DEEP CUTS - VERSIONS
Europe vinyl
Asia Pacific vinyl
UK VINYL
UK release
Vinyl album (UK): 2391 234 (Oyster, 1976). Single sleeve with striking image wrapped across front and back - a thorn puncturing flesh in the label area of a vinyl record (illustrator Alun Hood). Bright red lyric LP-size insert (there seem to be two versions of the insert, one darker red than the other), credited (p) and (c) Arnakata Music. Label credits (p) Strawbs Ltd. Looks like this early version (this was my original copy which I bought as soon as it was released in 1976) was corrected for later pressings: see UK variant below.
Front and back covers
Lyrics inner (front from darker version, back from lighter version)
Labels
UK variant release
Vinyl album (UK): 2391 234 (Oyster, 1976). Same as normal version, but the labels have different publishing credits - Arnakata Music rather than Strawbs Ltd. The next album Burning For You has the Strawbs publishing credit, so the Arnakata "variant" may have been first - that said, I bought my copy pretty much on Day 1 and it's a "Strawbs Ltd" copy, so really can't be sure.
Autographed copy
This signed album, which was gifted to me, was almost certainly autographed, along with several others, at Strawbs gig in April 1989 at the Bonnington Theatre, Arnold Leisure Centre, Nottingham.
Labels
UK white label promo
Vinyl album (UK): white label promo 1976) (*). Spotted online. Came with release sheet.
US VINYL
US releases
Vinyl album (US): OY-1-1603. Same packaging as US promo above. Five known variants. Not known whether some are reissues, or whether, like A&M, Polydor had quantities of each release manufactured in various centres, saving shipping costs from having to ship from just one.
Variant 0 Labels (credited as both Pitman and Terre Haute pressing (Discogs))
Matches promo release below.
Variant 1 Labels
Variant 2 Labels (Richmond pressing (Discogs))
Variant 3 Labels (All Disc pressing (Discogs))
Variant 4 Labels (Monarch pressing (Discogs)) (*)
US promo release
Vinyl album (US): OY-1-1603. Same packaging as UK album, except the lyric sheet is transformed into an inner LP bag, and the colour is a much darker red than the UK version. There may in fact be further variant US promo releases (though I have never seen any other than this one!).
Labels
Promo insert (*)
CANADAVINYL
Canadian release
Vinyl album (Can): OY-1-1603 Very similar to US release, with Canadian addresses etc. Lyrics sleeve rather than insert.
labels
Canadian promo ??
I'd expect there was a promo release for Canada - anyone got one?
EUROPE VINYL
Irish release
Vinyl album (Ireland): 2391 234 (Oyster, 1977). The cover is a UK printing and the lyrics insert seems to be the same. My copy came with a stylish black paper sleeve.
labels
German release
Vinyl album (Germany): 2391 234 (Oyster, 1976). Cover same as UK cover except for the back cover which has German printing details bottom left and German catalogue number top right, which also lists cassette details. No insert in my copy, but Jan Tore Gethius has one in his. Though it can't be seen on the scanner, the pressing itself is odd, having a much larger run-off than normal (over an inch deep, pushing all the tracks out towards the rim).
Labels
German promo
Vinyl album (Germany): 2391 234 (Oyster, 1976). No cover with my copy. White label, otherwise same as release apart from promo wording in English and German on the label: "Unverkaufliche Musterplatte" and "Sample copy not for sale". Plain white sleeve has "Ungepruftes Muster" stamped or printed, the catalogue number in handwriting and the date 18 Aug 1976.
Labels
Dutch release/promo ?
Vinyl album: 2391 234 (Oyster, 1976).This is believed to be a Dutch pressing, possibly a promo.
The album came in a UK printed sleeve with a UK prnted plain inner sleeve and no lyric insert, but the LP inside is not a standard UK pressing. There is no statement of origin on the white (not normal Polydor/Oyster red) labels, only copyright warnings around the rim. Research online shows a Rainbow album - Rainbow Rising - from the same period (cat no 2391 224), which is stated to be a Dutch pressing) with the same text and lack of manufacturing origin.
Both also have the same small Copyright Control logo, which I've not seen elsewhere. Discogs has a page for Copyright Control which displays the logo (see below) and states: "'Copyright Control' means there is no publisher known for the composition(s) featured on a release. It is used in lieu of there being a known publisher." (Not certain why Dutch releases would be in that position.)
The Copyright Control logo also appears on the Dutch release of " I Only Want My Love To Grow In You", along with Dutch copyright wording and "Made In Holland".
