Abbey Road - CP35-3016 - The Definitive Guide

Firstly apologize if you have come across this post in/on another forum or if I have emailed you.

Having tried to research the issue of the Odeon / Toshiba EMI Ltd 1983 release of Abbey Road , aka Black Triangle release. I was surprised that I could not find any definitive sources of information of what after all is almost a 25 year old release.

Hopefully before the silver anniversary of it’s release a definitive guide including all the available versions , including images and possibly to establish which version a sealed disc is.


Previous threads and queries tend to go dry up when people have located their own copy or they have bought the 18A1 FAKE in error.

I strongly believe that collation of all this information will not only enable the definitive guide to be created but also to establish which versions had , obis, gold stickers or neither and to determine the disc inside a sealed version. This should assist in stabilizing prices but also stopping some online stores selling incomplete copies at silly prices.


I could lust as for everyone to post what details of the version they own , but I can’t really see that one getting off the ground.

So for starters lets start with the one Tough and one easy one. and see what comes out of that.

The Bubble Pack Edition

a) does any one have an image,
b) what was included obi , gold sticker or nothing
c) which matrices were in the pack
d) is there a mark on pedestrian crossing strip ? (see Image Below)

NON obi gold disc edition..

1) which matrix version do you have ,
2) Is there a tear/opening strip on the cellophane behind the sticker
3) Which way does the tear strip run , horizontal or vertical
4) is there a mark on pedestrian crossing strip ? (see image below)

You can clearly see that the image with the Tear strip to the right hand side has a small black quadrangle on the white stripe of the pedestrian crossing as shown in the separate image.



Here are three sealed Non Obi sealed editions NOT the alternate tear strips.












We already known that a Toshiba pressing CP35-3016-1-1A1 came in one of these despite previous reports that ONLY Sony/CBS pressings had the gold sticker and ALL Toshiba Pressings had Obi’s . Oh well there goes another urban myth.


If this is all to ‘anal’ for you please read some of the other excellent threads here rather that taking time to discredit this one , from the emails I regularly receive and the numerous discussions world wide people are interested , Thank You .

To assist these are the current known Pressings.


CP35-3016 31 Sony
CP35-3016 31A1 Sony
CP35-3016 31A2 Sony
CP35-3016-2 1B1 Sony
CP35-3016-2 1B2 Sony
CP35-3016-1 1A1 Toshiba
CP35-3016-11 1A1 Toshiba
CP35-3016 15A1 Toshiba
CP35-3016 17A1 Toshiba
CP35-3016 20A1 Toshiba

and One FAKE

CP35-3016 17A1

All The Best Moptop

 

Thanks thats great Info

 

Hi,

Thanks! Now if I can just find a nice copy! Even a scratched one would be OK if the price is right!

 

Question, how would differentiate the fake one from the rest?

You also mention a fake being 18A1 then later in the post 17A1. Is there actually 2 fakes?

It's info for me just in case I decide to buy one.

 

My copy is the CP35-3016-11 1A1
Mine has the pedestrian mark, and it wasn't a bubble pak
I believe it was with the gold sticker.
I can't believe I bought it 25yrs ago.
I hope that helps
This site defines the real from the fake fairly well
http://www.moptop.org.uk/music/docs/beatles/cv/cd/japan/cp35-3016.htm

 

ONLY one AR FAKE that I know of.

Sorry A typo .

Just the one 17A1 .

 

Dan - that's the OP's site , and a very good source of info.

 

17A1 FAKE

17A1 FAKE WARNING

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

 

Moptop, your site is a great service to collectors and it's a very interesting topic to me.

Just to clear up something from an earlier thread: to your knowledge there is only one fake, correct? And it's as obvious as the one you've show above, correct?

 

God that eBay auction is a very good fake. It would fool a lot of people including me if you hadn't posted the info moptop. Thanks for your invauable service.

 

Information like this is always very interesting and informative to me. I appreciate you sharing the information with us.

 

FAKES

I have only seen one glass mastered fake. The other alleged ones I have come across were 'Silver' CDR.

However I can not guarantee that there are no others.

