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The reel contains all eleven tracks from the album Yesterday and Today, plus two additional gems: "Rain" and "Paperback Writer," which were not released on a US album until Hey Jude in 1970. Many fans and critics consider "Rain" to be one of John Lennon’s finest songs, particularly for its innovative studio techniques like the slowed-down rhythm and backward vocals. There are unique five-second gaps between tracks featuring 'voice slate' introductions of each song recorded by the Capitol mastering engineer.
In fine condition, with toning to the masking tape and paper loss to the track listing's upper right corner. Accompanied by a high-fidelity digital transfer (.wav file) of the tape's contents on a USB stick.
Some background on the Capitol Records/King Features masters:
In February 1964, just weeks after the Beatles’ mesmerizing performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Al Brodax—head of film and television development at King Features—approached Brian Epstein with the idea of producing a Beatles cartoon series. The concept envisioned short, adventurous stories built around popular Beatles songs, complemented by 'sing-along' segments featuring on-screen lyrics.
Each cartoon ran approximately 8 to 10 minutes, with two included per weekly episode. The sing-along portions were a highlight of the show, inviting audiences to learn and sing the songs along with the Beatles. Music selections were drawn from the U.S. Beatles albums—from Meet the Beatles through Revolver—along with non-album singles up to 'Strawberry Fields Forever / Penny Lane.'
The series premiered on September 25, 1965, and concluded on October 21, 1967, spanning 39 episodes and featuring a total of 78 Beatles songs.
As production ramped up in 1965, a meeting was held between King Features and Capitol Records to determine how the music would be integrated into the weekly sing-alongs. Capitol’s initial plan was to provide direct copies of their original U.S. master tapes so King Features could pull songs as needed. However, this proved impractical—technology at the time did not allow for precise tape stops between the one-second song gaps typical on standard master reels.
To overcome this challenge, Capitol Records created a custom set of master tapes specifically for King Features. These reels incorporated a five-second gap between tracks and featured a 'voice slate' introduction recorded by the Capitol mastering engineer. In some cases, the song formats differ slightly from the official releases, making these tapes truly unique.
The lots offered in this auction comprise nearly the entire King Features cartoon music library from the show’s three-year run. Each reel is presented in mono, offering exceptional sound quality sourced directly from the original Capitol master tapes. Notably, several reels predate the official album releases, underscoring their historical significance and rarity.
