Japanese edition of Capitol albums Vol. 2?

A while back, someone here strongly recommended that I get a hold of the Japanese edition of the Capitol albums Volume 2 due to superior packaging, etc.

Does anyone have and/or know where I can acquire the Japanese edition?

Thanks.

I have seen them on Ebay, nut they generally go for a high price.
They are in a short "Box" not the long style of the USA isues.

Here is Vol 2 at CDJapan: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=TOCP-70031
Going for a cool 83 bucks.
Vol 1 is listed there as out of print.

HMV Japan may have Vol 1 in stock, but not sure (it says in stock in one place and "for order" on another). Also, this site shows regular and limited editions for Vol 2--not sure if only one has the fancy packaging.
http://www.hmv.co.jp/search/index.as...target=ARTISTS

Thanks everyone! I perfer the "brick" packaging over the "long box", actually. So, that is handy.

But in what sense is the Japanese edition better than others? Does it sound better?

I also prefer the brick package. I asked a friend of mine who was visiting the US to get a copy of Volume One for me (I thought it would be nice to get a US-bought box of these US albums), and I was very surprised when she brought me the brick. I had always seen the long box at the shops, and I thought the brick was much better. I fits well in the CDs' shelf. Of course, I also got Volume Two in brick format.

Originally Posted by digdad

HMV Japan may have Vol 1 in stock, but not sure (it says in stock in one place and "for order" on another). Also, this site shows regular and limited editions for Vol 2--not sure if only one has the fancy packaging.
http://www.hmv.co.jp/search/index.as...target=ARTISTS

Great site. I wish I could understand something, because there are a few things that look good...

Originally Posted by El Gos Coix

But in what sense is the Japanese edition better than others? Does it sound better?

I also prefer the brick package. I asked a friend of mine who was visiting the US to get a copy of Volume One for me (I thought it would be nice to get a US-bought box of these US albums), and I was very surprised when she brought me the brick. I had always seen the long box at the shops, and I thought the brick was much better. I fits well in the CDs' shelf. Of course, I also got Volume Two in brick format.

I am always looking for the brick version of Volume 1 but can never find it. Where did your friend pick up their copy???

Oh, yeah.... the packaging of the Japanese version is allegedly better... the "album covers" are slightly larger, and "Help!" actually sports the gatefold as the vinyl LP's jacket does. I also read - not sure where though - that the sound is slightly better(?).

Back in the days of vinyl, Japanese albums were sought after because of superior sound quality, at least versus American counterparts. I had a few Japanese Beatles albums and they were much sturdier and the sound was much crisper and clearer. As far as CDs go, I'm not sure if there is a major difference since I don't have any one-to-one comparisons to go by. But I will say that the Japanese CDs and DVDs I do have seem to have a very nice sound quality to them.

The big selling point may be the packaging though. Most (I'd guess as much as 90 percent) of new Japanese releases are first released as a limited edition with special packaging, sometimes even accompanied by a DVD. After these are gone in a few months or even less for popular acts, you start to see them with more standard packaging, similar to what you get in the US. This is why I'm curious if the non-first presses of Capitol Vol. 1 actually contains fancy packaging, or if it would be identical to what we already have in the US.

Hmmmmm.... interesting points, digdad. I'd hate to order a Japanese copy - expecting incredible things - only to get what I've already got plus lyrics in Japanese!

Originally Posted by 62hofner

I am always looking for the brick version of Volume 1 but can never find it. Where did your friend pick up their copy???

I'll try to ask her all the details, although I've lost track of her to some extent (she has moved to another town, changed her cellphone number, and checks her e-mail once in a blue moon). When Volume One was released she was studying music at Berklee (I think that's Boston, although it could be nearby), and I know her home was nearby. When I asked her to get me the CDs I told her that she would find them anywhere, and she told me that, indeed, she had found it at the first shop she tried (what she didn't tell me is whether it was a small or a big shop... I thought that the brick would be everywhere in the US, though not here). I don't even think I asked her the CDs just after the release, I waited some time, so it doesn't look like a very limited edition that run out soon. But I don't really know.

