In the UK The Beatles chose to issue the six songs from the Magical Mystery Tour film as a double gatefold EP with a 28-page booklet. EPs, however, were far less popular in America, and Capitol chose to turn it into a full LP, with added tracks from singles released in 1967.
Magical Mystery Tour was issued on 27 November 1967 as Capitol MAL 2835 (mono) and SMAL 2835 (stereo). The package was a huge hit with the public, generating the highest level of initial sales of any album to date, and netting the label more than $8 million in just three weeks.
Realising the Capitol had created a product too popular to ignore, EMI imported a number of copies to the United Kingdom. It wasn’t officially released there, however, until 1976.
In 1987 the US format of Magical Mystery Tour became the standard issue worldwide, when The Beatles’ back catalogue was issued on compact disc.
just curious if you know the value of a 1967 Capitol records release of the beatles magical mystery tour smal2835 with a red sticker?
No idea. I’m sure some other sites give values for releases, but I won’t be doing so here.
does the 1969 release contain abooklet
Do you happen to know or can you recommend where I might find the answer to this question: what was the manufacturer’s suggested list price for Magical Mystery Tour in the U.S. when released in 1967?
Thanks very much!
Darriel
Magical Mystery Tour was released December 6th 1967, Not November 27th. I have a massive collection of archived newspaper articles which chronicle its release. The original release was estimated to be around December 10th, but was moved up. Ads in numerous newspapers advertise “released today” in their December 6th editions. The price for the LP ranged from $3.29 to $3.99 in stores.
I admit, I’m a bit intrigued by your comment. Indeed, all available sources indicate the release date of the American album MMT as November 27, 1967. But could it have been otherwise? The album debuted on the Billboard 200 only the week of December 23, 1967, and at a lowly number 157, so it would seem today that it’s too far from November 27. But no, Sgt. Pepper’s, released in the US on June 2, 1967, debuted on the Billboard 200 only the week of June 24, 1967 (at number 8), so the situation was similar.
Therefore, doubts about the album’s release date stem only from articles in the American music press of the time. According to a Billboard article from November 25, 1967, titled “Beatles’ 13th Cap. LP Due Mid-December”: “NEW YORK — Capitol Records has scheduled the Beatles’ next album for mid-December release. The album, which will be the Beatle’s 13th LP for Capitol, is titled Magical Mystery Tour. (…)”. Another article from the same issue, titled “CAP. TO ISSUE BEATLES’ LP” also indicated mid-December: LONDON — Talks between Capitol Records and the Beatles in London Friday (10) resulted in a decision to issue the six soundtrack recordings from the Beatles’ forthcoming TV fantasy spectacular, “Magical Mystery Tour,” on an album in the U.S. The album will be completed by inclusion of the group’s last four single sides plus their latest record, “Hello Goodbye.” (…) Plans call for the album to be released shortly before Christmas”.
To summarize, the MMT album was actually announced for release in the US only in mid-December 1967, after the release of the British EP of the same name. Could its US release have been brought forward by nearly three weeks?! It’s a bit odd, indeed.