Whether you are new to buying Depeche Mode releases, or a seasoned pro, everyone needs a bit of help sometimes. That is what this page is for. This page will help you to understand the Discography area.
Acetate
When a record is made, making the acetate is the second point in the process (the first being a master tape recording). An acetate is a piece of metal, covered in a layer of acetone (therefore causing it to be heavier than a standard record). To make a record, an engineer places a blank acetate on a cutting lathe. The cutting lathe then proceeds to carve a groove into the acetate, based on the sound waves the acetate cutter is receiving from the sound source attached to it (a master tape). When finished, the acetate is then used to press up proper vinyl records. This is achieved by first coating the acetate with a layer of metal. This "metal mother" is then taken off the acetate (both 'a' and 'b' sides), and placed on a vinyl stamper (the machine that actually makers the record). These two metal mothers are then placed on the top and bottom of the machine. A "puck" (a lump of vinyl) is then placed on the vinyl stamper, with paper labels on top and bottom sides. When the vinyl stamper is activated, the metal mothers come down on both sides of the puck, squeezing the vinyl out to the edges. This is how a record is made.
Sometimes, acetates contains versions of songs that are not released. Also, for every record pressed, an acetate exists. An acetate label is usually the label of the manufacturer (not the record label, but the pressing plant used, like Sterling Sound, The Exchange, Bernie Grundman Mastering or Future Disc, for example). The label is usually either hand written, or is typed. They are rarely, if ever, professionally printed.
Catalog Number
Almost every release manufactured has an identifying number. That is the catalog number. As an example, let's use a US pressing of Violator. The release has a catalog number of 26081. To identify whether the release is a record, cassette or CD, the record company will add a suffix to the main catalog number ("-1" is vinyl, "-2" is CD, "-4" is cassette, "-7" is a 7 inch single, and "-0" is a 12" inch single). So, the cassette of the US Violator album has a catalog number of 26081-4. The UK Mute releases handle this the same way, except their base catalog number for that release is STUMM 64, and they use prefixes ("CD" is CD, "C" is cassette, et cetera). So, the Mute CD of Violator would be CD STUMM 64.
"CD-R", "CD-Recordable", "Recordable CD Promo" or "Reference CD"
Starting in the early 1990's, record companies started creating, or "burning", a small number of a release (single or album) on recordable CD's. These promotional items are usually burned in extremely low numbers (25-50), and are created for the following reasons:
a) An advance pressing ("test pressing") for the artist, management, or someone who works for them.
b) A small "additional servicing" to radio stations, after a record label has already distributed a promotional single.
c) "In-house" use by the record label employees.
In regards to item "b", these CD-R's are usually made after an initial "real" promotional single (silver) has been made. They are usually shipped out to "key" radio stations (the bigger, more important ones), and almost always contain mixes and songs not available anywhere else. They almost never contain a catalog number, and because of how common CD recording equipment, they are subject to being bootlegged.
A CD-R is a modern day equivalent of the old vinyl test pressing.
"Cut Out"
A "cut out" release is a commercial release, but it is defaced in one of the following ways:
a) A large hole punched out of the cover (usually over the UPC bar code)
b) A gold stamp on the front cover, stating that the item is for "promotional use only, and not for sale"
c) A "saw cut" on the edge of the cover
d) One of the corners of the cover cut off. These are usually commercial copies that are shipped to record retailers for in-store play, as well as radio stations and magazine reviewers. These pressings are not true promotional items in the eyes of collectors.
Longbox
When CD's were first released in the U.S., the record companies packaged the CD's in a long cardboard box, to prevent theft of the discs. Better theft protection phased out the longbox years ago, making them especially collectible to collectors, though the longbox has started making a appearance again in some American shops (CostCo, et cetera).
Mix Names
After some tracks, it might be noted if it is a 7" Version, Single Version, LP Version, et cetera. Some help on this is below:
• 7" Version, Single Version - Usually refers to the version released on a 7", Cassette or CD single.
• LP Version, Album Version - The version used on the album. Sometimes, like on the album Speak & Spell, different countries will have different versions of the same tracks. So, saying "LP Version" can be misleading. Case in point - "Just Can't Get Enough", on the original UK pressing, is the actual album version. On the original US pressing, the label used the Schizo Mix, which is actually the 12" Version.
• 12" Mix, 12" Version", 12" Remix - This refers to the remix available on the 12", or CD single. Like the examples above, these terms are pretty much interchangeable. Sometimes, when there is only one 12" version available, the remix will be referred to as the 12" version, even though it might have it's own name (like the "Just Can't Get Enough" example above).
• Multiple Names - When a song is first remixed, the remixer will write down on the tape the name he or she wants the mix to have on the tape submitted to the record comapny. From there, audio engineers, promotions people, the art department, sales, and many other branches have many opportunities to alter that name. This is how a track like the 1989 remix of "Everything Counts" can be called the "Bomb Beyond The Yalu" mix, the "Tim Simenon / Mark Saunders" mix, and the "Bomb The Bass" mix, yet all actually be the same mix!
Promotional Only Pressings
A promotional only release is a record solely designated to be sent to radio stations. They usually contain special edits for radio use, have a catalog number specific to it's release (usually with a P somewhere in it, like "PRO-A-xxxx" or P12BONGxx"), and they sometimes contain mixes that are not commercially available to the public. They can number anywhere from 1000 to 10,000 in number, depending on the country that presses them. Smaller countries have a smaller area to cover for promotion, hence they press less (sometimes in the hundreds).
Scribe
On vinyl pressing, in the run off groove (the area near the label), pressing plants will carve into the acetate (or "scribe") the catalog number of that particular release. This is done to identify the acetate, and will usually contain a long series of numbers (the main catalog number, as well as additional numbers and letters to signify A and B sides). Some pressing plants (mainly UK ones) have engineers who write little messages in the run off groove area.
Test Pressing (or White Label)
The first records pressed from the vinyl stamper are called test pressings. There are usually only between 5 and 30 test pressings made. These are made, and then sent to the record label and/or recording artist to "proof" the recording (approve that the pressing is satisfactory). Sometimes test pressings of a record are used in the actual promotion of a record. This happens when a record is really "hot", or is being "rush released" (a quick pressing, with little time from the initial test pressings to the final versions that are ready for the public). Usually though, test pressings are just that...tests. Most are disposed of after being pressed, therefore they are very rare. Just like acetates, there is a test pressing for EVERY record ever released (commercial, and promotional pressings). And just like acetates, the label is usually that of the pressing plant. The challenge for a collector is to obtain every test pressing and acetate ever made (a very unlikely happening).
White Label
See "Test Pressing" (they are technically the same thing).
