicates it was pressed in the Netherlands (despite the 'Made In England' text) at the 'Record Industries' plant in Haarlem, Holland.     Side 1 ..... Side 2

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