Abbey Road (1969)

Apple AP-8815, Japan, 1969 The first Japanese pressing gives itself away by what is missing: "Her Majesty" is not printed on side B's label. It came with a shaped obi, an English lyric insert and a plain black paper inner sleeve, with ¥2,000 printed on the obi and back cover. Red vinyl copies exist too: the earliest also leave "Her Majesty" off the label, while a later red pressing adds it and carries a gourd-shaped obi. The red wax is the copy that photographs well, but the label text, the vinyl color and the obi shape together tell you which pressing you are actually holding.