White Labels

Forever at the forefront of vinyl innovation, Cleopatra Records take another step into the serious record collector’s heart with a newly launched series of ultra-limited edition white labels singles, LPs and 12-inch-ers, featuring some of the most beloved, and collectible, artists around.

From Johnny Thunders to Robert Calvert, from Ted Nugent to Lita Ford, from the Stray Cats to the Anti-Nowhere League, and The Damned to The Fixx, a series which launched just a few months ago is already planning for its 50th release, and the response from fans has been unanimous. A 12-inch single by Angel sold out of its pressing in just one night! A compilation of Cherie Currie’s various “Cleopatra Sessions” was gone in just a couple of days.

And recent and upcoming releases by Xiu Xiu, Steve Hackett and friends, Yes alumni Geoff Downes and Rick Wakeman, Ministry and Bonnie Tyler (a sensational remake of her signature “Total Eclipse Of The Heart”), Waylon Jennings and Vince Neil are certain to raise the stakes even higher.

So what’s so special about these releases?

When we call them “limited,” we mean it. Just 35 copies were pressed of Thor and Michael Moorcock’s “Quest For The Hammer” 7-inch. Just 50 of a rare take on the New York Dolls’ “Looking For A Kiss.” Melanie’s From The Banks of the River Effra 1972 live album ran to just 150 copies, most of which were gone in a week.

And, while there are 450 copies of Bauhaus’ last ever recording together, “Drink The New Wine,” they are spread across three different colored vinyl discs.

Cleopatra chief Brian Perera explains, “We hear so much about how record collecting is booming, but when I look around, the kind of numbers being talked about were insane. There are Record Store Day releases with pressings of 15,000 copies, at a time when the vast majority of regular releases barely sell half that many.

“We wanted to bring the fun back into record collecting, and the excitement and even the danger as well. Records that are here today and literally gone tomorrow, so if you don’t buy them now, you might never get the chance again.

“There’s a handful of artists whose records I collect, and some of my favorite memories are when something seriously limited comes out, and I’m sitting at the computer waiting for the moment it goes on sale, and then hoping that I was fast enough to actually get a copy.”

He recalls one particular major label offering, a limited edition of 250, that was then given a full release in identical form a few months later. “I felt cheated,” says Perera.

Cleopatra operate a strict No Repressings policy, that has only been broken twice – both times at the artist’s request. “The Angel 12-inch had to be repressed because its sold out so quickly that even the band members didn’t get copies,” he laughs – adding that the repressing is actually scarcer than the original, 75 copies first time around, and just 50 (in a different color vinyl) for the second edition.

It’s a dynamic series, overloaded with additional collectible quirks. Stickers and Obis proliferate; many releases are autographed by the artist; while Cleopatra is also reinventing the concept of etched b-sides. Perera continues, “I’ve seen etchings that look like somebody just scratched a badly drawn image onto the vinyl. I wanted etchings that actually look like works of art, even if it’s just the band’s logo.” He holds up a copy of UFO’s “Doctor Doctor” 12-inch, with three rare tracks on the a-side and an etched rendering of the UFO logo on the flip. And he’s right. It’s gorgeous.

“Record collecting should not be about simply picking up the latest release by whoever it is, in every format they can throw at you. It’s about tracking down records that mean something, that give you something you don’t already own, in a format that you can be proud of owning.”

He acknowledges that some people will certainly buy these releases simply so they can flip them immediately, “and that’s just the way of the world.” Restricting orders to just two copies per customer is one way of fighting back, and he is already hearing from fans who are indeed buying two, one to play and one to keep in pristine condition.

“Too much music is coming out today in digital form only, and I understand that for artists who are just starting out, because it’s a great way of getting heard. But once an artist is established, they owe it to their fans to make their music available in physical form, even if it is a limited edition. You can’t beat the feeling you get from holding a record by an artist you love, knowing there are only 49 other people who can share in the experience.”

Cleopatra white labels are available only from the label’s web store, and there, too, the true collector can hunt down a multitude of other rarities and limited editions – test pressings of many of Cleopatra’s regular releases; autographed singles and albums; exclusive posters, T-shirts and tote bags.

Perera concludes, “I’m trying to recapture the feelings I had when I was first seriously getting into collecting, and wishing there was more to it than buying the exact same records as my friends. I wanted things that they didn’t have, and would probably never find. And judging from the emails that have been coming in, that’s exactly what we’re doing.”