JVC / RCA / Victor / Nivico Japan Q8 and QR releases (info/list)

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steelydave

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A bit of background:

A while back, I did a thread about some JVC Japan Q8's that had turned up on eBay with the NQW prefix, that looked to be Q8 versions of some of the CD-4 titles from JVC's CD4W-7xxx sereis of LPs. Thanks to the input of @winopener , @boojidad and of course @Mark Anderson 's tireless work, I was put on to the scent that there were several different prefixes/series of these tapes including both NQW and NQH. In 2017 @Circular Vibes found and posted pictures from two more series of JVC/RCA Q8's from Japan that were previously unknown (at least to me), Victor QH-1xxx and RCA R4S-5xxx.

More recently, I was trawling through google image search looking for more info on the mysterious King Records Japan quad reels, and I started coming across info about JVC's Q8 and QR machines. Luckily for me, because JVC manufactured both hardware and software, some of their quad electronics advertisements/catalogs also showed pictures and/or lists of the quad tapes they manufactured, or at least the initial batch.

JVC did two seperate kinds of tapes - ones for the domestic market, which only have Japanese kanji symbols on them, and ones for export that are fully in English - similar to how the beginning of the CD4W LP series have english and domestic versions - for example CD4W-7001 would be in Japanese, but CD4W-7001E (for export? or English) would be fully in English. The problem I ran in to initially was that the list of domestic market tapes I found was entirely in Japanese, and while the catalog numbers had english prefixes, googling them turned up nothing. However, in a feat of ingenuity I found a website that did relatively accurate Japanese OCR (optical character recognition) from jpeg images to text documents. The process wasn't perfect though - for some of the entries it was only able to decipher part of the text. So finishing it off required some old-fashioned gruntwork on my part, googling using the portions of the text the OCR had recognised, and (since I don't speak or write Japanese) visually comparing the symbols in the search results until I found the string that matched the one in the image.

So, long story short, I think I was able to decipher the Japanese text in about 90-95% of the entries in the catalog I found, and using Google translate I was able to translate them to English relatively accurately.


The plan here:

In this post, I'm going to lay out the full series of tapes that I've discovered, and some educated guesses as to what I think the prefixes of the series mean. At the end of this post, I'll attach photos of all the advertising/catalog literature I found, and then in subsequent posts I'll post pictures of all the Q8s and QRs that I've turned up from searching.

The interesting thing about all of these series of tapes is that the numbering doesn't match any equivalent quad LP series, so it's my belief that even the tapes I was unable to find any trace of probably do exist, but are just extremely scarce. Because of the nature of search engine optimisation and the popularity/reputation of this site, anything posted on QQ generally turns up in the first page of Google search results. So what I've done with these lists is included all the tape numbers that should exist (but are unverified at this point) in the hopes that in the future, if someone with one of these "mystery" tapes does a google search looking for info that they'll find this post, join in and share what they have. So any entries in these lists that have just a catalog number and no description should be treated as unverified at this point.

The tape series:

These are my guesses as to basically what each series of tapes is - when it comes to the NQH/NQW/QH/QW series, I think it basically boils down to this. From what I understand, JVC didn't have the rights to the nipper dog with the gramophone logo, because it belonged to HMV. So in western territories they often used the name Nivico ('Nippon Victor Corporation') and I think that's what the 'N' prefix is in these tapes stands for. So 'N' prefix tapes (NQH and NQW) are for western export, and that's why they're fully in English, and also why more of them have turned up amongst collectors. The middle letter is obviously 'Q' for quad, and the final letter, 'H' is the designation for domestic Japanese artists (home?) and 'W' is for Western/World artists. So by looking at the prefix of the tape, you can tell what kind of artist it is, and what market the tape is for - ie NQH is Nivico (western export) Quad Home (Japanese) artist..

