Expert: Bill V. - 7/29/2008

Question
QUESTION: HI Bill,
I was looking at both my 3lp (+poster + promo 7")vinyl box sets, id no. 60149 - Germany, and noticed that on the back of the box cover, bottom left is printed "Printed in West Germany by Zucker, Erlangen", but there is nothing printed on the other one. Both boxes and contents are identical except there is no poster in the box with no writing (I assume there would have been one originally.). Were the boxes printed at various printers, with some credited to the printers and some not, or one a later reissue? They are both German and not German and French copies. Just wondering?
Thanks in advance
Bob

ANSWER: Hello Bob,

Thank you for your question. It sounds like one of the pressings is from Holland, as the Netherlands version was printed in Germany. The cat # should differ slightly, and there would be Stemra on the records for the Holland version.

Best Regards,

Bill

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Bill,
thanks for your quick reply to my question, I made a mistake on my last question, "Printed in West Germany by Zucker, Erlangen" is on the bottom RIGHT of the box, not the Left. Upon closer inspection, there is no Stemra on any of the vinyls, All labels and Cat#'s are identical, with Gema on the labels, but with different matrixes as follows

Box with "printed...Germany etc" - paper sleeves - "SIDE OPENING",

High voltage - side 1 - stamped - "Strawberry R/S Alsdorf 50257 A2"
         side 2 - stamped - "Strawberry R/S Alsdorf 50257 B4"

Dirty deeds - side 1 - Stamped - "Strawberry R/S Alsdorf 50323 A4" (huge run-off (matrix area))
         side 2 - scratched - "WEA 50323 - B   pf"

Powerage - side 1 - stamped - "R/S Alsdorf 50483 A2"          scratched - "Strawberry"
         side 2 - stamped - "R/S Alsdorf 50483 B2" scratched - "Strawberry"


Box with NO writing on - paper sleeves - "TOP OPENING",

High voltage - side 1 - scratched - "WEA 50257 A2    pf"
         side 2 - scratched - "WEA 50257 B2    pf"

Dirty deeds - side 1 - Stamped - "Strawberry R/S Alsdorf 50323 A5" (normal run-off (matrix area))
         side 2 - Stamped - "Strawberry R/S Alsdorf 50323 B2"

Powerage - side 1 - stamped - "Strawberry - R/S Alsdorf 50483 A3"          
         side 2 - stamped - stamped - "Strawberry - R/S Alsdorf 50483 B2"

Both 7" vinyls are identical.

So to sum it up, one box has "printed....Germany", lower right back cover, the other doesn't, all labels are identical, the "printed" box vinyls have side opening sleeves, and the other has top opening sleeves, and the dirty deeds albums are noticeably different (1 has a huge run off). All have different matrix numbers. What do you think? Can't tell you any more info mate, hope you can help,
Many thanks
Bob

hopefully getting french Box this week, but I gotta find a Dutch one now also, are there any others, i.e. Italian, Greek, Japanese etc?

Answer
Hello Bob,

Thanks again for your question/follow up.

It sounds like the 'printed in Germany' issued sleeves are reissues, both German box sets in my best opinion.

The only other releases for this 3 LP set were from Holland and France. The original French issues would have included an OBI.

Best Regards,

Bill