Originally Posted by digdad

Back in the days of vinyl, Japanese albums were sought after because of superior sound quality, at least versus American counterparts. I had a few Japanese Beatles albums and they were much sturdier and the sound was much crisper and clearer. As far as CDs go, I'm not sure if there is a major difference since I don't have any one-to-one comparisons to go by. But I will say that the Japanese CDs and DVDs I do have seem to have a very nice sound quality to them.

I had also heard that the Japanese vinyl records were thicker and that they sounded better (I cannot check it, since I haven't got any Japanese record... yet ). But I thought that with CDs that difference would be over. I cannot say I have the best of ears, and to me, the US releases sound well enough, so I might not appreciate the difference. But now I know all this (why did I read this thread!!??), I'm afraid that some day I'll go round the bend and spend an obnoxious amount of money getting myself some Japanese CD (I've check the price of "Capitol Albums, Volume 2" at Amazon... Ouch!)

Originally Posted by 62hofner

Hmmmmm.... interesting points, digdad. I'd hate to order a Japanese copy - expecting incredible things - only to get what I've already got plus lyrics in Japanese!

Why, that's the best part of it!! If you've taken all the trouble to get a Japanese copy, let it look as Japanese as possible! And what better than sheets full of lyrics in Japanese?

No, I agree with 62hofner. One expects more from that price, and it's good to know that a regular Japanese edition does exist, too, to avoid confusions.

By the way, 62hofner, now that I read again your question in the posting that opened this thread, I've seen it at Amazon. If the product description is accurate, it features everything you mentioned (gatefold jacket and so on). All Amazon Japan has got are US and UK imports.

Originally Posted by El Gos Coix

By the way, 62hofner, now that I read again your question in the posting that opened this thread, I've seen it at Amazon. If the product description is accurate, it features everything you mentioned (gatefold jacket and so on). All Amazon Japan has got are US and UK imports.

I thought I saw it on amazon.com, too, at one point. I didn't see it when I checked last.

Thanks for the replies.


P.S. Ok, I just found it on amazon... guess my initial search was flawed! It's goin' for a pretty penny!

Another thing to consider when buying Japanese pressings on places like Amazon or ebay, or any other sites that handle used copies, is does it come with the obi strip. I assume if you are going to buy a Japanese version of a Beatles CD (or LP for that matter) mostly for the packaging, you are interested in its collectability. The value is increased if it still has the obi strip. That is the paper sash typically placed around the left side of the cover that conveys information such as Japanese translations of artists and titles, price, release dates, etc. It is designed to be a throw away, which of course means more value for collectors. On some shrink wrapped CDs, it is a long sticker placed on the outside of the wrap.

As a note, the word obi comes from the traditional sash worn with kimonos and such. On every obi with Beatles CDs and LPs you'll see the text that appears on the ticket I use as my signature under the word "THE". This is kana script reading "bi-i-to-ru-zu" (the "i" with a eeee sound like in Spanish, and the "r" taking the place of an "l" which is absent in Japanese)--in other words, "Beatles" said in your best Japanese accent.

Originally Posted by digdad

Another thing to consider when buying Japanese pressings on places like Amazon or ebay, or any other sites that handle used copies, is does it come with the obi strip. I assume if you are going to buy a Japanese version of a Beatles CD (or LP for that matter) mostly for the packaging, you are interested in its collectability. The value is increased if it still has the obi strip. That is the paper sash typically placed around the left side of the cover that conveys information such as Japanese translations of artists and titles, price, release dates, etc. It is designed to be a throw away, which of course means more value for collectors. On some shrink wrapped CDs, it is a long sticker placed on the outside of the wrap.

