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Capitol Records STEREO Original Released
#12 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (SMAS-2653)
(Update: 2nd June 2025)
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  Capitol 1st. Sleeve

Notice* Click the label of each album, so you can see the large picture image.

#12-1 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1st Press "Capitol Rainbow Label / misprint "A Little Help..." on the label / NO NEMS credit / L.A. Press": SMAS-2653)
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TITLE
 SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND
CATALOG NUMBER
 SMAS-2653
RELEASE DATE
 2nd June 1967 / First Press
TITLE LISTING
 SIDE 1
 SIDE 2
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (BMI-1:59)
 Within You Without You (BMI-5:03)
A Little Help From My Friends (BMI-2:46)
 When I'm Sixty-four (BMI-2:38)
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (BMI-3:25)
 Lovely Rita(BMI-2:43)
Getting Better (BMI-2:47)
 Good Morning Good Morning (BMI-2:35)
Fixing A Hole (BMI-2:33)
 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band-Reprise (BMI-1:20)
She's Leaving Home (BMI-3:24)
 A Day In The Life (BMI-5:03)
Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite (BMI-2:36)
FRONT--> Click! BACK --> Click! SIDE 1 --> Click! SIDE 2 --> Click! DISK --> Click!
meet meetback label label label
INSIDE (Gatefold Type) --> Click! INNER SLEEVE
FRONT--> Click! BACK --> Click! The initial pressing of the album came with a psychedelic inner sleeve designed by a Dutch group, "The Fool," who also painted the side of the Apple Corps building, as well as John Lennon's limousine.
meet meet meet
CUT OUT INSERT
 CUT OUT: CLOSE UP
FRONT--> Click! BACK --> Click!
meet meet The 12" x 12" green background insert is signed in the lower right corner by artists Peter Blake and Jann Haworth.
Glossy paper.
 meetback
meetback The Capitol version of the insert has “PRINTED IN U.S.A.” in the lower left corner.
INNER SLEEVE CLOSE UP FRONT COVER CLOSE UP
meetback Custom red/white psychedelic inner sleeve.
A circled "PRINTED IN U.S.A." appears in red at the lower left corner.
 meet

The stereo version has the word "STEREO" printed in the yellow band at the top of the front cover.
BACK COVER CLOSE UP --> Click!
meet meet The Capitol/EMI logo in box is printed at the lower left corner.
The initial stereo covers are the lack of Maclen Music.
BACK COVER CLOSE UP --> Click!
meet meet
The initial stereo covers  do not have any references to NEMS or Maclen Music. The second batch of stereo covers add the reference to NEMS, with all such covers have this information in horizontal microprint.
BACK COVER CLOSE UP
meetback The all album cover printed mistakenly list the second song on Side One as “A Little Help From My Friends” rather than “With A Little Help From My Friends.”
LABEL CLOSE UP
label label
The original issue Capitol albums were manufactured with black label backdrops with an outer rim colorband. The label copy above the spindle hole lists the album title and the band name. Catalogue number "SMAS-2653" was printed at the right side of the center hole. The labels for the West Coast were printed by Bert-Co Enterprises in Los Angeles, California. The labels can be differentiated by the font of the number "one" at nine o’clock on the side one labels.
meetback meet The text of the perimeter print in blue on the original issue discs states "MFD. BY CAPITOL RECORDS. INC. U.S.A. T.M." to the left of a small Capitol logo" to the right.
LABEL CLOSE UP
SIDE 1--> Click! SIDE 2--> Click! A7 title includes exclamation point on the rear cover, but no exclamation point on the label.
B4 title includes comma on the rear cover, but no comma on the label.
meet meet
meet The initial labels printed for the album mistakenly list the second song on Side One as “A Little Help From My Friends” rather than “With A Little Help From My Friends.”
OTHER ITEM
-

LABEL Capitol Black label with color band type-1
MIX STEREO
VINYL COLOR Black
PRESS FACTORY SLEEVE West Coast: Bert-Co Enterprise of Los Angeles
VINYL Los Angeles, California
FACTORY CODE -
MATRIX No. SIDE 1
 SMAS-1-2653 - A10   (hand etched)    1    *  (machine stamped)
SIDE 2
 SMAS-2-2653 - A-10  (hand etched)    1    *  (machine stamped)
PUBLISHER'S NAME
 -
"SUBSIDIARY" PRINT
 -
COVER FORM
 Gatefold type. Housed in a cardboard jacket. Front cover: with gloss varnish
INNER SLEEVE Psychedelic inner sleeve designed by a Dutch group, "The Fool,"
COVER DESIGN/ PHOTO/ NOTES Stage and Cut out: Peter Blake and Jann Haworth
Photo: Michael Cooper / Wax Figures: Madame Tussauds
PRODUCER George Martin
COMMENTS
 The covers for Sgt. Pepper have full-color inside and outside slicks. The inside gatefold slick, featuring a portrait of the band, is the same for both mono and stereo covers. The outside slick is also the same, but is trimmed differently for mono and stereo covers. On mono covers, the slicks are trimmed at the top so that the number MAS 2653 appears in the lower right corner of the back cover. On stereo covers, the slicks are trimmed at the bottom so the number SMAS 2653 appears in the upper right corner of the back cover.
The stereo version has the word "STEREO" printed in the yellow band at the top of the front cover.

