Smash Hits, shown are two pressings as the coloured vinyl is too difficult to photograph in detail. The US shown first.
Again, I'll leave out the coloured vinyl on this and the following for the reason stated. Here's the Cry Of Love with US first.
Rainbow Bridge, showing the US first.
The "BG" from the Electric Ladyland 50th Anniversary set issued in the EU shown first followed by the US BG initials from the US set.
I’ll leave it to those who bothered to read this to conclude how they want. All I have simply done is present what is clearly to be seen but often missed. Yes, I added my thinking [quite a linear approach in that I just take what is in front of me] here but nothing that is not based on factual support, the evidence of the support regard the vague and oblique marketing along with the clear and obvious differences in the run out groove detail. All based on a broad selection of records.
I know and have done for a few years about all of this so have begun to reduce double dipping of titles. For me and unless we get a statement to say otherwise, I’ll take it as read that an EU pressed Jimi Hendrix title is not the same as its US counterpart.
There is an easy fix to this of course but that is not likely to happen until the powers behind the Hendrix vinyl releases conclude to the fact there is an issue to be addressed. I just have the overall impression that the treating of some customers as second class, the introducing of a two tiered base for customers is something that has never concerned Experience Hendrix. That has been shown throughout their tenure of the Hendrix catalogue with a failure to address marketing of the Dagger Records and even the merchandise on offer outside of the USA. While I’m more than grateful to Sony and Experience Hendrix in the continuation of vinyl production, something I feel would have not been as much to the fore had Universal remained the Licenced Distributer, I do feel not enough thought or consideration has been afforded a focus to the customer base outside of the US boundaries.
08 May 2019
Slight update:
While these pages await a full revision, the following is a slight update comment due to some recent information. The following may or may not impact what is stated already and applies only [as I read it, it applies thus] to the vinyl issue of the “Songs For Groovy Children” box set and possibly future releases. I will add that I have yet to see an EU “Groovy” box set myself and also caution that QRP produce their own metal parts. From earlier research I found that QRP do not supply metal parts for anyone else.
From comment originally found in Jimpress #119 and reproduced here, https://jmhvinyl.co.uk/select-vinyl-reviews
John McDermott; “On another note, I thought I would clarify the vinyl process for this release as I am sure that will be a part of your next issue [For Jimpress #119]. Bernie Grundman handles both the mastering and the vinyl cutting for us on all of our new releases since the death of George Marino. These are attended sessions by us. We require that Bernie cut parts for both the US and ex-US manufacturing. This is all done at the same session. Those metal parts are then shipped to QRP here in the US and the Sony manufacturer outside the US (such as MPO). We do not send a digital file for overseas pressings. We feel that this process keeps the quality level we are shooting for as equally balanced as we can make it.”
This, on the face of it, is great news for vinyl buyers outside of the U.S.A.
September 2020.