Labels
Dutch Rainbow Rising label
Copyright control logo
Italian release
Vinyl album (Italy): 2391 234 (Oyster, 1976). Not much to tell you that this is an Italian release on the cover, other than some small print bottom right back cover. The lyrics are on an inner sleeve - rather than the various shades of bright red used in other releases, the Italians have used a slightly off-white heavy paper.
Inner sleeve
Labels
Spanish release
Vinyl album (Spain): 23 91 234 (Oyster, 1976). Front cover in colour, with Spanish catalogue number at top left (same as UK, but with "52" after it in a circle - this doesn't appear on the label) Back cover for some reason is in black and white, even though it will have been printed at the same time. Catalogue repeated there, along with info about cassette version. Manufacturing information appears in very small type running up right hand side of cover on the image's record "label" under the rose leaf. Comes witha lyric inner, but in black and white instead of the usual bright red.
Labels
Portuguese release (*)
Vinyl album (Portugal): 2391 234 (Oyster, 1977).. Very similar to UK pressing, with Portuguese info at bottom left of back cover. Publication date on label listed as 1977, so may not have come out same time as other releases. No lyrics insert in my copy, but there may have been one. Unusual poly protective inner sleeve, circular at bottom, with square top and "letter box" slit about 1 inch down to put vinyl into.
Labels
Greek release
Vinyl album (Greek): 2391 234 (Oyster, 1976). Outer sleeve is German printed, no lyrics insert with my copy. The record has a very deep inner rim, with the tracks squashed to the outside of the record.
Labels
Inner sleeve
ASIA PACIFIC VINYL
Australian release
Vinyl album (Australia) 2391 234 (Oyster, 1976).Very similar packaging to other releases, nothing on the usual red lyric insert to distinguish it from the UK release. There's some near unreadable small print at bottom left on the back cover "Distributed by Phonogram Pty. Limited". At top right there's reference to a "musicassette" release.
Labels
New Zealand release
Vinyl album (New Zealand) 2391 234 (Oyster, 1976). Very similar packaging to other releases, ony thing identifying this as a NZ release are the Wellington NZ address under the "marketed by Phonogram" logo bottom centre of back cover. Black and white lyric insert. NB there is no reference to a cassette version, unlike the Australian release above, so there may not have been one.
Labels
Japanese release
Vinyl album (Japan) MWF 1004 (Oyster, 1976). As ever, superb packaging for this Japanese release. There's an OBI round the facsmile reproduction of the UK sleeve. There's a 4pp insert, the outside nicely decorated, the inside spread has the lyrics in English and Japanese. And I have both release and promo versions.
Front and back cover
Insert front and back
Insert inside
Labels
Japanese promo release
Labels
Thai release (bootleg)
Thailand (poor quality bootleg, OX 223, no date).
Front cover
Labels
OTHER VINYL
South African release
Vinyl album (South Africa): 2391 234 (Oyster, 1976). Not much on the sleeve or labels to indicate it is a South African release other than a logo on the back cover, bottom left "Marketed by Polydor Division" and bottom right an Interpak logo. Inside there's a copy of the UK insert except that it is in black and white on moderately stiff white card, rather than bright red.
Insert
Labels
Brazilian release
Vinyl album (Brazil) 2391 234 (Oyster/Brasilia de Discos Phonogram, 1976). Pretty much as per UK release, with info about Brazilian record company on rim of label, bottom left, top right of back sleeve. No lyric insert/sleeve in my copy but there may have been one.
Labels
CASSETTE AND 8-TRACK
UK Cassette
Cassette (UK): 3177 234. Detail from album cover painting on front; track listing on inside flap, nothing on reverse. Track running order is different, with two tracks swapping places: "Charmer" is Track 4 of Side 1, "My Friend Peter" moves to Track 2 Side 2.
Outer sleeve
Labels
US cassette
cassette US: CT-1-1603. Inner cover is blank, fairly plain white paper labels (my copy has "A" and "B" handwritten on the labels, which I've edited out for the scans below).
Outer sleeve
Labels
Running order is different with "Simple Visions" and "Turn Me Round" changing places:
Side 1
I Only Want My Love To Grow In You
Simple Visions
Hard, Hard Winter
My Friend Peter
The Soldiers' Tale
Side 2
Turn Me Round
Charmer
(Wasting My Time) Thinking Of You
Beside The Rio Grande
So Close And Yet So Far Away
US 8-tracks
8-track US: 8T-1-1603. The 8 track comes with a Polydor standard red card "foldover" to protect the exposed recording tape, which fold over the front back and all the way down each side.