4CHB-5xxx - QR - Victor - Japanese popular music, similar to (and including some of) the CD4B-5xxx LP series
4CHK-2xxx - QR - Victor - Classical music (both western & Japanese, including some from the CD4K-75xx LP series)
_4CT-2xxx - QR - Victor - Classical music (all Japanese? More thoughts on the 4CT series below.)
_4CT-5xxx - QR - Victor - Jazz & popular music (again, more on the 4CT series below.)
_NQH-1xxx - Q8 - Victor - Japanese popular music for Western export
_NQW-7xxx - Q8 - Victor - Western artists signed to JVC Japan, for Western export
__QH-1xxx - Q8 - Victor - Japanese popular music for the Japanese market
__QH-2xxx - Q8 - Victor - Classical music (western and Japanese) for the Japanese market
__QW-7xxx - Q8 - Victor - Western imports for sale in Japan only (only one known tape in this series so far, The Godfather soundtrack)
_R4S-2xxx - Q8 - RCA - Western classical artists for the Japanese market (similar to the R4C CD-4 LP series)
_R4S-5xxx - Q8 - RCA - Western popular artists for the Japanese market (similar to the R4P CD-4 LP series)

4CHB QR Series - Japanese Popular Music ('4 Channel • Open Reel • Tape ¥4,500 each / 4チャンネル•オープンリール•テープ 各¥4,500')
4CHB-5001
- The Cat - 'Explosive Drum Battle' / ザキャット '炸裂するドラム合戦' (appears to be 8 of the 12 tracks from stereo LP SPX-1003)
4CHB-5002 - Yasunobu Matsuura & Victor Orchestra 'Danny Boy' / 松浦ヤスノブ 'ダニーボーイ' (may be 9 tracks from CD4B-5014 'Harlem Nocturne')
4CHB-5003 - Latin Rhythm Boys 'Latin Rhythm Festival' / ラテン•リズムの饫典 (same as CD4B-5008 except omits Side 1/Track 5 & Side 2/Track 5)
4CHB-5004 - Takeshi Inomata & Sound Limited 'I Dream of Naomi' / ナオミの夢/猪俣猛とサウンド リミテツト (same as CD4B-5004)

4CHK QR Series - Classical Music
4CHK-2001
- J.S. Bach 'Brandenburg Concerto No. 5' (Deutsche Bachsolisten) (excerpts from LP CD4K-7503E?)
4CHK-2002 - Makoto Moroi 'Piano Concerto No. 1'(excerpts from LP CD4K-7502E?)
4CHK-2003 - Barber 'String Quartet Op. 11' (Mari Iwamoto String Quartet)
4CHK-2004 - The Bulgarian Radio Men's Choir 'Voice of Sofia' (LP: CD4K-7540)
(Photos of all 4 tapes in bigbillquad's post here.)

4 channel • Technical • Source ¥5,500 each / 4チャンネル•テクニカル•ソース 各¥5,500
4CT-2001
- Classical Music Collection / クラシック名曲集
4CT-2002 - Mamiya: 'Two Tableaux For Orchestra' / オーケストラのための二つのタブロー
4CT-2003 - 'Suite For Children by Japanese Instruments' / 日本楽器による子供のための組曲 (not 100% on name/translation)

4CT-5001 - George Kawaguchi and Big 4 / ジョージ川口とビッグ4
4CT-5002 - 'Modern Jazz Performance Collection' / モダンジャズ名演集
4CT-5003 - '4 Channels • Popular • Big Hit Vol.1' / 4チャンネル•ポピュラー•ビッグ ヒット第1集

(The 4CT QR series is the real head-scratcher to me - in the catalog I found (which I've included at the end of this post) it first lists the 4CHB and 4CHK QR's under the heading '4 Channel • Open Reel • Tape each ¥ 4,500' and then below that there's a listing of the 4CT tapes under the heading '4 channels • Technical • Source each ¥ 5,500'. I double and triple checked the translation of both the words 'technical' and 'source' and they both appear to be correct, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it means. Doubling the mystery, none of the artists or titles seem to have any known quivalent quad LP or Q8 releases, so I don't know where to turn. Could 'Technical Source' mean something like an audiophile version, or a 15ips instead of 7.5ips version? I note that the 4CT tapes are more expensive than the 4CHB and 4CHK tapes by 1000 yen. Or could 'Technical Source' be another record label or sub-label or something? Could Technical be Technics for example?)


