This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/23/2023
Three film negatives used in the printing of the 1967 UK first pressing of the Sgt. Pepper album cover, one paper test proof for the front cover and one film negative used in the printing of the Magical Mystery Tour UK cassette tape insert released in 1976.
Offered here is a piece of Beatles history that dates to that magical year of 1967, when they released their landmark “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club LP”, widely regarded as one of the finest albums in rock history, and one that included an equally well regarded and instantly recognizable album cover.
A whole volume could be written about the cover alone, but for our purposes here we will concentrate on a small but important part of it.
Back in the day, an LP cover was printed using a process called four color process printing. There are four negatives-for the four colors in process printing (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) which when mixed together can together simulate all the colors used in any color photo.
Therefore there would be four pieces of film for every image – one each for the cyan, magenta, yellow and black plates.
Included in this lot is one of the four film negatives used to print the 1967 UK first pressing of the front cover of Sgt. Pepper (measuring 14 inches by 14 inches), along with one of the four negatives for the original mono back cover, and one of the four negatives for the original stereo back cover (each measuring 18 inches by 14 inches). All used in the first UK pressings.
Also included is a paper test proof of the cyan plate for the front cover, measuring 17 inches by 15.75 inches, which would have been used by the printer to see if the print run was ok or if it needed to be corrected. It is probably safe to assume the front cover negative included here was the cyan one, and most likely the two back negatives were used for cyan as well.
The negatives also contain reddish or brown marks where a technician has added lead paint to fix flaws, such as block out small holes or dense up “thin” areas prior to printing.
Typically, the cover would be designed while the album was still being finished--and the film sometimes made before the final track listing, credits, etc were selected. So a blank area would be left and later the credits could be "stripped in." This is clearly visible on the two back cover negatives. What was finally added on the mono cover was “This is a mono recording. A splendid time is guaranteed for all”. With the stereo cover swapping in the word stereo for mono.
Also included in this lot is one of the four film negatives for the printing of the cassette insert for the 1976 UK release of The Magical Mystery Tour cassette tape. Again, you can see where a technician has touched up the back with red paint to increase the density of the black prior to printing. There are crosshair alignment markings and other printing codes around the edges.
This film measures 15.75 inches by 6 inches.
The four film negatives (and one paper test proof) included in this lot constitute a very cool and important piece of Beatles history. The songs written and recorded by the Beatles in 1967 for Sgt. Pepper and The Magical Mystery Tour include some of their best and most beloved. High quality Sgt. Pepper memorabilia is among the most sought after, and these film negatives are one-of-a-kind!
Authentication: Gotta Have Rock and Roll Certificate of Authenticity.