Hello All,
I am slowing working on a document that will cover all the details about Jag Panzer releases. I know many people who collect Jag Panzer and I'm often asked various questions about albums.
I plan on writing a new section once a week or so. When everything is complete, I'll ask Zac to include it on the website.
So here is Part 1 - everything you need to know about our first release - The 'Death Row' single.
The first release from Jag Panzer is a square shaped 7 vinyl picture disc of the song Death Row. The record is packaged in a clear sleeve with a paper insert. The picture on the disc is black and white artwork based on the story The Thing. The record features The Thing attacking a scientist. 500 copies were produced. We printed the paper insert and stuffed the records into the plastic sleeves ourselves.
The initially 50 copies actually contained a different paper insert. We made a horrible looking orange insert for those copies. We didnt want to bother our artist, Keith Austin, for more art, so we created the orange insert ourselves. It looked like something an elementary school art class would make! Keith saw it, laughed and spend about 20 minutes creating the grey insert that went into the remaining 450 copies. I dont own an orange insert and I havent seen one since 1983.
Distribution was done solely by the band. We took stacks of them into record stores in Southern California and tried to get stores to sell them. We had no luck at all with the exception of Moby Disc Records in Ventura. The store manager was a metal fan and bought 5. That store ended up selling 100 copies.
I also sent a copy to The Record Exchange in Walnut Creek, California. This is where I purchased most of my mail order metal. These guys were one of the top NWOBHM retailers in the country. I wasnt sure they would be interested in selling a square single by an unknown Colorado band. Surprisingly they bought an initial order of 50. These sold in 2 days. They ended up selling 350 copies within a month. The owner / manager of that store, Bill, retired about 6 years ago. He sold his personal metal collection on Ebay. One of the items sold was the original record I sent him, complete with homemade press kit and letter from me.
The remaining 50 copies of Death Row went to band members and friends.
Im often asked about versions of the Death Row single that contain different artwork. These are pressing plant test discs. They were used to get the machines up and running. The first 20 or so records printed in the morning often had errors. It wasnt wise to waste the real artwork on these test discs, so cheap generic art was used. They are cool to have (I own 3 of them) but I dont consider them true Jag Panzer collectables. They were never released as official records. They should have been destroyed at the pressing plant.
The Death Row single was reissued 2 years later as a shaped picture disc single, but the original black and white square picture disc is the real collectable version. It sells anywhere from $10 - $120.
I am slowing working on a document that will cover all the details about Jag Panzer releases. I know many people who collect Jag Panzer and I'm often asked various questions about albums.
I plan on writing a new section once a week or so. When everything is complete, I'll ask Zac to include it on the website.
So here is Part 1 - everything you need to know about our first release - The 'Death Row' single.
The Collectors Guide to Jag Panzer
Part 1 Death Row released 1983 / Azra Records
The first release from Jag Panzer is a square shaped 7 vinyl picture disc of the song Death Row. The record is packaged in a clear sleeve with a paper insert. The picture on the disc is black and white artwork based on the story The Thing. The record features The Thing attacking a scientist. 500 copies were produced. We printed the paper insert and stuffed the records into the plastic sleeves ourselves.
The initially 50 copies actually contained a different paper insert. We made a horrible looking orange insert for those copies. We didnt want to bother our artist, Keith Austin, for more art, so we created the orange insert ourselves. It looked like something an elementary school art class would make! Keith saw it, laughed and spend about 20 minutes creating the grey insert that went into the remaining 450 copies. I dont own an orange insert and I havent seen one since 1983.
Distribution was done solely by the band. We took stacks of them into record stores in Southern California and tried to get stores to sell them. We had no luck at all with the exception of Moby Disc Records in Ventura. The store manager was a metal fan and bought 5. That store ended up selling 100 copies.
I also sent a copy to The Record Exchange in Walnut Creek, California. This is where I purchased most of my mail order metal. These guys were one of the top NWOBHM retailers in the country. I wasnt sure they would be interested in selling a square single by an unknown Colorado band. Surprisingly they bought an initial order of 50. These sold in 2 days. They ended up selling 350 copies within a month. The owner / manager of that store, Bill, retired about 6 years ago. He sold his personal metal collection on Ebay. One of the items sold was the original record I sent him, complete with homemade press kit and letter from me.
The remaining 50 copies of Death Row went to band members and friends.
Im often asked about versions of the Death Row single that contain different artwork. These are pressing plant test discs. They were used to get the machines up and running. The first 20 or so records printed in the morning often had errors. It wasnt wise to waste the real artwork on these test discs, so cheap generic art was used. They are cool to have (I own 3 of them) but I dont consider them true Jag Panzer collectables. They were never released as official records. They should have been destroyed at the pressing plant.
The Death Row single was reissued 2 years later as a shaped picture disc single, but the original black and white square picture disc is the real collectable version. It sells anywhere from $10 - $120.
