A THRILLING WAR OF SHEETS:

AUSTRALIA VS USA

 

 

Let's talk about music sheets; A lead sheet specifies only the melody, lyrics and harmony, using one staff with chord symbols placed above and lyrics below. It is commonly used in popular music and in jazz to capture the essential elements of song without specifying the details of how the song should be arranged or performed. 

In the past, we've had the chance to get a sheet for a single song:I call these special releases "Single music sheets". They usually have 5/8 pages, and have been released for all the most important singles from 60's hits to 90's. Today, it's hard to find a single song's sheet; now music publishers prefer to put in the market a book including all the songs from a complete album.

By the way, most of the Michael Jackson/Jackson 5 singles got a "single sheet" release, and now we're focusing on the ones released from the lp "Thriller". 4 sheets were released, at the time, in USA & Australia with the same album sleeve.

Here in the picture you can see the selections of the 4 with the same artwork (you can easily recognize the aussie sheets because of their different colour tone). The titles are:"Wanna be startin'somethin", "Beat it", "Billie Jean" and "Human nature". 

"Thriller", "P.Y.T." and "The girl is mine" came with totally different picture sleeves.

Which set you like the most?

 

These are the 3 different artworks for "Thriller", "P.Y.T." and "The girl is mine" songs.

 

 

 

Today's ON THE AIR:
" TELL ME I'M NOT DREAMIN' "
TELL ME I'M NOT DREAMIN'
(JERMAINE & MICHAEL JACKSON)
12'' PROMO MAXI SINGLE
ARISTA 601 361-000

"...Midnight images of you
You slipped, slipped into my room
Could be magic, could be fantasy
Could it be that we're in love
Tell me I'm not dreamin'

Your voice whispers in the dark
You talk, talking to my heart
Are you with me
Am I here with you
Are we in paradise
Tell me I'm not dreamin'

When the morning comes
Wake me with your love
Let me know that I'm not dreamin'
Tell me this is real
Show me how you feel
Say it's what we both believe in..."

TELL ME I'M NOT DREAMIN' (LIVE VICTORY TOUR 1984) 

THE RECORD OF THE WEEK & Today's 

WELCOME TO THE SHOWROOM:

ANOTHER PART OF ME

JAPAN PROMO 7'' SONY YPS-006

This wonderful new year continues with a new item just arrived for the Showroom:it's a rare "Another part of me" promo 7'' from Japan, similar to the previous release of "Dirty Diana" and the following "Liberian girl". It comes with a white sheet including the infos, and a white label; B-Side of this special release is "Turn around and count to 10" originally performed by Dead or Alive.

"Another part of me" was released promotionally in Japan also with the well-known picture sleeve. This is the 2nd of the 3 promos with coloured sheets (you can see the whole lot in the pictures) and, for sure, it's the rarest of the whole set:a lot of collectors don't know it excist!

 

Today's ON THE AIR : "SMILE"

SMILE

HOLLAND 5 TRACKS CD SINGLE

EPIC/SONY 6651302

 

"Light up your face with gladness

Hide every trace of sadness

Although a tear may be ever so near

That's the time you must keep on trying

Smile, what's the use of crying

You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you just...

Smile, though your heart is aching

Smile, even though it's breaking

When there are clouds in the sky

You'll get by...

If you smile

Through your fear and sorrow

Smile and maybe tomorrow

You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you just smile..."

 SMILE (VIDEO)

THE RECORD OF THE WEEK:

SMOOTH CRIMINAL

UK LIMITED EDITION SOUVENIR PACK

INCLUDES 4 POSTCARDS

EPIC 653026 0

With a beautiful, thick carton box, showing a scene from the movie "Moonwalker" in which Michael is running from Frankie Laido dogs, and 4 postcards with pictures taken from the movie, this UK limited edition of "Smooth Criminal" is one of my favourite "special edition" singles from the BAD era.

The box, of course, contains the 7'' single too, backed on side B with the Instrumental version.

This single was also released in UK as a classic release, with no extra packaging and no postcards, and with this same sleeve (just like the U.S. release), totally different from the european one.

This is the Showroom's record of the week, but beware...there's always something new on the way!
Stay tuned!