NQH Q8 Series - Victor Japanese Artists for Western Export (JVC/Nivico Branded)
NQH-1001
-
NQH-1002 - The Cat 'Exciting Drum Battle' (Same as 4CHB-5001 QR, and QH-1002 Q8)
NQH-1003 - Hachidai Nakamura 'The April Fool' (LP: CD4B-5003)
NQH-1004 -
NQH-1005 -
NQH-1006 - Susumu Arima 'The Dock of the Bay' (LP: CD4B-5002)
NQH-1007 - Yasunobu Matsuura 'Harlem Nocturne' (LP: CD4B-5014)
NQH-1008 -
NQH-1009 - Havana Cuban Orchestra 'La Macarena - Dynamic Latin'
NQH-1010 - Victor Golden Strings 'It's Love Time - Golden Screen Themes'
NQH-1011 - The Carmets 'Moog Electric Sounds' (LP: CD4B-5045)
NQH-1012 - Blue Seas Grand Orchestra 'Poetry Of The Sea' (LP: CD4M-7001)

NQW Q8 Series - Victor Western Artists for Western Export (JVC/Nivico Branded)
NQW-7001
- Nini Rosso 'The Jewels of the Madonna' (LP: CD4W-7001)
NQW-7002 - Xavier Cugat 'My Shawl' (LP: CD4W-7002)
NQW-7003 - The Film Studio Orchestra 'The World Of Francis Lai' (LP: CD4W-7003)
NQW-7004 - Jack De Mello Grand Orchestra 'Days Of Youth and Cherry Blossoms' (LP: CD4W-7004)
NQW-7005 - Paul Yoder & His Brass Orchestra 'Marches of the World' (LP: CD4W-7005)
NQW-7006 - Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - 'Jazz Messengers '70' (LP: CD4W-7006)
NQW-7007 - Perez Prado 'Mambo Jambo' (LP: CD4W-7007)
NQW-7008 - The Film Studio Orchestra - 'The World Of Michel Legrand' (LP: CD4W-7008)
NQW-7009 -
NQW-7010 - The Film Studio Orchestra - 'Godfather - Sounds of Cine Action') (LP: CD4W-7010)
NQW-7011 - The Film Studio Orchestra 'Emmanuelle, Earthquake and Other Screen Themes' (LP: CD4W-7100)
NQW-7012 - The Jack DeMello Grand Orchestra 'Golden Western Movie Themes' (LP: CD4W-7083)
NQW-7013 - Jack De Mello Hawaiian All Stars 'Hawaiian Deluxe' (Probably CD4W-7103 'Hawaiian CD-4 Deluxe')

(If the missing tapes continue to match the LP numbering system, NQW-7009 would be Paul Yoder & His Brass Orchestra - 'Japanese Marches')


