Tracks
Side 1: She Loves You / I Want To Hold Your Hand
Side 2: Roll Over Beethoven / Can't Buy Me Love
Matrix Information
Side 1: (mono) 7AXPA790
Side 2: (mono) 7AXPA791
June 1979
Side 1: (stereo) 7AXPA790
Side 2: (stereo) 7AXPA791
Overview
The last in the 'requests' trilogy, this EP arguably drew inspiration from the aborted 1964 UK Golden Discs EP (the EP would be released in the UK one year later with the new title Million Sellers).
The front cover features photos taken by Tony Merrick of the group onstage at the Sydney Stadium (from the same performance as the photos taken and used on the Australian Beatles For Sale LP sleeve). The reverse features a photograph of the group at EMI’s Castlereagh Street office with the seven gold discs presented to them on 18 June.
Initial copies had the Parlophone logo printed in blue on the lower left of the front cover. The logo was not reproduced on sleeves printed from 1968 (click sleeve image above to see example).
The EP did not trouble the chart compilers in any state; a sad decline given the success of the first Requests EP.
The EP remained in print until December 1978. In June 1979, EMI (Australia) recut this EP and the other Australian 70000-series Beatles EPs for reissue with revised artwork. For the recuts, EMI (Australia) went back to stereo tapes but mastered in mono, ostensibly to “maintain the feel of the original sound”. The more practical explanation was that EMI had temporarily misplaced PARLO 99, the original mono compilation tape containing the EP tracks. Oddly though, for this EP, 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' plays in stereo. This reissue first appeared in September 1979.
