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Jimmy Smith - root down OG check

leonleon 883 Posts
edited October 2012 in Strut Central
Hi all,

Does anyone know which one of these is the OG? The covers seem identical but the labels are not:





I hope somebody can help me out here, thanks in advance,
Leon

  Comments

  • strataspherestratasphere Blastin' the Nasty 1,035 Posts
    Looks official to me. The reissues tend to have high gloss labels. These do not.
  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    Thinking the differences above are just due to different pressing plants.
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    Label one identifies MGM as "Metro Goldwyn Mayer" along the bottom.

    Label two just says "MGM."

    Even with this difference, I think the label just pressed an extra older label they weren't using. Companies did that whenever they ran out of label blanks. I'm assuming they're both still originals. I believe MGM would have stopped that "Metro Goldwyn Mayer" business by 1972 (when Root Down was released).
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    As said both look vintage.
    As said record companies did not care which labels were printed/used.

    The Sunset Blvd address was introduced in 1972*.

    You should check markings in the dead wax for more clues to where each was pressed.

    * According to Joe Lindsay's old Record Label Guide.
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    BTW: I think the USA one would be more desirable.
  • leonleon 883 Posts
    Allright, it makes perfect sense they are both first pressings but pressed up at different plants. The 'USA' label i like more, also the vinyl is thicker i noticed.

    Thanks a lot for the help!

    Leon
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