Keith Hirsch’s CD Resource

The vast majority of early Japanese pressings of CBS/Sony titles for the U.S. market have ”MADE IN JAPAN” or “MANUFACTURED IN JAPAN” stamped along the perimeter at the end of a copyright statement.  Certain discs, however, have a “MADE IN JAPAN” sticker affixed beneath the CD format logo at 3 o’clock.

It is not clear to me why the stickers were used rather than the conventional stamp along the perimeter, but in my experience, these stickered discs are very rare.  Shown below are two Japan-for-U.S. issues of Bruce Springsteen Born to Run (CBS, catalog number CK 33795).  The first copy has the “MADE IN JAPAN” sticker at 3 o’clock.  The matrix code is “35DP-21-1 1A1″ in a crude font.  This crude matrix code font is indicative of a very early Japanese CBS/Sony pressing.  The disc also has “MANUFACTURED BY CBS/SONY RECORDS INC.” stamped on the clear plastic ring.

The second copy of Born to Run has the conventional “MADE IN JAPAN” stamp along the perimeter.  This disc has the same matrix code as the stickered version, but it has “CSR COMPACT DISC” repeating in the plastic ring.

I also have stickered versions of REO Speedwagon Hi Infidelity (Epic, catalog number EK 36844), Boz Scaggs Silk Degrees (CBS, catalog number CK 33920), and Toto Toto IV (CBS, catalog number CK 37728).  Each title also exists as a Japanese CBS/Sony pressing with “MADE IN JAPAN” stamped along the perimeter.

The first Japanese CD issue of The Police Synchronicity was released under catalog number 38XB-2.  There are two pressings that differ in several ways.  Importantly, the first pressing mimics the original LP release in that it has just 10 tracks rather than the typical 11.  “Murder by Numbers” does not appear on this disc.  Shown below are pictures of the discs, front covers, and back inserts that highlight differences between these two pressings.

The first pressing of the Japanese issue of Synchronicity with catalog number 38XB-2.  This disc has 10 tracks and lacks “Murder by Numbers”.  This label design with the partial black coating was used by A&M in Japan on only a few early pressings.  The disc was pressed at the CBS/Sony plant in Japan.  It has “CSR COMPACT DISC” repeating in the plastic ring, and the matix code is “38XB-2 11A1″.

The second pressing of the Japanese issue of Synchronicity with catalog number 38XB-2. This disc has 11 tracks and has “Murder by Numbers” as the last track. The label design is very similar to the one used for the original U.S. issue. In fact, this disc bears the original U.S. catalog number of CD 3735 beneath the A&M logo. The disc was pressed at the CBS/Sony plant in Japan. It has “CSR COMPACT DISC” repeating in the plastic ring, and the matix code is “38XB-2 31A8 +++++”.

The front cover for the first pressing of the Japanese issue of Synchronicity with catalog number 38XB-2.  The booklet opens from the right.  Thus, the cover artwork is presented in an unconventional vertical orientation.  Also note the shadow effect on “THE POLICE” and “SYNCHRONICITY” on the right side.  Lyrics and other text are printed in both English and Japanese inside the booklet.  There is no separate Japanese lyric sheet.

The front cover for the second pressing of the Japanese issue of Synchronicity with catalog number 38XB-2. The booklet opens from the right. Thus, the cover artwork is presented in the conventional horizontal orientation. Note that there is no shadow effect on “THE POLICE” and “SYNCHRONICITY” at the top. This booklet is identical to one used for an early Japanese pressing issued in the U.S. All text inside this booklet is printed in English, but a separate Japanese lyric sheet is included.

The back insert for the first pressing of the Japanese issue of Synchronicity with catalog number 38XB-2.  The picture is oriented such that the spines are on the left and right sides.  Thus, like the front cover above, the artwork appears in the unconventional vertical orientation.  Once again, note the shadow effect on “THE POLICE” and “SYNCHRONICITY” on the right side.  The gray strip on the right looks like the back of an OBI strip, but it is actually a printed portion of the back insert.

The back insert for the second pressing of the Japanese issue of Synchronicity with catalog number 38XB-2.  The picture is oriented such that the spines are on the left and right sides.  Thus, like the front cover for the second pressing above, the artwork appears in the conventional horizontal orientation.  Note that there is no shadow effect on “THE POLICE” and “SYNCHRONICITY” at the top.  The gray strip on the right is an OBI strip of sorts.  It is a separate piece of paper from the back insert.  Thus, it covers a portion of the back insert and also covers one spine.  Notice that part of “SYNCHRONICITY” is covered by this OBI strip.

