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Sealed with a store header card? (Never seen before) Along with an open copy of the misprint version. |
This is a short and quick note on a recently obtained old 7-inch disc. Shown left are two copies of the US release of
Fade Away backed with
Be True: one (on the right) is a used copy I have long owned while the other was advertised as "
factory-sealed" when I bought it recently. It is, however, very likely a re-shrink-wrapped package as it came with a bizarre
store header card that seems to be nothing to do with the Columbia Records. The main cause of purchasing the copy is simple: it was cheap and, although released 35 years ago, still looked better than my old copy. "
To Be True", stamped on top of the one-side printed paper card, also called my attention. As well known, this erroneous B-side title can only be found on the record label, but not anywhere on the sleeve, which is another indication that this is a "once-opened" copy rather than being "factory-sealed" (looks fine, nevertheless). Otherwise, how would have the wrong song title been known and stamped on the header? I wish it could be a genuine factory-sealed copy, though.
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Left, flip side of the "store header cardboard" and the used copy; Middle upper, two matrix inscriptions commonly found in THE RIVER-related releases (see here for the details); Middle lower, Hand-etched matrix number on Side A; Right, Proof of a styrene-made disc showing red transparency when exposed to a strong light source (see here). |
By the way, as I introduced
previously,
most of Springsteen's 7-inch releases pressed in the US are not made of
vinyl, but of styrene, which is recognized by exposing them under
strong illumination (
i.e. individual discs must show red
transparency unless they are vinyl-sourced). This 1981 release is no
exception, as pictured above. Found on the trail-off area of the disc
are the two matrix inscriptions that signify
THE RIVER-related releases ("
MASTERED BY CAPITOL" stamp and
Ken Perry's hand-written initials; see
here for the details). The hand-etched matrix numbers read
ZSS-168080 1C F3 and
ZSS-168081 1C F3 on Sides A and B, respectively. The US Columbia prefix "
ZSS" refers to
7-inch single/stereo/45 rpm, but unlike other Springsteen releases, the suffix codes of the US
THE RIVER LP and singles are not straight-forward like 1A or 2B, and I still cannot figure out the code "
1C F3".
'F3' alongside the '1C' indicates the third lacquer set cut by Mr. Perry on the 'F' Neumann lathe at Capitol Mastering in Hollywood. He had done this with some other clients as well: 'F#' dash numbers accompanied other dash numbers on the multi-million-selling Fleetwood Mac album Rumours (Warner Bros. BSK 3010).
ReplyDeleteThank you for the info on Ken Perry’s cutting and its relation to the matrix marking on the 7-inch single. I wrote about another Perry’s cutting (promo-only compilation LP for THE RIVER) and my interpretation of the matrix inscriptions (https://manattop.blogspot.com/2020/05/collecting-log-as-requested-around_30.html).
ReplyDeleteAs you are obviously knowledgeable on the subject, I'd appreciate it if you could review the post!