See also the linked:

Capitol – part one
Capitol – part two

Paul M. Pelletier’s “British Capitol 45 rpm records” was an invaluable source here, listing every Capitol release with month of issue and chart position where appropriate. Discogs lists over 104,000 Capitol releases in various formats from various countries. The British Capitol 45 rpm Records book brought edited sense to the vast array of possibles.

Decca-distributed 45s:

Decca produced and distributed Capitol December 1953. The first disc was Stan Freberg Dinky Pinky, catalogue number 14000.

The last was Yvonne de Carlo, Take It Or Leave It in November 1955, catalogue number 14380.

Muskrat Ramble: Woody Herman & His Orchestra, 45-CL 14183, November 1954
The Lady in Red: Stan Kenton & His Orchestra, 45-CL 14191, November 1954

Sleepy Serenade: Woody Herman February 1955… triangle centre, Decca, small centre hole 45-CL14231
Barracuda / The Popcorn Song: Cliffie Stone September 1955 Decca brighter triangle centre 45-CL 14330

Sleeves are difficult to date. Note how colours shift, which is printing not fading … the November 1954 sleeves are exactly the same. All four above are near mint from a box full at £2 each. I wish I’d bought more … seventy years old and they sound brand new. The Capitol sleeve Decca used (purple) never mentioned the distributor and was carried over without change to EMI.

I Get So Lonely: The Four Knights March 1954 Decca distributed CL-45 14076
Woodchopper’s Mambo: Woody Herman & His Orchestra November 1954 45-CL 14183 B-side

Decca used 3-prong push-out centres. EMI used 4-prong. Both sides are identical. The green labels are ‘CL-45 …’ The purple are ’45-CL …’ 

These are Capitol EP centres (EPs were green) … Decca and EMI both on the same EP, EAP-439:

EMI distributed

Sixteen Tons / You Don’t Have To Be A Baby To Cry: Tennessee Ernie Ford, 45-CL14500, January 1956

EMI started manufacturing and distributing, with the first releases in January 1956. They started the catalogue numbers at 14500, which was Sixteen Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford. The pink sleeve was designed to launch EMI. Which is the A-side? Usually the address is rear, and logo front, but the horizontal box for the store to number the disc is on the address side.

The issue of sleeve dating is shown by Sixteen Tons (CL14500), the first EMI release in January 1956, here in a numbered pink sleeve. Sixteen Tons was #1 and in the chart for three months, so was pressed many times. This is a sixth pressing copy.

Apparently, they used up old stock of purple sleeves in the first few months. They used up Decca EP sleeves and over-stickered EMI on the rear. They had been holding back material, and released 22 discs in the first EMI month. The Les Paul & Mary Ford was in a numbered purple sleeve and is #CL14521. I note it has a dull purple centre that seems to match the duller sleeve. Discs in pink sleeves have brighter labels.

When I Fall in Love: Nat King Cole April 1957  pink sleeve (unfaded, numbered), larger hole, #14709
Bye Bye Baby: Johnny Otis Show, US release 1957 # 14817, UK, January 1958. Numbered, labelled,  smaller hole. (Look at RECORD on the Capitol tower).

There’s a small hole and large hole version of EMI’s first pink sleeve and you assume the small hole is earlier. However, this is a ‘doubly numbered’ copy of Bye Bye Baby from January 1958, two years in from the EMI launch and it has a small hole sleeve. The write-in boxes have shifted too.

Big Man: The Four Preps  May 1958 #14873
Fever: Peggy Lee July 1958 #14902

Green sleeves

The transition from pink “Capitol tower” to green “skyline” sleeves happened in late 1958. We have a numbered-sleeve copy of Big Man by The Four Preps (July 1958 first release) in pink.

We have a numbered-sleeve copy of Bend A Little My Way by Nat King Cole, #14937, in a green sleeve. The green sleeve arrived inside a dated card sleeve: 15 November 1958, which was the Saturday after release.

Tom Dooley: The Kingston Trio. Green sleeve, darker purple centre November 1958 faded side numbered #14951
Mean Mean Man: Wanda Jackson January 1961 45 CL- 15176 sleeve reverse with EMI address

The green sleeve lasted right through to 1962. There was considerable colour variation. Not just fading, but printing. The Wanda Jackson and the Gene Vincent in duller sleeves came out the same month. The centre label varies too.

