A vintage Beatles VI promotional display designed to sell the Fab Four’s latest LP in 1965, and also promote their previous releases.

This piece hails from a time when big, splashy merchandising displays were created by the record labels to capture consumers’ attention.

In fact, later in 1965, directly following this Beatles VI display, Capitol would also produce similarly commanding merch pieces for the band’s Help! and Rubber Soul LPs.

But that would be it, for about three years. Going forward, only paper posters were sent to retail for each new Fabs album, until Abbey Road was released in late 1969.

I’ll say one thing: at 23 inches tall by 45 inches wide, this Beatles VI window display was a real attention-grabber. Those are its dimensions when laid flat, like it is in my video (by being framed).

But most stores would use the two side panels to conveniently stand it up without needing hooks, tapes, thumbtacks or anything else.

In fact, those side flaps served a dual function on this Beatles VI store display by touting the group’s five earlier LPs as well: Meet the Beatles, Second Album, Something New, Beatles ’65 and The Early Beatles.

Undoubtedly some department stores, pressed for space, tore off the two side panels and left just the big center section to advertise only the newest release. How unsatisfying that would be for collectors today, to find just the center portion with jagged edges down the right & left sides!

But when the side flaps were intact, this large cardboard Beatles VI counter display shows over fifty Beatle faces! Go ahead, count ’em, I did!

But everyone was not represented equally! John Lennon comes up one short amongst all the faces… we can thank The Beatles’ Second Album for that (minor) inequality.

A reminder that this Beatles VI 3-D display had no easels or hooks on the back. It would stand up on its own when the side panels were brought forward a few inches (they didn’t bend backwards).

Beatles VI is not considered a classic LP in the group’s canon; it was yet another paste-together job by Capitol A&R execs. I’ll say one thing, though… is has to be a candidate for best-looking album-cover photo. I think the great color picture of Paul, Ringo, John and George perfectly captures the fun & innocence of the times, and really makes this piece a beauty.

In 1965, mono was still the leading format in terms of sales, so it’s interesting to see how this Beatles VI standee used the stereo covers of their LPs in its graphics instead of the monos.

When I talked about all the Beatle faces found on this thing, I should’ve also mentioned that it contains FORTY-SIX Beatle song titles as well. Wow! And so many of those songs are so very dear to our hearts.

This Beatles VI standup is joyously showed off and discussed by long-time collector Peter J. Howard of San Luis Obispo, CA. You can reach me thru pete@postercentral.com or by phone at [805] 540-0020. Please know that I would pay the VERY BEST PRICE for one of these (still need it for my collection), as well as any other original Beatles ’60s store display.

And if you’d like to read about these things in much more detail, including all of the Fabs’ promo posters, just click over to this page right here on my Web site: http://www.postercentral.com/goldmine-promoposters.htm