Introducing the Beatles

http://earcandymag.com/beatles-alt3.jpg

Was this anyone's introduction to the Beatles, thesedays, really?

No.

No. Can't remember, but I think my first exposure to Beatles songs was probably through school assemblies, and for a long time I thought songs like Obladi-Oblada, When I'm Sixty-Four and Yellow Submarine were covers of hymns, standards or nursery rhymes. Other songs, like Nowhere Man and Michelle, were sung around the house by my mum since I was born. I learnt Blackbird on guitar before hearing the White Album. So they'd been with me well before I even heard the recorded versions.

My first exposure to them was watching the video for “Strawberry Fields Forever” on TOTP, aged three. It’s one of my earliest memories (taped off TV onto reel-to-reel and I still have the tape – you can just about hear me commenting on it in the background. My comments were not profound).

saw an film thread about them in 2005, all the right ppl hated them and got into them from there

ilm thread

My first exp was when we lived at Brugen as my dad was in the RAF back then. I remember being given the money to buy "I feel fine", the 'normal' parlophone version, and having the "Help" and "Hard days night" albums on the "Odeon" label. Discovered recently that these were 'special' versions. Even tracked down the "Something New" that we lost at a base party, recently for not-stupid-price. http://s.pixogs.com/image/R-1563951-1228733504.jpeg

When I became aware of the Beatles in the late 1970s this was the album that only old people owned (over 30, that was). It had been out of print since 1964 by legal agreement. You'd have to have been in the first wave of Beatle consumers to own it - all subsequent waves bought The Early Beatles instead, which was basically the same material.

The Wiki entry is informative, pointing out that contrary to popular belief "Introducing" was released not in mid-'63 but in January '64, the same month as Meet the Beatles.

I think my uncle has a copy of this. No idea how genuine it is, seeing as how it's supposedly the most counterfeited album ever.

I remember discovering the red album (Greatest Hits 1962-1966) at my grandparents house.

Hm, I don't think this was actually released in Canada. This was the first Canadian (and first North American) release, apparently, which I do own: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatlemania!_With_the_Beatles

I bought it when I was a graduate student so, no, it was far from being my introduction to the Beatles. Early Beatles memories include: singing "Yellow Submarine" in Gr 5 music class, seeing kids play versions of "Yesterday" and "Hey Jude" at music school concerts, "Twist and Shout", Tiffany's cover of "I Saw [Her] Standing There", Aerosmith's version of "I'm Down", my cousins playing their songs on guitar.

i have a super-rare copy of this, one of my mom's work friends gave it to me when i was 14. forget how much it's worth but it was enough to impress me back then.

forget how much it's worth

this might give you an idea:
http://www.eskimo.com/~bpentium/beatles/intro/intro.html

i have a beat-up original, a gift from my next-door neighbor marcy, though i did most of the beating-up myself. it wasn't my actual introduction to the beatles but it was pretty close. a fabulous record, and oft-overlooked/underrated as their catalog goes.

It was at least one of the first Beatles albums I heard as it was one my parent's had. I have it now, but have no idea whether it is a for real or counterfeit version, will have to take a close look when I get home. I know it is the version with two columns of titles on the back and has "Love Me Do".

This LP, and the Hamburg double live album (another grey-market release), were ubiquitous at flea markets and cutout bins in the late 1970s. Maybe bootlegged?

http://www.eskimo.com/~bpentium/beatles/intro/intro.html