1. UK original Contemporary Vogue mono (1959)
Deep groove pressing by Decca, who owned the Vogue label. Common in UK. Green-tint rather than yellow. The clone-makers who plague the Contemporary catalogue always copy the US yellow label and cover.
2. UK Contemporary Vogue Stereo (1963)
Deep groove Decca pressing on black and silver label. Matrix code indicates stereo ZMGT instead of VMGT, “1″ = 1st pressing, “W” is Decca Engineer Harry Fisher.
A = Guy Fletcher B = Ron Mason C = Trevor Fletcher D = Jack Law E = Stan Goodall F = Cyril Windebank G = Ted Burkett K = Tony Hawkins L = George Bettyes W = Harry Fisher
3. UK later Contemporary (Yellow label, no “Vogue”) mono, 1966
Deep Groove, missing “Vogue” name. ”VMGT” machine stamp code, (“1″) 1st Matrix, press by Decca New Malden, engineer Ron Mason (“B”)
4. Japan Issue: King Records 1974
Japan release of US original stereo – facsimile label – manufactured by the mighty King Record Company, Tokyo. In the 1970′s King were literally the King of Japanese pressings, known not only for their superior audio fidelity and silent vinyl but also for the extraordinary care of records taken by the Japanese vinyl owner.
Fine plastic inner sleeves protected against paper scuffs, but more importantly, the lightweight-tracking arms of quality Japanese hifi left no trace of damage to vinyl grooves. Scratched records were a matter of shame in the Japanese jazz community, atonement requiring the ritual disembowelling of Hari Kari, imitating the movement of the record arm scratching across the record.
Ironically, Japanese jazz collectors desperately seek US original pressings, to the neglect of Japanese pressings, which often flow the other way to the US and Europe.
