<< tips about CDs pressed/released in Japan >>
If you are collecting, or willing to collect Japanese CDs,
you'd better know some things about
you'd better know some things about
CDs pressed/released in Japan
On this blog, there are some tips which may help you getting BETTER ones.
*-* OBI STRIP part 1 "What is OBI?" *-*
Each CD that was released in Japan has a PAPER STRIP (small PAPER SHEET) called OBI-STRIP when the CD is NEW/UNOPENED although there are some CDs which don't have it from the first.
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| OBI STRIPS / many designs & colors |
In Japanese, beltlike / belt-shaped things are expressed as "LIKE OBI (OBI-JOU)".
Many decades ago, Japanese publishers added a belt-shaped ad paper on BOOKS, and they called the paper "OBI" because the shape is just like KIMONO's OBI on a book.
 BOOK's OBI-STRIP (black one) |  removable ad paper (black one) |
On books' OBI, advertising and/or publicity copies are written. Sometimes it is an output of the story, and sometimes it's an easy biography of the writer. Customers read it and decide to buy or not to buy the book.
BOOK's OBI appeared around 1930 in Japan, and around 1960, Japanese Record-Labels started to add OBI-STRIPs also to vinyl-records.
We're sorry that we don't have a sample photo of VINYL RECORD with OBI, but it looks like this.
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This photo is of recent "MINI-LP SLEEVE (CD)" one, and those series are imitating OLD VINYL RECORDS' shapes.
Actually vinyl records were selling with looks like this decades ago.
OBI was rounding around LP sleeve, and the sleeve was put into a vinyl bag.
On vinyl-records' OBI-STRIPS, same as BOOKS' ones, impressive words/copies are written to appeal the LP to buyers. Japanese Labels sometimes gave a strange Japanese title to an album, and it was also an epoch-making advertisement.
For example, FRANK ZAPPA's "The Man From Utopia" was entitled, only in Japan, as
"A FLY, A FLY, A MOSQUITO, A MOSQUITO, A MOSQUITO, ZAPPA-PPA".
This was a unique phrase which was used on Japanese TV CM, but those STRANGE words are PRINTED on OBI with BIG LETTERS, and the title gave big impacts to buyers.
Anyway, before 1981 (the first CD release in Japan), OBI-STRIP already had a long history.
And, this is WHY the Japan CD's small paper-strip is called OBI even though it never looks like a belt.
*-* OBI STRIP part 1-2 "CD's OBI-STRIP" *-*
When OBI is not on the jewel case (CD case), CDs look as the above photo in the shelf.
It must be a usual look in music fans' rooms.
But, when a music fan is collecting Japanese CDs, it may be like this,
These CDs are of SONY RECORDS and CBS/SONY (older ones). There are many SERIES of CDs-REISSUE, and the same series has same designs.
And, if the music fan has clear vinyl bags to put CDs into it each by each, he may be able to put his CDs in his shelves like this,
This is one of the most impressive things about Japan-release CDs, we think.
When a CD is NEW, UNOPENED, the CD is selling at CD-shops like this, and it's fun to collect a series of CDs with same-designed OBI.
A music fan who is not a collector in Japan usually do NOT keep the OBI. Many persons throw OBI in their dust-boxes. Therefore, many second-hand CDs are selling WITHOUT OBI-STRIP at USED CD SHOPS. To get ones WITH OBI is important for Japan CD collectors.
Our next blog will show details about OBI-STRIP.
At SANREMO online shop (also at eBay),
we're checking these details, too, before listing.
When a CD is NEW, UNOPENED, the CD is selling at CD-shops like this, and it's fun to collect a series of CDs with same-designed OBI.
A music fan who is not a collector in Japan usually do NOT keep the OBI. Many persons throw OBI in their dust-boxes. Therefore, many second-hand CDs are selling WITHOUT OBI-STRIP at USED CD SHOPS. To get ones WITH OBI is important for Japan CD collectors.
Our next blog will show details about OBI-STRIP.
At SANREMO online shop (also at eBay),
we're checking these details, too, before listing.
our own web-shop
our ebay store
SANREMO at EBAY SANREMO PORTAL SITE (our main page)
*/ introducing links to our ebay STORE
(there you can choose ebay COM, CA, DE, IT, FR and/or more and more ebay)
*/ introducing our BLOGS and information of something about Japanese goods.
*/ introducing links to our ebay STORE
(there you can choose ebay COM, CA, DE, IT, FR and/or more and more ebay)
*/ introducing our BLOGS and information of something about Japanese goods.
