Hey Jude/ Revolution

Now, here's a real find! This is only the second copy of "Hey Jude" I've ever had in the store with audio so fine I could grade it Mint... a real treat! It's "Revolution" that gets Dave Marsh's top respect at #656 on his list of the 1001 greatest singles ever made, though "Jude" is at #8 on Rolling Stone magazine's list. Quite a bargain! Importantly, Marsh singles out this version of "Revolution" over those on the "White album," and rightly so. Not only is the message somewhat different on this 3:22 track, but the attack on the 45 version is as ferocious as The Beatles ever got — that fuzz guitar simply powers the entire room when it starts up, whereas on the longer, slower LP version ("Revolution 1", 4:16), the guitar arrives late and has a more typical Beatlesque (perfect, but nothing Nasty about it) tone. So this re-recording is a previously unreleased, non-LP cut. This copy is from the second run of the first pressing, showing production credits on the A side and "Mfd. by Apple" on the B side.

FYI, there are eleven variations on this 1968 Apple single—four separate releases that year, including three runs of the first pressing. Note: This gorgeous Mint copy comes in a vintage "Beatles on Apple" factory sleeve. The only notable flaw is a tiny bit of storage wear visible on the B label.