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Post by Alan on Apr 21, 2023 15:13:14 GMT
Not sure this topic will be of much (if any) interest to anyone other than myself, but back in 2014 when the 40-single boxed set was released, I went on a collecting frenzy and decided to get the UK original singles.
In common with other record companies, the Epic releases had various different label variants. Some issued at the time of the single’s original release, and others later on.
CBS Records (what’s now Sony Music) began life in the UK in 1964 when it took over Oriole Records, a UK company dating back to 1925. It renamed the company to CBS Records, and nine years later became ABBA’s UK licensee. CBS put ABBA onto their Epic label (Epic being little more than a trademark and product of CBS, and not a company or even a subsidiary in its own right).
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Post by Alan on Apr 21, 2023 15:14:57 GMT
Ring Ring / Rock ‘n’ Roll Band, original 1973 release These images from Discogs, as I don’t own this in any variant. Promo (less rare than the commercial issue)  Commercial issue 
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Post by Alan on Apr 21, 2023 16:11:04 GMT
Waterloo / Watch OutOriginal issue, 1974  Second issue, 1976 or later. Very similar print style to yellow-era issues  Third issue, 1978 with new catalogue number and orange-era print style and font  1986 reissue, new catalogue number. Picture sleeve based on 1984 boxed set anniversary issue. Only ABBA single to be issued on Epic 1980s white label 
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Post by Alan on Apr 21, 2023 16:22:12 GMT
Ring Ring (remix) / Rock ‘n’ Roll Band, 1974 release
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Post by Alan on Apr 21, 2023 16:26:49 GMT
So Long / I’ve Been Waiting For You
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Post by Alan on Apr 21, 2023 16:38:34 GMT
I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do / Rock MeOriginal issue, 1975  Second issue, 1976 or later 
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Post by Alan on Apr 21, 2023 16:40:41 GMT
SOS / Man In The MiddleFirst issue, 1975  Second issue, 1977, yellow-era print style but with ABBA logo  Third issue, 1978, orange-era print style  Final issue, 1981 
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Post by Alan on Apr 21, 2023 16:55:08 GMT
Mamma Mia / Tropical LovelandFirst issue  Second issue, 1977, still with yellow-era print style but including ABBA logo  Final issue, 1978, with orange-era print style. The punch hole is apparently an indication that the title is about to be (or has been) deleted. Can possibly be found without this hole but very rare if so. 
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Post by HOMETIME on Apr 21, 2023 17:45:34 GMT
That's some proper collecting, Alan. I had nearly all the singles released here in Ireland apart from Ring Ring and So Long, which I swapped for a poster early on. I ended up giving away anything that wasn't in a picture sleeve... I presume some of those singles must be worth a nice figure? |
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Post by Alan on Apr 21, 2023 20:22:27 GMT
I presume some of those singles must be worth a nice figure? Possibly the Waterloo 1986 issue but most of the ones I’ve posted so far are fairly easy to come by. The real money is in the original Ring Ring which I don’t have. |
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Post by Alan on Apr 21, 2023 20:27:01 GMT
Fernando / Hey Hey HelenOriginal issue  Second issue, 1978, with a new catalogue number  Final issue, 1981, retaining previous catalogue number. Another one intentionally damaged to indicate deletion. 
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Post by Alan on Apr 21, 2023 20:38:29 GMT
Dancing Queen / That’s Me Original issue. The final ABBA single to be issued on the outgoing yellow label  Second issue, 1976. The changeover to the orange label occurred during Dancing Queen’s chart run, and was therefore the first ABBA single to be issued on it (some earlier singles as previously shown in this topic were issued on orange later on). Printing font and style initially retains that of yellow era.  Third issue, 1978, now with orange-era font and large ABBA logo.  Final issue, 1981, again with punch hole to indicate deletion. 
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Post by Alan on Apr 21, 2023 20:45:46 GMT
Money Money Money / Crazy WorldOriginal issue. The first ABBA single not to be issued on the yellow label (and therefore the first only on orange). Retains the yellow-era font but adds a small ABBA logo (meaning the label carries the ABBA name twice)  Second issue. Similar to the first but ABBA logo moved to the left 
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Post by lamont on Apr 21, 2023 20:53:47 GMT
This is so interesting, well researched and sought after discs.
