Symbol on mid-80s CBS Records releases... ???

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by DJMurphy, Dec 30, 2006.

  1. DJMurphy

    DJMurphy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago, USA
    I know that someone on the boards will know the answer to this question, either having worked at CBS Records back during the time in question or just knowing. On every CBS Records release from (if memory serves) 1984 to maybe 1990 or so, there was somewhere on the record label/cassette shell/CD face the triangle-inside-a-circle logo. It was never explained, it usually only appeared once (as in, only on side A of the record or tape), and was only on CBS' releases. What gives? What did this symbol mean, when was it started, why was it discontinued?

    Any insight greatly appreciated.
     
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  2. bruckner1

    bruckner1 New Member

    Location:
    Menasha, WI

    A great question. I've wondered about this myself.
     
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  3. XMIAudioTech

    XMIAudioTech New Member

    Location:
    Petaluma, CA
    It is the Terre Haute pressing plant code, IIRC.

    I am sure W.B. will chime in with more on this.

    It has been asked here before as well.

    -Aaron
     
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  4. DJMurphy

    DJMurphy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago, USA
    With that in mind, were there other pressing plants with different codes? I'm in Chicago; it would make sense if my purchases (and CRC purchases as well) would be sourced from Terre Haute, IN. Did Pittman, NJ have its own code?
     
  5. CT Dave

    CT Dave Senior Member

    Location:
    Connecticut
    I have a lot of CDs pressed in Pitman that have the triangle symbol on them.
    I remember a lot of late '70's, early 80's CBS vinyl pressings that had a starburst symbol on them.
     
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  6. Jeff H.

    Jeff H. Senior Member

    Location:
    Northern, OR
    I always thought that symbol was to indicate the A-side(or in the case of promos the plug side) of a release.
     
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  7. mr_mjb1960

    mr_mjb1960 I'm a Tarrytowner 'Til I die!

    The Star you're Talking about first Appeared on the "Hall Of Fame" series that Columbia put out from the '60's on. (It did not,however,appear on the Series from the '40's to the '50's.) It indicated a "hit record" or "gold record". :love: Michael Boyce
     
  8. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    I.I.N.M., this symbol was on pressings originating from Carrollton, GA. As to its significance, however, I can't say one way or the other.
     
  9. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Hi,

    This symbol was put on CBS Records releases after a price increase. This was a flag that indicated higher priced product. This first appeared in 1974.
     
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  10. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    The 1974-75 symbol as on 45's by Columbia, Epic and distributed labels, was different from what was on 1980's LP's, cassettes and CD's.
     
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  11. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Hi,

    Don't know the why and wherefore on the 1980's one. I do know that era of CBS LP pressings were a bargain and superb quality pressings. They really improved their LP output then!
     
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  12. KeithH

    KeithH Success With Honor...then and now

    Location:
    Beaver Stadium
    The triangle-in-circle symbol has been used on DADC CD pressings over the years, too. I always assumed it was a symbol for DADC.
     
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  13. Surfin Jesus

    Surfin Jesus New Member

    Location:
    NYC USA
    I always thought it was a "play this side" message as well
     
    Front Row likes this.
  14. Jeff H.

    Jeff H. Senior Member

    Location:
    Northern, OR
    I hear you. I have an late 80's pressing of The Hollies Greatest Hits and it sounds fantastic. The vinyl is nice and quiet too.:thumbsup:
     
  15. scott palmiter

    scott palmiter Senior Member

    Location:
    joliet il
    for years there has been a triangle inside of a circle on columbia cd releases. what is it there for, any ideas?

    just wondering........:)
     
    Batfish likes this.
  16. Drawer L

    Drawer L Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    Long Island
    It's on the LPs and cassettes as well.Since the early 80s...
     
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  17. rewind1964

    rewind1964 Forum Resident

    Perhaps it is some satanic thing...sorta like those stars spelling out 666 on the old Protor & Gamble logo! :D
    Seriously, I've wondered about that Columbia triangle "thing" myself.
     
  18. MikeT

    MikeT Prior Forum Cretin and Current Impatient Creep

    Location:
    New Jersey, USA
    I always wondered the same thing. I used to work in a record store (Record World chain in New Jersey) and our Columbia rep didn't even know. I remember asking him what that was on all their product and he looked at me like I was nuts to even wonder what it was. Needless to say he didn't know (or wasn't telling).

    So to this day I still want to know what it means.
     
  19. Dan C

    Dan C Forum Fotographer

    Location:
    The West
    Wow, I thought I was the only one who wondered that. It was never on their LPs, right? I'm really curious to know. Was it the logo of their manufacturing plant? :confused:

    When I was a teen and noticed it on cassettes I was afraid it might be a copy protection thing or something. Remember being young and dumb enough to think a cassette copy of a pre-recorded cassette sounded OK? :laugh:

    dan c
     
  20. Dan C

    Dan C Forum Fotographer

    Location:
    The West
    Was it on the LPs? I suppose you're right, I'll pull out a Billy Joel LP when I get home.

    dan c
     
  21. PROG U.K.

    PROG U.K. Audiophile-Anglophile

    Location:
    New England
    Here is my theory:

    The 'upside down' triangle symbol is the Greek letter Nabla. Nabla means the gradient.

    The gradient is the vector field whose components are the partial derivatives of a function F given by (df/dx, df/dy).

    Nope, probably not this.....
     
  22. Spyder

    Spyder Official vinyl solicitor and connoisseur.

    Location:
    Davenport, FL
    Maybe I'm blind, but I just pulled out 10 different Columbia CD's and don't see this.

    If this the symbol you see (this is official logo file pulled from Sony's B2B site) it was part of Sony Copy Protection and the back of the CD should tell you what it's compatible with:
     

    Attached Files:

  23. Atari265278

    Atari265278 Forum Resident

    Do you have a pic?
     
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  24. I think the OP might mean this ...
     

    Attached Files:

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  25. Andrew

    Andrew Chairman of the Bored

    Who else remembers the star on certain Apple singles and the odd symbol on Columbia 45s from the early 1970s?
     
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