So now what? How do you begin what looks like a hopeless journey if you a a beginning Beatle collector with little expendable cash? Can it even be done??

Begin by asking yourself why you want to collect. Go to any "Beatlefest" type of event and you will see just how far you can take this hobby. These guys have EVERYTHING! Old buttons, magazines, promo discs from other countries, Beatle lunchboxes, Beatle wigs, Beatle ticket stubs..... if you can imagine it, you will find it - at a price!

For some who grew up with The Beatles, collecting is a way to keep a part of the past that was very special to them. These people collect the genuine article, the oldies but horribly expensive originals. Then there are what I can the "Elvis" sort of collectors. These fans collect the Ringo dinner plates and wear the Beatle clothes. And there are the music fans, the ones that want all the bootlegs they can get their hands on. I've seen grown men grab at hundred dollar imports of songs they already have just because it's a different cover or label.

But don't fret if you do not have as much expendable cash as, say, Sir Paul. My advice to those of you just starting to collect is the same advice I was given by a wine connesieur - If you can't afford a $65 bottle of wine, then buy a $10 bottle with potential and wait . . and wait . .and wait. It just might be worth $65 someday! But don't collect just because you think it might be worth something. A lot of Beatle items are and have been so massed produced that their value may take decades to increase. Instead, get the stuff you WANT and avoid the stuff you think you should buy just because it might go up in value. You'll have more fun, and it will be easier to justify to your significant other if you actually LIKE the stuff you've collected.

Here's the good news: Anthology has opened up the floodgates of new collectibles that are much more reasonably priced than yesteryears goods. Here's a few ideas that can help you get going without causing concern from loved ones that you have gone "over the edge".

Anthology Flats

How would you like a 12" X 36" poster of all three Anthology covers? (In case you didn't know, the three covers line up to make one picture. Try it!) How much would you pay for this frame-able art that just could be worth something someday? $15? $20? How about free (or near free)??

Fab and Inexpensive!
Collect All 3 Flats!

A "flat" is a 12" X 12" piece of cardboard that looks like the cover of a vinyl album. They are often used in store displays, are quite plentiful, and best yet, free - if you know how and where to get them. First, go to your favorite record store and look at the walls to see if they display flats. Then, as nicely as you can, ask to meet the person who does the displays and ask if they have any Beatle Anthology flats. If they do, they are usually free!

Of course, you might not get so lucky (but I did at The Wherehouse) so you might actually need to buy them. Seek out your Beatle sources, such as Goldmine magazine, and call a few Beatle stores. They usually sell them for a couple of bucks apiece.

Frame the three together (you can get pre-made 12"X36" frames at your art stores for around $25) and you have a bonified collectible that will make you the envy of your Beatle friends - without going broke! Since Anthology has been out for a while now, it might be a little harder to find all 3 flats without going to a collector shop. If you find yourself running into dead ends, go the easier route and seek out flats or promo items from the new releases from the fabs. Can't find Anthology? Then collect Flaming Pie or Standing Stone.

You should also watch your favorite Beatle stores (ie: independent stores) for Anthology "promo" CDs. Expect to pay around $30 for a single CD, but wouldn't a "best of Anthology 2" CD be cool to have? Beatlefest have plenty of these types of legitimate items for sale, as will the independent record stores. Imports are another way to add to your collection. Some CD singles are released in the UK or Japan, and never released here. Paul released a special edition of "Off The Ground" with a second CD of unreleased material, for example,

Are there Beatle clubs in your town? It might sound goofy to join, but the club in my town sponsors numerous Beatle events and I'll bet every member knows the free stuff before you will if you are not a member. So join and subscribe to their newsletters.

One last note - never feel too shy to give your name and number to the display people at the big record stores. I just ended up with a HUGE Anthology 2 poster for free just because I asked for it. Go for the free stuff!! And if you are lucky enough to have a Beatle store in your town, make friends with them to get access to lots of free goodies, like the slipcase for the Anthology series or promotion items. (Moral issue: Pepperland is NOT suggesting you "suck up" to these people just to get good stuff. We are saying that if you share your love with another Beatle fan, you never know what might happen!)