The stereo covers have variations similar to those of the mono covers.
The initial stereo covers do not have any references to NEMS or Maclen Music. The second batch of stereo covers add the reference to NEMS, with all such covers have this information in horizontal microprint. The final batch of stereo covers have both the NEMS and Maclen language positioned the same as on the mono covers.

The initial stereo pressings list the second song on Side One as "A Little Help From My Friends". There are East Coast, West Coast, and thick print in-house labels also with the incorrect title.
Later pressings of the stereo album have the second song on Side One correctly listed as "With A Little Help From My Friends". There are East Coast, West Coast, and the ugly thick print in-house label variations with the correct title.

The labels also have “SIDE 1” and “SIDE 2”
at three o’clock. This label style appears on several subsidiary rainbow issues and on
some pre-subsidiary labels.
These discs were pressed in Los Angeles.

The initial pressing of the album came with a psychedelic inner sleeve designed by a Dutch group, "The Fool," who also painted the side of the Apple Corps building, as well as John Lennon's limousine.

As part of the group’s desire to give more to their fans, the Beatles wanted to include an envelope containing items such as stickers and buttons. EMI balked at this idea due to cost factors. A compromise was reached when the Beatles agreed to a cardboard insert containing cutout images of a moustache, a picture card of Sgt. Pepper, uniform stripes, badges of the Sgt. Pepper logo and of a bust of Sgt. Pepper and a stand up of the Beatles in their Sgt. Pepper uniforms. The 12" x 12" green background insert is signed in the lower right corner by artists Peter Blake and Jann Haworth. The Capitol version of the insert has “PRINTED IN U.S.A.” in the lower left corner. The inserts are printed on different paper stocks and exhibit slight color variations. In addition, some of the inserts are missing the number “5.” to the left of the Beatles stand up.


#12-2 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (2nd Press "Capitol Rainbow Label / "With A Little Help..." on the label / NO NEMS credit / Scranton Press": SMAS-2653)
Back to the top of the line
TITLE
 SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND
CATALOG NUMBER
 SMAS-2653
RELEASE DATE
 middle1967? / Second Press
TITLE LISTING
 SIDE 1
 SIDE 2
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (BMI-1:59)
 Within You Without You (BMI-5:03)
With A Little Help From My Friends (BMI-2:46)
 When I'm Sixty-four (BMI-2:38)
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (BMI-3:25)
 Lovely Rita(BMI-2:43)
Getting Better (BMI-2:47)
 Good Morning Good Morning (BMI-2:35)
Fixing A Hole (BMI-2:33)
 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band-Reprise (BMI-1:20)
She's Leaving Home (BMI-3:24)
 A Day In The Life (BMI-5:03)
Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite (BMI-2:36)
FRONT--> Click! BACK --> Click! SIDE 1 --> Click! SIDE 2 --> Click! DISK --> Click!
meet meetback label label label
INSIDE (Gatefold Type) --> Click! INNER SLEEVE
FRONT--> Click! BACK --> Click! The initial pressing of the album came with a psychedelic inner sleeve designed by a Dutch group, "The Fool," who also painted the side of the Apple Corps building, as well as John Lennon's limousine.
meet meet meet
CUT OUT INSERT
 CUT OUT: CLOSE UP
FRONT--> Click! CLOSE UP
meet meet The 12" x 12" green background insert is signed in the lower right corner by artists Peter Blake and Jann Haworth. Some of the inserts are missing the number "5." to the left of the Beatles stand up
 meetback
meetback The Capitol version of the insert has “SMAS 2653" and PRINTED IN U.S.A.” in the lower left corner.
INNER SLEEVE CLOSE UP FRONT COVER CLOSE UP
meetback Custom red/white psychedelic inner sleeve.
A circled "PRINTED IN U.S.A." appears in red at the lower left corner.
 meet

