AUTOBAHN (1985, India)
The Gramophone Co. of India, HTCS EJ 240070


To follow up on the last post, here's another version of the Autobahn mid-80s reissue, here from India. Kraftwerk famously performed in India on their world tour of 1981, playing two shows in Bombay on September 25th that year. There's a fascinating account of the day somewhere online, but I can't be arsed to try and find the link only to realise it dies sometime next week so I'll just recommend that you search for it.

I suppose their records were hard to find in India prior to that concert, at least I've seen a review (on Twingokraftwerk.com, again, check it out), where the local reviewer claims that only their two last albums (at that time) were released in India. Not so, if you believe Discogs, but I do think Autobahn was not issued in India until years later, in 1985. A fascinating detail is that it also came out on LP in India, and the LP has Parlophone labels, standard silver and black design plus the EMI logo on top, but there is no mention of the word "Parlophone" on this cassette - except the "Pound Sterling-lookalike" Parlophone logo! The catalogue number is the same as per the Indian LP, too - with a cassette-related prefix (the LP is EJ 240070, the cassette adds "HTCS"). Standard two-panel J-card with one-side print, and greyish white cassette shell with on-body print.

Where many cassette releases from all around the world would use the full LP design on the front of the J-card, on this the band name and album title has been cropped off the top of the picture. Possibly it felt a bit overkill to have it in small print in the landscape painting when it was also put in large letters above the painting? 

And only now do I realise this is actually the SECOND Indian release I've featured on this blog. I must save some Indian cassettes for later! Next time I'll try to find a cassette from a country I haven't yet featured. And probably another album, too. Well, we shall see. Thanks for reading so far, and hope you enjoy the pictures!





 

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