2 X Leave Home from Portugal

Here is another pressing of Leave Home with two different versions, the portuguese issue.
This time it's clearly two different pressings, the dead wax, the run-out groove area, on version 2 is much broader (see pictures). The sleeve and the labels are different. First and second press, I suppose.

Version 1: Glossy, laminated cover. Label with larger letters. Fold-out lyrics sheet.
Matrix number side A: 6031-A   Side B: 6031-B (almost invisible)

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Version 2: Non-glossy, not laminated sleeve. Labels with smaller letters. My copy don't have the lyrics sheet.

Matrix number side A: D 6031 A   Side B: 6031-B

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The back of the sleeve:

More info about the first pressing of Leave Home here.

More about the two australian versions of Leave Home here.

The german Leave Home – two versions

Leave Home was the first Ramones album made in Germany. Later on the record was rereleased on Sire but the first press came out on Philips and has the "Original  New York Punk Rock" sticker on the sleeve. And it has Carbona Not Glue as the fifth song on side A.
But lately I found an alternative press of this record with different labels. The most common version is the one with a black circle in the middle of the label. The other version has an all blue label with different design.
Has this to do with two different pressings plants or is it a first and a second press? I don't know but the german Rocket To Russia that was released later in 1977 has the labels with a black circle. There are also small differences in the matrix number which could indicate that all blue label version is the first issue.
Maybe someone i Germany knows more about this?
The sleeves and the inlay with lyrics are identical for both versions.

Album: Leave Home

Number: Philips 6370 809

Year: 1977.

Country: Germany.

Matrix number, A-side: 10 AA6370809 1Y  320   B  1 
B-side: 10 AA6370809 2Y  320    A  1
Notes: German first press.

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Album: Leave Home

Number: Philips 6370 809

Year: 1977.

Country: Germany.

Matrix number, A-side: 10 AA6370809 1Y  320   D  1 
B-side: 10 AA6370809 2Y  320    E  1
Notes: Alternative press with different labels.

More info about the first pressing of Leave Home here.

More about the two australian versions of Leave Home here.

Record of the week: Meltdown with the Ramones

In 1978 WEA took over the distribution from Phonogram in the U.K. and the first three albums was rereleased. In 1980 the record company put out an EP to support the albums. Four tracks from three albums with focus on slower, and up until then not very typical songs on a Ramones 45.
Maybe the company hoped for a new audience with the brand new Spector-produced End Of The Century out in the stores.
Meltdown with the Ramones was only released in the U.K.

Songs: I Just Want To Have Something To Do/Here Today,Gone Tomorrow//I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend/Questioningly

Number: Sire SREP1

Year: 1980

Country: UK

The japanese Road To Ruin

The japanese pressing of Road To Ruin from 1978 is made in the same style as other editions from the country. Thick cardboard sleeve, a lyrics and infosheet in japanese and the obi. This was the first album-release on Sire records, the earlier stuff came out on Philips. As always there is a white label promo-version along with the stock copy.
The stock copy on the pictures below was exported to the U.S. and this copy has the yellow inner sleeve with lyrics, I have not seen any other japanese albums with a printed lyrics sleeve.

Album: Road To Ruin

Number: Sire RJ-7529

Year: 1978

Country: Japan.

Notes: Stock and WLP version. 

The sleeve with obi, front and back.

The lyrics sheet, front and back.

 

The stock version.

Inner sleeve with lyrics, export version.

White label promo-version.

Record of the week – Fin Del Siglo

End Of The Century was supposed to be the big breakthrough for the Ramones. The album was released in many "new" countries, one of them Argentina.
This is the first Ramones record that was released in Argentina. The original press from 1980 was made by the local MH-label under license from Sire. There is a stock version and a white label promo version of the album. The WLP has a big promo-sticker on the back of the sleeve, see scans. All titles on the cover are translated to spanish, End Of The Century is replaced by Fin Del Siglo. The sleeve is laminated only on the frontside.
End Of The Century was rereleased in Argentina in 1984 under Sire/WEA (WEA 80098), once again with a WL promo version. The repress has a white WEA logo in the lower left corner of the sleeve.
Here is the original press:

 Front.

 Back – not laminated.

 Label.

 Innersleeve with lyrics. Spanish titles.

 The promo label.

Promo sticker on the back of the sleeve.

Ramones on Direct Metal Mastering

The final development of the vinyl mastering technology was made in Germany in the 1980's. After that the compact disc swept the vinyl away. This last way of making vinyl records was called DMM, Direct Metal Mastering. Instead of cutting the audio modulation onto lacquer DMM cuts straight into metal (copper).
The advantage of this technique is a sound with more upper frequency levels and less surface noice. But DMM records was not a big success, many felt that the records sounded to harsh. I can't hear any big differences but maybe my sound system isn't good enough...
Anyway, there are at least two albums with the Ramones that are made with the DMM technique, both are made in Germany.
The first one is Brain Drain. Chrysalis released two versions of the album in Germany, one "old school"-pressing and a DMM-version.
There are some differences between the sleeves of the two editions, besides separate catalog numbers. The "old school"-version have glossier sleeve and insert. But the biggest difference is that all the text on the back of the DMM sleeve is white instead of red, see picture below.
The other album that in a normal version and a DMM version in Germany is Loco Live. The worst record Ramones ever released, but that's another story...

