spintheblackestcircles.org

So for some reason I have decided to replace my entire record collection with Japanese pressings (for the love of Obi's)

No rhyme or reason , replacing as I find stuff , trying to do it cheaply so it is all a bit random ..

I heartily approve of this madness.

I am also apart of this club, i'm in the over 100 range but would never try to replace everything :)

that Japanese Pinups is sweet, might add that one to my list :)

I am also a member of this club, but agree with @monster that it's impossible to get everything replaced! I have been having a lot of fun collecting the matching LP/45 sets as well.

I'm impressed that anyone bought a copy of Scritti Politti's Cupid And Psyche 85: in my 'real' life I never find anyone who has even heard of them, let alone this particular album! It was a fave of mine as a teen, along with Rattlesnakes by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions!

Rattlesnakes and Cupid & Psyche 85 are solid gold 80s classics - very different sounding, but sly, intelligent pop nonetheless...

Just how many records has Spencer got to replace I wonder...? It's almost a full time job staying on top of newer releases, never mind going back and replacing everything ;)

Green was a regular at Rough Trade (obviously) very nice chap.
The only things I won't be replacing are the things that never got released .
Yes it's madness but ultimately it keeps me off the streets ;)
I am back in Tokyo in Jan ahead of the shop opening to buy stuff for both myself and the store ..

Got to see Green/Scritti Politti supporting Saint Etienne at one of their Christmas shows a couple of years ago - was great to hear those classics live for the first time... apparently he never did much live stuff back in the heyday?

I think when you go back to Japan you're gonna need a bigger 'boat' for all those LPs ;)

Hopefully I will be back there for a couple of weeks over new year - Sapporo though, not Tokyo, so the selection isn't as wide, but at the same time, probably less competition from collectors.

@JR - A friend gave me a copy of that Scritti, nice record.

@spencer - dumb question, but do the obis slide off and on, or are they printed on the sleeve? I dig the obi thing, but not sure I could handle having to take another layer of clothing off a beautiful lady before getting to work. :D

I too have a dumb question: why are they called Obi strips? Total newbie question I'm sure, but nevertheless there it is.

Obi means "belt" or "sash" in Japanese. Books, LP's, and other collectibles are commonly produced with paper obi strips in Japan, and have been for decades. They are considered an essential part of the collectible both inside and outside Japan, and add value to the original item.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obi_%28publishing%29

@Jimmy_Mike - The obi strips are printed separately and typically do not need to slide off to access to the vinyl. In fact, they stay on the sleeve pretty well and usually do not need to be messed with. The more they are messed with, the glue can loosen up and they start sliding around more. They usually have to be removed from a book to read it properly depending on the style.

I have seen a couple recent vinyl LP releases outside of Japan where a design similar to an obi is printed directly on the sleeve, but it's definitely much more rare to see.

Thanks for the heads up, @deafmetal!

What he said ;)

Obis! I never really did understand the purpose of obis. Was it originally just a piece of paper to inform Japanese folks what was written in English?

And now, it has developed into a lifestyle in the west!
I don't like them. They're in the way for me to fully enjoy the front cover. With Schema I almost remove them every time. With DW I kinda keep them, despite they're spoiling my front image, but they often have a lot of information written on them.
I can only imagine what kind of problems people have, if they don't use outers. But then again, who wouldn't use (PVC) outers these days?

@VZ - You are correct, obi strips were created to provide additional info about the product, including the price. They would also provide info in Japanese when added to books or LP's that had titles/info in another language. I know some people tuck the obi into the sleeve or gatefold to get it out of the way of the cover. I could not imagine trying to keep a shelf of LP's with obi strips without using plastic sleeves. They are hard enough to manage even with that protection. Seems a fitting OCD punishment for collectors that are trying to maintain a disposable item.

I use 'Blake sleeves' to protect my albums !

New additions !

To everyone who is participating/encouraging this madness.....as Jack Burton would say:

"You're out of your mind, Wang - but God bless ya!"

Has anyone experimented with making a replica OBI? I have a copy of "Sharks and Men" on the way, but it sadly doesn't have an OBI so the cover looks naked.

Speaking of which, does anyone have a copy of Sharks and Men with the OBI? It would be awesome if someone could send good pictures of the OBI front/back.

deathwaltz wrote:I use 'Blake sleeves' to protect my albums !

Me too, they're awesome but they don't fit gatefold sleeves. What do you use to protect your gatefolds?

@Spencer: what year you have been born. You must be a kid from the 70s, right?

It´s Frankie and Frankie only!

Occhionero wrote:@Spencer: what year you have been born. You must be a kid from the 70s, right?

Born June 21st 1969.

Show me your record collection, I tell you how old you are ;-)

Operation Obi Strip Part II - The matching 45


I do not recommended getting into this though...