GET BACK TO TORONTO
Label : I.P.F. (International Peace Festival)
Matrix Number : IPF-1-A ST S-2142 / IPF-1-B S-2143
Country: USA
Release date: February 1970
Side A
1. PEACE MESSAGE 5:26
2. GET BACK 2:58
3. TEDDY BOY dialogue 5:48
4. TWO OF US (w/2 false starts) dialogue 3:18
5. dialogue/count-in DIG A PONY (w/false start) 3:38
Side B
6. I'VE GOT A FEELING dialogue 2:38
7. count-in LET IT BE 3:51
8. dialogue/count-in DON'T LET ME DOWN dialogue 3:38
9. dialogue. FOR YOU BLUE (w/ 2 false starts, incomplete) dialogue. 2:21
10. dialogue/ count-in GET BACK 2:38
11. guitar riffs THE WALK :53
12. CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE AGAIN! (incomplete) 6:04
sound quality: EX-stereo (surface noise)
Source:
1 John and Yoko– Toronto– Dec 17.69, from radio broadcast (VG-mono)
2 officially released version – single version
3 to 6 Apple studios– Jan 24.69
7 Apple studios– Jan 26.69
8 Apple studios– Jan 22.69
9 Apple studios– Jan 25.69
10,11 Apple studios– Jan 27.69
12 Xmas Fan Club-only flexi-disc 1967 (mono)
COMMENTS
This is one of the most famous Beatles bootlegs originated by the radio broadcast of the "Get Back'' tape, along with KUM BACK and GET BACK SESSION. It was mastered slightly slow, has better stereo separation and the pressing is slightly noisy. Get Back has been replaced with the officially released single version.
THE ORIGINAL STEREO ISSUES
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The original I.P.F. (which stands for International Peace Festival) record has a yellow label with song titles and the manufacturer's indication. The releases came in a variety of versions, particularly those with a rubber-stamped sleeve. The following releases were made, all with the same labels.
1. February 1970 (photo below the title). Rubber-stamped cover saying THE BEATLES GET BACK TO TORONTO, with another rubber stamp saying HIGH QUALITY STEREO. The stamps are in a red-pinkish ink.
2. Late 1970. Same as #1, but the "STEREO" indication was joined to the GET BACK TO TORONTO rubber stamp, so the producers only had one rubber stamp to impress on the jacket. The stamp is in blue or red ink. The records with the red rubber stamp were pressed at a different plant, characterized by a wide pressing ring at 32 mm from the spindle hole.
3. 1970. A reissue on a blank sleeve with simply THE BEATLES as a rubber stamp was seen.
4. late 1970-1971. Insert cover reproducing the St. Louis arch and the peace symbol in three colors (blue and black with purplish arch) or two colors (the arch is also blue).
INTEREST. An important early Beatles bootleg. The first issue is still relatively common, more so than #2 and #3 (***), the repressings with the arch were distributed in thousand of copies and are therefore quite common. **.
OTHER EARLY ISSUES
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The I.P.F. stereo version of GET BACK TO TORONTO was immediately copied by B/C Records on matrix V-36766-1 / V-367661-2. This had a printed black and white cover including the title and track listing. It had a yellow label similar to that of I.P.F., with B/C Records replacing I.P.F. On this stereo version, track 2 has an early fade-out, leaving out 42", and track 6 skips at 20".
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INTEREST. A relatively common record. **
THE JAPANESE WHISKEY RECORDS
The entire GET BACK TO TORONTO appears on the japanese LP WHISKEY RECORDS 3, released in 1971. This record came with a white, blank jacket and yellow labels with the title and track listing. Matrix number: WH XX 1Y / WH XX 2Y
INTEREST. An extremely rare record, also in Japan. *****
Another japanese release, produced by the same manufacturer in 1971, was titled WHISKEY RECORDS 2; it had plain white cover or a rubber-stamped cover saying WHISKEY, on matrix WH-X1 / WH-X2. It was reportedly pressed in a limited edition of 200 copies, on yellowish or pink labels with the track listing; it features on side A the complete side B of GET BACK TO TORONTO and on side B the last three tracks from side A of GET BACK TO TORONTO plus Instant Karma and You Know My Name, officially released versions.
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INTEREST. An extremely rare record, also in Japan. *****
WHISKEY RECORDS 2 was copied from a U.S. record released in March-April 1970 by Underground Sounds and titled LET IT BE; this album had a mono matrix us-101-a m Δ14734 / us-101-b Δ14734-X m, black labels with titles and green/black «deluxe» printed cover. Two versions of this LP exist, differing in Lennon’s glasses, black or silver, on the printed cover.
