8044 - John Lennon: Bell Sound Studios Stereo Acetate for ‘Power to the People’ and ‘Open Your Box’ with Engineer’s Notes (1971)

John Lennon: Bell Sound Studios Stereo Acetate for ‘Power to the People’ and ‘Open Your Box’ with Engineer’s Notes (1971) Double-sided 10″ U.S. Bell Sound Studios acetate of John Lennon's 'Power to the People' (Apple, 1971) in stereo, backed with Yoko Ono's 'Open Your Box' for the single's originally planned U.S. release. The disc has no labels and is annotated in grease pencil at the center of each side, "New, Lennon, 'Power'" and "New, Yoko, Open Your Box (flat)." The "flat" corresponds to the revised equalization noted in red on the accompanying index card. From the collection of Bell Sound Studios engineer Sam Feldman, who cut the disc. Accompanied by Feldman's handwritten index card for the Apple stereo singles, which details the equalization and cutting settings for both 'Power to the People' and 'Open Your Box' on the front. The reverse logs production between 3/1/71 and 3/24/71, as reference and stereo dubs were sent to Apple's Allen Steckler, Capitol Records in New York, and Apple. 'Power to the People' was released in Britain in March 1971 backed with 'Open Your Box,' but Capitol Records, which distributed Apple in the US, objected to the B-side's suggestive lyrics, and the American single was instead issued with Ono's 'Touch Me.' The song reached number 7 on the UK Singles Chart and number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Condition (NM): The playing surfaces are near mint, with grease pencil notations at the centers and no labels. Play-tested, it plays extremely well, with a noticeably brighter sound than the released single, including a punchier Lennon vocal.