GHOSTS - VERSIONS
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Asia Pacific vinyl
UK VINYL
Acetate with original cover (*)
Acetate. Apple acetate signed by Cousins, Lambert, Cronk. Cover is a version of the originally planned cover, featuring a view of Charterhouse School on the front, for which was permission was refused by the school. Back cover, also signed by the same three, has similar band pics to the release version, but also at a each corner an engraving, taken from the book "Richard Dodd" published by Academy Editions, London. They are labelled "pride", "greed", "desoire" and "peace of mind", the four states of mind referred to in "The Life Auction".
Front and back cover
Signed acetate
UK release
Vinyl album: AMLH 68277 (A&M, UK, 1974). Single sleeve, with cream coloured inner sleeve setting out lyrics over faintly watermarked version of the melting strawberry which was first used (as far as I know) in the 1973 A&M brochure, from where it was painted on to the back of my schoolbag and eventually became incorporated into the Strawbsweb logoberry. There's another one reversed out in white at the bottom right of the back cover. Silver labels.
Front and back cover
Inner sleeve
Labels
US VINYL
US releases
Vinyl album: SP 4506 (A&M, US, 1975). The front cover has a small A&M logo bottom right, with the catalogue number. Back has the US address at the bottom. The labels are US-style silver, and there's a lyrics inner sleeve.
Note that this like other US releases seems to have been slightly later than the UK and various other places (including Canada) - in 1975 rather than 1974.
Pressings
As before copies were pressed in different locations in the US - prior to the introduction of silver labels, they differed quite a lot in terms of typography and layout, but thereafter used very similar typography, though there were still a few minor differences in layout. In some cases it is only possible to tell which pressing you have by scrutinising the etched information in the runout.
Here the differences, which all seem to be on side 2, with different spacing above the catalog number:
Monarch pressing labels (*)
Pitman pressing labels
Terre Haute pressing labels (*)
US promo releases
Vinyl album: SP 4506 (A&M, US, 1975). Note that the US release seems to have been slightly later than the UK and various other places (including Canada) - in 1975 rather than 1974.
Monarch pressing promo - sticker and labels
The cover is promo stickered, and the labels white with black text - "Promotion Copy Not For Sale" appears around the rim of the label at the top. My copy of this has no inner lyrics sleeve.
Pitman pressing promo - sticker and labels
The cover is promo stickered on the back cover, the labels white with black text - "Promotion Copy Not For Sale" to the right of the spindle hole. This one HAS an inner lyrics sleeve - similar to UK inner sleeve, but with US publishing details ("ASCAP") next to the UK publisher and US catalogue number, printing details at the bottom right of side 2 lyrics. The UK inner sleeve has an A&M logo on side 2, but the US inner sleeve doesn't.
Terre Haute pressing
Spotted online in two places (latter confirmed as Terre Haute pressing) - spacing on side 2 label is the same as the Terre Haute full release above. NB same promo sticker as for Pitman promo above.
US "R" "club" release
Vinyl album: R104612 (A&M, 1974/75?). This is a Record Club of America "club" release. It has a different style label and, though the US catalogue number appears on the front cover at bottom right, the R104612 number is in light blue on the back cover, bottom right next to the dripping strawberry. The catalogue number also appears on the labels and the inner lyrics sleeve.
Known "R" Strawbs releases:
Note that this like other US releases seems to have been slightly later than the UK and various other places (including Canada) - in 1975 rather than 1974.
Labels
US "CRC" "club" release
Vinyl album: SP 4506 (A&M, ???). This is a US CRC "club" release. The only difference between this and a non-club A&M release is a small "CRC" at the bottom of the spine - no differebnt label number or any other identifying marks. Difficult to scan but I did my best!
Spine
CANADA VINYL
Canadian release
Vinyl album: SP 4506 (A&M, Can, 1974). Canadian release pretty much the same as the UK release, with A&M logo, cat number and Canadian address at bottom of sleeve back. There a lyrics insert rather than lyrics inner sleeve, but it comes with a blue company inner sleeve.
