Sealed Highway 61 - Took a Chance

When I worked in retail records, Columbia and all the others came in shrink-wrapped covers with paper liners.

 

If you'd already had a perfect player I would have said keep it sealed. But since you don't, glad you broke it out!

 

I am no authority on Columbia, but I have never seen the plastic inner baggies on anything past mid '60s.
This record may have been originally shrink-wrapped in addition to the sealed inner baggie. I do know the initial pressing of H61R was shrink-wrapped, but that maybe because of the poster. I have first stereo pressing of BOB and it has the plastic inner baggies.

Maybe someone knows:
1. If Columbia used a sealed inner sleeve/baggie on the record, was the jacket also shrink-wrapped?
2. When did they transition to paper inners with shrink-wrapped jackets?

 

I agree with those who suggested you keep it sealed and look for a good original copy, if you have patience I do not think it is difficult to find it.

Regarding your doubt highlighted above, I think the answer could be on post #1, where there is a detailed feedback about the history of Columbia vinyl packaging:
Rolling Stones Between The Buttons US LP - Vinyl SEALED in a bag: genuine original?

 

If you already own numerous copies and you bought it specifically as a sealed artefact, then you should keep it as a sealed artefact.

 

Please excuse my ignorance, but what do 'meaningless' and 'meaningful' mean in this context? I'm guessing they are references to some kind of variation in pressing, but if someone could explain, or point me in the right direction, that would be helpful. Many thanks!

 

I recently invested in a Vinyl Flat and after the slight learning curve on use (i.e. cook times in the Groovy Pouch) - marvel at it's ability to fix the previously unfixable!

 

I took that comment as the author is implying that later stampers (2F/1H) are less desirable in the matrix department than early designation stampers (i.e. 2B/1A)...

The one issue with this supposition is that an album of this demand in the 60s was pressed at multiple regional pressing plants and as such would be subject to quality fluctuations inherent to different plant's production/quality control, and as he stated, also wear and tear on the metal stamper itself.

 

Is there a place that performs these services? I should ask my record store. I don’t want to pay a ton of cash for the machine. But I’ve got a few records with a little bit of a hitch that drive me nuts.

 

FWIK the word "meaningful" was a mistake early corrected with "meaningless" (check the text on back cover).
So that means that cover with "meaningful" are older than those with "meaningless". Just a collectors purpose.

 

As Giorgio explained above, it is just a sleeve variation that denotes earlier pressing. It is true that earlier pressings (with the 'meaningful' sleeve variant) may be somewhat more desirable due to scarcity, but as I said earlier, my side two 1H matrix outplays the 1A significantly - probably for the reasons you mention above.
So, the meaningful/meaningless variation is mostly, well, meaningless...

 

Compare the text snippet (sixth picture) with the second picture under this listing:
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

 

I have the same issue with my sealed mono Notorious Byrd Brothers - crack it and enjoy or sell it for $$.

 

If you can’t hear the music, then what is the point?

 

In response to the question, in the OP. I'd open it and enjoy it.

 

The two words were used on different reverse printer slicks. I have both, and don't think there is all that much more to it than that. I have both versions Stereo/Mono .. As said previously, my original Columbia STEREO 1A/1A with the wording ''meaningful'' has the rare harmonica intro on the song "From A Buick 6".

Early 1960's Columbia LP packaging can get a bit confusing... They absolutely did indeed use the sealed baggie style. However, they definitely also used the paper inner sleeves, my original 1963 WLP promotional copy of "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" album has a blue/white striped Columbia paper inner sleeve.


A few photo examples :
"The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" - 1963 WLP .. paper inner sleeve


"Another side of Bob Dylan" - 1964 WLP ..
MONO and STEREO Columbia LP's SEALED in baggie.

 

Well, I still have not unsealed the Highway. Moreover, it now has two mates, also original baggie-sealed:



Freewheelin' is a late '60s mono repress (3AD/2AE), Bringing It All... is 1D/1D.

Maybe I'll open them all when Dylan wins the Nobel prize .

 

Do not wait. Those are going to sound luscious.

 

Never bought an LP from Colombia Records in the 60s that wasn't in shrink-wrap.

 

Well (as you know) he won the Nobel in 2016, but few people will ever find sealed copies of what you have; DON'T DO IT!!

I will say however, I do have a mint (not sealed) mono Freewheelin' and it does sound incredible!

 

Odd since I scored 4 sealed Dave Clark 5 LP's at a Goodwill in NJ, all of them were sealed in a round bottom perforated sleeves that were in shrink wrapped covers.
All of them are in fake stereo .
These must have been rock LP's that the grandparents owned to play when the kids come to visit, they were all in the shrink and look like new.
Some were opened and the records never removed from the covers, the inner sleeves say it all.

I'm always buying collections that have lots of sealed mid-60's LP's.
The best one is a promo collection I bought from this older guy who was a promoman for Universal in Philly 3/4 of the collection was all sealed including copies of Billy Stewart's Indestructible on Chess, a Mr. Gasser LP on Capitol, hordes of sealed MGM, Capitol, and Reprise LP's.
The best part was all of the easy listening and pop vocal LP's were trashed, but the rock, jazz & R&B LP's were untouched

I just bought a collection privately of old sealed cut-outs from the late 60's to the early 80's.

They're still out there.

 

I think they did both - shrink-wrapped the jacket and put the record in a sealed baggie. And as @Bruce Mulle' posted above, they also used regular paper inners.

 

Yeah, they did do both. Not sure when they finally did away with the rounded plastic sleeve with the perforated top
A HUGE pain. They were either getting scrunched up on the way in or out.

 

Open it. You can’t take it with you.

 

Keeping records sealed is bizarre unless it is an investment. Even then, I would never buy another old but still sealed record. I always crack open sealed records and the last two that I have bought from US dealers were clearly played records. Hmmmmm...