QH-1xxx & VQH-1xxx Q8 Series - Victor Japanese Popular Artists for Domestic Market ('4チャンネル8 くエイト〉•テープ')
QH-1001 - Akira Kurosawa and Los Primos 'I Will Take Care of You' / 黒沢明とロス・プリモス '命預けます'
QH-1002 - The Cat 'Explosive Drum Battle' / ザキャット '炸裂するドラム合戦'
QH-1003 - Hadichai Nakamura Grand Orchestra 'Happiness is in Paris' / 中村八大グランド・オーケストラ '幸せはパリで'
QH-1004 - Yukio Hashi 'Back Street Life' / 橋幸夫 '裏町人生' (LP: CD4B-5025)
QH-1005 - 'Let It Be' / レット•イット•ビー
QH-1006 - Susumu Arima & Misty Sounds 'New • Create • Sound' / ニュー•クリエイト•サウンド (LP: 'Dock of the Bay' CD4B-5002)
QH-1007 - Yasunobu Matsuura 'Harlem Nocturne' / 松浦ヤスノブ - ハーレム・ノクターン (LP: CD4B-5014)
QH-1008 - 'A Bride Doll' / 花嫁人形
QH-1009 - Havana Cuban Orchestra 'Mambo of the Bullfighter / Latin Dynamic Deluxe' / ハバナ・キューバン・オーケストラ '闘牛士のマンボ / ダイナミック・ラテン・デラックス'
QH-1010 - Victor Golden Strings 'Screen Mood of Euphoria' / ビクター・ゴールデン・ストリングス '陶酔のスクリーン・ムード'
QH-1011 - Victor New Strings 'Hit Song Strings Album' / ビクター・ニュー・ストリングス 'ヒット歌謡ストリングス アルバム'
QH-1012 - Mimi Hiyoshi 'The Story of a Man and a Woman' / 日吉ミミ ‎– 男と女のお話 (Stereo LP SJX-58)
QH-1013 - Frank Nagai Recital 'A Record of the Singer's Joy and Sorrow' / フランク・永井 - ある歌手の喜びと悲しみの記録 (Stereo LP SJV-495/496)
QH-1014 - Yukio Hashi 'First Recital / Memories Tomorrow' 橋幸夫 'はじめてのリサイタル 明日にかける想い出' (Stereo LP: SJV-497)
QH-1015 - Koji Tsuruta / Mina Aoe 'Man/Minato Love Song / Tsuruta/Aoe Golden Hits' / 鶴田・青江ゴールデンヒット '男 / みなと・恋唄'
QH-1016 - Mimi Hyoshi / Akira Kurosawa and Los Primos 'Breaking Love / One Chance, Yokohama' / 日吉‎ミミ/黒沢明とロス・プリモス '失恋 / ワンチャンス・よこはま 口スプリとミミの流し唄
QH-1017 -
QH-1018 - Naomi Sagara 'Green Grass of Home / Naomi Sagara Sings Country' / 佐良直美 カントリーを唄う '想い出のグリーン・グラス'
QH-1019 - Frank Nagai 'Lake Biwa Sailing Song' / フランク永井 '琵琶湖周航の歌'
QH-1020 - Koji Tsuruta 'Koji Tsuruta Sings the Blues' / 鶴田浩二 ブルースを唄う
QH-1021 - Mina Aoe 'Koi Cape / Minato Koibito' / 青江三奈 ‎– 恋岬 / みなと・恋唄
QH-1022 - Various Artists 'That Song of Tempaki - This Song (1st Collection)' / 懷かしのあの歌・この歌 (第ー集)
QH-1023 - Various Artists 'That Song of Tempaki - This Song (2nd Collection)' / 懷かしのあの歌・この歌 (第二集)
QH-1024 - Mimi Hiyoshi 'Hide-and-Seek Life of The People' / 日吉ミミ 'ひとの一生かくれんぼ'
QH-1025 - Koji Tsuruta 'Recital' / 鶴田浩二 'リサイタル'
QH-1026 - Various Artists 'Fell In Love / Lone Wolf - Kayo Big Hit 12' / '惚れた / 子連れ狼 - 歌謡ビッグ・ヒット 12'
QH-1027 - Mina Aoe 'Take a Boat From Nagasaki' / 青江三奈 '長崎から船に乗って'
QH-1028 - Cherish 'All of Charm' / チェリッシュ '魅力のすべて'
QH-1029 - Mina Aoe 'All of Charm' / 青江三奈 '魅力のすべて'
QH-1030 - Yukio Hashi 'All of Charm' / 橋幸夫 '魅力のすべて'
QH-1031 - Kazuko Matsuo 'All of Charm' / 松尾和子 '魅力のすべて'
QH-1032 - Soup ・ Puffy ・ Konna 'Recorded at Shinjuku Welfare Pension Center' / そうる・ふいっと・こんさぁと '新宿厚生年金にて収録'
QH-1033 - Mina Aoe 'Big Hit 12' / 青江三奈 'ビッグヒット12'
QH-1034 - Frank Nagai 'Big Hits' / フランク永井 - ビッグヒツト (LP: CD4B-5041)
QH-1035 -
QH-1036 - Takeshi Onodera and Los Onoderas 'Latin Rhythm Festival!' / 小野寺猛士とロス・オノデラス 'ラテンリズムの祭典' (LP: CD4B-5033)
QH-1037 -
QH-1038 - Frank Nagai / Nini Rosso 'Dream Concert' / フランク永井/ニニ・ロッソ夢の競演 〜ローマ・チタニア・スタジオにて録〜
QH-1039 - Cherish 'Golden Hits' / チェリッシュ 'ゴールデン・ヒット'
QH-1040 - Megumi Asaoka 'Golden Hits' / 麻丘めぐみゴールデン・ヒツト
QH-1041 - Drum & Drum 'Best Hit 12' / ドラム & ドラム - ベスト・ヒット 12 (Stereo LP: SJV-628)
QH-1042 - Various Artists 'White Guitar / Kayo Big Hit 12' / '白いギター / 歌謡ビッグ・ヒット 12'
QH-1043 - Eiji Miyoshi 'Golden Hits' / 三善英史 'ゴールデン・ヒット'