Labels, first release
Canadian promo "DJ" release
Vinyl album: SP 4506 (A&M, Can, 1974). Same as full release below, but with "D.J. COPY NOT FOR SALE" overprinted on silver label. Not known if there was a white label promo as standard with most other releases - both earlier (BATS) and later (Nomadness) - anyone got one?
Canadian reissues
Reissue
Vinyl album: SP 4506 (A&M, Can, 1974). Again, pretty much the same as the UK release, with Canadian address at bottom of the sleeve back. Bi-lingual rim wording.
Later reissue
Vinyl album: SP 4506 (A&M, Can, 1974). Again, pretty much the same as the UK release, with Canadian address (and on the reissue, also US trademark wording) at bottom of the sleeve back. There's a French/English protective sleeve, telling you how to care for your records, with a protective polythene inner. But alongside that, there's also a paper inner with a non-melting strawberry, broadly the same but with the dripping bit not there - more hand-drawn looking than the A&M catalogue/album sleeve version, which may or may not indicate it was home-made, although it certainly looks printed to me. Also bi-lingual rim wording.
Looking at the typography I'd guess this came later than the above reissuue, probably around 1978, when Best Of Strawbs was released.
Inner
EUROPE VINYL
German release
Vinyl album: 88564 XOT (A&M, Ger, 1974).
Labels
Italian test pressing
Vinyl album: SLAM 68277 (A&M/Dischi Records SPA, Italy, 1974). This came with a plain printed white label on the disc and loose release labels (which are the same as the full release below). A very slightly textured sleeve with Dischi details on bakk cover (bottom) and Italian catalogue number top right.
Test pressing label
Italian release
Vinyl album: SLAM 68277 (A&M/Dischi Records SPA, Italy, 1974). Same as promo release, includes a two-sided cream coloured insert with the lyrics as per UK copy, with an A&M logo and the Italian catalogue number plus "Distribuzione Dischi Recordi SPA" at bottom right of side 2.
Labels
ASIA PACIFIC VINYL
Australian release
Vinyl album: L35428 (A&M/Festival, Australia, 1974). Pretty much the same as the UK release, except with the Australian cat number top right of back cover and Festival address at the bottom. There's a nice thick paper version of the cream inner lyrics sleeve, with a protective plastic inner, which also has the cat number.
New Zealand release
Vinyl album: L35428 (A&M/Festival, New Zealand, 1974). Cover - front same as UK, back same, except for Festival Records info at bottom, No lyric insert or sheet in my copy, but there may well hadve been one. Big surprise is that it comes with brown labels - this must have been the latest Strawbs release with brown labels, as silver labels came in in 1974 in most places.
Labels
Japanese release
Vinyl album: AML 232 (A&M/King Records, Japan, 1975). As per promo generally.
Note that the Japanese releases (like the US) seem to have been slightly later than the UK and various other places (including Canada) - in 1975 rather than 1974.
Labels
Japanese promo release
Vinyl album: AML 232 (A&M/King Records, Japan, 1975). Another nice presentation from King Records. Album cover pretty identical to US version, including US address on back, but King Records number added to front and back. There's an Obi with the back showing Strawbs albums released to date. The insert is 4pp album sized, printed in Ghosts cream and brown. The inner spread has the English lyrics, the front has Japanese sleeve notes and English/Japanese track listing, the back has lyrics translated into Japanese.
Note that the Japanese releases (like the US) seem to have been slightly later than the UK and various other places (including Canada) - in 1975 rather than 1974.
Obi and insert
Labels
Taiwanese release
Vinyl album: (no catalog number, A&M/???, Taiwan, ????). Originally thought to be Korean, Jim Shuster tells me he bought his from a seller in Taiwan and the writing is Chinese not Korean. Described as a rare Taiwanese LP, it certainly is - the only Strawbs release in Taiwan.
Nice packaging here. The sleeve is pretty much the same as the UK release, except for a change in the colour scheme: the band name is bright red and the word "Ghosts" in pink. There is some Taiwan writing on the back of the sleeve at bottom left and right. Inside there's a slightly weird brown inner sleeve, and a 2-sided A3 insert folded into 4 pages, one page of which has the lyrics, the rest of which is largely devoted to other artists.
