She’s no more than 7″ wide…
WARNING: This news item is not for normal people. Only read if you are an anorak and you’ve nothing better to do with your time!
While we’re on the subject of Liza Jane, (05.02.2008 NEWS: GEORGE UNDERWOOD TALKS LIZA JANE IN MOJO) back in February,
I’m not suggesting the seller was trying to hoodwink anyone, in fact they did point out that the record wasn’t an original with this disclaimer: “HAND ETCHED MATRIX NUMBERS SIDE ONE CPDR 33318 AND SIDE TWO CRDR 33317 INDICATE THIS IS A SECOND ISSUE EXAMPLE AND NOT A FIRST PRESS.”
The problem was, somebody had tried to make it look like an original. Firstly, the counterfeits always came with a punched-out jukebox centre, and they originally came in a plain white sleeve. This one seemed to have the centre intact, and it was housed in what appeared to be an original Vocalion sleeve.
Above is the original label showing the narrow run out with machine-stamped matrix.
The counterfeiters had always done a remarkably good job of the label itself, but the run out was much wider than on the original and the matrix was scratched in free hand as opposed to stamped.
The fake at the top of the page has the wide run out yet it appears to have that all important original centre. What was going on?
It’s highly unlikely that there was ever another pressing of the original, in fact, there definitely wasn’t…After all, Les Conn’s mother ended up dumping box loads of the original…that’s how well it sold.
So, how could a counterfeit have a proper centre? When questioned further, the seller noticed this: “On close inspection it looks as if the black centre piece has been added. However, it is a superb job and in conjunction with the Vocalion paper sleeve, would make a stunning item to frame.”
Indeed, it may look lovely on a wall, but some poor sap shelled out £330 for a fake worth no more than £15 to £20!
That seemed to be the end of it, but then later in February
Was this the real McCoy? Original centre? Check. Narrow run out? Check. But hold up…what’s this the seller is saying about the matrix? “Record Ex (complete with center) and sleeve in EX+ condition – CPDR3318 – This is problably a second issue with etched matrix. Although most of these had a large runout groove this one has a small runout groove like the original Vocalion issue. Anyway, a hard to find record in this condition.”
“…problably (sic) a second issue with etched matrix.”? “…most of these had a large runout groove…”?
Probably? Surely it’s easy enough to be definite. Also, most of these? Was the seller saying there were counterfeits with the narrow run out too?
I scurried off to check mine. Original blue vinyl counterfeit = wide run out. Original black vinyl counterfeit = wide run out. But, a black vinyl counterfeit I bought much later has the narrow run out!!
Those pesky bootleggers were obviously trying to make it look even more like the real thing for a second pressing, even going to the trouble of re-cutting the master…trouble is, they’ve never managed to fake the machine-stamped matrix.
Also, the reprinting of original sleeves is big business now…these Vocalion sleeves are fake and when one compares them to an original, much thinner stock, sixties Vocalion sleeve, the differences are obvious.
Nevertheless, even with these telltale signs, the seller still managed to shift the above copy for $103.50 USD.
Since then, the same seller has bought a
In the vinyl analysis (geddit?) you can’t be sure a copy of Liza Jane is legit unless it has a machine-stamped matrix. Indeed, this is true of practically all counterfeits and bootlegs, though it seems that not all legit releases of other records will always have a machine-stamped matrix.
So there you have it. Hope that’s useful to those of you thinking of purchasing this valuable record.
You there at the back, wake up!