Jezebel: Gene Vincent 45-CL15179 January 1961
If A Man Answers: Bobby Darin 45-CL15272 October 1962

Black sleeves

Don’t Be Cruel: The Jordanaires Jan. 1963 Purple centre persists in black sleeve #15281
I Get Around: The Beach Boys 1964 #15350. Rear of first black sleeve

Be Bop A Lula: Gene Vincent June 1956 EMI purple centre #14599
When I Grow Up (To Be A Man): The Beach Boys October 1964, late purple centre #15361

The purple Capitol centre lasted eight years and persisted when EMI made the overall change to plain sleeves, assigning Capitol plain black. The EMI centre designs on EPs changed at the same time, but not the Capitol ones. It was late 1964 before Capitol introduced the uniform black EMI centre, and even then they did not use the large “45” logo.

single logo

California Girls: The Beach Boys 1965 Single logo, standard EMI black centre 15409 same rear sleeve; black is duller
The Little Girl I Once Knew: The Beach Boys 1965 #15425  seen in one logo & two logo sleeves

Casket Vignette: Bobbie Gentry 1968 Black push-out centre #15595
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy: Cannonball Adderley 1966, in “Discotheque 1967” series #15489, closed centre

Black sleeves move through four different designs. The sequence is clear, but the transition between them is hard to pin down. The only hits were The Beach Boys, and their discs stayed available for many months or years. Accredited copies of California Girls turn up in at least three of them. Also, it’s hard to write on black and fewer numbered ones than usual are around.

Like most EMI sleeves, they moved to a double logo: Capitol and EMI.

double horizontal label

Good Vibrations : The Beach Boys:1966 Non push-out centre, Capitol logo on black+ EMI label 15475 6/-  to 50/- record token advert on rear
Kiss Me Baby: The Beach Boys (B-side of Help Me Rhonda). 1965. #15392 Rear of double logo, Capitol on black sleeve

vertical double label with advert

HMV, Parlophone and Columbia all started putting on rear adverts. They were female oriented. Older middle of the road artists got hair driers and spin driers, artists with teen appeal got cosmetics adverts. I’ve only seen spin driers on Capitol (who had no teen idols). The fact that here it’s on a female singer’s record is probably sexist but significant.

Ode to Billy Joe : Bobbie Gentry: 1967 #15511, like later Columbia / Parlophone with lots of words+ spin dryer ad on reverse. Tokens from 6/-. Rare.
Mississippi Delta: Bobbie Gentry (B side). Capitol 1967 spin drier, but price is now “under £25” (other EMI labels are 21 ½ gns)

double horizontal label on white

Ode to Billy Joe : Bobbie Gentry: 1967. Closed centre disc. Capital logo on white + EMI label #15511
Heroes and Villains: The Beach Boys 1967.  #15510.  7/3d to 50/- record token advert reverse of Capitol logo on white sleeve

Plain pink sleeves
The plain sleeve switched to deep pink from 1968 to 1969, deliberately reminiscent of the late 50s  deep  pink shade. There are at least three versions of the album adverts on the reverse, meaning they were updated more quickly than other EMI rear sleeves.

The Weight / I Shall Be Released: The Band, CL 15559, September 1968

As noted in ‘Part Two’ the first “LP rear sleeve” shows Capitol’s conservative choice … Matt Monro, Nat King Cole, Al Martino, Lou Rawls, Nancy Wilson. Plus The Beach Boys and Bobbie Gentry.

July You’re A Woman: John Stewart April 1969 closed centre#15589 straight top
Shackles & Chains: John Stewart B-side #15589 with second set of LP adverts

The second set of adverts are only marginally different.

Rag Mama Rag: The Band, February 1970 fuschia sleeve, closed centre #15629 wavy top, same rear as CL 15615
Hava Nagila: Glen Campbell, October 1969 B-side of CL 15615 with third set of Capitol LPs advertised

The third set are deep back catalogue and are all “Best of ” compilations … Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Best of Country, Gene Vincent, Beach Boys Vol 3.

Back to black

In Spring 1970 the centre labels got a bright makeover, and the sleeves became black with a small top left logo. These changeovers are never instant, and Rag Mama Rag by The Band exists with both black and red centres which dates the change between the release in February 1970 and their chart run from April to June 1970. You can find original copies which are black centre / pink sleeve, and red centre / black sleeve. There’s also an accredited copy with (old) black centre and (new) black sleeve.

