Limited Edition 12inches

[RetroRuss]

A lot of 12" released in the UK & I'm sure in the US in the late 70's had "Limited Edition" or "Special Limited Edition", or "Special Disco Edition" clearly printed on the label...it got me thinking - how limited was limited?..did the numbers pressed differ between each label? Also there were special Promotional Editions...or they say for "DJ Use Only", or not for resale etc. How many of these were released into the market?

I was listening to the radio in the car and Dance Dance Dance came on...reminding me of the fact I have the UK "Special Limited Edition" with a lightish blue Atlantic label. Just got me wondering!

[KEN]

A lot of 12" released in the UK & I'm sure in the US in the late 70's had "Limited Edition" or "Special Limited Edition", or "Special Disco Edition" clearly printed on the label...it got me thinking - how limited was limited?..did the numbers pressed differ between each label? Also there were special Promotional Editions...or they say for "DJ Use Only", or not for resale etc. How many of these were released into the market?

I was listening to the radio in the car and Dance Dance Dance came on...reminding me of the fact I have the UK "Special Limited Edition" with a lightish blue Atlantic label. Just got me wondering!

The twelve inch format was never really a very big seller worldwide back in the 70's and 80's. It was more popular in Europe than in the U.S. In reality, most 12" discs issued commercially were limited editions. Unless you frequented a dance club, it was very unlikely you would hear many of the 12" songs released. Most radio stations played only 7" versions of songs, and only the very popular ones. I used to get very frustrated back then because I had to buy the longer 12" versions overseas.

Regarding the number of pressings between labels, it really depended upon the label. The smaller labels were extremely difficult to obtain even when the song reached the top of the dance charts. The larger labels would generally press more copies than the smaller ones, but only after the song became a hit. It was not unusual to hear a 12" version of a song in a nightclub and have to wait 2 or 3 months before the song was pressed and released commercially as a 12" single. Many of the record stores would sell promotional 12" copies to satisfy the small demand for the extended versions.

Regarding DJ only 12" promotional discs, these were released to DJ record pools and clubs as well as record stores and radio stations across the country. Colored vinyl and odd shaped discs were also released as a promotional gimmick. Most promotional discs were never released commercially. There were times when hundreds of promo 12" records were released on a weekly basis. However, as mentioned before, many of these same versions were released in Europe.

The record companies would release as many 12" promo discs as necessary to get the LP to sell. The record companies made most of their profits from the LPs rather than the 12" singles. Most people wanted to hear the song and not the percussion breaks at the beginning, middle and end of the song. Even today, it is very difficult to buy CDs which contain full 12" versions. Most of the time, the songs are edited 12" versions or single versions.

[QUINNY]

Many of the issues that had "Limited Edition" or similar boldly emblazoned across their sleeves were nothing of the sort. CBS (UK) were particularly guilty of employing this 'trick' to generate quick sales.

SFAIK the MCPS had a rule that 3,000 (maybe 2,000) had to be pressed inorder to qualify for a full 500 promotional copies, which were sent out to radio and club DJs, or given to chart return shops as cheapos in order to get a few more sold. Below the 3,000 limit a much smaller percentage of promotional copies were allowed.

I've also heard that some smaller UK companies pressed maybe 500 initially, so it's possible that some of the pressings are indeed very rare. I can vouch for the fact that some titles were very difficult to get hold of on the smaller labels. I remember one title (Mr. Magic by Kirk Thorne on JKO) was impossible to order through any normal channels and I had to write a begging letter to them in order to secure a copy. It was not completely uncommon for 12" to be released by small London record shops in the early '80s on very limited runs, quite often hand-written white labels, especially Reggae and Dub tracks..