Rocket Records -- early CD releases and label designs

That thread from a few weeks ago where we were posting early CD label designs to illustrate "blackface", "black triangle" and other early CD label designs got me to thinking more about the designs that Rocket Records had in the early-mid 80's.

Roland (rjstauber) very kindly posted the first two scans, which illustrate the more common "Rocket Train" design, and the rarer I think "Watermelon" design, which I think is absolutely lovely. To that, I've added one that I have from Jump Up!, which has blue diamonds on a purple face.

So what I was curious about how to order these designs chronologically (which one is the earliest?, etc.) and also which CDs came with which labels. This is partly out of "academic" interest, but also to figure out which CDs are worth checking out, since I don't have either a Rocket Train or Watermelon CD.

Anyway, to make a start, I trawled through all the threads here I could think of (the old target labels thread, the non-target labels thread, all the "First Pressing Acquisition" threads, the classifieds, etc.). All I could find were Elton John albums. They all seem to have Polydor catalog numbers (800 0XX-2) and my Jump Up! has "Marketed by Phonogram" on the back, all of which tallies with them being early West German pressings (in addition to the "Made in West Germany" obviously).

Rocket Train
Too Low For Zero [1983]
Breaking Hearts [1984]
Ice on Fire [1985]
Love Songs [??]

Watermelon
The Fox [1981]
Too Low For Zero [1983]

Blue Diamond
Jump Up! [1982]

If this is at all representative, it looks like the "Rocket Train" design is the most common, and probably the latest, since it occurs with albums into the mid 80's. It's hard to tell then between the Blue Diamond and the Watermelon designs. I'm kind of assuming on general principle that Too Low For Zero would have been the first Elton John CD release, since it was popular and the date is right, in which case Watermelon may have preceded Blue Diamond. However, Jump Up! did have "Empty Garden" on it and could conceivably have been put out on CD in late '82, in which case the reverse is possible.

Interestingly, the Blue Diamond I have has the same distinctive "Made in W-Germany", which can be seen on the really old Mercury label KeithH posted here in that recent label thread:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showpost.php?p=1686358&postcount=6

and also in the Vertigo "Blue Nautilus" he posted later in that thread:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showpost.php?p=1686364&postcount=9

The Blue Nautilus I think dates from 1983-4? Something like that?

Anyway, just thought I'd see if anyone else had any info to add. What titles are there to add to the different design lists? What non-Elton CDs did Rocket put out in this period? Any? Are there other designs? Does anyone have any more specific dating info?

Still avoiding work....

Geoff

 

Hi Geoff,

nice thread. I had never seen the other label design before (the third one).

I know that Rocket CD's also were available as plain silver CD's with black paint (different label design but same mastering - at least on the one CD I compared: "Love Songs").

Also, Too Low For Zero was available as a target CD. Not sure, if it also was under the Rocket label. Maybe someone could post a scan of the target CD and also of a regular silver CD.

Roland

 

Yeah, I was thinking about the target issue as well insofar as it related to the territories in which these various CD labels would have been distributed. Questions like whether all three label designs appeared in all European territories, whether some appeared only in the UK or only in West Germany, etc.

Both Too Low For Zero and Breaking Hearts exist as targets. Here's some photos from Ralph's site:

http://www.ralphscomiccorner.com/cds/eltontoo.html
http://www.ralphscomiccorner.com/cds/eltonbhw.html

As Ralph notes, these would have been made in West Germany only for the US market, which makes sense because Elton John was on a WEA label in the States (Geffen). However, since the Rocket CDs have Polydor/Polygram catalog numbers, I'm assuming that the Blue Diamond, Watermelon and Rocket Train were all made for the European market rather than the US. (So there is some point in me trying to find them over here in the UK.) Although, having said that, if you look at the scans on Ralph's site, it looks like both CDs have the US catalog numbers on the left, just under the Geffen logo, but then also have the 800 catalog number on the right under the "Compact Disc" logo.

Curiouser and curiouser....

Geoff

 

I have the following titles with the train label:

Breaking Hearts
Ice on Fire
A Single Man
21 at 33
Jump Up
The Fox
Love Songs
Too Low For Zero
Leather Jackets

which I believe is a complete list.
I have no evidence that these were officially distributed in the US, but they do show up here on occasion in the used bins. These titles with "Watermelon" and other designs are much harder to find, and were undoubtedly issued earlier. The Too Low & BH target discs were only distributed in the US and other territories where those titles were controlled by Geffen.

 

I had all his rockets with the train label, except I think my Breaking Hearts was a target. Only have a couple of them now.

 

The train label also appeared on the single disc version of Blue Moves that was issued in the late 80s (822 818-2). Wish I still had mine but it went when the 2CD version appeared.

 

To add some info to the original post, I believe the Diamond label on the Jump Up issue is the first as this would have been the first Elton John album to be issued on CD. Too Low For Zero will have been the second and this is indeed a very rare pressing (the first pressing). The Train label became the third and final colour label to appear on Rocket discs before Polygram ran out of coloured ink and reverted to a bland black text on silver disc design.

