- If the front cover has a brown border...It's a bootleg.
- If the front cover is missing the "shadow" to the right of George...it's a bootleg.
- If the vinyl is bendable/flexible....It's a bootleg.
- If the title and the group name are split above and.
below the spindle hole....it's a bootleg.
- If it's factory sealed (not by a chain store)...it's a.
bootleg (original Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You copies were not sealed by Vee Jay).
- ALL copies play in monaural! whether the cover states Stereo/Stereophonic or not! (All bootleg labels use original mono catalog number).
There are also counterfeit "hype stickers" that indicate "FEATURING TWIST AND SHOUT, P.S. I LOVE YOU". The legitimate (and quite rare) hype stickers show "FEATURING TWIST AND SHOUT, PLEASE PLEASE ME"
It is also a Bootleg-Record, if the complete Group-Photo is a little unsharp and over-exposed, and the oval Vee Jay Logo on the left side of frontcover has also unsharp types.
My copy has also very pale coloures on the label. The violet changes into complete black.
Enclosed a picture of my Bootleg-Label.
I once had a pretty clean copy of this... Plain black label. I can't remember exactly where I bought it.. I want to say it was at a K Mart! The album suffered a tape transfer problem.. where you could hear an "echo" of a tune for a second or so before the actual track started playing.
Added labels for what is an actual mono boot...I didn't bother to add the cover, (no stereo banner) it's so well reproduced the average fan wouldn't be able to tell the difference!!!..you can see the blue in Ringo's eyes!...But the label isn't as sharp...and the title and artist are split (and it's flexible!)...John
Added a good copy of this bootleg(except for side B which has issues) that could fool the untrained eye but it's the color of the rainbow or lack thereof that is a tell. The real editions have the color green(this one here is more of a yellowish color) in them and the colors are brighter, even though the name Beatles is above the spindle hole this is a bootleg. There are probably other tells on this copy but I don't know them all. This one is a version 2 Mono Bootleg.
I'm thinking that the photo on the front cover here is a "Mirror Image". Ringo & John's watches appear to be on their right wrists, but most other archive photos have them on the left wrist.
These bootlegs somehow wound up in Wal-Mart's discount LP bins for $3.99 in the early-mid 80's. My copy has the stereophonic banner and black label but plays mono.
Images 923370-923371 definitely a bootleg as indicated by DRIVEIN101 and BEATLEJOHN. Also the deadwax measures more than 1 1/4 inches; way too big. Covers 923350-923351 also bootleg: reverse has colored dots under the slick at the top and the tab inside the cover, top and bottom, is too big.
This is a bootleg!.....any Beatles Vee-Jay Lp with the words "The Beatles" below the hole is a boot!..........(plus this particular cover has the fugly brown border)..............John