Is this Prince 1999 target a fake?

Not trying to stray off course, but how do I know if my copy of Bee Gees Living Eyes is a fake?
Thanks in advance
Mike

 

Nice catch on the 1999 CD. Thank goodness mine is the same as Ralph's.

Another recent fake acquisition I recently returned was the Japanese 20P2 of Neil Young's Eldorado. Similar to the OBI on the Prince fake it had cut corners and had been glued on to the jewel case. The original wasn't glued on I found out. Also in the matrix was only the catalog number in a different font with no plant or run numbers. These are sealed copies I've seen on eBay so buyer beware.

 

I recently came across another fake Prince-related CD: the first album by Prince's 80s side-project, Madhouse. The album is called 6. It was only $4 at the local used shop, but was obviously fake. The inserts were badly printed. The matrix code was correct, but looked NOTHING like a Specialty matrix code. I passed on it... I'm sure these are all over eBay as well.

There are also lots of fakes/boots of the Appolonia 6 CD. Some are more obviously "boots"... they don't try to disguise it as an original, just a new "import" or something.

There are fakes floating around of the never-released Tamar Davis album (Milk & Honey). It was supposed to be released in 2006, and was produced by Prince. Some promos made it out in Japan and now you see copies with OBI on eBay.

 

Well, the title should have been a giveaway, my official copy is called 8!

There was also 16. A third album, 24, remains unreleased.

Another Prince side-project that I would not be surprised to see counterfeited is the eponymous Jill Jones album.

 

Of course, I meant 8. My bad... first cup of coffee and whatnot.

 

That don't look quite right to me!

Keith, I do believe you have run across the first faked target disc. The end of civilization must be nigh. At least the faker is too stupid to do it right. Undoubtedly, there will be more.

 

Well, 6 was released as a single, and I have seen photos of the 6 cover linked to ads. for the 8 album, so I though you may have a clone of the 8 disc in a 6 cover, which would be a dead giveaway!

 

i have never seen a fake target before

 

I always thought my copy of Living Eyes looked weird. Now that I discovered this thread I realize it may be fake. Can anyone tell me if that is the case? I am auctioning this off at the moment and I may have to end it.

BTW. I noticed another auction last month of this title and the item on offer was just like this one.

 

Hmmm, seems very suspicious to me. I don't like the looks of that matrix; just the artist and title with no other info. And that "Made in W. Germany by PolayGram" on the label!

Oh and BTW, I recently ran across what sure looks to me like a fake Japanese CSCS Pink Floyd Animals on ebay. For your viewing pleasure:

 

Wow, I did not even notice the "PolayGram" part! I sure wish I'd have noticed this when I first bought it off eBay several years ago.

 

This makes me angry. Damn Russian pirate jerks

Sorry for the double post.
Your Bee Gees CD is 100% fake, sorry to have to be the bearer of bad news.
The matrix is a dead give away, not to mention the poor quality printing.

 

This makes me angry. Damn Russian pirate jerks

 

I cancelled all the bids placed thus far and ended the auction.

I'm playing the disc now. Thankfully, the music still sounds damn good and that will have to be my consolation.

 

I am sure it is more than likely a bit for bit copy. You are fortunate, I have bought these russians in the past and the entire last track skipped. It is common for them to have defects.

 

I have always been weary of the Bee Gees Living Eyes RSO CD when looking on eBay. They seldom show a good image of the disc but the clear center is a dead giveaway. Also, the cover is always a bit too fuzzy looking. I did eventually land the real deal, patience pays off.

 

That Living Eyes fake has been all over eBay for the past several years. When it first surfaced, sellers would show the disc. The clear plastic ring makes it an obvious fake. Early on, I wrote eBay about it and even the sellers. eBay did nothing, and the sellers started selling sealed copies so that they wouldn't have to show the discs. Suddenly there were a multitude of sealed copies of a rare West German pressing available cheap. Um, yeah.

 

Maybe I am being obtuse, but what is it about that Animals disc that makes you suspect it's a fake? I have not studied the CSCS discs. Should the black paint coating cover the plastic ring?

 

The paint is indeed the key. I've never seen the printing extend to the ring of any CSCS disc - the ring is always clear (with the exception of promo copy text, of course). Actually, I can't even think of any Japanese CBS/Sony CD of that vintage which doesn't have a clear ring.

Also, the look of that insert just doesn't seem right to me. Look at the fold; see what I mean? That, and the fact the the edges don't seem to line up properly.

Then there's the black tray: CSCS issues came with white trays. Granted, the tray is easy enough to swap out, and on an unsealed copy it wouldn't be any cause for suspicion all by itself. But together with these other points... well...

 

Dave, I've just found out that my JPN CD of Eldorado is also a fake

 

There is this Pete Townshend target on ebay....how do you know if it is a fake?... What does it mean it has no bar code?


http://cgi.ebay.es/Pete-Townshend-E...?pt=UK_CDsDVDs_CDs_CDs_GL&hash=item19bf3e1770

 

That's not a fake. Many early CD's did not have barcodes. It wasn't a universal thing until a few years later. Besides, most CD's sold in the United States, up until 1994 or so (I can't remember the exact year) came packaged in longboxes, which usually did bear a barcode, thus a barcode was not necessary on the CD itself.

 

Thanks a lot, Ralph

Rafael