Front and back cover
Insert
Inner sleeve (same both sides
Labels
OTHER VINYL
South African release
Vinyl album: AMLH 68277 (A&M/RPM, South Africa, 1975). Pretty much the same as US release, except that catalog number appears with tiny A&M logo bottom right of front, with US address on back cover below details about RPM Pty. Rather than an inner sleeve, there's a single page insert with the lyrics.
There's a reference on the back cover to cassette and 8-track formats (ZCAM 68277 and Y8AM 68277 respectively) - not clear whether those refer to US releases or South African releases (they don't appear on the US sleeve). They're not UK releases, cat nos: CAM and YAM respectively - see below.
Note that the South African release (like the US) seems to have been slightly later than the UK and various other places (including Canada) - in 1975 rather than 1974.
Front cover
Labels
Venezuelan release
Vinyl album: LPS 88418 (A&M/El Palacio de la Musica, Venezuela, 1975) Pretty identical to the US version, I'd imagine, with the US PO Box addres on the back sleeve. Also on the back sleeve, the Venezuelan company logo "Hecho en Venezuela por ..." , the cat number and a "D" in a circle ("distributed"?). No insert, a scrunched polythene inner.
The labels however are fascinating, having everything translated:
- Fantasmas (Ghosts)
- Dulces Suenos (Sweet Dreams)
- Noche Clara (Night Light)
- Angel De La Guarda (Guardian Angel)
- Pastel De Limon (Lemon Pie)
- Brillo De Estrellas/Vino De Angeles (Starshine/Angel Wine)
- Abonde Vas (Cuando Necessitas Un Escondite) (Where Do You Go (When You Need A Hole To Crawl In))
- La Subasta De La Vida (The Life Auction)
- Impressiones De Southall Desde El Tren (Impressions Of Southall From The Train)
- La Subasta (The Auction)
- No Trates De Cambiarme (Don't Try To Change Me)
- Recordsando (Remembering)
- Tu Y Yo (Cuando Eramos Jovenes) You And I (When We Were Young))
- La Gracia Salvadora (Grace Darling)
Note that the Venezuelan release (like the US) seems to have been slightly later than the UK and various other places (including Canada) - in 1975 rather than 1974.
Labels
Brazilian release
Vinyl album: SA&M 2138 (A&M Brazil, 1975). Single sleeve release. Back cover has Brazilian catalogue number top right (as well as US no), and "ESTEREO". At the bottom, it has the Disco E Cultura details of the Brazilian manufacturer. Also says "TAMBEM EM CASSETTE", so I guess there was a cassette release too. Comes in clear plastic inner, so sign of any lyrics insert/inner sleeve.
Note that the Brazilian release (like the US) seems to have been slightly later than the UK and various other places (including Canada) - in 1975 rather than 1974.
Labels
CASSETTE AND 8-TRACK
UK cassette release
Cassette: CAM 68277 (A&M, UK, 1974). Cover picture from album framed against an orange background. Inner flap has 5 pictures of band members from reverse of album cover. Inside is the track listing, and, as A&M were no longer getting Precision Tapes to make their cassettes, the running order is the same as the album.
Interestingly the white cassette itself has "Made In Canada" embossed on side 1 just above the label. Is it possible that A&M Canada did the manufacturing which was then labelled for the UK market? Given that I've never seen a Canadian release, maybe the same was used in both jurisdictions.
Cassette cover, outer and inner
Labels
UK 8-track release
8-track : YAM 68277 (A&M, UK, 1974). By now A&M were making their own 8-tracks as well, using a standard black A&M box, which had the same label wrapped around it was wrapped around the cartridge itself. However, given the nature of the medium, the tracks had to be broken up and resequenced (long epic songs, such as "Ghosts" and "The Life Auction", must have made the 8-track engineers' lives a misery, as you can see below):
Front back and head
Running order
Programme A
You And I (When We Were Young)
Grace Darling
Starshine/Angel Wine (Part I)
Programme B
Starshine/Angel Wine (Part II)
Ghosts (Part I): Sweet Dreams; Night Light
Programme C
Ghosts (Part II): Guardian Angel
Don't Try To Change Me
The Life Auction (Part I: Impressions Of Southall From The Train; The Auction (Part I)
Programme D
The Life Auction (Part II): The Auction (Part II)
Lemon Pie
Where Do You Go (When You Need A Hole To Crawl In)
US cassette release
Cassette: CS-4506 (A&M, US, 1975). Outer follows vinyl design, inner blank. Printed on cassette track details etc. Note that the US release seems to have been slightly later than the UK in 1975 rather than 1974.
