I have a GREATEST HITS japanese CD
by Toshiba-EMI
but, I don't know which year is from..[/QUOTE]
That one is from 1987.
[/QUOTE]
The back of this cover is dated 21/04/88. Is this incorrect?[/QUOTE]
Older Japanese CD's often have a lettercode on the back of the CD - for example I-3-25, or H-12-10. This was a code used prior to 1991 to identify year of release. My understanding is that the code is:
Release Year / Code
1984 / N
1985 / I
1986 / H
1987 / O
1988 / R
1989 / E
1990 / C
1991 / D
Hence the releasedate would be 22-04-1987.
[/QUOTE]
Thanks a lot for the information, I never knew about the letters.
I looked up some pictures on eBay and it makes perfect sense.
A Kind Of Magic was H-9-3, The Miracle was E-6-9.
Mr.QueenFan · Member since
[QUOTE] [b]Walter B. wrote:[/b]
[QUOTE] [b]Jam Monkey wrote:[/b]
[QUOTE] [b]Walter B. wrote:[/b]
[QUOTE] [b]MackMantilla wrote:[/b]
I have a GREATEST HITS japanese CD
by Toshiba-EMI
but, I don't know which year is from..[/QUOTE]
That one is from 1987.
[/QUOTE]
The back of this cover is dated 21/04/88. Is this incorrect?[/QUOTE]
Older Japanese CD's often have a lettercode on the back of the CD - for example I-3-25, or H-12-10. This was a code used prior to 1991 to identify year of release. My understanding is that the code is:
Release Year / Code
1984 / N
1985 / I
1986 / H
1987 / O
1988 / R
1989 / E
1990 / C
1991 / D
Hence the releasedate would be 22-04-1987.
[/QUOTE]
Thanks a lot for this explanation. It took me a while to understand it, but i finally did.
Just one question, do you know the reason why that next to the date O.4.22 they have the exact date one year later (X~88.4.21)? Just curious about this.
Walter B. · Member since
[QUOTE] [b]Mr.QueenFan wrote:[/b]
[QUOTE] [b]Walter B. wrote:[/b]
[QUOTE] [b]Jam Monkey wrote:[/b]
[QUOTE] [b]Walter B. wrote:[/b]
[QUOTE] [b]MackMantilla wrote:[/b]
I have a GREATEST HITS japanese CD
by Toshiba-EMI
but, I don't know which year is from..[/QUOTE]
That one is from 1987.
[/QUOTE]
The back of this cover is dated 21/04/88. Is this incorrect?[/QUOTE]
Older Japanese CD's often have a lettercode on the back of the CD - for example I-3-25, or H-12-10. This was a code used prior to 1991 to identify year of release. My understanding is that the code is:
Release Year / Code
1984 / N
1985 / I
1986 / H
1987 / O
1988 / R
1989 / E
1990 / C
1991 / D
Hence the releasedate would be 22-04-1987.
[/QUOTE]
Thanks a lot for this explanation. It took me a while to understand it, but i finally did.
Just one question, do you know the reason why that next to the date O.4.22 they have the exact date one year later (X~88.4.21)? Just curious about this.
[/QUOTE]
As I understand it there are two theories about this:
1) The second date (O.4.22) is the release date; the first one is when the price for this CD is valid until.
2) The first date mentioned on the back of the CDinlay (88.4.21) is for CD rental shops to know when they're allowed to begin renting out that particular release. Record companies, for Japanese pressings, have the right to allow or forbid rental of the CD for up to 1 year after the date of release.
A quick google search will show that there are very different views on this particular area...
PS Please don't ask me where the X (X~88.4.21) stands for...
Mr.QueenFan · Member since
Thanks Walter B. for your explanation. It´s the first time i´m hearing about rental cd´s as a business or inserted into a business. I find it fascinating to discover these little things. Thanks again.
BikerKev · Member since
Here is the answer to the question of ''What was the first ever Queen CD Pressing''
The Works, pressed in Japan by the Sanyo corporation in December 1983 for distribution in Japan and the UK from January 1984 onwards.
It does not ave a barcode on the rear case insert as barcades were not introduced until the summer of 1984.
The Electra CD of The Game was pressed in the Autumn (The Fall) of 1984 and carries a barcode on the rear card insert.
Dr Magus · Member since
The first cd pressing was actually The Cosmos Rocks in 1979 which predates Live At Wembley 25th anniversary cd by 31 years.
Walter B. · Member since
[QUOTE] [b]BikerKev wrote:[/b]
Here is the answer to the question of ''What was the first ever Queen CD Pressing''
The Works, pressed in Japan by the Sanyo corporation in December 1983 for distribution in Japan and the UK from January 1984 onwards.
It does not ave a barcode on the rear case insert as barcades were not introduced until the summer of 1984.
The Electra CD of The Game was pressed in the Autumn (The Fall) of 1984 and carries a barcode on the rear card insert.[/QUOTE]
Interesting. Does this mean that there are The Works cds with 'Manufactured by Sanyo' in the center ring matrix? Have you seen one?
cmsdrums · Member since
[QUOTE] [b]Walter B. wrote:[/b]
[QUOTE] [b]BikerKev wrote:[/b]
Here is the answer to the question of ''What was the first ever Queen CD Pressing''
The Works, pressed in Japan by the Sanyo corporation in December 1983 for distribution in Japan and the UK from January 1984 onwards.
It does not ave a barcode on the rear case insert as barcades were not introduced until the summer of 1984.
