Canadian Single Releases

Identification and Price Guide

Type 1 Swirl Capitol Label

Capitol Records of Canada contracted Beatlemania long before their larger and better-known counterpart to the south. Canadian Capitol's superior decision-making brought Beatles records to Canada in early 1963. The first release of "Love Me Do" was taken directly from a British copy of the single. At first it saw little success. But with each successive single, the Beatles gained momentum. By the time "She Loves You" came out, the Beatles were on top in Canada and were preparing to invade the USA.

Prior to "I Want to Hold Your Hand," and for a few specific later singles, most Canadian pop 45's were released in the "72000 Series."

The label style in 1963 was a swirl label, similar to the label used in the United States but with print around the rim of the label that read, "Mfd. in Canada by Capitol Records of Canada, Ltd. Registered User. Copyrighted." This label continued until July, 1966.

NOTE: After the success of the group, the "Love Me Do" single began to sell well and was exported to the United States. Therefore it is not rare.

NOTE 2: Once the Beatles cracked the US charts, great demand for otherwise unreleased singles caused two of the "later" 72000 series singles sell so well that they were placed on US popularity charts. However, Vee Jay Records released "Do You Want to Know a Secret"/"Thank You Girl" in the US (seeing great success), and Swan Records charted with "Sie Liebt Dich"/"I'll Get You." Those two Canadian singles did not sell and became quite scarce.

Type 1 Starline Swirl Label

When Capitol-USA released their Starline singles in 1965, Canadian Capitol opted to release only the "new" single, and the singles that had been hits. Therefore, "Do You Want to Know a Secret" (which had been unsuccessful) and "Roll Over Beethoven"/"Misery" were not released on StarLine in Canada. Within a few years, singles 6061-6063 reverted to the main line with their old catalog numbers.

Type 2 Swirl Capitol Label

From 1966 to 1968, the swirl label used in Canada had print around the rim of the label that read, "Mfd. in Canada by Capitol (Canada) Ltd. -- Registered User. Copyrighted." All previous singles were reissued onto this style, and the new ones (below) were released this way.

NOTE: The Canadian promotional copies of "Penny Lane" do contain the additional horn notes at the end and are more difficult to find than American copies of the promo single.

Apple Label Singles

In 1968, the Beatles switched to the Apple label. In the United States, their albums and (eventually) singles would be reissued onto Apple labels, but this was not the case in Canada, where 45's that started out on Capitol remained on Capitol.

NOTE: For approximately one week, the Canadian "Something" single was released with "Come Together" as the a-side. The company's decision reversed quickly, and the bulk of all copies show "Something" as the a-side.

NOTE 2: Canadian Beatles singles on the Apple label were originally released in white company sleeves with "The Beatles on Apple" at the top. These are valued at $10 each. The more common black sleeves (like those issued in the USA) are only valued at $5 in NM condition.

Singles on the Decca Label

In Canada as in the USA, the Beatles' first single was on the Decca label. Credited to Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers, the Canadian equivalent of the fabled "Decca 'My Bonnie'" was issued in April, 1962. Pressed by Compo using stampers from one of the two US factories, the Canadian single fared as poorly as did the US counterpart. US Decca had been using a "color-band" label for several years, but Canadian Decca was still using this 50's-style label.

NOTE: Demand for US singles aside, this single is actually more rare than the US version. Only between six and ten copies are known to exist.

Singles on the MGM Label

In Canada, MGM's singles label still resembled the label that MGM had used in the 1950's. It was yellow and black with a silhouetted lion. The label in the USA was black.

Singles on the Atco Label

As with MGM, Canada's Atco label was still using its 1950's configuration -- this being a black label with ATCO and a horn.

Canadian Capitol EP's

Although Canada had already issued all four songs on singles, Canadian Capitol followed suit and released the Four by the Beatles EP. The cover is nearly identical to the US issue, but the Parrs logo and "Litho in Canada" are printed on it. The label is somewhat different (see above), with the Canadian manufacturing information around the rim and a Capitol logo at the top.

A Word About Condition

The condition of a record is all-important as to determining its value. The values shown are drastically reduced for lesser condition copies, as shown below:

Near Mint, or NM, condition records are unscratched. If the label has stickers or tape, this must be noted. Essentially, they look like they just came from the store.

Very Good Plus, or VG+, condition records will have very few scratches. Without close inspection, they might pass for Near Mint copies. A VG+ record normally sells for half what a NM copy goes for.

Very Good, or VG, condition records have a fair amount of scratches, but they by no means appear "beat up". A VG condition record normally sells for one fourth of the NM price.

Very Good Minus, or VG-, condition records are starting to appear quite scratched. Still, when played, they play through, although the surface noise is becoming distracting. Many singles are commonly found in this condition. A VG- condition record normally sells for one sixth of the NM price.

Good, or G, condition records look scratched--basically all over, but they'll play through well enough to enjoy the song. A G condition record sells for one tenth of the NM price. [Some dealers also use a grade of G+, which sells for one eighth of the NM price.]

Fair, or fr, condition records are generally worthless unless the record is rare. They're scratched up and have distracting surface noise, but they're not completely ruined. No chips missing, and not cracked. They sell for one twentieth of the NM price or less.

Poor, or pr, condition records are basically ruined. They may be warped, cracked, chipped, or otherwise unsuitable for collecting. Most collectors only accept poor condition copies of something really rare until a better one comes along. They're virtually worthless.

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