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Post by Alan on Apr 21, 2023 20:57:13 GMT
Knowing Me Knowing You / Happy HawaiiOriginal issue. Again retaining yellow-era font. Similar to the second Money Money Money with small ABBA logo on left  Dutch pressing for UK market. The Dutch orange-era pressings are quite ugly, with an unattractive font. This one had a push-out centre (which clearly was pushed out). Blue-era Dutch pressings are much better, as we’ll see later.  Irish pressing. Generally I don’t collect these (they weren’t issued for all titles anyway) but this one is unique. For some reason (run out of orange labels?) they use a white label with orange text and no Epic logo. It is the only issue with this label. There is no mention of Ireland on it, not even in the CBS licence line  Final issue, 1981. The sticker isn’t covering up a hole and was presumably added by a previous owner for whatever reason 
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Post by Alan on Apr 21, 2023 21:38:05 GMT
The Name of The Game / I Wonder (Departure) [Live version]UK pressing  French pressing, with the usual white surrounding text rendered in black and starting from the right. Image from Discogs  USA pressing. The label still says “Made in England” in white. Image from 45cat 
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Post by Alan on Apr 21, 2023 22:08:22 GMT
Take A Chance On Me / I’m A MarionetteUK pressing  USA pressing with different print style and placings. Label still says “Made in England” in white around the edge.  Dutch pressing, image from Discogs. White surrounding text going around the top rather than the bottom  The first ABBA injection-moulded (plastic) label in the UK. These are believed to be manufactured in France but there’s no evidence of that on the label. Early such labels moved the Epic logo to bottom right. I think these are produced the opposite way to paper labels. The colour is added but the text and graphics are simply the black of the vinyl record, hence the minimalist look (“Music” abbreviated to “Mus” etc) 
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Post by Alan on Apr 22, 2023 9:22:43 GMT
Summer Night City / Medley: Pick A Bale of Cotton, On Top of Old Smokey, Midnight SpecialTwo pressings with different text placings and fonts Narrow font  Standard orange-era font  Irish pressing, very similar to UK label but with “Made in Ireland” added (image from Discogs as I don’t have this) 
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Post by Alan on Apr 22, 2023 9:30:53 GMT
Chiquitita / LovelightTwo similar pressings but with different text placings Narrow font on right-hand side text  Standard font on right-hand side text, bottom text placed differently and some in smaller font  Injection-moulded (no paper). I don’t own this variant as it’s quite rare. Image from Discogs. Again, Epic logo is placed bottom right.  Irish pressing. Again, I don’t own this so image is from Discogs. The Irish pressings use a different font and for some reason don’t carry the ABBA logo (still a reversed B though). Catalogue numbers for the Irish pressings are the same as the UK ones (as it’s the same CBS licence covering both countries, and the same arm of the company). Other countries where ABBA were on Epic are separate licences by different arms of the company. 
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Post by gary on Apr 22, 2023 9:40:02 GMT
Fascinating stuff. I love the font nuances! I have always resisted getting into serious ABBA vinyl collecting, as I know I can get quite obsessive and completist. I assumed from your avatar that you had the original Ring Ring. What is that selling for now?
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Post by Alan on Apr 22, 2023 9:48:53 GMT
gary, there’s an original Ring Ring on Discogs now for £300. Overpriced though. It’s the promo version which is actually more common than the commercial variant. The more realistic price is about £100 but sellers these days will try their luck. I’ve yet to see the Chiquitita injection-moulded selling anywhere. My avatar is the same image of the commercially-issued Ring Ring that I posted at the start of this topic, and from Discogs. I’d like either variant of this release but I’m not paying silly money for a 50-year-old piece of plastic. It’s more the significance of it being the first use on record, anywhere in the world, of the ABBA name.
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Post by gary on Apr 22, 2023 9:59:25 GMT
When did the Chiquitita injection-moulded version come out? I have certainly never seen it.
Yes, the first use of ‘ABBA’ is quite significant.
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Post by Alan on Apr 22, 2023 11:24:10 GMT
I’m assuming the same time as the main paper label pressings, gary, but not sure. Certainly must have been 1979 as that was the last year of the orange label. |
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Post by HOMETIME on Apr 22, 2023 13:11:23 GMT
The Irish pressings used really ugly fonts. The vinyl seemed to be thicker too. We got UK pressings from time to time, and I always loved the lighter weight vinyl and the crisp font. I'm guessing that audiophiles these days would say that heavier vinyl is better?