I am guessing the Watermelon design was only used on 2L4Z but I am intrigued to know whether the Diamond label was also used on 21 at 33 and The Fox as these were also released on CD around the time of Jump Up, hence the 800 prefix. I suspect they were.

 

'Fraid after two months I don't have much to add on that score other than what's above. I haven't come across any more Diamond label CDs. However, I do know that at least The Fox also appeared with the Watermelon design. I've got a note on it in my "Indiana Jones" notebook (modeled on Sean Connery's notebook about the holy grail in Last Crusade). I can't remember whether it was on eBay, where somebody actually uploaded an actual photo, or whether somebody mentioned it/posted a scan in one of the old CD label threads, but there is at least that one.

Geoff

 

Geoff
What is the pressing number on your Diamond Jump Up CD?
The version I have is with the black text and from memory I believe it's pressing 03. I know I got that one around 1989. Will have to visit the loft to dig out my old EJ discs (which, incredibly, I kept!) and check the numbers on my Train 21 at 33. Very interesting as I never knew the Watermelon and Diamond designs existed. Must date from around the same time as the Vertigo Blues and Mercury Greens.

 

Yes, shoulda thought of checking that. It is 01, so presumably it is the first pressing. Agree that it must be the same period as those others. All three have that hyphen between the "W" and "GERMANY" which is really distinctive. Unfortunately, I bought my copy second hand, so I can't help there in terms of dating. However, as you can kind of see in the photo I think, the disc itself also looks like a really early Polydor pressed CD, with the mirrored inner ring area.

Geoff

 

That looks like a rare first pressing you have there. Must be 1983 and if so this design must only have been used for the first pressing as Too Low For Zero was also issued in 1983 and this is the Watermelon CD in the scan and is the 01 pressing.
Be interesting to find an 02 of Jump Up to see if this is the Watermelon one.
The very early Polygram discs did not have any 'Made in West Germany byt PDO' text around the centre ring, only the matrix code so that is an indication of their age.

 

Yes, you're absolutely right about that! I hadn't noticed that you can clearly see the "01" in the Too Low photo. So I guess that makes it pretty likely that the Diamond pressing exists only for Jump Up. So, yes, anybody out there have an "02" Jump Up?

Geoff

 

This WAS issued as a target CD on Geffen. There's one on ebay at the moment if anyone's interested - there's a full picture of it too.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ELTON-JOHN-To...3QQihZ003QQcategoryZ43633QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Geoff - I was trawling through Ebay earlier and there is a Train version of Too Low For Zero if you're interested.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ELTON-JOHN-CD...6QQihZ006QQcategoryZ43633QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

Regarding "Too Low For Zero":

I think the target CD (on Geffen) was only for the US market, since EJ was on the Rocket label in Europe during that time.

Thus, I conclude:

Target CD on Geffen = 1st pressing released for US market
Watermelon CD on Rocket = 1st pressing for Europe

Would/could this be correct?

Roland

 

You have to be careful regarding the 01, 02 etc. in the matrix code. There are many cases where there is an 01 in the matrix but it is clearly not a first pressing (e.g. many EJ DJM CD's carry the 01 in the matrix - and use the same mastering - but are actually from different pressings).

I think the 01, 02, etc. is more an indication regarding the mastering used, and not related to the pressing, at least not consistently.

Roland

 

I'm not sure if you're right there. I had a West German pressing of Dire Straits Brothers In Arms which I bought back in 1988 and it had the matrix code 18. I'm pretty sure this CD wasn't mastered differently 18 times. Seems more logical that, as a huge seller, it was repressed many times.

I don't know this for sure though so I prepare to stand corrected.

As far as the EJ discs go the matrix number system does seem to fit

 

I think something like that must be close to right. Like I said, I think it hinges on whether there's a Diamond pressing or not, assuming that you're right and that the "01" could have been carried forward into the Watermelon pressing from an earlier Diamond pressing.

Geoff

 

By popular demand reopened.

 

I am trying to find a good copy of the '90s era Rocket logo, as seen on Made In England. Any suggestions?

 

I created a table to see which designs are available for which album. If you could fill in the blanks (also for a definitive "No"), I would appreciate it and update the table accordingly.

 

Roland, beautiful table! thank you very much for sharing

 

Thanks for the nice comment. You're welcome.

I would really love to know whether there is a "Rocket Train" label for the album "Victim Of Love", and also, which other albums were released with the rare "Watermelon" and "Blue Diamond" design. Maybe I should add the catalog numbers for each album, it is possible we can identify a certain pattern.

Feel free to post the catalog numbers of the albums you know, I will then add them to the table.

 

I have one of those as well. Posted it in the old "rarest CD" thread.

Nice sounding disc, too.

 

Really nice table, Roland! Thanks! And I'm glad to know that there is another artist besides Elton John with one of these labels. Interesting stuff!

Can't be a huge help in terms of catalog numbers and whatnot, but here's at least a couple that I have:

Jump Up! [Blue Diamond]:
Catalog number Rocket 800 037-2
Matrix number 800037 2 01

Too Low For Zero [Watermelon]:
Catalog number Rocket 811 052-2
Matrix number 811 052-2 01

Although the matrix number matches the catalog number, notice that the format is slightly different in the two cases. What this means, of course, I have no idea.

Geoff