This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/23/2023
The Beatles “Please Please Me” Vee Jay Records Archive Including Please Please Me Master Tapes and the First Ever Contract Signed in America for The Beatles (100+ Items Total).
Offered here is an amazing collection of ephemera from the files of Vee Jay Records, from a Vee Jay Records associate, with the items pertaining to the Beatles.
The first item, which is the most important item in the collection, is the very first contract signed in America for the Beatles, for anything! This document grants Vee Jay Records the right to issue the Beatles first single, “Please Please Me / Ask Me Why” (VJ 498). The licensor is Transglobal Music, an EMI subsidiary. This contract is dated January 10th, 1963, making it the oldest known surviving piece of American Beatles memorabilia - an incredibly historic item which represents the absolute genesis of Beatlemania in the U.S. Also of great significance is a one paragraph rider on the back which grants Vee Jay the first right to issue ALL Beatles recordings in the U.S. for 5 years. Had Vee Jay not breached this agreement by failing to pay royalties on time, they would have released every Beatles record through Sgt. Pepper (Instead of Capitol Records) and history would have been quite different indeed.
Included in this lot are seven master tapes in relation to the Beatles including the incredible “Please Please Me” Master Tape. Incredibly rare to find actual Beatles master tapes.
Another item is a lawsuit document. There were many lawsuits between Vee Jay Capitol, Transglobal and Beechwood, which were eventually settled on April 9th, 1964. This document is from Beechwood Music and EMI publishing company, granting Vee Jay the license to issue “Love Me Do” and “P.S. I Love You”, which they had previously refused to do, which is why there are two different versions of the “Introducing The Beatles” LP. The first issues contained those two songs, which Vee Jay did not have the rights to. Later, they reconfigured the album and replaced those two songs with “Please Please Me” and “Ask Me Why”. After this agreement, Vee Jay issued a 45 of these two songs on their Tollie label.
Next is a contract, 6 pages long, that is the final settlement agreement between Vee Jay, Capitol Records and Transglobal which is signed by the heads of each of these companies, including Randy Wood of Vee Jay Records. It is also dated April 9th, 1964, and grants Vee Jay the right to issue any Beatles records already in their catalog (which are listed on this document) until October 15th, 1964. After that, all rights were transferred to Capitol Records.
Also offered is a binder which contains all the other items in the collection. There are various telegrams relating to “Introducing the Beatles”, “Beatles and Frank Ifield On Stage”, and even Capitol Records. There are more documents, the deed of gift from the U.S. Library of Congress to Vee Jay Records thanking them for the copy of “Beatles and Frank Ifield on Stage” LP they sent, invoices and many more!
The offered collection here features over 100 items, which the highlights being the highlighted three agreements and the master tapes.
Provenance: From a Vee Jay Records executive.
Good condition.
Authentication: Gotta Have Rock and Roll Certificate of Authenticity.