Brilliant and fascinating follow-up as well as inquiring questions, Richard.
An original Vertigo swirl pressing w/label etc. definitely increases the price tag on a record. Original Vertigo Sabbath vs the original US Warner Brothers commands significantly more money.
I have also seen several comics about obsessive collecting by Crumb (and a couple that he illustrated of his friend, Harvey Pekar) and I have a CD of rarities that he compiled and did the album cover for. His collection is stunning and completely out of my wheelhouse as he digs deep into his very early 78s. I'd love to be in his living room in France just looking at his collection as he enthusiastically pulled them out and played them!
The photos you used to illustrate your article are also so well chosen. The peacock on the Black Patti is a gorgeous design. I have also never seen the SE Asian "Longing For The Past" box set. However, Mississippi Records may well have it in stock. And, on that note - the record pressing plant isn't in Portland, but the original shop is and it is one of Portland's beloved record stores. It's a place where the community supports, Much discussion happens inside, there are often touring musicians digging through the crates, and there is no social media presence, yet when they were vandalized word got out and over 100 people showed up to help clean up. They also host film screenings and bring in bands (the reformed WITCH were personally invited to Portland by Eric and Mississippi Records).
Thanks again, Richard. These three articles have been tremendous. I think that diving deeper into inner sleeve designs could also be a fun direction. Just this weekend I was looking at the original inner sleeve of a Rare Earth Records (label, not the band) and the promo graphics are superb and well-missed.
Thanks Michael. Thanks for the info on Mississippi too, a place I’d love to visit if I’m ever in that part of the world. I’ve collected quite a lot of MR releases over the years; Honest Jon’s in London has been a reliable source for them.
Inner sleeves: tempting. I do find them fascinating. With that and Brad’s suggestion of spines, there’s still plenty to think about for future posts!
Fascinating stuff, Richard! This all certainly takes me back to Dad's 20,000-unit LP and 78 collection, as me and my bro were growing up! I was 10 in '65, as a point of reference, and I used to love perusing his treasures in the custom, wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling cabinetry in our suburban Houston den! I used to joke how it's a wonder my bro and I didn't contract PVC poisoning!
My particular fascination, as one might guess, are the labels I not only grew up with (on my albums), but the ones released when I got into "the biz," myself (radio '73-'77, retail records '77-'82).
Another physical fascination for me were the jacket spines, a love I only once found affirmation of.....an article (somewhere....and, sometime in the '70s) by Barry Hansen (aka Dr. Demento). He drew attention to the shape (Columbia's squared-off spine with unique diagonal lines toward the top adjacent to the catalog number; most others' rounded and nowhere near as distinctive), and to how a jacket's artwork was incorporated into the spine, with gatefolds, etc.
Any chance of a tap into the fluid spinal region of albums in the future, Richard? Just curious. I wish I knew where that Hansen article could be found. A guess would be in a Warner Bros. Circular in-house promo piece which he was, largely, in charge of early- to mid-'70s.
Thanks again for the memories! Dad would-a loved this!
Thanks for commenting, Brad. You've got me thinking about spines now! I guess I've been as guilty as many other music writers for posting those record-collection-as row-of-spines photos over the years. In fact, I just went and shot another to add to this comment before realising I couldn't! I like the way those shots tell a kind of story, or provide a snapshot, of how a collection has ended up. I hadn't thought about going into the kind of detail I did with labels, but that could be interesting ...
Well, spine photos are legit, no doubt! I love trying to (even if I can't detect the letters and words!) read or recognize what the album is, even if just by color and artwork (like "Born to Run"s gatefold spine artwork....all my references are based on U.S. releases)! Truth to tell, the spine was part of the jacket's artwork, end of the day. The art director had to (or should have!) taken it into account, in some way, as he/she designed the other 99% of the jacket!
The CBS spine is a good example of how a label doesn't have to ignore that space. When I used to go to the regional CBS office in NW Houston, mid-'70s (for free rein of their promo closet!!!😱), I'd look for the perfectly-centered diagonals on the spine. "Born to Run"? I made sure those lines were all perfectly centered when I picked my two--from the hundred--off the shelf (I had to get one for the U of Houston radio station!! They'd actually tell me I could take more than one....of anything!). BTW, back to "Born to Run": One of the first gatefold albums whose artwork purposely featured one principal on the front, with another of the artists on the back, with the spine not interrupting the photo, but acting as the connecting tissue!! I say celebrate the lowly, misunderstood spine!!
Obviously, labels like 20th Century, RCA and Warner Bros. couldn't care less, as they had slimmer, rounded spines (😢), to go with their catalog number. Plus, spines were how many, if not most, people got to know the album for the first time! From manufacture to promo distribution, anyway, they are stored in no other way than like books on shelves! Only when they get off the truck at the local record store are they finally exposed, front first!
Some great observations. I think you're better placed to write the essay on spines than me! Outside of finding records in my own collection, my main experience of quickly assessing spine information is certain charity shops and secondhand stores that have large collections of used records for sale, too many to display front first so stored on shelves as you mention. Particularly with the charity shops I visit most (in the UK), the content is mostly tat so I don't want to spend too long pulling them out to look at the front or back: a quick glance along the spines has to make do.
If I still had my 2,000-LP collection, I'd have no problem, 'cause I could just use that as my only reference! It's really hard (I've tried) to find spines pictured clearly online! I sold my collection on eBay around the turn of the century (this one)! Thanks for the encouragement, Richard!!
