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Collectors' F.A.Q.
Question
From: Allan, Copenhagen
I have been looking at your site trying to find out how original
the U2 singles I have are but I can not find out about "Three".
The version I have is printed in 1979 but has not "UKTM
No.B81 8091" written after the copyright warning. It is
many years ago I bought it and as I remember (not sure) it was
a part of 4 U2 Play.
The label is orange & yellow and the record number is CBS
7951. I also have "I Will Follow," "Another Day",
and "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" on CBS. (On "Another
Day" is written on the label: recorded at CBS studios London
December‚ 79 A Break records productions)
Are these singles made in Ireland or England to be original?
Dennis Crow: All the records you
mentioned are reissues.
With the exception of "Fire" and " A Celebration",
which originally were issued on a black label in Ireland, all
Irish 7" records through "Pride" were issued
with the "UKTM No.B81 8091" information on the label.
Tens of thousands (most likely) of the reissue without the
"UKTM No.B81 8091" label information were reissued
via the 4 Play Pac I & II series. These are worth considerably
less, although some uninformed people have on many occasions
paid $100-$200 for U2-3 7" reissue at auction.
Although the label's information can be confusing, the records
have all been manufactured in Ireland to the best of my knowledge.
Many years ago I wrote a letter to Jackie Hayden, who was at
CBS records in Ireland when U2 were signed to the label. (He
also hand-numbered the original 1,000 copies of 12" U2-3.)
I was very impressed, as he wrote me back, and one of the questions
he answered was the confusion of the UKTM information on the
original early singles. It turns out the "blank" CBS
labels were manufactured in the UK, exported to Ireland, were
they were printed with the specific artist information. The
copyright information around the edge of the label was generic.
With the later reissue 7" singles, either the labels began
to be made in Ireland, or for some reason the UKTM info was
dropped. Possibly this was knowingly done to determine original
pressings. (??)
There are also variations in the Picture sleeves from originals
to the reissues, but that is another long story.
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