Rag Mama Rag: The Band 1970. Two versions in new black sleeve

Time to Kill: The Band, October 1970 brighter early version of red, orange centre. Sleeve with logo top right, 1970-1973 #15659
The Moon Struck One: The Band (B-side of Life is A Carnival) October 1971. Rear of sleeve with LP adverts 1970-73. Orange is lighter. #15700

Once they’d decided to have rock albums on the back, they stuck with one rear design. Two x The Band, two x The Beach Boys, Quicksilver, Steve Miller, Glen Campbell.

Life Is A Carnival: The Band 1971, lighter orange #15700, EMI at top
Ain’t Got No Home: The Band 1973. No writing at top. Push-out centre. #15767

Closed centre discs are what turns up most often. The circles design works particularly well with push-out centre pressings:

Go All The Way: Raspberries August 1972, open centre CL 15730
I Wanna Be With You: Raspberries January 1973 CL15740

Wouldn’t It Be Nice: The Beach Boys 1972 reissue (plus two). Amazing Maxi-Classics. CMS1. Custom sleeve for The Beach Boys reissues
Barbara Ann: The Beach Boys 1972 reissue (plus two) CMS 2. rear of sleeve

Footstompin’ Music: Grand Funk Railroad 1971. Custom centre.
Walk Like A Man: Grand Funk Railroad. 1973. Custom centre.

White sleeves

From 1973, inexplicably for a major EMI label, Capitol changed the centre to red with a large beige / gold logo bleeding off at the bottom, but went for white sleeves. This is especially odd, as there was an existing US sleeve designed to fit this same centre design very well, and by that point EMI were distributing a dozen labels with various sleeves. Other labels used plain sleeves, but not EMI.

Rhinestone Cowboy: Glen Campbell 1975. Changed centre design, 1973 on. Most (if not all) sold in white sleeves to 77. #15824
Don’t You Care Anymore: Jodi Mathis 1971 track released in 1975, Capitol Soul  #15827

Southern Nights: Glen Campbell, February 1977 CL 15907
A Little Bit More: Dr Hook May 1976 CL 15871

If you get really arcane, original white sleeves are thin and you can see the outline of the disc. The Glen Campbell is genuine (my copy). I believe the Dr Hook is a generic replacement plain sleeve and the hole is smaller!

Overnight Sensation (Hit record): Raspberries  1974 #15860
This Will Be: Natalie Cole 1975 Capitol Soul logo top left #15834

Love On Delivery: The Reflections  January 1976 # 15842 demo
Hot Line: The Sylvers 1976 Capitol Soul logo. 1976 is a more muted colour

Capitol tower revisited

In 1977, a design was introduced with black centres, and then plain red centre and a sleeve illustrating the Capitol Tower again. The centres often had A marking. This does not indicate demos.

Both these black centre discs are reissues.

Different Drum: Linda Ronstadt, July 1977 CL15833 reissue of 1967 track
Say Mama: Gene Vincent February 1977 reissue of 1958. Supposedly also in p/s. Not seen it. Sleeve reverse

Mull of Kintyre: Wings 1977. Black version of then current red centre.
Hollywood Nights: Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band 1978. Picture sleeve

More Than A Woman:  Tavares April 1978. CL 15977
California Girls: The Beach Boys reissue June 1978. CL 15991. Reverse of sleeve

Don’t You Write Her Off: McGuinn, Clark & Hillman 1979 demo
Angel of The Morning: Juice Newton 1981 Major artists often have logos at the top

Tower

The Tower label had been used in the USA (with no mention of Capitol) since 1964, partly for British invasion artists from other EMI labels. Freddie & The Dreamers I’m Telling You Now was a US #1 on Tower.  Tom Jones’ rare Joe Meek recordings from 1963 were Columbia in Britain, but then reissued by Tower (rather than Capitol) in the USA in 1965 to capitalise on his success with It’s Not Unusual.  Tower was also Pink Floyd’s initial American label.

The soul imprint Tower had a plainer blue and red sleeve soon afterwards. Though Capitol had killed the Tower label in 1970, it was revived as a sub-imprint for (mainly) soul.