Bootlegs

Once you have every Beatle album (and the solo albums of your choice), you need to start collecting bootlegs. Now everyone knows the issue of boots (you know, they rip off the artists and, God forbid, the poor record companies, blah, blah, blah) and my job is not to start a debate on right or wrong. Nor am I suggesting (well, maybe I am) that you go out and buy illegal recordings. But let me tell you there is nothing quite as much fun as finding a bootleg with fantastic stuff on it!

Collecting them is great because you get to listen to unheard music and you can bet that the boots will always go up in value (i.e. someone will always want it more than you). I got an old "Black Album" in the '70s on vinyl that was terrific to listen to (Get Back outtakes) and is now a pretty good collectable. What a great deal!

As of the end of 1997, boots have been getting harder to find, with many claiming the "golden age" of bootlegs is over. The crackdown is due to a misguided effort from the FBI to stamp out boots. Sting operations have put many local stores out of business, and the ones that haven't been "caught" have severly cut back or eliminated boots altogether. Stores that use to proudly display their boots now have a small handful under the counter. So here is my advice: If you see a boot that you even think you want, BUY IT! You may never see it again, or may have to pay highly inflated prices from private collectors in the future.

With that said, what to get? With so many labels coming and going (Yellow Dog being one of the more popular labels which is now rumored to be out of business) decide instead on what type of recording you would like instead of looking for a particular disc. You can find more or less the same stuff on many different labels and in different configurations. They more or less fall into these categories:

• Studio outtakes: You've heard the cleaned up versions on Anthology. Now how about hearing all the count-ins and the end of the tape when the song breaks down long after the fade out? Ever hear the "real" ending of Paperback Writer?

• BBC Radio Shows: The official "Live At The BBC" discs are nice, but how about the complete shows with all the talking and all the intros and version after version of "She Loves You"? If this doesn't sound obsessive to you (and it does to most non-Fab fans), then seek these out. There is a great collection set by Great Dane that has every single song (well, missing a couple) and every single show. I must admit, even to a die hard fan like myself, that it does get a little redundant. But if you are getting into BBC tapes, just buy this box set for about $250 and forget seeking out the single discs. You will ultimately pay more if you try to collect the entire set one by one. Besides, the Complete BBC Sessions has a fabulous 12"X12" booklet that goes track by track. Great!

• Get Back Tapes: These might be now truly for the hardcore fan. Not only are the songs for the most part unfinished and unrehearsed, there's an irritating "BEEP" for sound syncing the audio to the film that comes on at the most inappropriate times. Now that we have heard some of the tapes without the beeps on Anthology 3, it will be hard to go back. Of course, the rooftop concert is fantastic and represents the best of these recordings.

• Live In Concert: Some of these are not bad considering that some guy with a prehistoric recorder probably taped it from the top level at Shea Stadium. My thoughts are you only need a couple of these to get the complete story. Try to find the Hollywood Bowl tapes, which were taped by Capitol (and were released on vinyl in an edited form in the '70s). Strongly recommend you buy from a store that lets you listen before you buy or you could be very disappointed!

• Alternate Mixes: Since Anthology, very little new studio outtakes have surfaced. To fill the void, bootleggers have released "rare" mixes, including the original US stereo mixes and alternate mixes. Some of these have been copied from a vinyl copy, so check them out before you buy. Frankly, I'd avoid these unless you have everything else. Unless you were there and have fond memories of the boomy echo of the early Capitol mixes, these are unessential. To those who were there, remember that these were the "yucky" mixes and that the real Beatle fans sought out the English versions for the authentic mixes. OK, if you MUST buy these, get the boots with the first 4 albums in stereo. But be forewarned: My guess is that Capitol will someday release these stereo versions and your boots will be obsolete.

• Solo Material: This is where the new action is. It appears that even the bootleggers have grown tired of repackaging the same old material into "new" releases (i.e. "Ultra Rare Tracks" becomes "Unsurpassed Masters" which becomes "Backtracks"). The new material is often outtakes or demos of the solo material. Lennon's "Dakota" tapes that he made at home, George's "All Things Must Pass" demos, and every time Paul sang "Hey Jude" has shown up on boots. Some of these are quite good, but make sure you like the original material before you go for the boot.