Until then...let's play the song and see if Annie is ok... :-)

THE BADDER IN ECUADOR:

BAD ECUADOR LP

EPIC/CBS/COLUMBIA 333-0093

Want to see something really really Bad? :-) The Showroom today takes a detailed look to one of the rarest Bad lp presses ever released:this comes from Ecuador, is produced by Epic/CBS and made by Ifesa - Guayaquil, an exclusive record company from Ecuador (producer of some other MJ releases for that country, including the singles of "Billie Jean" and "Don't stop").

The record comes with a particular orange label, but this time there are no translations for the song titles, housed in a non-gatefold sleeve.

A Bad album from Ecuador in such a great conditions is not easy to find. I remeber that I knew about this press, but the first one I saw wasn't so good like this. I waited for another chance, and I was lucky enough to get the copy you can see here, now.

Sometimes, being patient is the best thing a collector can do. 

 

 

THE SHOWROOM'S
BLAST FROM THE PAST : 
CAN'T LET HER GET AWAY
COSTARICA 12'' PROMO MAXI SINGLE
SONY MUSIC 81014193

Already shown in the past, but it's always a pleasure to see such a rarity:the only, exclusive release of "Can't let her get away" single, produced by Sony Music as a promotional copy 12'' maxi single in Costarica. This single is the official 10th single taken from the album "Dangerous", marking an astonishing record for one album only. Side B is empty, while the A-side contains the original lp version of the track. To my knowledge, Sony Music Costarica also released in this format, with this same labels, the promotional copies of "Jam" (that you can see in the Showroom blog), "Who is it/Give in to me" (mispressed label, with the song title changed in "Give unto me"), "Heal the world", "Will you be there" and "In the closet". "Remember the time" got a similar release, but in a 7'' format. "Black or white" was released in 7'' too, but with a picture sleeve and different labels.

THE RECORD OF THE WEEK & Today's WELCOME TO THE SHOWROOM:
THE JACKSONS - GOIN PLACES
USA "DODGERS TEEN NIGHT - TENQ RECORDS"
PICTURE DISC
EPIC -  NO CAT.#

And then...this year is full of surprises here!!! A new masterpiece enters today this Showroom:it's a 
very rare promotional picture disc of the "Goin' Places" album that would have been sold at a planned May 13th, 1978 Jacksons concert at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles, later cancelled!
The front reads: "Ten Q Radio 1020-Jacksons Dodgers Teen Night: May 13, 1978" with a picture of Dodgers Stadium. The back has the LP cover with The Jacksons in aviator outfits. Comes in a special custom red jacket with track listing on back, similar to the classic picture disc release you can see in the other pictures. There is no catalog number on the record, although it is commonly known as #34835-1G which is the catalog number for the U.S: release of the Goin' Places album.
In the pictures down under, you can see both the picture disc releases of "Goin'places".

Today's ON THE AIR: 
"BLOOD ON THE DANCEFLOOR"

BLOOD ON THE DANCEFLOOR - HISTORY IN THE MIX
HOLLAND 2 LP SET : EPIC/SONY EPC487500 1
USA 2 LP SET: EPIC/SONY E2 68000

"...She got your number
She know your game
She put you under
It's so insane

Since you seduced her
How does it feel
To know that woman
Is out to kill

Every night stance is like takin' a chance
It's not about love and romance
And now you're gonna get it

Every hot man is out takin' a chance
It's not about love and romance
And now you do regret it..." 

BLOOD ON THE DANCEFLOOR (VIDEO)

 

 

THE RECORD OF THE WEEK & Today's 
WELCOME TO THE SHOWROOM:
ABC
USA PROMO YELLOW VINYL 7''
MOTOWN M1163

The new year has begun, and we will go back to the origins:the Showroom is proud to add to the collection a masterpiece; Here it is the yellow promo vinyl release of "ABC", released in 1970 on Motown label. The record comes complete with a particular sleeve, with a special message from Motown records:"For the first time in Motown history, we re-servicing a record pressed in gold vinyl; why! because of all the many million-selling records we've had in the past, none has soared beyond the million mark faster than "ABC" by the Jackson 5. It did it in less than 15 days!". That's the reason why Motown re-distributed the record to medias in this particular coloured version.
Someone stated that no more of 150 copies of this have been released, but I think Motown released more than that. Maybe 500, or 1000; I don't know. Anyway, is hard-to.find complete with that sleeve, and this is another dream that came true for me and my Showroom!

THE MICHAEL JACKSON SHOWROOM WISH AN HAPPY NEW 2018 TO Y'ALL, KING OF POP COLLECTORS!!!!