Odeon Releases

1963-1969

Odeon Releases (With the Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, Beatles for Sale, Rubber Soul) originally used the same ursprünglich matrix number format that was used in the UK. However, these records were cut at Electrola and did not use UK matrices at all. The matrix number is in the Wide Engraving style.

  • Mono records: XEX <3-digit UK Side no.>-<Cut No.>
    Example: XEX 447-1
  • Stereo records: YEX <3-digit UK Side No.>-<Cut No.>
    Example: YEX 178-2

 

1969-1970

In 1969, Electrola switched their catalog numbering system to the new unified EMI system, with 5-digit title numbers. The complete catalog numbers for EMI Electrola records had the following format, which we call here the long EMI Number:

  • <2-digit Country Code> <3-digit Price Code> <5-digit Title No.>
    Example: 1C 062 04177

This led to a redesign of matrix numbers for new and reissued Beatles records. The new matrix numbers were done in Narrow Engraving style. A new format was devised:

  • <2-digit Country Code><3-digit Price Code>-<5-digit Title No.>-<Side>-<Cut No.>
    Example: 1C062-04115-A-1

These numbers were added to the existing YEX numbers on Odeon releases. The YEX Numbers were either kept, or striken through (A Hard Day’s Night, Rubber Soul).

With the Beatles (Odeon, 1970s)

 

(Late) 1970 – ca. 1979

In the course of the year 1970, Electrola has changed the matrix numbers once again. Now they were stamped next to the labels, in the Stamping at Label style.

The format has changed once more. The matrix no. has been reduced to the 5-digit unified EMI title number, often with a space after the first two digits. This format we’ll call the Short EMI number.

  • <5-digit Title No.> <Side>-<Cut No.>
    Example: 04 115 A-3

Rubber Soul (1972)

Represses of old cuts (With the Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night) kept their old matrices without any additions.

 

1980-1985

Around 1980, the design and format of the matrix numbers has been changed once more. The matrices were stamped in the new style, Neat Deep Stamping, once again in the middle of the deadwax area.The hyphen between the Side indicator and the Cut number has been removed, but there was another one added between the short EMI number and the Side indicator.

Cut numbers have been restarted at 1, discarding all the previous cuts from the 60s and 70s.

  • <5-digit Title no.>-<Side><Cut no.>
    Example: 04181-A1

This format was also used for the most unmarked DMM cuts that were done at Electrola from 1984 on.

With The Beatles (1984, unmarked DMM)

In ca. 1986 the Odeon label has been phased out and replaced by Parlophone.