Front and head
Front and back with Polydor foldover
Running order
Program 1
I Only Want My Love To Grow In You
(Wasting My Time) Thinking Of You
Hard, Hard Winter
Program 2
Turn Me Round
Simple Visions
Program 3
The Soldiers' Tale
Beside The Rio Grande
Program 4
My Friend Peter
Charmer
So Close And Yet So Far Away
US 8-track variant (*)
Spotted online. Not clear whether (1) different box only or (2) same running order. Anyone got one?
Front and head
Canadian cassette (*)
There was an 8-track, so presumably a cassette as well. Anyone have one?
Canadian 8-track (*)
Cassette (Ger): 3177 234. Listed on Discogs.
German cassette (*)
Cassette (Ger): 3177 234. Listed on back cover of German LP release.
Spanish cassette (*)
cassette (Spanish): 31 77 234. Listed on back cover of Spanish LP release.
Italian cassette
Cassette: (3177 234, Oyster, Italy, 1976). Cover is an edit of the LP but doesn't use the attractive Strawbs lettering.
Running order slightly different - "So Close And Yet So Far Away" swapped with "My Friend Peter". Otherwise same as vinyl.
Cover
Cassette
South African cassette (*)
Cassette: 3177 234 (South Africa) Listed on back cover of South African vinyl release.
Australian cassette release (*)
Cassette: 3177 234 (Australia, Oyster, 1976).Listed on back cover of vinyl release.
New Zealand cassette release ???
Cassette: (New Zealand, Oyster, 1976).Possible, though not listed on the back cover of the NZ vinyl release. Any one seen/got one?
CD
UK double CD with Burning For You
CD: RGF/WCDCD 027 (Road Goes On Forever UK, 1996, 2CD with Deep Cuts). The cover has been redone to combine graphic elements of both albums. Tray inner (i.e. under the lift-up tray) has portrait shot of 4-piece band (Cousins, Lambert, Cronk, Coombes). 12pp booklet contains lyrics (pp2-10) and track details (p11) for both albums - front and back of booklet (p1 and p12).
Front (p1) and back (p12) of booklet
Pages 2 and 3 of booklet
Pages 4 and 5 of booklet
Pages 6 and 7 of booklet
Pages 8 and 9 of booklet
Pages 10 and 11 of booklet
CDs
Tray inner and back
Japanese Muskrat card sleeve facsimile CD release
CD: RATCD 4219 (Muskrat, 2003, Japanese facsimile re-issue). Beautiful limited edition facsimile re-issue in card sleeve, with obi. The card sleev is an exact miniaturised reproduction of the original except that the Muskrat catalogue number appears at the top right of the back cover. The package even has a miniaturised lyric insert to match the original vinyl release (agin with the Muskrat number replacing the Oyster number). It's very tiny print, so not scanned - see original above. There's also a 1 sided 2x2CD black and white Japanese language insert. Though the original packaging doesn't refer to it, there's a bonus track - a Lambert outtake "You Won't See The Light", from the original sessions.
Insert
CD and Obi
Witchwood Media CD release
CD: WMCD 2031 (Witchwood Media, UK re-issue, 2006) Jewel case packaging. 4pp booklet with lyrics on inner fold. Also includes bonus Lambert track. NB. The jewel case is over-stickered with a bar code (not reproduced here)
Booklet outer
Booklet inner
CD
Japanese Airmail card sleeve facsimile CD release
CD: AIRAC 1706 (Airmail Recordings, 2013, Japanese facsimile re-issue). Outer cover is replica of original album. Obi includes ads for Sandy & The Strawbs, Burning For You and Deadlines. There is a lyrcis insert which exactly replicates in miniature the one which came with the UK album (including the UK catalogue number). The back cover also still has the UK catalogue number.
Also included is a 2x2 CD sized b/w insert with Japanese sleeve notes (by Masayoshi Funabiki, dated 7 Jul 2013) and track listing on one side and the lyrics (re-typeset, not a reproduction of the original) on the other. Also noted that this is a 24-bit remaster. The CD comes in a fabric bag, the disc itself got up to represent the original Oyster label album.
This was also included in the Sandy Denny & The Strawbs boxed set of 5 or 8 Airmail Strawbs-related releases. See: the Sandy Denny & Strawbs Complete Recordings page.
Insert front and back
CD and Obi
Extended Edition
CD: ECLEC 2702 (Esoteric, Nov 2019). Booklet style outer cover with CD tray glued to inner back flap. 16pp booklet, with new essay by Dave Cousins.
Cover and CD
Booklet
