Intro:
I recently found a fab gear new Beatles shop on the net, called The Beatles Butcher Shop - which has some very unique products for sale. At the Beatles Butcher Shop, you can get shrink-wrapped reproductions of Beatles fantasy albums with alternate covers for: “Introducing The Beatles”, “Meet The Beatles”, “Something New”, “Beatles VI”, “Revolver/Abracadabra”, “Sgt. Pepper”, “Get Back/Let It Be”, “Abbey Road”, “Beatles Again, Hey Jude”. Plus there are “new” titles, such as: “Beatles '68”, and “Up On The Roof”. And, of course, is the “Yesterday and Today-Butcher Cover” – which comes not only as faithful reproductions of the stereo and mono releases, but also alternate photo versions! Finally, there are White Album alternate poster & alternate portraits, various 45 picture sleeves, and various compact discs.

Ever since reading Nicholas Schaffner's BEATLES FOREVER in 1977, I've been fascinated by "alternate/draft" Beatles covers (such as the original "Get Back" cover) and alternate covers used in other countries around the world. My first introduction to reproductions (or in this case counterfeits) came in 1977, when I bought a copy of "Introducing the Beatles". I also got a "Hear the Beatles Tell All" which I knew wasn't original - I was just glad to be able to hear it! I bought my first cover slick in 1978, an actual-sized mini poster of the "Get Back" album - for about $8. Then, at a record convention in Austin, found a Butcher Block cover slick for only $5. I proceeded to paste it on top of a trunk cover, creating a reverse-paste over, ha ha! Flash forward several years - and I was able to find a cover slick of the Beach Boys "Smile" album, for about $45.

Then there are "fantasy" covers, where familiar titles are given different cover graphics. In the '80s I was able to find vinyl bootlegs such as "Return To Abbey Road" and "Sgt. Pepper Foretaste" - both of which had alternate front covers. When I got into photoshop, I loved creating my own Beatles "fantasy" covers and parodies. (I'll link a few of these at the end of this article.)

I recently talked to “Youngman Grand” - the creator of the Beatles Butcher Block website and asked him about this fascinating project!

EC: For a 2nd-generation Beatles fan like myself, I'm happy finding reproductions and was glad to find your site. It's a great place for fans like myself that are perfectly happy with reproductions and don't feel the need to spend an arm and leg on the originals! Did you see a demand for "affordable" reproductions? Tell me how the Beatles Butcher Shop came about?

Youngman Grand: I’ve always been fascinated by not only the Beatles music, but their iconic LP cover art as well. My first encounter with the butcher image was that poster put out in the early seventies; “Another Day.” The picture was fine, except for George’s face which ironically looked as if it had been butchered. Disappointed by not being able to view a clean version of the cover, I eventually settled on an original butcher for what was a large sum of money for the time; $200. It was in so-so shape, as it had been unprofessionally peeled and other condition issues. However, it was the first time I was able to see the image largely intact. I really wanted one in as close to mint condition as I could find, but the prices were prohibitive on my limited budget. Years later, I settled on obtaining one of the Japanese reproductions, but the prices on those (via my connections) were about the same for what I paid for my authentic one in the seventies. Around the same time, a mock printer’s proof of an uncropped and very clean stereo butcher became available, but again at an exorbitant price.

Since that time, I’ve watched the price of reproductions skyrocket to the point of being crazy. I figured there were folks out there that wanted a butcher cover, but realistically had no way of affording a reproduction, let alone a real one. With the advent of desktop publishing, I felt it was possible to create affordable reproduction butcher covers. That idea grew into alternate versions of the butcher as outtakes from the photo session became available. That in turn led to the creation of other alternate covers such as the Sgt. Pepper and the recreation of some of the rejected artwork such as Beatles Again.

EC: On one message board I saw a negative comment about your site, that your covers are "just another counterfeit to muddy the originals...you and I know they are fake, but in a few years these repos will be in the common stream of Beatles collectables - unsuspecting collectors may be duped by these". I imagine that they might fool the less-knowledgeable Beatle fans. But then again, I knew how to spot a real Butcher cover at the age of 13. With that said, I'm honestly glad that they don't have a warning printing of "reproduction" on the cover. It is simply not needed - any more than "parental warning" labels!

How do you respond to this?

Youngman Grand: I suppose non-seasoned collectors may be fooled and I’ve seen both the Japanese versions and mine being represented as originals. I don’t really like it that people try to pass them off in that manner, but I think the vast majority of folks would know the difference. If one is going to be plopping down a sizeable amount of money for any collectible, they really need to do their homework, regardless of what they collect. While I try to be as faithful as possible to the original design and construction, they seem fairly obvious to be reproductions and I never represent them as original.

EC: Above all, your basic M.O. seems to be "fantasy art", am I correct?

Youngman Grand: Absolutely!

EC: Also, I like that you can now obtain full-size, sealed reproductions of the Butcher Cover and Hey Jude, especially ones I've only seen in books (like the "Hey Jude" prototypes). It seems your emphasis is on accuracy (in the assembly) and quality. Is that your major concern?

Youngman Grand: Yes, I want to get them as right as possible. I always frustrated by seeing fuzzy black and white images of say the Hey Jude prototypes and just for my own curiosity wanted to how they looked as a full size mock-up. Construction wise the Abbey Road LP did not utilize the slick method and was printed directly on the actual cover. Given my limited resources, I do my Abbey Road’s the old fashioned way; slicks glued onto the cardboard jacket.

EC: I was impressed by the print quality of the covers. Do you have a graphics background? What type of printing format do you use?

