As one of the most desirable pieces of Beatles signed memorabilia, signed album covers are indeed very highly sought after. They are extremely rare, in part because of their size and general lack of portability. Most autograph seekers did not choose to bring them or they simply didn't have them readily available when encountering The Beatles in person. The most common signed Beatles LP covers are those on the British "Parlophone Records" label, namely Please, Please Me and With The Beatles. Both titles came out in 1963, before they conquered the United States and the world and became virtually inaccessible. While other authentic signed titles do appear on occasion, for the most part, any album that was released after 1964 is extremely difficult to find signed by all four members of The Beatles. Signed LP's are desirable because in a very real sense, it is akin to an artist or artists (in this case The Beatles) signing and acknowledging their work. American "Capitol Records" versions of Beatles albums are among the hardest to find as they signed very little while touring the States in 1964, 1965 and 1966 - especially when compared to 1963, their most prolific signing year. To date, only about a half dozen U.S. titles have turned up authentically signed by the group. It is of utmost importance that the reader beware of the many forged U.S. signed LP's that have hit the market over the past 10 years, mostly done by American forgers lacking access to the original issue Parlophone covers. All in all, owning an album cover signed by The Beatles is a privilege about which very few can boast and without question, the ultimate in any true fans collecting experience.    

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SA1.   A “Meet The Beatles” LP Cover Signed By The Beatles !!

“Meet The Beatles” was released on the U.S. Capitol Records label on January 20, 1964, eighteen days before the band arrived in New York to make their legendary first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.  The album kicked off with “I Want To Hold Your Hand” (which was America’s #1 hit single when The Beatles landed) and was a mix of singles and album cuts taken directly from their second British LP, the November 1963 Parlophone Records release entitled “With The Beatles”.  In the week prior to the band’s February 7, 1964 arrival at JFK Airport, “Meet The Beatles” rocketed from number 92 on the Billboard album chart to number 3.  One week later, the album was sitting firmly at the top of the chart, proving to America that The Beatles were indeed worth the enormous hype that preceded their arrival.   

This first issue mono album cover was signed for a CBS lighting technician* who was working The Ed Sullivan Show the night of The Beatles’ debut appearance on February 9, 1964.  All four have signed the back cover of the album jacket beautifully in blue ballpoint pen.**  George Harrison has signed in the top left-hand corner, while Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and John Lennon have signed in that order directly above the classic Dezo Hoffmann collarless suit standing pose.  The cover is in near-mint condition and it is evident that the album was put away for safekeeping immediately after it was signed. Consequently, very few people have ever handled this prize.  U.S. Capitol Records LP covers signed by The Beatles are incredibly rare.***   For many collectors, this “Meet The Beatles” album cover represents the holy grail of signed Beatles collectibles. 

The Beatles live American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show remains one the most significant cultural touchstones of the 20th Century.  To own a “Meet The Beatles” album signed on that monumental day - not only in Beatles history but in music history - is in fact owning a piece of music history.  This is as good as it gets.


* This item comes with a signed statement from the sister of the CBS lighting technician, who is deceased.

** The Beatles signed on the reverse of the album cover, as was true for over 90% of the covers they autographed. They had gotten into the habit of signing the backs of LP jackets very early on in 1963 because their British LP covers had a thick laminate on the front which greatly affected the ballpoint pens of the day, resulting in ink that skipped, if the ink even took at all.  However, the backs were a paper stock which would more easily accommodate both ballpoint and fountain pen ink. Though American LPs had ‘ink-friendly’ slicks on the front, The Beatles still signed the majority of them on the reverse (as they did the UK LPs) just by force of habit.

*** This is the first fully-signed U.S. Capitol Records LP cover that I’ve ever had the pleasure to feature on this website since its inception in 2002.  In fact, it’s the first fully-signed American Beatles LP I’ve had at all since 1999.  When you consider that dealing in Beatles autographs is my full-time business – something I do every day of the year – you begin to understand the astonishing rarity of this LP.

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