Liner Notes

Post by **scottidog** » Sat Jan 10, 2004 11:04 pm

WEIRDALexis279, I think you are correct. Checking my liner notes...

What liner notes?

Stupid Scotti Bros. for not printing them on later printings. Stupid late fandom...

Post by **Bruce the Duck** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 6:07 am

Scottidog, the first five albums NEVER had liner notes in the CD editions. And I believe only "Even Worse" had them for the cassette versions, so you're not missing much.

However, Alexis is exactly correct. As the story goes, Madonna was wondering aloud when Al would turn "Like a Virgin" into "Like a Surgeon." The person she was talking to knew someone who knew Al, and it eventually got around to Al. Al thought, "Hey! That's not a bad idea" and he did the song. The rest is history. I believe the story is mentioned in the Permanent Record booklet, as well "Behind the Music."

CatraDhtem · Post by **CatraDhtem** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 6:47 am

Bruce the Duck @ Jan 10 2004, 11:07 PM wrote: the first five albums NEVER had liner notes in the CD editions

Well actually, the very very first editions of most of the CBS CDs did have lyric sheets.

DTBS - eight-page foldout insert with lyrics, credits, and b&w pictures
Polka Party! - stapled lyric booklet with credits and b&w pictures
In 3-D (CBS CD released in 1986 or 1987, depending on who you believe) - simple four-page insert with credits and color pictures inside...no lyrics!
Even Worse - stapled lyric booklet with credits and b&w pictures
GH1 - four-page insert with just b&w pictures inside
UHF - stapled lyric booklet with credits

The debut album was not issued on CD until all of the albums were reissued in 1991, so its first CD insert is just like it is now (except for the record label info).

And of course, CDs from "Off The Deep End" and on have had the same inserts in every edition.

Since this is Al's 25th anniversary, one would think there would be plans to do something special with the older albums, like add actual liner notes or something.

Oh well, you know how those Americans are. :sarcasm:

ThewEiRdOne27 · Post by **ThewEiRdOne27** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 6:53 am

CatraDhtem @ Jan 10 2004, 11:47 PM wrote: Oh well, you know how those Americans are. :sarcasm:

Post by **Bruce the Duck** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 6:55 am

Hmm. CatraDhtem (sorry, I forget your real name!), do you know how many of each of those (In 3-D through Even Worse) were printed? And have you ever seen them on eBay?

I was fortunate enough to buy the first five albums when CDs still came in big cardboard boxes. These boxes had much of the art from the back of the record sleaves. I still have them all and they're in great condition, too!

The picture on the back of the debut album is my favorite! For anyone who hasn't seen it, it's a photograph of Al performing on stage, while dreaming of himself lying in bed. Kind of like the complete opposite of the scene on the cover of the album. The cool part about it is that he's wearing the same clothes and stuff as in the cartoon.

CatraDhtem · Post by **CatraDhtem** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 7:58 am

Bruce the Duck @ Jan 10 2004, 11:55 PM wrote: do you know how many of each of those (In 3-D through Even Worse) were printed?

No, I'm sorry. I have no idea what the normal print run for Al CDs would have been...especially during the '80s.

I guess we could speculate that the "Even Worse" CD might have had the most number printed since by 1988 CDs were becoming more and more mainstream, and as the album became a hit no doubt more were produced. The others probably had normal print runs (however many that would be for CBS at the times of release).

And have you ever seen them on eBay?

I'm lucky enough to have been able to track down all of them, so they're usually not something I keep my eyes out for on eBay. But on the rare occasion when I do click on an auction for one of the studio albums, once in a while a CBS version is being offered.

The only noticeable difference for any of them is that for DTBS, the CBS version has a blue "Compact Disc" logo on the bottom right corner of the cover.

Even if an eBay auction has ten pictures, if you're looking for a specific version of a CD I suggest you always ask the seller for the catalog number on the spine. More and more recently have CD auctions been simply cribbing pictures and info from the Muze retail database, so who knows what the seller really has sometimes. Anyway, the catalog numbers for the CBS editions start with "ZK" and are then followed by a five-digit number.

I was fortunate enough to buy the first five albums when CDs still came in big cardboard boxes. These boxes had much of the art from the back of the record sleaves. I still have them all and they're in great condition, too!

Ah yes...gotta love the longbox. Makes it feel like something a little more substantial than a five-inch metal disc.

Post by **Bruce the Duck** » Sun Jan 11, 2004 8:18 am

Yeah, but those boxes were a major waste of resources, which is why they stopped packaging them that way. I also hated those plastic things that were impossible to remove without the little mechanism they have at the register. One time I bought a CD and the cashier didn't take the thing off. It took me forever to break the plastic apart and remove the CD.

BTW, I just realized that we are WAY off topic. Could one of you moderators please splice these last few posts into a separate topic about liner notes?