Youngman Grand: I have a limited graphics background. I worked for a while airbrushing the 6’x6’ album graphics that hung outside Tower Records at the Sunset Blvd. location and the San Francisco store. All the digital work I’ve done is self taught. My day job is completely different from my Beatle hobby and is in no way related. I simply use a high end Epson printer using archival inks.

EC: What about the texture that the original Butcher cover had? Why the decision to go with a slick cover?

Youngman Grand: No more a matter of availability, I simply haven’t been able to find an ink jet paper close to what was used by Capitol for the butcher.

EC: Your covers seem to fit two categories: 1. Familiar album titles of the Beatles with alternate covers, and 2. Fantasy pieces, like the "Beatles '68" cover - which shows what a White Album could have looked like if it were a single album. Now this has been a fans debate forever - what songs would you pick for a single album? How did you pick your titles for "Beatles '68"?

Youngman Grand: I just chose my favorites at the time, but you know with that album my preferences vacillate depending on my mood. So I suppose it was arbitrary to some degree.

EC: For alternate covers, it seems that there are many more possibilities - albums such as: "Beatles Second album", "A Hard Day's Night", "Beatles '65", "Help!", "Rubber Soul", "Early Beatles", "The Savage Young Beatles", "Magical Mystery Tour", and "Yellow Submarine". I think the only ones I haven't seen are alternate photos from the "Rubber Soul" sessions. Do you just search out alternate photos from the photo sessions?

Youngman Grand: Oh yes! I’m always looking for new photos, especially those used for album graphics. I’m always amazed by some of the outtakes that out there and often wonder why certain ones have been widely circulated, while others (but just as interesting) not so much.

EC: Are you familiar with either of Christoph Maus's books, BEATLES WORLDWIDE & BEATLES WORLDWIDE II? They are pictorial anthologies of all the Beatles releases around the world on album, 45's and E.P.'s. And there are TONS of alternate graphics on these - seems like it would be a great source of inspiration for new titles?

Youngman Grand: Yes, I’ve seen those volumes and have indeed been inspired by the wealth of ideas!

EC: Before I ask the next question, first may I give you a few album cover ideas:

• “Off The Beatles Track" (one of the original titles for their first album - there is even a sketch of Paul's idea for this cover.)
• “Introducing The Beatles” (With the photo reversed to the correct side)
• “The Beatles Vs. The Rolling Stones” (or insert any band’s name!)
• “The 1964 “Hollywood Bowl” concert
• “Beatles On Safari”
• “A Doll's House”
• “Everest”
• “The Beatles Story '68” (can be done as an Apple promo tie-in with their new Apple company)
• “Rock and Roll Music” (since everybody seemed to hate the original cover of this 1976 release!)

Note: The Beatles Butcher Shop inspired another one of this month's Beatles articles - To see some of the titles above that were created by me click here

Ha ha, now I'll ask...any new projects on the horizon?

Youngman Grand: Yes, for about two-years I’ve been slowly working on a ‘60’s era Hollywood Bowl LP. I know of the one in Bruce Spizer’s book; however, it’s a bit too close to Something New in design for my taste. I really want to capture the era and how Capitol’s LPs looked as art directed by Roy Kohara and would like to incorporate some type of era appropriate illustration for a portion of the back cover. It’s kind of a back burner project, but it is coming closer to realization. Also, would it have been a single or a double is released in the 1960’s? With regard to the original Rock and Roll Music graphics, it was fairly awful; however, when they split it into two volumes, I liked the artwork they used for the front covers. The all time worst design in my opinion was the Reel Music compilation. The illustration was atrocious!

EC: Do you do any "custom" work album covers? For example, if someone has an idea for a Beatles-related cover (and has the graphics) can you do it?

Youngman Grand: Actually, some titles would lend themselves nicely to custom work such as: Beatles VI or Something New where a new picture can simply be dropped in quite easily. If it was for a completely new title that I could reuse, such as for the Beach Boys Smile LP, then it would be worth doing, especially if most of the original artwork is available and just needs to be cleaned up. Other titles, such a one off and/or a redesign of say Get Back or Hey Jude, etc., would be cost prohibitive in terms of creation time, depending on the complexity of course. A good example of this would be the Hollywood Bowl LP that has been taken several years to get right and I'm still not there.

EC: In addition to album recreations, you also have available: White Album alternate poster & alternate portraits, various 45 picture sleeves, and Rockband compact discs. Are there any plans to have more CD's?

Youngman Grand: Yes, I’ve just added some CDs to the site, as well as some printer’s proofs based on actual ones that I’ve seen and/or have shown up at auctions (e.g. Get Back cover with annotations and the “Quotations” butcher with the quotations circled with the word “out next to each, etc.).

EC: Since you can accurately reproduce albums of the '60s, I have a perfect project for you. It is the unreleased Beach Boys Smile album from 1967 (Supposedly SMiLE is to be released sometime in 2011). Although Capitol printed up thousands of covers, they destroyed them when the album was cancelled. A few years ago, I was able to purchase a "cover slick" of the front of the album (for about $45 if I remember correct). But that site is no more, and there is no place you can get the slicks anymore. I'm sure there would be a huge demand for a reproduction of the mythic Smile album. Do you only deal in Beatles? Or would the Smile album be a possibility?

Youngman Grand: You know, I’ve had so many requests for that title, but I know next to nothing about the Beach Boys. I would definitely do one, but I just need some good source material and knowledgeable guidance!

Note: Youngman Grand is currently working on a SMiLE album cover recreation. If all goes well, these will be available on their website!