The Electra CD of The Game was pressed in the Autumn (The Fall) of 1984 and carries a barcode on the rear card insert.[/QUOTE]
Interesting. Does this mean that there are The Works cds with 'Manufactured by Sanyo' in the center ring matrix? Have you seen one?
[/QUOTE]
Presumably the Japanese edition was therefore available in stores before the UK one (even if pressed at the same time) because Greg's original post states:
"We feel about 95% certain that we know what the first CD album was (a clue is that is wasn't a UK release)"
This prompts me that I must dig out that Record Mirror advert I referred to 3 years ago on page 2...might do tonight!!!
BikerKev · Member since
I have one in my collection, the 1983 pressing by the Sanyo Corporation in Japan ''The Works''
I used to have both the Sanyo pressed discs, ''The Works'' and ''Greatest Hits''
Both the first Queen CD releases were manufactured in Japan by Sanyo, both had Red printed labels on the label side of the disc and support the official first EMI library codes of CDP 7.
The Works is CDP 746016, i do not recall the CDP 7 for ''Greatest Hits'' that CD was kept by a ex girlfriend of mine, the little witch, the second hand price for the ''Greatest Hits'' original pre-barcode Japanese Sanyo pressing has gone through the roof.
Sanyo manufactured in Japan whilst EMI was still building its Swindon plant which took over production of Queen titles in late 1985 for distribution during 1986.
The first UK produced discs, the ones with all the faults on them, e.g track numbers changing before the track had actually finished and gaps between tracks that bled into each other, were quickly remastered
and re-released during the 1993-1995 under the mantle of 'Digital Master Series' a much improved sound as they were supposed to have been mastered using the SBM (Sony Bit Mapping System) well i thought they were an improvement until i purchased the whole collection direct from Japan, the Vinyl Replica Series, now that was a real improvement, all pressed by Toshiba in Japan using a new master pressing system, then we had another remastered series in the UK, the 0777 series, mainly pressed in Uden Holland, that were in fact pressed from the masters of the ''Vinyl replica series'' pressed by Toshiba, the third attempt at getting the CD to sound like a vinyl album played on a high end turntable.
Then we had the contract buy out by Island Records, remember the ''Extra Hits compilations'' that popped up, then finally the 2011 remasters, by now the Queen releases have been released on CD five times, then we have the SACDs direct from Japan, the UIGY 95 series.
The 2011 Japanese UIGY 95 series of SACD pressings retailed for 4,500 yen plus local tax and if 'like me' personal import duty to the UK, then we got yet another set of SACD pressings from Japan, the UIGY15011 onwards pressings pressed in the Autumn of 2016, again in Japan and retailing for 3,000 yen plus local tax or personal import duty to the UK, these pressings have been promised as the last pressings onto a disc type format as HD and DSD downloads will be available, no idea when.
The final SACD pressings from Japan are very good and a marked improvement on the 2011 SACD pressings, they are the nearest we are going to get to the original ''Vinyl pressings'' sound quality from Queen albums from 1974 to 1982, the only true analogue recordings from Queen, as from ''The Works'' onwards all mastering was done digitally and recorded onto master tape digitally, the 1986 release of ''The Complete Works'' box set of vinyl LPs bore witness to this as ''The Works'' album from the box set has the same left/right stereo channel reversal difference from that of the original vinyl master (the left and right channels were reversed, ''what was the left channel'' on the original 1984 vinyl pressing was actually the right channel, just as in the original first Sanyo pressing of ''The Works'' CD)
Next we will be getting the full back catalogue in ''HD 24bit-96kHz'' stereo downloads, available to purchase from ''HD Tracks'' website no doubt.
Well i suppose if you have everything else then you will end up paying for them as well.
I hope this is informanative and could be some help to someone somewhere.
Adam Unger (QueenVault.com) · Member since
What are the differences between the 2011 Japan SACD pressings and the newest pressings?
Walter B. · Member since
Thank you for your elaborate answer. As far as I know the Sanyo CD pressing plant in Japan started producing cds late 1984.
I also have the so called red face cds of Greatest Hits and The Works (CDP 7 46016 2). My disc of The Works has something like CP35 or CP38 in the matrix. No mention of Sanyo Manufacturing. If your cds have that, I would be interested in a picture.
cmsdrums · Member since
I also have the original red labelled Greatest Hits CD too but don’t recall anything about Sanyo but will give it another look sometime.
Penetration_Guru · Member since
On formats - the Orb USB stick already had 24 bit 96Khz files on it.
...and the DSD files can be found if you know where to look.
Walter B. · Member since
In Japan almost every Queen album is available as hi-res download: http://mora.jp/artist/206573/
aristide1 · Member since
The hi-res potential is wasted by unnecessary digital processing.
First CD transfers remain the reference - lower resolution but no eq or compression, not even azimuth correction. Updated with better sources found for some tracks, as the ones used for 2015 vinyls.
I've done a small forensic research by comparing IN THE LAP.. from the leaked studio tape with the CD versions.
The first transfer from 1986 is identical, then things are going down the hill very fast. The HR version already has a "smiley face" eq and the others are more and more compressed.
An intersting fact i've discovered comparing SHA 1986 same matrix number pressings from UK, DE and NL, was a 0.2 db in the total amplitude level on different pressings.
The small level adjustment seems to be done "in the factory". Apparently there are CDs with (slightly) different amplitudes and same matrix number.
But only one is the original, and if you are a purist then you should seek that one.
For my taste, azimuth corrected (easily done with a proper software) first CD transfers are the best digital experience of Queen music.
