The Beatles – A Hard Day's Night

Very similar to A Hard Day's Night with very slight label variations (see points 3 and 6 below).

The main differentiator of this early pressing, compared to later versions, is the black and yellow Parlophone label with the perimeter rim copyright text, 'THE PARLOPHONE CO LTD • ALL RIGHTS OF THE MANUFACTURER AND OF THE OWNER OF THE RECORDING WORK RESERVED • UNAUTHORISED PUBLIC PERFORMANCE BROADCASTING AND COPYING OF THIS RECORD PROHIBITED'. Above the spindle hole the centre text, 'SOLD IN THE U.K. SUBJECT TO RESALE PRICE CONDITIONS, SEE PRICE LISTS'.

There are a number of other differentiators present on both the labels and the cover.

Label:
1 - Has a 'chubby' font with the right-hand side indicator numerals appearing under the '2' in the catalogue number 'PMC 1230' above them.
2 - The publishing copyright date is given as 'RECORDING FIRST PUBLISHED 1964', and is nearly left-aligned compared to the matrix number above it.
3 - The group's name 'THE BEATLES' is closer to the '(Lennon-McCartney)' credit above it than to the 'Northern Songs Music Ltd.' publishing credit below.
4 - A2 'I Should Have Known Better' has its title split over 2 lines.
5 - All of the song titles on side 2 appear on separate lines.
6 - No embossed tax code around the spindle hole.

Cover:
1 - Front laminated, tri-flipback and printed by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd., with a medium 'MONO' indicator on the front, top, right hand corner.

Cover details:

E . M . I . RECORDS LIMITED
(Controlled By Electric & Musical Industries Ltd.)
HAYES • MIDDLESEX • ENGLAND
Made and Printed in Great Britain

Printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. Patents pending PMC 1230 PCS 3058