Introduction
As some of you know, I have posted many articles on Rec.Music.Beatles and here at the Ottawa Beatles Site, mostly based on material I have researched from an array of actual newspaper publications, microfilm, or excerpts from books. Just about in each and every posting, I generally provided a detailed accounting from where my research was derived from including, where possible, the closest date of publication and authorship. In this way, "authentication" leads to eventual respect for the researcher at hand. But, in this particular instance, I must forgo the normal rule! I'm sure a lot of you would like to know the last name of who the collector is who owns Paul McCartney's Gold Record for Abbey Road. Please understand, if I revealed this, I'm sure the collector would become deluged with calls from hard-core collectors from around the world asking him what a selling price would be for the album. I will only emphasize this once: THE GOLD RECORD IS DEFINITELY NOT FOR SALE! So, please, do not e-mail me with requests for details on that regard or contact any of the convention organizers. However, in order to provide a reference point for reviewing this gold disc and the circumstances from how it all came about, I will at least use the collector's actual first name throughout this article, which is "Robie". I thank you for your understanding on this matter and I hope you enjoy the article and photos.
- John Whelan, Chief Researcher, Ottawa Beatle Site, June 7, 2000.
My awareness of Robie's ownership of the authentic "Abbey Road Gold Record" definitely predates the era before it became fashionable for record companies to authorize and manufacture replicas of gold records of their artists. Of course, these replicas were normally sold for about $120 a piece throughout the 80's and into the 90's. The gold record first came to my attention through my best friend Dave. Since the beginning of our high-school days together, we have always shared any new information on the Beatles as soon as we became aware of it. In 1978 he notified me of a scheduled television broadcast regarding a local Beatle collector who was going to showcase his Beatle memorabilia. The day of the broadcast came and I was invited over to his place to watch the show on his Sony colour television. I sat down in front of the television set with Dave and watched and listened to Robie discussing his Beatle collectables. As the show progressed, my jaw just about dropped when the prized plumb of his collectables was revealed -- the authentic Gold Record awarded to Paul McCartney for sales of Abbey Road album!! When the show was over, it would be one very long time before I had a chance to see that gold record again -- at Ottawa' first ever Beatles Convention in 1995 and, again, during the 2nd convention held in 1996!
Now you may ask yourself: "How did the gold record leave the McCartney household? Why would Paul let go of a valued prize for all the great work he did on the album which contributed to a huge success for the Beatles?"
Through actual published documented research forwarded to me from a fan along with a personal visit to Robie, I had a chance not only to query how it came into his possession, but also viewed the gold album. Here then, are some of the details on the gold record:
Robie maintains that after the death of John Lennon, prices on Beatle records and memorabilia skyrocketed and that collectors can look forward to a continued upward trend in the value of their Beatle collectables. It is one of the main reasons why the Gold Record has increased with value along with the demand for "rare collectables" by fans which has increased the value on these items.
Some of the other interesting items Robie has shown me was a series of fanzine magazines published in the 60's containing all four authentic signatures by the Beatles. I chuckled when I opened one magazine at a page where John had scribbled: "For the one millionth time, John Lennon!" Robie has an interesting series of 45 r.p.m. discs...he actually has an original copy of "My Bonnie" released in Germany. One big surprise he showed me was an original acetate of Paul McCartney's "My Love". He also has some official unreleased interview records which Capitol made, as well as the famous and controversial "Butcher Cover" artwork, intact. Among his great collection, Robie showed me some photos never seen before by the public which were amazing! Robie is truly a consummate collector whose collection makes my own memorabilia pale in comparison!
Serious record collecting for Robie began in 1970 in Vancouver. He soon discovered that the more albums he acquired, the more he didn't have. There were numerous ways he went about building up his record collection. One way was through the use of "flea markets" and was able to acquire records long before prices went up. Another way, as Robie explained to me, occured in the parking lots at drive-in movie theatres. In the 70's, record collectors would arrive at the drive-in movie theatre parking lot, open up the back trunk of their automobiles and begin to negotiate back and forth the items they wanted to trade. Through this form of direct networking, Robie began to get names of other collectors from around the world, some in the United States, Germany and Britain. This is how Robie was able to build up his vast record collection and memoribillia.
Through most of his 25 years of record collecting, Robie never attended an "actual Beatle convention" until the first one was held here in Ottawa in 1995. And in terms of fan appreciation of the Fabs great music, if you were to ask Robie what his favorite Beatle album is, it would be the classic "Rubber Soul" album from 1965.
 Ottawa Beatles Convention, 1995
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