Volume II


Paperback Writer ad
THE FIRST PUBLISHED
APPEARANCE OF THE
BUTCHER COVER PHOTO
(JUNE 3, 1966)

New Musical Express newspaper, page 2, June 3, 1966 cover date - This is the first public appearance of the infamous Butcher cover photo, printed in England during the last week of May, 1966. The photo was included in an ad by EMI announcing the release of the single Paperback Writer / Rain to be released on June 10, 1966.

This ad was out on June 1st, well BEFORE Capitol shipped the advance copies of the first state "Yesterday"...and Today LPs in The U.S.! The photo EMI used was the same as the Butcher cover LP photo, and was printed in black & white.

This same ad was also published in DISC and MUSIC ECHO the next day, June 4 cover date, making it the second published appearance of the Butcher photo.

THE THIRD PUBLISHED APPEARANCE OF THE BUTCHER COVER PHOTO
(JUNE 11, 1966)

The third printed appearance of a Butcher photo, and the first in color, was its use by DISC and MUSIC ECHO newspaper (publisher - Ray Coleman) in their June 11th issue - as a cover story. They incorrectly promoted the fact that this was the (worldwide) exclusive FIRST ever appearance of the Butcher cover photo (although it would qualify as the first appearance in color, and the first alternate photo published).

What is baffling is why DISC and MUSIC ECHO was provided with an alternate Butcher session photo, as compared to the EMI ad and Capitol album (which was already being printed at the time) - and how they came across it. This raises a couple of questions - why would EMI have used the standard photo for their own ad, yet provide a totally different photo for DISC to use for their cover story? And, did Capitol look at several different poses to choose which one they wanted to use for the LP cover or did EMI supply just the negative for the one that was used?

The 1970s bootleg EP Top of the Pops used the same Butcher cover photo from the DISC and MUSIC ECHO cover. Both had the photo reversed! It has not been printed anywhere since.

Both of the above public printings of the Butcher cover photos caused hardly a stir in England, yet in the U.S. it was just a couple days after the advance copies of the album were mailed out that the controversy erupted.

EMI and/or Capitol used the butcher shot only two more times - by Capitol in 1980 for the inside jacket of the U.S. Rarities album, and in 1986 by EMI for their U.K. 20th anniversary singles picture disc series reissue of Paperback Writer / Rain.


DISC and Music Echo newspaper DISC and Music Echo newspaper

Disc and Music Echo Magazine June 11,1966 issue with reveresed image. At right, correct image.


Here's the interesting text that accompanied the cover article:

BEATLES: WHAT A CARVE-UP!

BEATLES WEEK! There back with a single, Paperback Writer and Rain, out tomorrow (Friday).

BUT WHAT'S THIS? The Beatles as butchers draped with raw meat! Disc and Music Echo's world exclusive colour picture by Bob Whitaker is the most controversial shot ever of John, Paul, George and Ringo.

THE PLACE: A private studio in Chelsea, London. Whitaker is taking some new pictures of the Beatles, and decides that a new approach is needed.
"I wanted to do a real experiment - people will jump to wrong conclusions about it being sick," says Whitaker. "But the whole thing is based on simplicity - linking four very real people with something real." "I got George to knock some nails into John's head, and took some sausages along to get some other pictures, dressed them up in white smocks as butchers, and this is the result - the use of the camera as a means of creating situations."

PAUL'S comment after the session: "Very tasty meat!"

GEORGE: "We won't come to any more of your sick picture sessions"

JOHN: "Oh, we don't mind doing anything"

RINGO: "We haven't done pictures like THIS before..."



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