Question on Please Mr. Postman album - Tamla 228

[woodward]

I was looking on eBay for the Please Mr. Postman album and there are what I consider exorbitant prices and variations on Tamla 228. My question is about the label color of the album. Am I correct in my thinking that the white label was the original label and any album carrying this 228 number with a yellow label was a second pressing after the white labels were sold out? It seems to me that some people want more money for the yellow label vs. the white label which is ridiculous. I know the white label release was mono but the yellow ones for sale do not always indicate mono or stereo.

Any PMP experts that can straighten this out for me? Thank you.

[motownjohnny]

Woodward, you're correct. All the first Tamla album releases from TM-220 "Hi We're The Miracles" to TM-231 The Marvelettes "Playboy" had white labels. Sometimes I've seen these described as being Promo or DJ copies, but this is not so. There were some promo copies issued on these releases, but they had the blue in the disc and globe in the logo replaced by red. So yes the first pressings of "Please Mr Postman" TM-228 all had white labels.

Very briefly, on commercial releases between TM-229 "The Marvelettes Smash Hits/Sing" and TM-233 "The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie", the same Tamla logo style was issued in a solid yellow with the disc and water of the globe in the logo coloured brown. Now it may be because this was a brief transitional logo that some sellers consider it rare, particularly when it appears on later pressings of the very early original white label releases including "Please Mr Postman", hence the higher prices for these.

After Tamla 233 the yellow "two disc" logo was the standard commercial Tamla logo.

At the time they were released [[1961-63) none of these albums were made available in stereo, so any stereo copies you find will all be later pressings.

[phil]

Tamla Album Discography [[1961-1981) :

http://www.bsnpubs.com/motown/tamla/tamla.html

[antceleb12]

Both the white and yellow labels are worth considerable amount of money. My Goldmine catalogue [[albeit a few years outdated) lists PMP as being worth AT LEAST $150. I paid $60 for my copy, and that's considered a steal for it...Although a particularly awful album [[in my opinion) it is highly sought-after by many collectors.

[woodward]

Thanks also to Motown Johnny for confirming my suspicions. And thanks for antecleb for his input. I agree it was not their best album but the reason it highly sought after by many collectors is because of the album art. Same reasoning for Come and Get These Memories as well as the Isley Brothers.

[antceleb12]

Thanks also to Motown Johnny for confirming my suspicions. And thanks for antecleb for his input. I agree it was not their best album but the reason it highly sought after by many collectors is because of the album art. Same reasoning for Come and Get These Memories as well as the Isley Brothers.

Exactly! The cover art is delicious. Half the time that's what makes the record so valuable.