VQH-1001 - Various Artists 'Windmill of Love / Crush - Big Kayo Hits' / 恋の風車 / ときめき - 歌謡ビツグ・ヒツト
VQH-1002 - Cherish 'Two Express Trains / Cherish Best Hits' / チェリッシュ 'ふたりの急行列車 / チェリッシュ・べスト・ヒット'
VQH-1003 - Megumi Asaoka 'Best Hit' / 麻丘めぐみベスト・ヒツト
VQH-1004 - Junko Sakarada 'Yellow Ribbon / Best Hit' / 桜田淳子 '黄色いリボン / 桜田淳子 ベスト・ヒット'


QH-2xxx & VQK-1xxx Series - Victor Japanese Classical for Domestic Market
QH-2001
- Tchaikovsky: 'Serenade for String Orchestra' (Shigenobu/Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra)
QH-2002 - Bizet: 'L'Arliesienne Suite No. 1 & No.2' (Kazuyoshi Akiyama/Tokyo Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra)
QH-2003 - The Men's Chamber Choir of Bulgarian Radio and Television 'Enchanting Slav Male Voices'
QH-2004 - Japanese Instruments (1) 'Fancy's Virtue' / 日本の楽器 (1) '囃子の妙技'
QH-2005 -
QH-2006 - Shoji Suzuki and his Rhythm Aces 'Suzukake No Michi / Live in Nemu, Vol. 1' / 鈴木章治とリズムエース '鈴懸の径 / ライブ・イン・ネム'
QH-2007 - Shoji Suzuki and his Rhythm Aces 'S'Wonderful / Live in Nemu, Vol. 2' / 鈴木章治とリズムエース 'ス・ワンダフル / ライブ・イン・ネム'
QH-2008 - Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (Tokyo Solisten, Kenji Kobayashi Solo Violin)

VQK-1001 - Akiko Kitagawa 'Maiden's Prayer / Piano Masterpieces Collection of Gems' / 北川暁子 '乙女の祈リ / 珠玉のピアノ名曲集'
VQK-1002 - Various Artists (?) 'Japanese Folk Song Travel / Victor Nationwide Collection' / '日本民謡の旅 / ビクトロン名演集'


