White Album History Mystery? | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

I realise that this issue has possibly been dealt with on numerous occasions not only on this site but on a great deal more on the web. However, the more I research the issue the more confusing it becomes and this, i feel, is mostly down to the amount of conjecture offered up as opposed to sheer hard evidence. Anyway, bear with me and hear me out, Quite possibly, together, we may be able to answer some of those questions I have been trying to find answers to for years?

• To start with, my take on album manufacture and distribution is as follows: –
• In a lot of instances, especially with top selling artists, more than one pressing and printing plants would be used
• That errors could be created and/or corrected at these plants as well as those created at the earlier recording and design stages.
• I assume that the record covers and sleeves would need to be sent out to the various pressing plants where they would be held in storage in readiness for the album to be pressed.
• Once the album and cover have been united, no doubt, these would be boxed up and placed in storage awaiting transportation to the distributers.
• In the case of the the White Album we have significant advance orders (250,000+) which would probably entail a large amount of production and storage over a reasonable period of time.

My point is that because the White Album has a unique serial number on the cover the assumption would be that the associated records match the release indicated by the serial number. However, I would guess that they would probably go to the nearest box of album covers once pressing commenced. Which would mean that the very first records pressed may well get covers with a serial number far and away from the sequential order of the pressings. Obviously there was care taken with the first thousand or so for the the artists/management/promotion etc., but following on it would have been  on a far more abitrary basis. When they changed from top opening to side opening covers are we then certain that every record form the initial 1st pressing got placed into top opening covers or had a recent consignment of side opening covers pushed all the remaining top opening cover to the back of the queue. Do you see what I’m trying to get at. Add this to the amendments to the labels throughout the manufacture of this album and the permutations are considerable.

Now my copy, (although I am almost convinced is 2nd pressing stereo (1969) 3rd pressing including mono) there are some anomalies I would love to find answers to, the details are as follows:-

UK issue, side opening cover.

Serial Number: No 0113443 (this pressing should have a six figure serial number not seven and why are there so many more earlier first pressings with larger serial numbers?)

Matrices/Stampers: 1. Yex709-1 mother 00G further round 5 2. Yex710-1 mother GPT further round 0 3. Yex711-2 mother GLA further round 3 4. Yex712-2 mother GPD further round 3 (Could do with some advice on side one mother. I’m certain that the 00 is numeric not OO?)

Labels: All labels have “An EMI Recording” denoted on one line and have the “Sold in the UK…” statement removed on sides 1,2 & 3, however, shown on side 4. (Why does side 4 label still retain the”Sold in the UK…” statement whislt the other three labels have this statement removed?).

Would love to know if anyone has come across anything siimilar or could clarify some of my above questions.