Here is another disc that I had been searching for for a very long time.  It is the original Japanese CBS/Sony pressing of Jethro Tull Aqualung for the U.S. market.  This pressing is very rare in my experience, as I have only come across three copies.  The disc has “CSR COMPACT DISC” repeating in the plastic ring, and the matrix code is “DIDX-68 11″.

A recent acquisition is the rare Japanese Target CD of Randy Newman Trouble in Paradise.  I first became aware of it in 2006 and know of only two other copies.  The disc was pressed by CBS/Sony, as evidenced by the text “MANUFACTURED BY CBS/SONY RECORDS INC.” stamped on the clear plastic ring at the center.  CBS/Sony pressed a handful of titles with the Target design, and these pressings are generally very rare.  In the case of Trouble in Paradise, the West German target pressed by Polygram is considerably more common.

The Japanese Target is pictured below.  Unfortunately, the scan does not do the disc justice, as the black coating is striking in person.

Featured here is an early Japanese sampler CD from Epic/Sony entitled American Best Selection.  The catalog number is 35 8P-35, and the copyright date shown on the disc and inserts is 1983.  It is a compilation of 12 U.S. radio hits from 1983.  The tracks are as follows:

• “Beat It”, Michael Jackson
• “Who Can It Be Now?”, Men at Work
• “She’s Older Now”, Betty Wright
• “Missing You”, Dan Fogelberg
• “On the Loose”, Saga
• “Goody Two Shoes”, Adam Ant
• “Down Under”, Men at Work
• “Der Kommissar”, After the Fire
• “Electric Avenue”, Eddy Grant
• “Love My Way”, The Psychedelic Furs
• “Juicy Fruit”, Mtume
• “Reach Out”, George Duke

Shown below, from top to bottom, are scans of the disc, cover, and back insert.  I have to believe that this is a rare disc, as I have never seen another copy.

I just obtained a disc that I had been searching for for a very long time.  It is the first CD issue of the outstanding Rush album Moving Pictures.  The disc was pressed in West Germany by Polygram and bears the original “green-arrow” design.  This design was used for a short period for the earliest Mercury titles and was replaced by the more common “atomic” design.  This green-arrow version of Moving Pictures is very rare.  A scan of the disc is shown below.

I’ve been busy lately, buying both new and used stuff.  Here are a few of the used discs I’ve purchased recently:

• Huey Lewis and the News Sports: Japanese JVC pressing for the Canadian market with catalog number VK 41412.  I did not know that this pressing existed until finding it in the bins.  It looks like an early U.S. issue, so one might find the same disc with U.S. inserts.
• The Jacksons Triumph: Japanese CBS/Sony pressing for the Canadian market with catalog number EK 36424.  The disc is identical to the original U.S. issue, just packaged with Canadian inserts.
• Billy Joel Piano Man: Japanese CBS/Sony pressing for the Canadian market with catalog number CK 32544.  This one is in the same vein as the Jacksons disc above.

On the new front, I found a good sale on Universal Music Group “Gold” two-disc sets and picked up sets of Aerosmith, The Allman Brothers Band, John Coltrane, Cream, Neil Diamond, The Mamas & The Papas, The Moody Blues, Rush, Scorpions, Cat Stevens, Rod Stewart, Styx, Supertramp, and Tears for Fears.

I also recently obtained the SACD/NTSC DVD box of Genesis 1976-1982.  Yeah!  I first obtained the SACD/PAL DVD box and was frustrated with being unable to play the DVDs on my NTSC equipment.  Then I bought the WEA CD/NTSC DVD set for the DVDs.  Fortunately, I was able to finally get the SACD box with the NTSC DVDs.

The story goes like this. Back around 1983, Warner Bros. released Donald Fagen’s The Nightfly as a West German Target CD. Word got back to Warner Bros. that something was wrong with this release. The sound was not right. It has even been said that Stevie Wonder was so displeased with the sound that he convinced Warner Bros. to recall the disc and reissue it.  The disc was recalled and reissued with a different mastering, though I cannot say for sure whether Stevie Wonder was actually involved.

The first pressing that was recalled has “02″ at the end of the matrix code. The disc is shown below. Note that the catalog number is shown as 23696-2. This disc was replaced by a considerably more common Target with the matrix code ending in “03″. This Target shows the catalog number as 923696-2.