We all have likely daydreamed while thumbing through thrift store stacks or rummaging through rejected records at a neighbor’s yard sale about finding something awesome, like a brand new copy of Patti Smith’s Horses or some other gem that might cost us like $15 bucks at at a local record store. That tingle of anticipation is what makes thrifting so addictive, the treasure hunt, the chance of a huge score, of finding a needle in a haystack.
Bill Daly of DC’s Crooked Beat Records was having an average day until…
“I have to sit down and take this in! I was just going through a bunch of used vinyl I recently bought. I started staring closer at the Beatles’ Yesterday & Today record cover. I said to myself, no way! I noticed it was slightly peeled. I have finally found the highly sought after Butcher album! One of the holy grails of all albums! In all my years I have seen them, but have never found one myself.
A person came in and said they recently came across a bunch of old 1960-’70s records at a yard sale. But people come in and say that to me every day. Most of the time, the records are trashed. Most of the records were trashed this time. But this time I also found a needle in a haystack, though I did not know it when I initially looked at it.”
The original album cover shows The Beatles dressed in smocks and covered with “butchered dolls.” Approximately ONLY TEN sealed examples exist!
This album has everything: historical significance, rarity, controversy, and demand. In fact, a sealed example is the MOST sought after record in record collecting history!
I read a little bit about the history of the record:
“In order to quickly replace the ‘butcher cover,’ the background of the replacement ‘trunk’ photo [pictured below and with Bill above] was airbrushed white, and the printing from the ‘butcher’ version was laid on top of the new graphics. Alternate forms do exist, but these lack the artistic flair that went into creating the earlier ‘trunk’ designs. Although the order had been given to destroy the old covers, it was more cost- and time-efficient to glue the new front cover on top of the rejected ‘butcher’ covers. Doing this saved time, and the new records were on the stands within five days. This is an amazing turn-around time, considering the fact that the mono pasteover is not exactly rare. It appears, though, that the Jacksonville, IL, plant did destroy nearly all of their butchers.”
So basically they pasted the “trunk cover” on top of the “butcher cover” because y’ know, a lot of people don’t dig bloody dismembered baby dolls.
Bill’s got a copy of this rarity in his shop and is likely researching a price for it as you read this. Give a call to 202-483-BEAT for more information.
