The Beatles 'Please Please Me' Gold & Black Label Stereo LP

Released by Parlophone Records in April 1963, Please Please Me stands as the earliest Beatles album ever issued, capturing the youthful vitality of a band on the cusp of transforming popular music. First pressings are instantly recognizable by Parlophone’s short-lived black-and-gold label, a design used only during this brief window, making surviving examples like this instantly recognizable and prized by collectors. The front cover photograph by Angus McBean, shot from below in the stairwell of EMI’s Manchester Square headquarters, presents the Beatles as fresh, exuberant newcomers and is an image that has since become iconic in its own right.

This particular copy is even more extraordinary as it is a Stereo first pressing from a time when very few listeners purchased stereo records, as mono were more popular. As a result, early stereo versions of Please Please Me are exceptionally scarce, placing this LP among the rarest forms of the Beatles’ debut. The album features hits such as the title track “Please Please Me,” the infectious “Love Me Do,” and their electrifying cover of “Twist and Shout,” recorded in a single, legendary take. As both the earliest and rarest edition of their first record, this LP is not only a cornerstone of Beatles history but a tangible witness to the moment their era-defining journey began.