With Summer Night City, I remember buying the single without having heard it (the first time I ever did such a thing). It had the orange label, of course, but it came in an old Epic black/yellow company sleeve. When you think about it, given how much money they made from ABBA, Epic really should have been more respectful with their releases. It's galling that Angeleyes/Voulez-Vous is the first picture sleeve they issued.
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Post by Alan on Apr 22, 2023 14:42:03 GMT
Does Your Mother / Kisses of FireUK pressing  Irish pressing (image from Discogs as I don’t have this) 
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Post by Alan on Apr 22, 2023 14:58:33 GMT
Angeleyes / Voulez-VousPromo. Generally I don’t collect these, but this one is significant as it has an ABBA logo in the centre. Epic album pressings often have the ABBA logo placed here but on singles it isn’t possible because of the need for a push-out centre variant for use in jukeboxes. If the ABBA name was here, it would be pushed out. This is therefore the only UK Epic single pressing with a centre logo.  Commercial pressing  Blue sleeve variant. Generally this topic isn’t to discuss sleeve designs but this one is significant. It’s the first UK single with a picture cover. It uses the international Chiquitita cover shot, and two variants were issued.  Grey sleeve variant. Different pressing of single with different text placings  Injection-moulded, the first of this type to have the Epic logo in the correct position  Irish pressing. This image from 45cat as it’s better than the Discogs one. Again, no ABBA logo and this time no reversed B either. 
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Post by Alan on Apr 22, 2023 15:20:18 GMT
Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight) / The King Has Lost His CrownAs with Dancing Queen earlier on, the release of this single coincided with a change in Epic’s label design, and this time a completely new Epic logo. This is therefore the last single issued on the outgoing orange label. Or is it? First pressing  Injection-moulded, again with the Epic logo in the correct place.  Irish pressing, image from Discogs  The debut of the new label and script logo. The printing is still in the style of the orange-era, with the ABBA logo awkwardly covering up some of the tail of the Epic one.  Second blue pressing, this time with the blue-era print style (ABBA logo moved to the bottom and some text now on the left) 
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Post by Alan on Apr 22, 2023 15:42:39 GMT
I Have A Dream / Take A Chance On Me (Recorded live at Wembley Arena)Two UK pressings with different text placings   Push-out middle variant (primarily for use in jukeboxes but commercially available). Almost all titles were issued with this but generally I don’t collect them, so this one acts as an example. Slightly awkward with the Epic script logo as it cuts though it.  Now we get to a real rarity. The first blue-era Dutch pressing for the UK market. Holland had a different colour label. On singles these were bigger than standard 7” labels but the Epic logo was smaller. Text in silver. This image is from Discogs as it’s extremely rare. I’ve never seen one for sale but I know someone that’s got it.  And another Irish significant issue. Gimme Gimme Gimme was the last UK single to use the old orange label, but presumably remaining stocks were sent to Ireland to be used up. This is therefore the final single to be issued anywhere on orange. Similarly, Greatest Hits Vol 2 was issued on orange in Ireland, but not the UK. 
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Post by Alan on Apr 23, 2023 12:02:07 GMT
The Winner Takes It All / ElaineUK pressing  The first blue-era injection-moulded issue, this time confirming it’s made in France.  Irish pressing, with a UK label. Image from Discogs  UK 12” pressing. The first UK 12” issue for ABBA. The novelty is in the gatefold pop-up sleeve as the record itself only offers the standard versions of both tracks. Image from Discogs (I do own this but only photographed my 7” singles for this topic) 
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Post by Alan on Apr 23, 2023 12:12:56 GMT
Super Trouper / The PiperFinal ABBA single using the old Epic catalogue numbering system that had been in place since before the original Ring Ring in 1973 UK pressing  Injection-mounded. Looks grey in the photo but actually light blue, so very different from the darker blue of The Winner Takes It All  Dutch pressing. Unlike I Have A Dream, this is very common. Once again the label is bigger than a standard 7” label and as the Epic logo and text are relatively small, there’s a lot of space. The sleeves also differ. Different paper texture and side-openers, whereas other variants are top-openers. The Super Trouper album was also available with a Dutch pressing. The Dutch album labels differ from the singles, but still very attractive  Irish pressing, image from Discogs. As with all Irish pressings, the labels themselves are made in England 
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