FAQ

For the sake of terminology, we have named different types of matrix numbers. See also EMI Electrola Matrices: A Timeline

YEX Matrix
Used for Odeon and early Apple titles. Same syntax as the original UK matrices.
Format: YEX <3 digit title number>-<cut number>
Example: YEX 110-1

SHZE Matrix
Used for HörZu titles.
Format: SHZE <3 digit title number>-<side>-<cut number>
Example: SHZE 162-A-1

Long EMI Matrix
Used for Odeon and Apple titles 1969-1970.
Format: <country code><price code>-<5-digit title number>-<side>-<cut number> or also <price code>-<5-digit title number>-<side>-<cut number>
Example: 1C062-04181-A-1

Short EMI Matrix
Used for Odeon, HörZu & Apple titles 1970-1979.
Format: <5-digit title number>-<side>-<cut number> or <5-digit title number> <side>-<cut number>
Example: 04 115 A-3

Short DMM Matrix
Used after 1979, mostly for unmarked DMM titles
Format: <5/7-digit title number>-<side><cut number>
Example: 04115-A1

Usually, a record has visual dividers between single tracks, so called “bands”. If a record is “banded“, you can visually identify where one track ends and the next begins, by such dividers.

As an opposite, if a record is “unbanded“, it does not have “bands” between the songs. It rather looks like it consists of one continuous single track.

DMM = Direct Metal Mastering. Instead of cutting the master record on a lacquer-coated aluminium disc, the record is cut on a copper disc. This technology was developed by German company Teldec and licensed out to other companies in the 80s.

Analogue DMM = records cut via DMM technology from analogue source tapes. In 1989, all Beatles records were officially released with DMM logos, from new digital sources.

Unmarked DMM = Records pressed at Electrola at the first half of 80s used DMM technology for cutting, but didn’t label such releases as DMM titles (i.e., didn’t carry a DMM logo). The few titles that did carry the DMM logo (“The Beatles” on white vinyl, “1962-1966” on red vinyl, “1967-1970” on blue vinyl), were pressed at Teldec.

The answer comes from mastering engineer at Electrola in the 80s, John Cremer:

Yes we started DMM-Cutting in Cologne early in 1983.

First we did some tests in Cutting and Pressing.

We used the Beatles Red and Blue double Album for these tests to convince EMI Management in London to switch over to DMM-technology. These Test Pressings were not released.

In the beginning we used DMM only for Classical music, then around 1984 we got a second DMM-machine and started to use it for Pop/Rock repertoire.

Also at this time i started to re-cut Beatles and other Back-catalogue stuff using DMM.

Mainly this was not mentioned on the Covers, so there are a lot of German pressings that were made with DMM and therefore sound much better. Definitly no DMM-Cuttings were made in the 70s.

Best wishes
John Cremer

(Source: Stevehoffman Forums)

The answer comes from EMI Electrola repertory manager in the 70s and 80s, Jochen Kraus:

The secret of the special markings, the circles and triangles behind the EMI catalog numbers should not give you sleepless nights anymore.

The riddle is solved. The additional markings behind the catalogue numbers were done to be able to be able to subsequently identify print runs for special price campaigns.

Whenever the quarter sales proved to be mediocre, the distribution would plan special price campaigns with good conditions for the retail. This happened only with top bestsellers, like the Beatles, Floyd, Queen etc. – the evergreens. Sometimes they were specially pressed for a campaign. Then, if a retailer purchased a larger amount of a title, he would get a price of, e.g., DM8.20 instead of the usual DM12.50 (fictitious prices). That would be good for the retailer, as he would rarely (or never) forward this reduced price to the customer, and just keep the extra DM4.30 as additional revenue. However, when purchasing certain volumes, retailers also had the right to return unsold records back to the distributor, so they also had the right to return the “cheap” versions and get them refunded. And when thousands of records are returned, the refunds department could not distinguish just by the order number, whether it was an unsold White Album for DM12.50, or one for DM8.20. Therefore, the additional marking like a circle or a triangle behind the order number that would help to identify the campaign. Also, there were price campaigns that would not give the retailer the right to return goods… these were also marked with a symbol.

However, as there was also some criminal energy at hand, some black sheep would swap the covers and return the price-reduced versions in more expensive covers. Therefore, later, there was an additional change introduced, that such special-price campaigns would get an own catalog number, so that such abuse would be prevented. This is the info I got from former colleagues from distribution. We, the repertoire guys, would not usually be aware of such campaigns, although we were responsible for the Beatles or Pink Floyd products. We made the art, the distribution made the money.

(Source: Jochen Kraus, translation: Pete Klassen)

Discogs lists 1985 as the release year for all the three titles. However, the only source Discogs uses to support this claim is the E-Book “Beatles – Die deutsche Diskografie” by Uwe Watzek, which lists this year as release date. However, there are considerable doubts about this:

• The inner sleeves contain the date code “43.84” (43th week of 1984), meaning the week of October 22nd 1984.
• The album “1962-1966” was cut on November 13th 1984 (Source: Electrola Archives, quoted after The Beatles Mixes, p. 126)
• The Discogs user kkynast purchased all the three albums on December 15th 1984. (Source: Discogs)

Due to this evidence, my conclusion is that these three albums were in fact released for the Christmas Season 1984, and not 1985, as widely assumed.

(Discussion Thread: Beatles Collecting)

There were three variations of the SMO 2051/52 album covers. The numbers had 7 digits.

• The first variant had the number printed in black ink; the leading zero was often cut off at the left. The number range went from 0000000 to 0125000.
  
• The second variant had the number printed in dark grey ink; the font is slightly larger than the first variant and slightly rounder. The digits are better aligned vertically and the leading 0 is not cut off. Going from 0125000 to 0285000.
  
  
• The third variant had the number debossed and transparent, the font is the same as the second variant. The numbers are over 0285000.
  

Those SMO toploader sleeves were used for other European countries (like Netherlands, France or Italy). The overall pool of numbers was used across the relevant countries.

In 1969, with the appropriation of new EMI catalog numbers (1C 192 04 173/74) the numbers were converted to 6 digits (though there are the odd examples of 7-digit numbers on later sleeves). The style of number remained debossed until the late 1980s.