AUTOBAHN (USA, 1975) Club Edition 
Vertigo VCR4-2003 C 114346


A recent discovery today: an early Club edition of Autobahn, probably from 1975. Didn't know this even existed at all, until I saw it!


Autobahn came in many editions in the US, being reissued on many different labels (or sub-labels) over the years, and I was of the impression that I had most of them. But I noticed this one online - looking exactly like the first edition except there's an additional catalog number in the top right corner of the front of the J-card. Closer inspection and comparisons revealed it to be a 1975 club edition. Or perhaps a 1976 club edition, but by 1977 Autobahn had moved labels to Mercury and this is on Vertigo, so I bet this one is earlier? Must be.
 

The  J-card is two-panel, printed on one side. Apart from the additional catalog number on the front, I can not tell this one apart from the shop version. (The second panel has the same advert, to get Kraftwerk fans to buy Bachmann Turner Overdrive, Rod Stewart and Uriah Heep albums). Labels are different though - white paper labels with distinctly different print, including the "club" cat.no, but other than that, just the same information, down to the lacking credit to Emil Schult (who helped write the lyrics). 

And that's that! A great new discovery, and an absolutely lovely item!





 

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