THE BEATLES Meet The Beatles - VERY RARE 1965 Taiwan Pressing First Release

$

100

This is a rare copy of the 1967 original Taiwanese pressing of the Meet the Beatles LP.

These Taiwanese pressings are extremely rare (especially in decent condition) and very interesting. Taiwan imports are copies of US, UK, and Japanese albums that were pressed without obeying copyright laws. They were pressed by small companies in Taiwan (or Formosa), in extremely limited numbers ( between 100 and 500), and so are quite rare. They were made for the Chinese semi-black market and so had to be made outside China to avoid certain restrictions on record manufacturing. It was illegal to export them out of the country, so the only way they got out was through US servicemen who bought them there and then brought them back when they returned from overseas duty. There are many cover and label variations to watch for.  Sometimes they are pressed on colored vinyl, usually with terrible sound. Most of the time the front covers are poor quality copies printed on thin paper.  Many back covers are different from the official versions, usually with the lyrics printed, often with amusing errors and typos. Sometimes there are album slicks from other albums inside the covers.  The official record company logo will be replaced by the Chinese one superimposed in its place. The covers are made of paper which is sealed in very thin plastic, inside and outside. They are pressed on poor quality vinyl which plays with some static. They never note the country name on the cover or on the labels.

They were not official pressings even in Taiwan or China, where the communist government did not yet allow western music to be released. So very few were made, and even fewer have survived. 

This is NOT an audiophile pressing! These records were pressed on cheap vinyl with substandard equipment and second-hand masters made from US, UK, or Japanese discs. Still they sound pretty good in their way, if they are well taken care of. Always a little crackle. But they are really interesting rarities from the Maoist regime, showing how some young folks there still wanted to hear the Beatles, even if it was unpatriotic.

This particular album, Meet the Beatles, was issued late, not until 1967, but this is the earliest pressing, still with a thin paper cover and on the Song-Jwu label. There were other issues but this was the first. Anyhow this copy has some scuffs and light wear on the vinyl, but it plays fine with a bit of crackle. They always have crackle even when they are mint (which is never anyway). If you want to enjoy the music you of course would listen to a decent UK or US copy, not this one. But it is a pretty good copy anyhow and as I say plays fine, just with some noise. The cover is in remarkably great shape, better than almost any Taiwanese album from this time you might find. A few light wrinkles and disc impression but barely. The main issue is a slight crease across Paul's forehead and out to the edge, which looks a little like a printing defect. Not bad. This is a beautiful looking copy, with a decent disc, and so so rare.