QW & VQW Q8 Series - Western Popular Artists for Japanese Domestic Market
QW-7001 -
QW-7002 -
Xavier Cugat 'My Shawl'
QW-7003 - The Film Studio Orchestra 'The World of Francis Lai'
QW-7004 - Jack De Mello and His Grand Strings Orchestra 'Days of Youth and Cherry Blossoms'
QW-7005 -
QW-7006 - Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers 'Jazz Messengers '70'
QW-7007 - Perez Prado 'Mambo Jambo'
QW-7008 - The Film Studio Orchestra 'The World of Michel Legrand'
QW-7009 - Paul Yoder Brass Band 'Battleship March / Japanese Army Song Collection'
QW-7010 - The Film Studio Orchestra 'The Godfather / Sounds of Cine Action'
QW-7011 - 'The Godfather' Official Soundtrack
QW-7012 - Billy Vaughn and His Orchestra 'Billy Vaughn in Tokyo 1972, Vol. 1'
QW-7013 - Nini Rosso 'Brilliant Movie Music World' / ニニ・ロツソ '華麗なる映画音楽のす世界'
QW-7014 - Glenn Miller 'A String of Pearls'
QW-7015 - Orquestra Francini/Pontier 'Tanguera / Francini with Pontier'
QW-7016 - Nini Rosso 'Plays Japanese Lullabys'
QW-7017 - The Film Studio Orchestra 'Lady Sings The Blues / Love Theme From Screens'
QW-7018 -
QW-7019 -
Nini Rosso 'Adoro'
QW-7020 - The Film Studio Orchestra 'The Poseidon Adventure / Spectacle Screen Themes'
QW-7021 -
QW-7022 -
Jackson 5 'In Japan!'
QW-7023 - Perez Prado 'Taboo'
QW-7024 - The Supremes 'In Japan!'
QW-7025 - Nini Rosso 'Melodies of Youth'
QW-7026 - Jack De Mello Grand Orchestra 'Jack De Mello Plays Melodies of Japan'
QW-7027 - Jack De Mello Grand Orchestra 'Jack De Mello Sound in Screen'
QW-7028 -
QW-7029 -
Francini 'Best of Continental Tango'
QW-7030 - The Stylistics 'You And Me / The Stylistics'
QW-7031 - Sonny Rollins 'Moritat / Sonny Rollins In Japan'
QW-7032 - Nini Rosso 'Plays Francis Lai'
QW-7033 - The Stylistics 'Rockin' Roll Baby'
QW-7034 - Tango All Stars 'La Cumparista'

VQW-1001 -
VQW-1002 -
Nini Rosso 'Poemes De L'Amour'
VQW-1003 - The Temptations 'In Japan!'
VQW-1004 - Clebanoff Strings & Orchestra 'Malaguena / Clebanoff Strings'

(The first 10 tapes of the QW series seem to follow the same sequence as the NQW series, therefore QW-7001 should be Nini Rosso 'The Jewels of the Madonna' and QW-7005 should be Paul Yoder & His Brass Orchestra 'Marches of the World')


