Introducing... The Beatles - Counterfeits

Counterfeits

Starting in the late 1960s and continuing through the 1990s, Introducing... The Beatles was frequently counterfeited. These counterfeits can be identified by the cover printing and quality, the label, or the sound quality.

The counterfeits may have some differences from the commercial issue. For example, one common variation has the title of the album and the group's name separated by the center spindle hole, even though all variations legitimately released by Vee-Jay Records have both the title and the group's name above the hole.

On another counterfeit variation, dating from the late 1970s, George Harrison's shadow is not visible on the right side of the cover. However, all legitimate copies of the album and even most counterfeits include his shadow.

Nearly all fakes claim to be in stereo (though the actual sound of the record is often in mono). As legitimate stereo copies of Introducing... The Beatles are rare, the majority of copies with "stereo" or "stereophonic" printed on the cover are counterfeits.

There are also known fake versions of Songs, Pictures, and Stories of the Fabulous Beatles. These counterfeits often omit "stories" from the album title, since they are circulated without the gatefold cover and the text inside, renaming it Songs and Pictures of the Fabulous Beatles. These versions add "From Me To You" to side 1 as track 4.