Prestige in Japan

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Prestige in Japan

Prestige recordings were reissued in Japan by Victor Record Company/ Victor Music Industries in the late 70′s early 80′s. Victor had originally been a Japanese offshoot of the American RCA Victor company, but a small territiorial dispute between 1941-5 called the War in the Pacific caused a falling out – and the link was never re-established. JVC was taken over in 1953 by the Panasonic Corporation, the multinational electronics company behind the familiar DJ-loved brand Technics

Victor pressings are not quite as rich tonally as achieved by King Record company for Blue Note, but slightly richer than Toshiba-EMI pressings for same a decade later, which can be a trifle thin-sounding. These thirty year old records have usually been kept in immaculate condition, only ever played on “modern” hifi with lightweight tonearms rather than 50′s radiograms, pressed on near-silent vinyl, and seemed to have been mastered from original tapes. Saving best until last, they are seriously undervalued compared to US original pressings ($40-$50 compared with $200 or more). But then you will not own the real American historical artefact, which is what serious collectors demand.

My advice to would-be serious collectors is to buy the best US first pressing they can afford, in near-mint condition or sealed, put it away in storage, and then buy a Japanese second copy to actually play and enjoy the music.

1.NJLP 8283 / PRST 7059 Stereo. Liner Notes all-Japanese – domestic release No Jaspac logo. Note, Japanese count the number of tracks on the side, small number in a circle, at foot of the credits.