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Topic: FAME>>release dates?

21st Jun 2015, 8:11 PM
	Magic Marmalade If you're not lost... It's not an adventure! Member since Jun 2014 3745 Points Moderator	Just want to make a few observations about this infernal label... Found myself kind of drawn into that particular discography recently, like the veritable vertigo swirl-like vortex of confusion it is, when trying to date them. I can see a few things that may help narrow date ranges in there, but also serve to muddy the water a little: 1. It seems EMI released these at the rate of about 4-5 a month. 2. The release dates usually coincide with a new release by the artist whose album is being reissued. 3. The label progression seems to be as follows: a) light brown with red grid pattern until about 1987-88 b) a brief period of yellow with red grid pattern somewhere around 1986 - 1988 c) also around this time, some had picture labels. d) a mix of light brown (no hatching), and a darker brown (no hatching) till the demise of the label. Can't be any more specific than that. But one more point to make, that could be a source of the confusion... An early title released on this label will obviously have the light brown with red hatching, but through continuous, or intermittent pressing, will also exist as a yellow label with red hatching, a plain light brown, and a plain dark brown, but one of the last releases may exist only as a dark brown. A title from about 88, may exist as a picture label, plain brown (either), or even a yellow with red hatch, but not a light brown with red hatching (as per the earlier releases). In view of this, is it possible that some people have made entries both here and on discogs erroneously, based on the label version date they have, but not the first appearance of that title on Fame (with an earlier label). I feel EMI would not release the titles out of catalogue sequence chronologically, exceot maybe by a couple of months - say a band announces a new album in the works, so a programmed release of a reissue of one of their earlier titles is brought forward to coincide with it (or maybe pushed back?) In the case of the Japan album on Fame, I think this may be as much as two years off. (It doesn't help that they started arse-ing around with the catalogue numbers themselves, and putting the numbers 41, and 1 either side of the four digit catalogue number on some... although I believe the sequence still holds based on these four central digits, and a few entries here and elsewhere may be well off beam because of it). Any thoughts?