David Bowie Low question about pressing and insert

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Sytze, Dec 6, 2017.

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  1. Sytze

    Sytze Senior Member Thread Starter

    Might be a simple question for Bowie experts (which I'm not):

    I have a UK pressing of Low with a sticker on the back stating the song titles. I know not all covers have that. There is no insert with my copy. I'd like to know if this particular pressing should have an insert or not (given the sticker).

    Maybe this is of some help: I have a UK PL 12030, A2/B2, with the following in the deadwax: RS 1108 A-2/B-2 (both scratched out) and APL-2030 A/B (also both scratched out).

    Curious what pressing I have and if my insert is missing or there wasn't one in the first place...
    Thanks!
     
  2. Zongadude

    Zongadude Music is the best

    Location:
    France
    There definitely was an insert in all UK's first pressings of Low. (and a sticker on the back).
    And I suppose also in each repressing after that ?
     
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  3. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Looks like a UK first, does the inner have "Made in England 11-76"? Are you sure it doesn't have the credit insert? It's really flimsy and could go unnoticed in the sleeve. I have two early UK "Low"s, with "76" and "77" on the inner. Both have the insert and the fan club sheet.
     
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  4. Sytze

    Sytze Senior Member Thread Starter

    No, it doesn't have "Made in England 11-76" on the inner sleeve. Just an "Important notice - copyright exists... etc." on the back of the inner. No insert, I checked. I bought this second hand years ago and I have a stack of LPs that are missing something (insert, lyric sheet, poster or whatever). Things that I only found out later should be in there. Like the insert with Low.
     
  5. johnnyyen

    johnnyyen Senior Member

    Location:
    Scotland
    If it has the sticker on the back, then it ought to have the insert. I remember the album was reissued in the early 80s at a budget price, without the sticker and the insert. The credits were reproduced on the back cover.
     
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  6. Sytze

    Sytze Senior Member Thread Starter

    It has the sticker, no credits on the back cover. Not a budget reissue, definitely. I assume my insert has gone missing. That's a shame, the album and cover are close to NM. Thanks for your input everyone.
     
  7. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Well.... the insert isn't especially great looking. Finding an original "Low" in great condition is the real task. You should find a way to obtain the insert. I guess we all have these "collection in progress" records. That said.... my original copy of "Warrior On The Edge Of Time" by Hawkwind desperately needs a lyric inner. Fantastic condition, gimmick cover and all. Makes you wonder how such an apparently well looked after copy could lose it's lyric inner in the first place. But these things happen..
     
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  8. 0476pearljam

    0476pearljam Forum Resident

    Location:
    Belgium
    My low uk copy has the sticker on the back cover and the insert but misses the fan club card... I found that record three or four years years ago in an antiquity store that had some records laying in a bin on the ground and I only paid 5 euros for it...I was lucky that day
     
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  9. Sytze

    Sytze Senior Member Thread Starter

    Exactly. I have quite a few well-looked after albums that are missing inserts. A shame, really.
     
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  10. dumaisaudio

    dumaisaudio Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    US pressings had the liner notes as a printed inner sleeve. UK pressings had an inner sleeve and a separate single sheet liner notes insert. This is true of Low, Heroes and Lodger.
     
    cmcintyre likes this.
  11. cmcintyre

    cmcintyre Forum Resident

    ...........and if you have both the UK and US pressings you can see how the UK sleeves, inserts and fan club brochure are copied from the US versions.

    "Heroes" is the one that suffers the least from this - as it's B&W, it's not as obvious - though the lyric insert has some blurring and the cover has been darkened (which looks good I think). The UK fan club brochures all have two different fonts used for the catalogue numbers - the same as the font used on the US brochure when the catalogue numbers are the same, different when they differ.

    As a point of clarity, first press UK Low's don't have the round Sound & Vision sticker on the front, that was applied later when S&V hit the charts.

    There clearly was some confusion about what the catalogue/matrices would be - someone (in the US) thought "APL" when it actually was "CPL", and in the UK, the UK styled "RS" number seems to be originally allocated though it became the Euro styled "PL"

    Does it also have "STERLING" in the runout ? Low was initially mastered for disc in the US for both markets - the UK and US cuts differ slightly.
     
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  12. Sytze

    Sytze Senior Member Thread Starter

    Yes, it does have Sterling in the deadwax.
     
  13. Mikewest

    Mikewest Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Well spotted, it drives me Mad when these twits on eBay say that the 1st edition has 2 stickers when in fact it only had one, the one on the back, Sound and Vision came out AFTER the Lp was released as you rightly say.
     
  14. Sean

    Sean Senior Member

    Location:
    Ottawa
    Currently playing - 1991 Rykodisc reissue
    [​IMG]
     
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  15. aphexj

    aphexj Sound mind & body

    ^ Aside from the fairly crappy remix of "Sound and Vision", that disc is a winner
     
  16. Mikewest

    Mikewest Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Well said about the sticker on the front which features Sound & Vision, this was not a 1st as Sound & Vision came after Low was released,
    folk on eBay try and sell as a 1st. Bought mine on the 1st day of issue, unfortunately i filled in the fan club inlay ready to send ( but didn't),
    i picked up a perfect fan club with no writing about 5 years ago for a fiver.
     
  17. Sytze

    Sytze Senior Member Thread Starter

    Managed to find the exact same version of Low for a few Euros... with the insert this time. One "collection in progress" record less! :)
     
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  18. Gavinyl

    Gavinyl Remembering Member

    If it was cut at Sterling in the US, and the same cut then used in the UK, how could they differ ?
     
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  19. cmcintyre

    cmcintyre Forum Resident

    I might have made my post more explicit:
    The album was cut at Sterling for the US and UK- two different cuts were made.

    Side by side examination of the two Lps illustrates they are different. The runout space is not the same when comparing the equivalent sides.
     
    Gavinyl likes this.
  20. Gavinyl

    Gavinyl Remembering Member

    Cheers - I really appreciate the deadwax information !
    Come visit us on the Listening To On Vinyl Thread...
     
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