J4S-7xxx & RQJ-1xxx Q8 Series - RCA Japanese Artists for the Japanese Domestic Market
J4S-7001 -
Keiko Fuji 'I Will Take Care of You' / "演歌の星" 藤圭子のすベて '命預けます'
J4S-7002 - Hiroshi Uchiyamada and Cool Five 'Woman's Temper' / 内山田洋とクール・ファイブ '女のくやしさ'
J4S-7003 - Sadazaku Tabata Drum World 'Challenge to The World Top Hits' / 田畑貞一ドラムの世界 'ワールド・トップ・ヒットに挑戦'
J4S-7004 - Hiroshi Iwasaki Piano World 'Challenge to Pop Hits' / 岩崎 洋ピアノの世界 'ヒット・ポップスに挑戦'
J4S-7005 - Akiko Wada 'Akiko Wada On Stage / August 30, 1970' / 和田アキ子 ・才ン・ステージ 〜1970年 8月 30日
J4S-7006 -
J4S-7007 -
Grand Fantastic Strings 'Fantastic Strings Mood' / グランド・ファンタスティック・ストリングス '華麗なる幻想の世界'
J4S-7008 - Grand Fantastic Strings 'Fantastic Strings Mood, Vol. 2' / グランド・ファンタスティック・ストリングス '華麗なる幻想の世界 Vol.2'
J4S-7009 -
J4S-7010 -
Grand Fantastic Strings 'Fantastic Strings Mood, Vol. 3' / グランド・ファンタスティック・ストリングス '華麗なる幻想の世界 Vol.3'
J4S-7011 - Hiroshi Uchiyamada and Cool Five 'Tragic Love' / 内山田洋とクール・ファイブ '悲恋'
J4S-7012 - Keiko Fuji 'On Stage - Recorded Live in Shibuya Public Hall' / 藤 圭子才ン・ステージ - 渋谷公会堂 に於ける実況録音
J4S-7013 - Grand Fantastic Strings 'Fantastic Strings Mood, Vol. 4' / グランド・ファンタスティック・ストリングス '華麗なる幻想の世界 Vol.4'
J4S-7014 - Grand Fantastic Orchestra 'All Of Macaroni and Western' / グランド・ファンタスティック・オーケストラ 'マカロニ・ウエスタンのすベて'
J4S-7015 - Norio Maeda All-Stars with Hōzan Yamamoto (Shakuhachi) 'A Fistful of Dollars / Macaroni Western Masterpiece Collection' / (尺八)山本邦山と前田憲男オール・スターズ '荒野の用心棒 / マカロニ・ウエスタン傑作集'
J4S-7016 - Hiroshi Uchiyamada and Cool Five Sing the Harbor 'Outgoing Vessel / And, Kobe' 内山田洋とクール・ファイブ 港を唄う '出船 / そして,神戸'
J4S-7017 - Keiko Fuji 'Back Street Life / Life Theater - Keiko's Fond Memories of Hits' / 藤 圭子 '裏町人生 / 人生劇場 - 圭子の懐メ口ヒット集'
J4S-7018 - Akiko Wada Pops World 'Snow Falling / Love Poetry' / 和田アキ子ポップスの世界 '雪が降る / ある愛の詩'
J4S-7019 - Richard Gold Orchestra 'Harlem Nocturne / Standard Solo Mood' / リチャード・ゴールド・オーケストラ 'ハーレム・ノクターン / スタンダード・ソロ・ムード'
J4S-7020 - Grand Fantastic Strings 'Polyuska Polye / Melancholy Russian Folk Songs' / グランド・ファンタスティック・ストリングス 'ポーリュシカ・ポーレ / 哀愁のロシア民謡'
J4S-7021 - Hiroshi Uchiyamada and Cool Five 'Longing For the Shadow' / 内山田洋とクール・ファイブ '影を慕いて'
J4S-7022 - Simons 'Wind Breeze' / シモンズ '風はそよかぜ'
J4S-7023 - Keiko Fuji 'Original Golden Hit Collection' / 藤 圭子 '〜オリジナル・ゴールデン・ヒット曲集'
J4S-7024 - Grand Fantastic Strings 'Plein Soleil / Screen Mood' / グランド・ファンタスティック・ストリングス '太陽がいっぱい/永遠のスクリーン・ムード'
J4S-7025 - Grand Fantastic Strings 'Song of the Beach / Japanese Poetry' / グランド・ファンタスティック・ストリングス'浜辺の歌 / 日本の詩情'
J4S-7026 - Richard Gold Orchestra 'Last Tango in Paris / Big Band Screen Spectacle' / リチャード・ゴールド・オーケストラ 'ビッグ・バンド・スクリーン・スペクタクル'
J4S-7027 - Hiroshi Uchiyamada and Cool Five '6th Collection' / 内山田洋とクール・ファイブ '第6集'
J4S-7028 - Yukiko Noji 'Cluster Amaryllis' / 野路由紀子 '彼岸花'
J4S-7029 - Masaki Nomura 'A Farewell Crown' / 野村真樹 '別れのー本杉'
J4S-7030 - Keiko Fuji 'Hibotan Bakuto' ("Red Peony") / 藤 圭子 '緋牡丹博徒'
J4S-7031 - Jake Conception and Orchestra 'Dedicate to Sam Taylor' / ジェイク・コンセプツョン とオーケストラ 'ダニー・ボーイ / サム・テイラー・サウンズ'