Cassette cover
Cassette
US 8-track release
8-track : 8T 4506 (A&M, US, 1975). Note that the US release seems to have been slightly later than the UK in 1975 rather than 1974.
Front, back and head
Outer sleeve
Curiously, the running order for the US 8-track is the same as the LP.
Canadian cassette release ??
Cassette: CS-4506 (A&M, Canada, 1974/1975).
This was spotted online, tagged as a Canadian cassette release - however it seems identical to the US cassette and may be wrongly tagged.
NB - the UK edition has "Made In Canada" embossed on the cassette itself. It's possible that A&M Canada manufactured copies for both jurisdictions (but if so I'd expect this one to have the same embossing)
If released separately in Canada, it may have been released in 1974 like the UK and Europe, as the Canadian 8-track release (like the US releases and various others) seems to have been in 1975. Not known which date applies to the Canadian cassette.
Cassette cover
Cassette
Canadian 8-track release
8-track : 8T 4506 (A&M, Canada, 1975). Plain white card case, fairly basic design.
Whist the Canadian vinyl release was 1974 like the UK and Europe, the 8-track release (like the US releases and various others) seems to have been in 1975.
Running order
Program 1
Ghosts: Sweet Dreams; Night Light; Guardian Angel
Starshine (begin)
Program 2
Starshine (concl.)/Angel Wine
Where Do You Go (When You Need A Hole To Crawl In)
Lemon Pie
Program 3
The Life Auction (Part I: Impressions Of Southall From The Train; The Auction
Remembering
You And I (When We Were Young) (begin)
Program 4
You And I (When We Were Young) (concl.)
Grace Darling
Don't Try To Change Me
Front back and head
Brazilian cassette release (*)
Referred to on Brazilian LP release. No other details.
CD
Siwan CD release (1998)
CD: SRMC 0085 (Si-Wan, 1998). Front, back covers and lyric inner sleeve reproduced in full (without watermark feature); 2pp of sleeve notes in Korean. The Obi has adverts for Si Wan releases of Grave New World and Antiques & Curios.
CD booklet pp 1 & 8)
CD booklet pp 2 & 3
CD booklet pp 4 & 5
CD booklet pp6 & 7
Obi and CD body
Universal CD release (1998)
CD: 540 937-2 (A&M, 1998, REMASTERED WITH BONUS TRACK) Front cover and band photos from rear cover reproduced. No lyrics, but six pages of sleeve notes by Dave Cousins and John Tobler.
A&M 1998 CD releases (Antiques, Witchwood, GNW, BATS, Hero, Ghosts)
These Universal releases have manufacturing details printed in the clear plastic centre on the silver side (ie bottom) of the CD. The first releases were made in Germany by PMDC. They seem to have been re-pressed later by other companies - EDC and Universal M&L and these are coming up on Discogs as different releases, but I'm not going to start scanning CD bottoms on Strawbsweb! No other changes as far as I can see in packaging.
CD booklet pp 1 & 8)
CD booklet pp 2 & 3
CD booklet pp 4 & 5
CD booklet pp6 & 7
CD body
Russian bootleg CD release, no date
CD: AN99-065 (Ars Nova, no date) with 2 bonus tracks) Reported as an "unofficial" release, based on the Universal remaster - cheeky enough to keep Universal design and copyright information on the tray back. 4pp booklet, the outer part referring to Ghosts, the inner giving details of their bootleg of From The Witchwood!
Booklet pp1 (front) & 4 (back)
Booklet pp2 & 3 (From The Witchwood content
CD
another Russian bootleg CD release, no date (*)
Spotted online. Also based on the Universal remaster, though this one also copies the CD design.
Universal Japan SHMCD reissue (2018)
CD: UICY-78840 (Universal, Japan, 2018) Facsimile reissue including original inner sleeve and Japanese booklet, based firmly on UK vinyl release. Obi mimics original Japanese release.
CD and Obi
