Finally... the "looks like quad" RCoA carts mystery solved.

[winopener]

I had the suspiction by a lot of time... and now finally found out the evidence.

Several times someone has posted questions like "this RCoA cart is really quad or not"? Here's a classic example: two programs, no notch.



I've always thought that this weird layout was probably due to share the same label printing for 8 track and cassette tapes.

Here's the cassette version:



Layout is exactly the same, with a larger left side where to put the title for the spine, and the missing right side with the two 8.

Now look at this:



Due to a bad cutting, part of the cassette spine layout remained on the left side.


Basically, RCoA was using only one single type of label *both* for cassette and 8 track, cutting out the un-needed part. Easy way to have a single inventory of labels that could been used for whatever need.

 

[timbre4]

Case closed! Thanks for the graphics to tell the story.

 

[fredblue]

great album! shame that 5.1 mix of "Don't Shoot Me.." has never seen the light of day..!

 

[JonUrban]

Good job, winopener!

 

[georgeshannon]

Very perceptive. Thanks for catching that winopener.

 

[winopener]

If you look carefully the cassette label and the black 8 track label you can also spot the same printing imperfection on both versions: top left album cover corner, there's a extra point of black ink, and the top album cover line shows the same imperfection (two blank spots, one larger, one smaller) on both versions.
The white cart is probably from a different printing run, a earlier one, and it possible to see only the first of the two blank spots.

If a mch mix for Don't shoot me will ever appear, we already have the cover for a NOS (New, Old Simulation) Q8!

 

[fredblue]

If you look carefully the cassette label and the black 8 track label you can also spot the same printing imperfection on both versions: top left album cover corner, there's a extra point of black ink, and the top album cover line shows the same imperfection (two blank spots, one larger, one smaller) on both versions.
The white cart is probably from a different printing run, a earlier one, and it possible to see only the first of the two blank spots.

If a mch mix for Don't shoot me will ever appear, we already have the cover for a NOS (New, Old Simulation) Q8!

Hahaha!! I don't care what format those "missing in action" Elton 5.1's come out in, but if they do ever emerge I'll be so over the moon I'll marry Elton myself..!!

 

[phydo]

Great detective work!

Justin