Prance On: Eddie Henderson, October 1978  CL 16015. Tower logo on centre label
Hibby: Eddie Henderson August 1979, CL 16099, B-side of Runnin’ To Your Love, sleeve reverse

Just Can’t Give You Up / Burned to Learn: Mystic Merlin, March 1980 CL 16133

Mystic Merlin is Classic dance / funk. Tower sleeves, but no Tower logo on disc. Boogie Oogie Woogie by Taste of Honey usually comes in Tower sleeves, but with no Tower logo on the centre.

It was also used for any 12″ record, and odd discs turn up in Tower sleeves (at least two later Glen Campbell, but both are demos)which suggests they are inconsistent, or used the first sleeve to hand. Sexy Eyes was probably selling into clubs, hence the 12″ version and the card Tower sleeve.

Grey checked

You Needed Me: Anne Murray. CL 16011 1978 disc in the 1983 Capitol UK sleeve.
Tonight I Celebrate My Love: Peabo Bryson / Roberta Flack, CL 302, 1983

The grey checked sleeve is a puzzle. It has a tiny 1983 date on it, but at least five have turned up on the same Anne Murray singles. You Needed Me was a #22 hit in December 1978. They must be reissues or did Capitol dump unsold stock in new sleeves? They’re always pristine. Discogs does not list a reissue.

Tonight I Celebrate My Love has a new catalogue sequence. It was a #2 UK hit.

Late 80s
By this point, picture sleeves were the default. As they ran out, which they did, Capitol used plain black sleeves (as did other labels).

Turning of The Tide: Richard Thompson 1988 CL 516
The Best: Tina Turner 1989 CLS 543

Picture sleeves selection

Helen Reddy got a picture sleeve in 1972. My copy isn’t a promo but most are:

From 1980, picture sleeves were the default. There are earlier ones.

Listen To What The Man Said: Wings R6006, 1975
Mull of Kintyre: Wings, R6018 November 1977

McCartney liked to have a Capitol label, but hang on, those are NOT Capitol catalogue numbers.

Love On The Rocks: Neil Diamond 1980
Heartbeat: Sammy Hagar 1980 double A side

Love On The Rocks: Neil Diamond 1980CL 16173 custom centre
Help: Tina Turner 1984. Oversize paper label (bigger than die cut holes) p/s US imported into UK and on wide sale (revives old  LP design)

What’s Love Got To Do With it? (p/s): Tina Turner 1984
Eaten Alive: Diana Ross 1985

Every Rose Has Its Thorn: Poison 1989
Pray: M.C. Hammer 1990

Alone: Heart Capitol 1987 Silver moulded injection centre p/s
Tell Him I Called: Sequal 1989, Stock-Aitken-Waterman production white centre p/s

Fallen Angel: Poison CL 500 1988
Pray: M.C. Hammer CL 599 1990

1990 on retro rules

King of Love: Dave Edmunds 1990. 10” single, Plays at 45 on one side, 78 rpm on the other. Muted colours on 78 rpm side.

Universal Music Group

A retro card sleeve for Capitol post-EMI:

The Right Time: Brian Wilson with Al Jardine & David Marks 4721189 in 2015 card sleeve (post EMI)
Sail Away: Brian Wilson with Blondie Chaplin & Al Jardine 2015, B-side

When we get to 21st century box sets, the included 45 single is ‘universal’ large hole so they don’t need to do separate US / Europe / UK editions.

The Weight / I Shall Be Released: The Band, 50^th Anniversary box set reproduction 45 of original US release #2269, 2018

Rag Mama Rag / The Unfaithful Servant: The Band 50^th Anniversary box set reproduction 45 of original US release #2705, 2019

International sleeves

Canadian sleeves, 1954 ‘OC’ = Optional centre, i.e. push-out

This is not comprehensive. It’s a random selection of what’s turned up in the UK from time to time. Because I often visited shops and record fairs in Southampton, there were a lot of South African, Australian, New Zealand and Hong Kong discs that were brought back on cruise ships. I was told that crew used to buy a box full of tax-free hit singles and bring them back to sell in pubs. This was the story of why so many US R&B / early soul singles turned up in Liverpool, on the American route too.

Records also got imported from the USA as demos to see if there was enough interest for a UK release. Then specialist shops would import a box of copies of specialist material knowing they wouldn’t be released in the UK.

The next sleeve went to various countries, but not to the UK. It is fascinating in that it has a similar theme to the EMI ‘dancing sleeves’ but is earlier in its first version.