As a note, the word obi comes from the traditional sash worn with kimonos and such. On every obi with Beatles CDs and LPs you'll see the text that appears on the ticket I use as my signature under the word "THE". This is kana script reading "bi-i-to-ru-zu" (the "i" with a eeee sound like in Spanish, and the "r" taking the place of an "l" which is absent in Japanese)--in other words, "Beatles" said in your best Japanese accent.

Yea, dig... I'd only buy it brand-new with the "obi".

Correct Me If I'm Wrong But You Can Buy The Same Box Set For $30 at Walmart or Sam's Club.

Originally Posted by J8ste

Correct Me If I'm Wrong But You Can Buy The Same Box Set For $30 at Walmart or Sam's Club.

The Japanese version - which we are discussing here - is different. The "Help!" sleeve is an actual gatefold like the original LP jacket was... and the sleeves are slightly larger. I believe there is a different booklet inside(?), and I have read on some sites that the audio is better than that of the U.S. edition. Not too sure about the latter, however.

It seems that they sell them new at Amazon.com (right now there's only one new sold directly by Amazon, though), so I think you should have no problem with their having the obi. What I didn't know is that some times the obi in CDs is a sticker on the thin plastic wrapping; I thought they all would be paper bands. I don't think that kind of obi adds much to the value of the CD (I suppose that all you can do it cut the plastic around the obi and keep it inside the case).

Originally Posted by El Gos Coix

I don't think that kind of obi adds much to the value of the CD (I suppose that all you can do it cut the plastic around the obi and keep it inside the case).

I have a couple like this, and from what I can tell they are treated just like a standard paper obi.

When the US version was released it had screwed up mono versions. Fans noticed and Capitol re-issued it with the true mono versions. There was a minor packaging change and you could tell them apart if you looked carefully and knew what to look for. Then the knuckleheads at Capitol switched back to the original packaging. So now if you see a US release in a store you don't know what it is. When Tower Records had their going out of business sale, the local store had a stack of them for $9.99. I thought about buying one, but I figured it was probably the folddowns. This is why the US release isn't selling well. But the Japanese version only has the correct monos. You know it is right.

Bruce Spizer is employed by Capitol, and he has a very hard time saying anything negative about his employers. But here is his account of the fiasco. There is useful information in this article, but phrases like "duophonic delights" and "mono glitch" made me think hard before I linked it.

Originally Posted by digdad

I have a couple like this, and from what I can tell they are treated just like a standard paper obi.

Are they? Oh, I didn't expect that. Well, maybe it's just an aesthetic / sentimental issue, but I wouldn't be too impressed by one of those stickers. I'll try to remember to keep all stickers in their place, even if they're not obis.

Originally Posted by Perderabo

There was a minor packaging change and you could tell them apart if you looked carefully and knew what to look for.

And what must we look for in the packaging? When I got my copy, the first thing I did, in order to know I had the right version, was to check that the false start in "I'm Looking Through You" wasn't there in the mono version. But, of course, one needs to open it first to know that. I suppose that an unsealed CD would pose no problem if one wanted the right version and it turned out to be the wrong one, but if one's looking for the wrong version, I think it wouldn't be that easy to get one unsealed right CD after another changed at the shop! At the time the mistake was found, however, I heard that a "rare" wrong version would probably not fetch a very high value in the collectors' market in the future.

Like I said, you can no longer tell by looking at the packaging. But if you have a time machine or something, the original batch of corrected sets had an "sk1" after the catalog number on the box. This could be a little sticker or it could be printed on the box. So an "sk1" version is corrected. But now, a non-sk1 version could be either.

And yes, most errors are not valuable because there are too many of them and they are annoying. The exceptions are where the error sounds better like the Canadian "With The Beatles" wide mix. Or where the error is very rare and very infamous like the original "Yesterday and Today" album cover. Errors in coins, currency and stamps are valuable and this leads some people to think it applies to other stuff.