INTEREST. A rare very early bootleg. ****
A further japanese copy of GET BACK TO TORONTO appeared in 1975 and was produced by JL Records, matrix JL-517 A / JL-517 B
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INTEREST. A useless copy of a common record, only interesting for the Japanese market and for completists. **
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THE WCF VERSION
A mono version of GET BACK TO TORONTO, in much decreased sound quality, was produced from late 1970 by WCF, on matrix RP 23-A / RP 23-B; the later reissues had side A on matrix LP 23-A.
The following issues were seen:
1. Late 1970. Insert counterfeiting the I.P.F. "arch" slipsheet and yellow labels similar to the I.P.F. labels. Side B of the record was mispressed, with the inner grooves of the last song running straight into the label area.
2. early 1971. Same as #1, but side B had a smaller label, 92 mm in diameter, so that the record could be regularly played.
3. late 1971 or early 1972. The people at WCF tried to correct the pressing error on Side B, but they cut a new master for Side A instead, numbered LP 23 A. Same insert as #1 or an orange monochromatic insert, orange blank labels in reduced size (92 mm instead of 100 mm) or blue-green labels in normal size also on side B, resulting in grooves running into the label once more.
4. late 1972-1973. Insert smaller and of reduced quality. New dark blue labels saying Toronto records. On side B the company used the stamper 723-B, but this is the stamper of a Jimi Hendrix record, Goodbye Jimi...
5. 1973. Some copies of reissue #4 have an insert saying "Jimi Hendrix takes on the Beatles". No doubt to try to sell their pressing error.
6. 1974. The last appearence of the WCF version was again on matrix LP 23-A / 723-B. It had blank labels, a folder-style cover with a brownish insert reproducing the drawing of #1, or with the same drawing directly printed on the front and another drawing printed on the back.
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INTEREST. All these WCF releases have a very low quality, no musical interest and a limited collectible value. **/*
THE CBM RELEASES
CBM released its own mono copy of GET BACK TO TORONTO starting from August 1972 on matrix 3519 A / 3519 B. The following releases of the CBM version have been examined.
1. August 1972. Yellow labels counterfeiting the I.P.F. labels; black and white insert reproducing the original I.P.F. slipsheet.
September 1972. Red printed insert, identical to the previous one but with the indication I.P.F. deleted.
January-February 1973. Same insert printed in red or brown, generic A / B labels in various combinations
Summer 1973. Yellow insert with the CBM "disc" logo added, printed in blue on yellowish paper, blank labels with a 1" bar in various colors.
Late 1973. Same insert with the CBM disc logo, generic A / B labels. After October, 1973, when the producer moved from Virginia to North Carolina, a new pressing plant with the inner ring at 12 mm from the spindle hole was used. These records had a poorer pressing, and often recycled vinyl was used.
1974. White sleeve with rubber-printed title and different labels depending on the period: white labels with pirate (January), blank labels and jacket with the J. Fish drawing printed on back cover (spring); yellow labels with pirate and the J. Fish drawing (summer), blank labels, white sleeve without the J. Fish drawing on back cover (late 1974). Copies with green labels with the pirate may exist as well, but we have not seen any. They would be from late summer.
1975 (late?). Printed black and white cover with the indication "Plastic Ono Band", blank labels.
1975. A new cheap insert with the King-Kong logo and the track listing was produced in 1975; the discs had yellow labels with small Godzilla or blank labels.
Early 1976. Pink insert in reduced size, without the CBM "disc" logo; red labels with black pirate.
INTEREST. The first pressings have a certain collectible value, that decreases in the later reissues. ***/* The reissues with the rubber stamped cover are interesting for collectors, since CBM rarely used rubber-stamped covers (***).
OTHER RECORDS
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The WCF issue #1 was the source of an album, most likely released in early 1971, with the title on a rubber-stamped cover; the disc had yellow labels derived from the WCF counterfeited IPF label, with the indications LO-1/LO-2. The matrix was LOEB – SIDE 1 / LOEB – SIDE 2, with “LOEB” erased. Two versions exist, one with a black rubber stamp, the other with a purple rubber stamp.
INTEREST. Even though it has no musical interest, this is a very rare record, of high collectible value. ***
Another mono counterfeit of GET BACK TO TORONTO was copied from the CBM release. This version was pressed in 1983 in Europe. It even reproduced the J. Fish cartoon on the red printed back cover and had a blue/yellow printed front cover reproducing the CBM insert, but numbered BS-3519 below the disc logo; the labels are blank, its matrix is 3519 A / 3519 B and there are no pressing rings on the label area.
INTEREST. A useless counterfeit. *
The last known version appeared in Japan in 1986, as part of a series of repressings of old records. This has a deluxe laminated cover and is copied from the original stereo LP on matrix S-2143 1/2YI 830.
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INTEREST. Useless record. *