The Beatles have definitely set their share of records over the decades, but I swear one of them must be the number of errors you find on their albums and singles. It’s as if the labels were in such a rush to release this stuff that they forgot to have one last look at the final packaging before sending a cherished Beatles product out to the world.
From their very first single, “Love Me Do,” which had the songwriter co-credit listed as “McArtney,” to this latest gaffe, misspelling “REVOLVER” as “REVOLER” on some LP bundles of the 2022 reissue, there’s been a long history of Beatles 45s, album, CDs and cassettes having mistakes on them. Some are relatively common, amazingly, and don’t necessarily fetch a whole lot of dough. Others, however, can net huge cash. If you have any Beatles vinyl in your collection, take a look at the mistakes below and see if you’re in possession of one of these gems. You might have a Beatles album mistake that could net you a bit of cash! An extremely rare copy of The “Love Me Do” with the misspelled “McArtney” sold in 2017 for almost $15,000!
Most of these pieces shown below are taken from the collection of my friend and fellow collector, Charlie Leonard, and several are from my collection. How some of these made it past the record label’s quality control department is a mystery to me! Then again, that’s what makes record collecting so much fun for me – finding gems out there that may or may not be worth a lot monetarily, but have interesting or sentimental value.
Below are some more examples of mistakes, omissions and errors on Beatles records. It’s a partial list as, sadly, there are many more out there. Check your collection – you may have one of these hiding amidst your vinyl or CDs!
1. Revolver Title Misspelling
Copies of the new “Revolver” LP set, with misprint on the spine, sits at a Target store in Northeast Philadelphia, November 5, 2022. From the Andre Gardner Colletion
Just out this past October, some copies of the Target-exclusive vinyl LP bundle of the album, with t-shirt included, got the name of the album wrong on the spine of the outer box. Really?? Some reports also have the similar Amazon bundle suffering from the same fate, but I’ve yet to hear of anyone who has gotten such an item from them.
2. Please Please Me U.S. 45 Error
First U.S. Pressing of The Beatles’ “Please Please Me” single with the band’s name misspelled. From the Charlie Leonard collection. From the Charlie Leonard Collection
Promo and first U.S. pressings of the Vee Jay Records single have them listed as “The Beattles.” Usually sells in the $2000-$6000 range, depending on condition, so finding one “in the wild” would be quite a feat.
3. Capitol Albums Volume 2 First CD Pressing
The Beatles’ “Capitol Albums Volume 2” box set, which contains incorrect mono mixes of both “Help!” and “Rubber Soul.” From the Andre Gardner Collection
Imagine my shock when I put on the mono mixes of Rubber Soul and Help! and heard that they weren’t the right mixes at all; they were the stereo mixes “folded down” into mono. I happened to be the first person to notice this major faux pas and immediately contacted the record company. They reissued the set with the correct mixes but, even today, it’s hard to tell which set is more collectible.
4. White Album Bungalow Bill LP Omission/Ob-La-Di Misspelling
You can tell if you have a U.S. first pressing of The Beatles’ White Album by all the mistakes! There are a half dozen on the White Album alone and this is one of them. They forgot “The Continuing Story Of..” part! Also missing are the hyphens in “Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da.” You can pick up a fairly beaten up copy of this for under $50, but a nice copy with the inserts will run you higher.
5. Yesterday Runtime Error On "20 Greatest Hits" LP
Charlie Leonard Collection. Used with permission.They were only a minute off on the run time of “Yesterday!” Someone got to typing too fast and, there you go, instant collectible. This was from the Beatles compilation album 20 Greatest Hits that was released in time for the 1982 Christmas season in the U.S. This particular album has yet to be released on CD, and the vinyl can be found for a very reasonable price in the $25-$35 range.
6. Rocky Raccoon Misspelling On The White Album
First pressing of The Beatles’ “White Album” with “Rocky Raccoon” misspelled. Charlie Leonard Collection. Used with permission.
Another of the errors that are all over first U.S. pressings of The Beatles is a “c” missing in “Rocky Raccoon.” Notice also there is no question mark after “Why Don’t We Do It In the Road?” either. Other mistakes on some first pressings of The White Album include the titles “Obladi Oblada” instead of “Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da,” “Revolution No. 1” rather than “Revolution 1,” and “Revolution No. 9” in place of “Revolution 9.”
7. Tell Me Why Misprint on A Hard Day's Night Soundtrack Album
Misprint on A Hard Day’s Night LP. From the Charlie Leonard Collection
This one’s great because it appeared for YEARS on several different pressing runs of the movie’s soundtrack album, released on United Artists Records. “Tell Me Why” is called “Tell Me Who” on some pressings! And that’s not all..
8. I'll Cry Instead Misprint on A Hard Day's Night Soundtrack Album
Charlie Leonard Collection. Used with permission.On some pressings of that same album, where the “Tell Me Why” is correct, “I’ll Cry Instead” is shortened to “I Cry Instead.” Mint copies of this could cost you just over $100. I know some hardcore collectors who have to have every one of these pressing variations!
9. Helter Skelter Incorrect Liner Notes on Beatles "Rarities"
Charlie Leonard Collection. Used with permission.It’s Ringo Starr yelling out “I’ve got blisters on my fingers” at the end of “Helter Skelter,” but, on certain first pressings of the 1980 compilation The Beatles Rarities, the liner notes on the back cover credit John. Later pressings omit John’s name but still doesn’t credit Ringo! This is another Beatles compilation that has yet to see a CD release, and either vinyl version goes for $35 to around $50.
10. Uncle Albert Typo On Apple 45 Label
Charlie Leonard Collection. Used with permission.Who’s this producer named “Pual” McCartney? This one is found on the hit single’s b-side “Too Many People” on some Jacksonville pressings of Paul’s first #1 solo single from 1971. Interesting that the b-side doesn’t have the sliced Apple label, which could be another mistake.
11. Typo on back cover of "The Beatles Live At The BBC" CD
Charlie Leonard Collection. Used with permission.Take a look at disc 2, track 17 of the back cover of this CD copy of The Beatles Live At The BBC. It’s supposed to be called “So How Come (Nobody Loves Me).” Where the “Top” at the beginning of the title comes from is anyone’s guess!