Album: Brain Drain

Number: Chrysalis 1C 064-3 21725 1

Year: 1989

Country: Germany.

Notes: Labels marked with DMM. Printed inner sleeve. 

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Album: Brain Drain

Number: Chrysalis 209 998

Year: 1989

Country: Germany.

Notes: Printed inner sleeve. 

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Album: Loco Live

Number: Chrysalis 1C 064-3 21901 1

Year: 1991

Country: Germany.

Notes: Labels marked with DMM. 

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Album: Loco Live

Number: Chrysalis 066 3219011

Year: 1991

Country: Germany.

Notes: "Normal" pressing.

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Record of the week – the dutch Baby I Love You

The dutch edition of the Baby I Love single has a nice sleeve with a pic from the End Of The Century photo session from 1979. According to the credits on the sleeve the photographer is George Bennett. The infamous "Ramones without leather jackets"-photo that ended up on the the front of the album was taken by Mick Rock.
This is how he later on described working with the band:
"They were not a comfortable band to shoot; you could feel the tensions among them. They'd rejected two photo sessions and didn't have much budget left but where desperate. They don't have mutch patience for photographers, their manager, Danny fields, told me".
It was Mick Rocks idea to, for the first time ever, shoot the band for a cover without the jackets. Johnny was strongly against the idea but Dee Dee and Joey voted against him. Marky, not being an original member, didn't have a vote. This caused a big fraction in the band, especially between Johnny and Joey. And probably didn't make the photo session any easier...

Songs: Baby I Love You/High Risk Insurance

Number: Sire WBN 17589

Year: 1980

Country: Holland

The scandinavian pressings – part 2

Ramones played in Sweden in 1980 to promote End Of The Century.

Between 1980 and 1983 Sire released the last two albums pressed in Norway. The next album for the scandinavian market, Subterranean Jungle, was made in Germany but with n©b-marked labels.More about that release here.

This is the complete list of the scandinavian albums in chronological order. Part 2: 1978–1983.

Album: End Of The Century

Number: Sire SRK 6077

Year: 1980.

Country: Norway.

Matrix number, A-side: SRK 6077 A 7 P 81 F 710  B-side: SRK 6077 B 7 P 81 F 710 
Notes: No barcode, printed inner sleeve. Sleeve marked with TEAM TRYKK OSLO. Warner distribution info from other pressings on backcover is overmarked. n©b on labels.

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Album: Pleasant Dreams

Number: Sire SRK 3571

Year: 1981

Country: Norway.

Matrix number, A-side: SRK 3571 A 1 P 80 F 710  B-side: SRK 3571 B 1 P 80 F 710
Notes: No barcode, printed inner sleeve. Sleeve marked with TEAM TRYKK OSLO. Warner distribution info from other pressings on backcover is overmarked. n©b on labels.

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Album: Subterranean Jungle

Number: Sire 92.3800-1

Year: 1983

Country: Germany for the scandinavian market.

Matrix number, A-side: R / S Alsdorf 923800-1 A  B-side: R / S Alsdorf 923800-1 B
Notes: With barcode, printed inner sleeve. Sleeve and labels marked with Made in Germany. n©b on labels.

Confusing copy of Pleasant Dreams

This is a confusing one. According to the sleeve this copy of Pleasant Dreams is made in Germany. The labels says "Made in USA" but they are marked with "STEMRA", the rights society in Belgium and Holland.
Actually this a version of the german second pressing of Pleasant Dreams on Sire/WEA that was manufactured for the market in Belgium and Holland. The sleeve is the same as the german edition, the labels are different.
Even if this was the second press in Germany (the first one was released under Sire/Ariola) I consider the STEMRA-version to be the first press in Belgium an Holland. It was the pressing that was sold in the countries in 1981 as you can see on the backside of this Belgian single from the album, We Want The Airwaves:

Album: Pleasant Dreams

Number: Sire/WEA 56 923

Year: 1981

Country: Pressed in Germany for Holland and Belgium.

Matrix number: R/S Alsdorf 56 923A //  R/S Alsdorf 56 923B.
Notes: No barcode, no printed inner sleeve. Same sleeve as the german edition. Incorrectly marked with "Made in U.S.A" on label.

Album: Pleasant Dreams

Number: Sire/WEA 56 923

Year: 1981

Country: Germany.

Matrix number: R/S Alsdorf 56 923A //  R/S Alsdorf 56 923B.
Notes: No barcode, no printed inner sleeve. Marked with GEMA for the german market.