source site As we get ready to ring in the New Year, we beg the question, “Should old acquaintance be forgot?”. Of course not! We will continue to review old CDs and cover old topics here. So let’s get busy.

Target CDs are a considerable focus of the early CD collector. They are plastered all over this site. An important subsegment that has been discussed here, as recently as July, is the collection of rare U.S. Target pressings. Aside from their rarity, some of these discs are particularly desirable for their unique color combinations compared to their more common West German counterparts. For this post, we will discuss the very rare U.S. Target pressing of Phil Collins’ 1985 smash No Jacket Required. The colors are not unique here, but this is one of the rarest U.S. Target discs in my experience.

There are a few different Target issues of No Jacket Required based on when and where they were issued. For the U.S., No Jacket Required was released on the Atlantic label under catalog number 7 81240-2. The earliest CDs that hit the shelves in the U.S. are the West German Target and a few Japanese Non-Target pressings. All of these discs are rather common.

The West German Target of No Jacket Required was pressed by Polygram and features the typical Atlantic color combination of a red target and green paint coating. The text, including the track list, is printed over the green coating in silver. The U.S. Target has the same label design as the West German version. However, as the U.S. disc was pressed by PDO (Philips-DuPont Optical), it states “MADE IN USA BY PDO” along the lower perimeter in place of the familiar “MADE IN WEST GERMANY BY POLYGRAM”. Of course, all the hits are included on the rare U.S. pressing, including “Sussudio”, “One More Night”, and “Take Me Home”.

The particular CD considered here has “MADE BY PDO” stamped on the play side near the center hole. Adjacent to this text is the matrix code, which is “7567 81240-2 2895 421 02 *”. As is typical for U.S. Target CDs, the inserts for No Jacket Required were printed in the U.S. (The West German Target is often found with West German inserts.)

Shown below are the inserts for the U.S. Target CD of No Jacket Required, along with the disc. Used copies of No Jacket Required are easily found, but the U.S. Target is a true needle in a haystack. Keep looking, as you never know what will turn up.

Happy New Year!

The cover for the U.S. Target CD of Phil Collins No Jacket Required (Atlantic, catalog number 7 81240-2). This is the standard cover artwork for the album.

The back insert for the U.S. Target CD of Phil Collins No Jacket Required (Atlantic, catalog number 7 81240-2). A barcode is printed in the top right corner. As noted along the bottom, this insert was printed in the U.S. More common U.S. Non-Target pressings are often found with this same back insert.

The U.S. Target pressing of Phil Collins No Jacket Required (Atlantic, catalog number 7 81240-2). The same red/green combination is found with the more common West German Target pressing bearing the same catalog number. The disc shown above has “MADE IN USA BY PDO” printed along the lower perimeter. It also has “MADE BY PDO” stamped on the play side near the center hole. The matrix code is “7567 81240-2 2895 421 02 *”.