Blue-shell Columbia Q8's

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Q-Eight

2K Club - QQ Super Nova
Since 2002/2003
Joined
Sep 30, 2003
Messages
3,699
Location
Castlegar, BC, Canada
Anybody know the story on these? My thoughts is these were the debut titles as you ONLY see "early" titles on a blue shell. Sort of like how the early slip cases were actual metallic gold, did those slip cases have a blue-shell tape? Then, as a cost-cutting measure, CBS changes to the dull-grey shell and the matte gold slipcase?

Over the last few years, I decided to collect some pictures of them. I've also seen the Raiders - Indian Reservation on a blue shell.... and I know I owned one for a short time but for the life of me can't remember the title.
 

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I think it was either just an accident at the pressing facility or they wanted to use up some blue shell blanks for some reason - note they're all in the first shell style (the one CBS used up until sometime in 1973) and they're all titles from the earliest batch of 1972 releases, suggesting they were all done at the same time.

I have a blue shell copy of Morton Subotnick's Sidewinder if anyone wants to buy it.
 
Thing is though..... they're a very specific cartridge. As you point out, they are the early style "two-latch" CBS cart. I don't think they mistakenly ran a group of Columbia titles in a group of cartridges destined for, say, A&M Quads. Reason I bring this up is that the ONLY A&M two-latch is the first Q8 by them: Joan Baez's "Come from the Shadows". BUT, the A&M cartridges are a much, much darker blue than the blue CBS Q8's. Every other A&M is the three-latch CBS cartridge.
 

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I have one, Johnny Mathis in person; as for the reason, there should be another thread from many moons ago on the same question and we didn't arrive at any conclusion.
 
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