PENNY LANE
Parlophone GEPO 70045
Released 4 July 1968
Original recommended retail price: $1.55
The final Beatles EP released in Australia during the group’s active years, bringing together four songs from earlier singles.
Tracks
Side 1: Penny Lane / Eleanor Rigby
Side 2: Strawberry Fields Forever / Yellow Submarine

Matrix Information
Side 1: (mono) 7XAPA1395
Side 2: (mono) 7XAPA1396

June 1979
Side 1: (mono) 7XAPA1395
Side 2: (mono) 7XAPA1396

Overview
While released over a period of some eight months, the Help!, Norwegian Wood and Penny Lane EPs actually all originated on the same day, 22 September 1967. All three EPs were passed for press on 26 September, and all three were mastered from tape on 4 October. This practice of effectively 'loading up' future releases was not uncommon at EMI (Australia); indeed, the two Greatest Hits volumes were created in much the same fashion.

For this release, EMI (Australia) used the same Robert Whitaker photo that had previously been used on the UK Million Sellers EP. The selected tracks had previously been released as singles, 'Yellow Submarine'/'Eleanor Rigby' in August 1966 and 'Strawberry Fields Forever'/'Penny Lane' in March 1967.

EMI (Australia) initially ordered 6,000 sets of labels. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the EP did not trouble the chart compilers in any state.

Australian mothers were also sent to EMI (South East Asia), where the EP was released with unique Singaporean-created sleeve art.

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 this EP, EMI (Australia) had found the original mono EP tape, meaning this is one of the few reissued EPs that play in true mono, rather than stereo, or folddown. This reissue first appeared in September 1979.
Yellow/Black Style 'A'
AUEP70045YBA.a
Yellow/Black Style 'B'
AUEP70045YBB.a
AUEP70045YBB.b

Side 1 italicised matrix number and tracklist
Side 2 different font for tracklist
AUEP70045YBB.c

Tracklist fonts same across both labels
Side 2 label layout identical to AUEP70045YBB.b
AUEP70045YBB.d

As per AUEP70045YBB.c except different layout of tracks 2.1 and 2.2
AUEP70045YBB.e

As per AUEP70045YBB.c/d except different layout of track 2.1
AUEP70045YBB.f

Different font of non-templated text elements
AUEP70045YBB.g

Different font of non-templated text elements
Different layout of tracklists
Music publ. is 'ATV Northern Songs'

While it's possible that this variation came after AUEP70045YBB.f, its pressing certainly came before, as evidenced by the presence of anti-skid ribbing and non-scalloped labels
Silver/Black Style 'B'
AUEP70045SBB.a

Label layout identical to AUEP70045YBB.g