ROCK LEGENDS - THE BEATLES
Polydor 2475 662 / Rainbow RLP499095
Polydor 2475 662 / Rainbow RLP499095
| RELEASE DATE | SIDE 1 MATRIX | SIDE 2 MATRIX | PARTS |
| 17 Oct 1980 | 2475 662A | 2475 662B | AU |
| 1985 | RLP 499095 A | RLP 499095 B. | AU |
MATRIX INFORMATION
Machine Stamped - Hand Written
Machine Stamped - Hand Written
| ORIGIN | CODE | CIRCULATED | SLEEVE DETAILS |
| AUST | A1 | Oct 1980 | Front laminated; PolyGram Records Pty Ltd |
| AUST | A2 | 1985 | Front AND back laminated; Rainbow Record Products |
SLEEVE INFORMATION
POLYDOR AUS
AU2475662S1A
17 Oct 1980
AU2475662S1A
17 Oct 1980
GENERAL ALBUM INFORMATION
German label Polydor owns the rights to the 'Tony Sheridan' tapes, recorded in Hamburg in June 1961 and which featured an early incarnation of The Beatles on a number of tracks, mainly providing backing for Tony Sheridan but also having a couple of tracks to themselves. Billed as The Beat Brothers on the original release, the tapes became a modest goldmine for Polydor following the explosion of The Beatles onto the world popular music scene.
"Rock Legends" was the name given to an ambitious series of (initially) 45 budget-priced albums launched by PolyGram Australia in August 1980. Packaged in a uniform sleeve design, the series filled a void in the rock history market and was an instant success. Priced at $5.99, as opposed to CBS $6.99 "Nice Price" and the WEA $6.99 LP series, "Rock Legends" sold more than 150,000 units within the first ten months alone, with at least 20% of sales being export.
Listed as title number 17 in the series, Rock Legends - The Beatles was merely another repackaging of the same 12 tracks that had been reissued ad nauseum since their initial German release in 1964 under the title The Beatles First!. Australia had seen the album twice before, under the title The Beatles In Hamburg, first issued in March 1970 through Karussell (635056) and then November 1970 through Summit (SRA 250-550). We had also heard the tracks through officially imported releases, most recently The Beatles First (French Impact 6886 556) in February 1980.
After the death of John Lennon in December 1980, heightened demand in all things Beatles was such that PolyGram, like EMI, turned to New Zealand to supplement its supply. Thus copies sold in Australia could contain either local or NZ-pressed vinyl.
Copies could also be purchased through the World Record Club in 1982, where the album was catalogued as R 91447 (usual red sticker affixed rear top right - see image below). Other "Rock Legends" titles were also made available through the World Record Club at this time.
In 1985 the album would be reissued again, this time by Australian budget-label Rainbow, but using the same title and artwork. See mouseover images below for the slight artwork changes. While using Australian-made sleeves, most Rainbow copies appear to house vinyl manufactured in New Zealand, which was increasingly common during the 1980s until PolyGram NZ ceased pressing in mid-1986.
PolyGram would continue to repackage the tracks under different titles, including:
- The Beatles, cassette POL 26, 1982
- The Early Tapes Of The Beatles, CD 823 701-2, August 1987
- Startrax, cassette 3236 662, August 1988
- Meet The Beat, LP 819 826-1, January 1989
- The Beatles With Tony Sheridan And The Beat Brothers, CD PKD 3038, November 1990
- The Early Tapes Of The Beatles, CD 8237012, January 1992
- The Early Tapes Of The Beatles, CD 550037-2, 1990s
"Rock Legends" was the name given to an ambitious series of (initially) 45 budget-priced albums launched by PolyGram Australia in August 1980. Packaged in a uniform sleeve design, the series filled a void in the rock history market and was an instant success. Priced at $5.99, as opposed to CBS $6.99 "Nice Price" and the WEA $6.99 LP series, "Rock Legends" sold more than 150,000 units within the first ten months alone, with at least 20% of sales being export.
Listed as title number 17 in the series, Rock Legends - The Beatles was merely another repackaging of the same 12 tracks that had been reissued ad nauseum since their initial German release in 1964 under the title The Beatles First!. Australia had seen the album twice before, under the title The Beatles In Hamburg, first issued in March 1970 through Karussell (635056) and then November 1970 through Summit (SRA 250-550). We had also heard the tracks through officially imported releases, most recently The Beatles First (French Impact 6886 556) in February 1980.
After the death of John Lennon in December 1980, heightened demand in all things Beatles was such that PolyGram, like EMI, turned to New Zealand to supplement its supply. Thus copies sold in Australia could contain either local or NZ-pressed vinyl.
Copies could also be purchased through the World Record Club in 1982, where the album was catalogued as R 91447 (usual red sticker affixed rear top right - see image below). Other "Rock Legends" titles were also made available through the World Record Club at this time.
In 1985 the album would be reissued again, this time by Australian budget-label Rainbow, but using the same title and artwork. See mouseover images below for the slight artwork changes. While using Australian-made sleeves, most Rainbow copies appear to house vinyl manufactured in New Zealand, which was increasingly common during the 1980s until PolyGram NZ ceased pressing in mid-1986.
PolyGram would continue to repackage the tracks under different titles, including:
- The Beatles, cassette POL 26, 1982
- The Early Tapes Of The Beatles, CD 823 701-2, August 1987
- Startrax, cassette 3236 662, August 1988
- Meet The Beat, LP 819 826-1, January 1989
- The Beatles With Tony Sheridan And The Beat Brothers, CD PKD 3038, November 1990
- The Early Tapes Of The Beatles, CD 8237012, January 1992
- The Early Tapes Of The Beatles, CD 550037-2, 1990s
PAGE LAST UPDATED: 23 OCTOBER 2022
RAINBOW
AU499095S1
1985
AU499095S1
1985
POLYDOR NZ
AU2475662S1B
17 Oct 1980
AU2475662S1B
17 Oct 1980
