Roots Archives Forum

Greetings to all.. Can anyone give me tips on how to distinguish original Jamaican labels from re-presses. I have a grip of 45's, but i'm not sure if they are originals or re-presses. I know that most original Jam labels were paper material and have a matte look to them. Also they seem to have the pressing mark on the outer area of the label and re-presses have it on the inside. Anyone have any tips? The era that i'm refering to is 70's and 80' (roots and early dancehall). Peace and Jah bessings to all... Riddim

demon
hit bound
wackies
studio one
channel one
seven leaves
blood and fire
burning sounds
live and love
sonic sounds
pressure sounds
clocktower
csa
heartbeat
greensleves
dynamics

those are the only ones i can think of right know.

Can't answer your question Riddim, but only 6 of the above list of labels is actually of Jamaican origin!

Thanks for your responce arize-rootsman and Trevor, but I was refering to the differences between re-pressed Jam vinyl and original Jam vinyl, since there are so many re-presses out there that look like originals it's hard to tell. I know some stuff about originals, but i'm just trying to get more knowledge on reggae vinyl and pressings. thanks again Riddim

The most 'original' you can get is with 'Pre-releases' as they were called back then. Normally they had a blank label or only the Studios/Labels printed on it, no artist, no titles unless they were handwritten on it.

There are a few irrefutable clues - (1) the thickness of the vinyl. Early originals (60s to late 70s) were pressed on thicker vinyl than later ones that used recycled vinyl which was thinner and more brittle; (2) the label paper was of a higher quality generally too (also, as stated, there were a lot of blanks, or uncredited, labels issued); (3) the matrix numbers on the vinyl run-in. There are often differences between originals and represses in what is scratched on the vinyl. The third point usually confirms an original.
If you want any help, drop me an email with the disk info: a/b side artist/song/producer/label + matrix numbers on both sides and I'll check against my database of over 50,000 JA/UK vinyl.
> infolang2@yahoo.co.uk

Thanks for your replies Bellyman and Dan Rivers. Do any of you know about the printing of silkscreen jackets? What era/dates were these silkscreens printed? Thanks Riddim

Oh, by the way, I'm refering to Jamaican album cover/jackets. Some of the early vinyl presses were silkscreened, and I was just wondering if any of you had an idea as to the dates or the names of the printing companies in which these covers were printed. PEACE.....