Don’cha Hear Them Bells: Les Paul & Mary Ford, USA 1953. Repress … sleeve 1955 on
Witchcraft: Frank Sinatra 1958, New Zealand copy

Australia introduced transparent plastic sleeves.

McDonald’s Cave: The Piltdown Men, 1960, Australian copy in plastic sleeve
Brontsaurus Stomp: The Piltdown Men 1960 B-side, EMI-Australia

These are South African sleeves … they turned up on the wrong, unrelated British discs. The red one has Capitol Soul top left, and advertises the EMI Brigadiers series which could be heard on ‘Springbok Radio,’

American circles sleeves

The circles design was also used in the USA, and the American sleeves continued the design theme.

Hello Goodbye / I Am The walrus: The Beatles, #2056 Capitol USA, December 1967

The second version had more circles:

Time To Kill / The Shape I’m In: The Band 1970. US demo copy P-2870 in US sleeve, both sides

The USA went on to a third version of the circles sleeve, which matched the centre labels above, but then they changed the centre labels.

Ain’t Got No Home: The Band 1973. US import copy. Matches the previous UK centre. Centre  from 1972 in USA
Third Man Theme: The Band 1973, reverse of US sleeve

More …

Little Mama / Surrender To Me: McGuinn, Clark & Hillman 1979, US import copy

US import copies of John Lennon’s Imagine turn up in quantity too. It was issued on Apple in 1975, and again in 1980 after his murder, when it went to #1. It was issued again with Parlophone labels in 1988 and 1999. These Capitol imports are August 1981 and have official import stickers. Were they short of copies?

Capitol demos: Another Worthwhile Spin

Unlike any other EMI label, Capitol issued their own demo discs in picture sleeves with information for the DJ … rush copies in the late 1950s. They’re the best-presented demos of all.

Choo Choo Cha Cha: The Rinky Dinks, March 1959 45-CL 14999
The Tijuana Jail: The Kingston Trio March 1959 45-CL 15002

Black sleeve with logo

These are standard EMI designs … white label, large red A

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy: Cannonball Adderley 1967 demo, CL 14489 Discotheque 67 series 3 February 1967
Games: Cannonball Adderley 1967 demo, Discotheque 67 series Reverse / B-side … a seven minute long one too.

Why? (Am I Treated So Bad): Cannonball Adderley 5 May 1967 CL 15500 demo Soul Supply series
We’ll Be Together Again: Ketty Lester, 10 June 1966  CL 15447 demo

Plain black sleeve demos

Life Is A Carnival: The Band October 1971 dated promo copy
Don’t Do It: The Band November 1972 promo – a US copy sent to UK DJs, noting the UK catalogue number on the sleeve and with “A” handwritten on.

US demos turn up in the UK, especially when the record wasn’t likely to be issued:

Who Was it? Hurricane Smith 1972, US demo. Star is A side marker. EMI-Columbia UK original
Take Suki Home: Hurricane Smith, 1972 US demo B-side. No star.

New Orleans Ladies / Love Abductor: Louisiana’s Le Roux, August 1978, CL 16003 demo copy

Never Had A Love Like This Before: Tavares, November 1978, CL 16032 factory sample sticker (Tower logo is below), sleeve reverse

Starline / Super Oldies

Starline was a reissue / mid-price label which was used on LPs only in Britain, but on LPs and singles in the USA. Copies came into the UK in the early 80s “jukebox era” of double-sided reissues, and the Super Oldies series is quite common in British secondhand stores in various designs. At that point, as CD first appeared, US oldies 45 singles were around in large numbers.

A World Without Love: Peter & Gordon Capitol Starline reissue, US import
Surfer Girl: The Beach Boys Capitol Starline reissue, US import. Later logo on centre

Spanish Eyes: Al Martino Capitol Starline Reissue, US import
Money: Pink Floyd, US import in Super Oldies Starline series, front

Angie Baby / Emotion: Helen Reddy, official US import stamp
From A Jack To A King: Ned Miller, official US import in Super Oldies Starline series

Peter & Gordon and Pink Floyd are UK EMI artists, who like The Beatles, were Capitol in the USA. Some are unexpected … Ned Miller’s 1963 From A Jack To A King wasn’t on Capitol, and dates from 1963, not ‘March 1966’ as it says on the record. 

The Weight: The Band, Starline Oldies import, circles centre
Sloop John B: The Beach Boys Capitol Starline reissue, US import, later sleeve