The stereo version has the word "STEREO" printed in the yellow band at the top of the front cover.
BACK COVER CLOSE UP --> Click!
meet meet The Capitol/EMI logo in box is printed at the lower left corner.
The initial stereo covers are the lack of Maclen Music.
BACK COVER CLOSE UP --> Click!
meet meet
The initial stereo covers  do not have any references to NEMS or Maclen Music. The second batch of stereo covers add the reference to NEMS, with all such covers have this information in horizontal microprint.
BACK COVER CLOSE UP
meetback The 2nd mono large-print NEMS covers have “© NEMS ENTERPRISES LTD., 1967” printed horizontally in the lower left corner. But, No stereo covers of this variation have been confirmed.
LABEL CLOSE UP
label label
The original issue Capitol albums were manufactured with black label backdrops with an outer rim colorband. The label copy above the spindle hole lists the album title and the band name. Catalogue number "SMAS-2653" was printed at the right side of the center hole. The labels for records manufactured on the East Coast were printed by Keystone Printed Specialties, Inc. in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
meetback meet The text of the perimeter print in blue on the original issue discs states "MFD. BY CAPITOL RECORDS. INC. U.S.A. T.M." to the left of a small Capitol logo" to the right.
LABEL CLOSE UP
SIDE 1--> Click! SIDE 2--> Click! A7 title includes exclamation point on the rear cover, but no exclamation point on the label.
B4 title includes comma on the rear cover, but no comma on the label.
meet meet
meet Later pressings of the stereo album have the second song on Side One correctly listed as "With A Little Help From My Friends"
OTHER ITEM
-

LABEL Capitol Black label with color band type-1
MIX STEREO
VINYL COLOR Black
PRESS FACTORY SLEEVE East Coast: Queens Litho in New York
VINYL Scranton, Pennsylvania
FACTORY CODE -
MATRIX No. SIDE 1
 SMAS 1-2653   A1   (hand etched)    IAM mark  (machine stamped)
SIDE 2
 SMAS-2-2653 - A4   (hand etched)     IAM mark  (machine stamped)
PUBLISHER'S NAME
 -
"SUBSIDIARY" PRINT
 -
COVER FORM
 Gatefold type. Housed in a cardboard jacket. Front cover: with gloss varnish
INNER SLEEVE Psychedelic inner sleeve designed by a Dutch group, "The Fool,"
COVER DESIGN/ PHOTO/ NOTES Stage and Cut out: Peter Blake and Jann Haworth
Photo: Michael Cooper / Wax Figures: Madame Tussauds
PRODUCER George Martin
COMMENTS
 The covers for Sgt. Pepper have full-color inside and outside slicks. The inside gatefold slick, featuring a portrait of the band, is the same for both mono and stereo covers. The outside slick is also the same, but is trimmed differently for mono and stereo covers. On mono covers, the slicks are trimmed at the top so that the number MAS 2653 appears in the lower right corner of the back cover. On stereo covers, the slicks are trimmed at the bottom so the number SMAS 2653 appears in the upper right corner of the back cover.
The stereo version has the word "STEREO" printed in the yellow band at the top of the front cover.

The stereo covers have variations similar to those of the mono covers.
The initial stereo covers do not have any references to NEMS or Maclen Music. The second batch of stereo covers add the reference to NEMS, with all such covers have this information in horizontal microprint. The final batch of stereo covers have both the NEMS and Maclen language positioned the same as on the mono covers.

The initial stereo pressings list the second song on Side One as "A Little Help From My Friends". There are East Coast, West Coast, and thick print in-house labels also with the incorrect title.
Later pressings of the stereo album have the second song on Side One correctly listed as "With A Little Help From My Friends". There are East Coast, West Coast, and the ugly thick print in-house label variations with the correct title.

The labels also have “SIDE 1” and “SIDE 2”
at three o’clock. This label style appears on several subsidiary rainbow issues and on
some pre-subsidiary labels.
These discs were pressed in Los Angeles.

The initial pressing of the album came with a psychedelic inner sleeve designed by a Dutch group, "The Fool," who also painted the side of the Apple Corps building, as well as John Lennon's limousine.

As part of the group’s desire to give more to their fans, the Beatles wanted to include an envelope containing items such as stickers and buttons. EMI balked at this idea due to cost factors. A compromise was reached when the Beatles agreed to a cardboard insert containing cutout images of a moustache, a picture card of Sgt. Pepper, uniform stripes, badges of the Sgt. Pepper logo and of a bust of Sgt. Pepper and a stand up of the Beatles in their Sgt. Pepper uniforms. The 12" x 12" green background insert is signed in the lower right corner by artists Peter Blake and Jann Haworth. The Capitol version of the insert has “PRINTED IN U.S.A.” in the lower left corner. The inserts are printed on different paper stocks and exhibit slight color variations. In addition, some of the inserts are missing the number “5.” to the left of the Beatles stand up.


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