Brilliant and fascinating follow-up as well as inquiring questions, Richard.
An original Vertigo swirl pressing w/label etc. definitely increases the price tag on a record. Original Vertigo Sabbath vs the original US Warner Brothers commands significantly more money.
I have also seen several comics about obsessive collecting by Crumb (and a couple that he illustrated of his friend, Harvey Pekar) and I have a CD of rarities that he compiled and did the album cover for. His collection is stunning and completely out of my wheelhouse as he digs deep into his very early 78s. I'd love to be in his living room in France just looking at his collection as he enthusiastically pulled them out and played them!
The photos you used to illustrate your article are also so well chosen. The peacock on the Black Patti is a gorgeous design. I have also never seen the SE Asian "Longing For The Past" box set. However, Mississippi Records may well have it in stock. And, on that note - the record pressing plant isn't in Portland, but the original shop is and it is one of Portland's beloved record stores. It's a place where the community supports, Much discussion happens inside, there are often touring musicians digging through the crates, and there is no social media presence, yet when they were vandalized word got out and over 100 people showed up to help clean up. They also host film screenings and bring in bands (the reformed WITCH were personally invited to Portland by Eric and Mississippi Records).
Thanks again, Richard. These three articles have been tremendous. I think that diving deeper into inner sleeve designs could also be a fun direction. Just this weekend I was looking at the original inner sleeve of a Rare Earth Records (label, not the band) and the promo graphics are superb and well-missed.
Thanks Michael. Thanks for the info on Mississippi too, a place I’d love to visit if I’m ever in that part of the world. I’ve collected quite a lot of MR releases over the years; Honest Jon’s in London has been a reliable source for them.
Inner sleeves: tempting. I do find them fascinating. With that and Brad’s suggestion of spines, there’s still plenty to think about for future posts!
Fascinating stuff, Richard! This all certainly takes me back to Dad's 20,000-unit LP and 78 collection, as me and my bro were growing up! I was 10 in '65, as a point of reference, and I used to love perusing his treasures in the custom, wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling cabinetry in our suburban Houston den! I used to joke how it's a wonder my bro and I didn't contract PVC poisoning!
My particular fascination, as one might guess, are the labels I not only grew up with (on my albums), but the ones released when I got into "the biz," myself (radio '73-'77, retail records '77-'82).
Another physical fascination for me were the jacket spines, a love I only once found affirmation of.....an article (somewhere....and, sometime in the '70s) by Barry Hansen (aka Dr. Demento). He drew attention to the shape (Columbia's squared-off spine with unique diagonal lines toward the top adjacent to the catalog number; most others' rounded and nowhere near as distinctive), and to how a jacket's artwork was incorporated into the spine, with gatefolds, etc.
Any chance of a tap into the fluid spinal region of albums in the future, Richard? Just curious. I wish I knew where that Hansen article could be found. A guess would be in a Warner Bros. Circular in-house promo piece which he was, largely, in charge of early- to mid-'70s.
Thanks again for the memories! Dad would-a loved this!
Thanks for commenting, Brad. You've got me thinking about spines now! I guess I've been as guilty as many other music writers for posting those record-collection-as row-of-spines photos over the years. In fact, I just went and shot another to add to this comment before realising I couldn't! I like the way those shots tell a kind of story, or provide a snapshot, of how a collection has ended up. I hadn't thought about going into the kind of detail I did with labels, but that could be interesting ...
Well, spine photos are legit, no doubt! I love trying to (even if I can't detect the letters and words!) read or recognize what the album is, even if just by color and artwork (like "Born to Run"s gatefold spine artwork....all my references are based on U.S. releases)! Truth to tell, the spine was part of the jacket's artwork, end of the day. The art director had to (or should have!) taken it into account, in some way, as he/she designed the other 99% of the jacket!
The CBS spine is a good example of how a label doesn't have to ignore that space. When I used to go to the regional CBS office in NW Houston, mid-'70s (for free rein of their promo closet!!!😱), I'd look for the perfectly-centered diagonals on the spine. "Born to Run"? I made sure those lines were all perfectly centered when I picked my two--from the hundred--off the shelf (I had to get one for the U of Houston radio station!! They'd actually tell me I could take more than one....of anything!). BTW, back to "Born to Run": One of the first gatefold albums whose artwork purposely featured one principal on the front, with another of the artists on the back, with the spine not interrupting the photo, but acting as the connecting tissue!! I say celebrate the lowly, misunderstood spine!!
Obviously, labels like 20th Century, RCA and Warner Bros. couldn't care less, as they had slimmer, rounded spines (😢), to go with their catalog number. Plus, spines were how many, if not most, people got to know the album for the first time! From manufacture to promo distribution, anyway, they are stored in no other way than like books on shelves! Only when they get off the truck at the local record store are they finally exposed, front first!
Some great observations. I think you're better placed to write the essay on spines than me! Outside of finding records in my own collection, my main experience of quickly assessing spine information is certain charity shops and secondhand stores that have large collections of used records for sale, too many to display front first so stored on shelves as you mention. Particularly with the charity shops I visit most (in the UK), the content is mostly tat so I don't want to spend too long pulling them out to look at the front or back: a quick glance along the spines has to make do.
If I still had my 2,000-LP collection, I'd have no problem, 'cause I could just use that as my only reference! It's really hard (I've tried) to find spines pictured clearly online! I sold my collection on eBay around the turn of the century (this one)! Thanks for the encouragement, Richard!!