My web page on line is awfully out of date and hopefully within the month I will have a major update and a new ISP.


All I need now is more people with originals to come forward. There are at least two members on the forum who have images needed.

Ignoring upgrading images urgently needed are

1. the playing surface of a genuine 17A1 , I am currently using 20A1 but it would work better with the correct matrix.

2. Disc scan of CP35-3016-2 1B1 Sony and
3. CP35-3016-2 1B2 Sony

With regards to sealed copies .

Unfortunately I have had no feed back from anyone who has an obi edition , are they that rare?

And just the one gold sticker editions reply.

I will get there . I spent considerable effort on a very limited edition unauthorized recording but that took well over a year , it all depends upon the help provided. There are still a few people on this group I will contact for help direct.


It seems that many people ask me questions when looking but soon as they get they provide little or no help. One recently PM'd wanting verification that a disc they had purchased was real but provide inadequate information an no images. Probably one of the current auction sellers. They weren't even very polite so I held back a draft pdf guide.

Frustrating , but maybe there is a worry that this disc is not as rare as some would have us believe. There are 7 currently for sale that I am aware of.

One ebayer used one of my images, which are all watermarked, so I requested that they remove it for the buyers benefit.


All The Best Moptop

Apologize to ALL I will tackle those Canadian CD's

 

My gosh yes....thanks so much for the info.!

 

Look like eBay may have removed it.

 

Forgive the ignorance, but how much does a real '83 Toshiba Abbey Road CD go for these days?

 

Not sure myself as the only copy I have is the JPN Pro-Use LP. I have never bought the CD. The whole fake thing kind of worries me......

 

The going rate is around $125-$135 for a nice, high-grade copy. However, one recently sold on Ebay for $200, so we might be in for a price hike, a la Wish You Were Here 35DP....

 

Like anything else it fluctuates but for one in NM condition you can expect to pay around $200 (give or take). The last sealed copy I saw on eBay went for almost $400, IIRC.

 

I do believe that was me......cough, cough!

I wanted to chime in and thank moptop for his site. ANY information of these discs is welcome and his site has the most information I've seen. I think it was posted before, but this thread will be useful for future reference also.

 

Two Wide-Eyed And Innocent Questions...

Can someone here comment with precision on what makes the '83 Japan version superior to the '87 version that we all know? (i.e. does it have greater clarity in the midrange, brighter/less bright, etc.)

And, is the 'mini-LP' packaged Japan CD version I've seen on the Internets the same mastering as the '87?

 

To be honest, the difference is the difference between a DCC 24k gold cd and its regular, silver counterpart.

You're talking about dynamic range, the ability of the music to blossom when you turn up the volume, or as Dave likes to say, music that has the "breath of life."

The richness, the fullness, the clarity -- the '83 Toshiba makes it sound like you're in the studio with the Beatles as they're recording Abbey Road. It's mind-boggling to me that one of the greatest sounding cds I've ever heard is nearly 25 years old. Things have only gone downhill since....

 

Just checked my two. I seem to have:
CP35-3016-11 1A1 Toshiba
CP35-3016 20A1 Toshiba
After I discovered that my vinyl copy of Costello Live at The El Macambo is a fake I was frankly reluctant to check these
Thanks
Best-
Norm
t5

 

Can I ask a question here?

Has there been any comparisons between the Toshiba and Sony Cds regarding sonic qualities. It seems, in SHtvland, that there is always one copy which seems to be better than the others (think DSOTM or WYWH..see what I did, I turned a Beatles thread into a Floyd thread...just kidding ). Are both "brands" of Abbey Road identical or is one considered better sounding than another?. i.e. is there a "Holy Grail" and I accept that this is a rare Cd per se, so any copy is highly desirable, but just curious if there is one which sounds better.

I know it's a long shot, but this would of course require someone to have at least 2 or 3 different copies of this CD...but on SHtv, you never know.

 

I shudder to think there's an even better sounding CP35-3016 than the legit Toshiba 17A1 I own....

 

I can't answer the question about SQ differences since I've never heard the Sony version. However, the rarity of the Toshiba pressing could certainly be argued. They crop up on a regular basis. The Sony versions do not.