RQJ-1001 - Akiko Wada 'Akiko Wada Recital ~ Live Recording At Nichigeki' / 和田アキ子 '和田アキ子リサイタル ~日劇に於ける実況録音'
RQJ-1002 - Hideki Saijo 'Hideki, Love & Shout! Recorded Live November 7, 1973 in the Postal Savings Hall' 西城秀樹リサイタル/ヒデキ・愛・絶叫! 〜1973年11月7日郵便貯金ホールに於ける実況録音
RQJ-1003 - Richard Gold Orchestra 'Dedicate to Billy Vaughn' / リチャード・ゴールド・オーケストラ '真抹貝の歌 / ビリー・ヴォーン・サウンズ'
RQJ-1004 - Grand Fantastic Strings 'Dedicate to Paul Mauriat' / グランド・ファンタスティック・ストリングス 'エーゲ海の真珠 / ポール・モーリア・サウンズ'


R4S-2xxx Q8 Series - RCA Western Classical Artists for the Japanese Domestic Market
R4S-2001 - Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique" (Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra) / チャイコフスキー - 交響曲第6番「悲愴」 (US Q8: RQ8-1112)
R4S-2002 -
R4S-2003 - Puccini: 'Madama Butterfly' (Highlights) (Price, Ellias, Tucker, Leinsdorf/RCA Italiana Opera Orchestra & Chorus)
R4S-2004 - Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op.95 'From The New World' (Fiedler / Boston Symphony Orchestra)
R4S-2005 - The Pops Symphonic / Hit 'Love is Blue' / 恋はみずいろ (US Q8: 'Up Up and Away' Fiedler/Boston Pops RQ8-1103)
R4S-2006 - Chopin: Concerto No. 2 for Piano, Op. 21 / ショパン: ピアノ協奏曲第2番 ヘ短調 作品21 (Rubenstein, Ormandy/Philadelphia Orch. RQ8-1110)
R4S-2007 - Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez / Vivaldi: Concerto in D for Guitar & Orchestra Op. 209 / Britten: Courtly Dances from 'Gloriana' (Bream/Melos Chamber Orchestra; Julian Bream Consort)
R4S-2008 - Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture / Rachmaninoff: Spring Cantata, Op. 20, Three Russian Folk Songs, Op. 41 (Buketoff/New Philharmonia)
R4S-2009 - 'Music for Million Dollar Movies' (Fiedler / Boston Pops)
R4S-2010 - Lizst: 'Hungarian Rhapsody' (Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra) / ハンガリー狂詩曲 (US Q8: RQ8-1123 / LP: R4C-2001)
R4S-2011 - Stravinsky: The Firebird / Petrouchka (Ozawa / Boston Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson-Thomas Piano)
R4S-2012 - Bizet-Shchedrin: The Carmen Ballet (Fiedler / Boston Pops)
R4S-2013 - Saint-Saens: Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op.22 / Falla: Noches en Los Jardines de Espana (Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra, Arthur Rubenstein, Piano)


R4S-5xxx & RQP-1xxx Q8 Series - RCA Western Popular Artists for the Japanese Domestic Market
R4S-5001
- 'The Sound of Music' Soundtrack
R4S-5002 -
R4S-5003 -
R4S-5004 -
R4S-5005 -
R4S-5006 - Elvis Presley 'On Stage, February 1970'
R4S-5007 -
R4S-5008 -
R4S-5009 -
R4S-5010 -
R4S-5011 -
R4S-5012 - Hugo Montenegro 'Music From "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly," "A Fistful of Dollars," "For A Few Dollars More"' (LP: R4P-5002 / US Q8: PQ8-1301)
R4S-5013 - Henry Mancini 'A Warm Shade of Ivory'
R4S-5014 -
R4S-5015 - Henry Mancini 'Theme From "Z" and Other Film Music'
R4S-5016 -
R4S-5017 -
R4S-5018 - Henry Mancini 'Six Hours Past Sunset'
R4S-5019 -
R4S-5020 - Sylvie Vartan 'Sylvie A Tokyo' (LP: R4P-5013)
R4S-5021 - Floyd Cramer 'Class of '70'
R4S-5022 -
R4S-5023 - Elvis Presley 'That's The Way It Is'
R4S-5024 -
R4S-5025 - Hugo Montenegro 'Love Theme from The Godfather' (Japan LP: R4P-5026 / US LP APD1-0001 / US Q8: APT1-0001 / US QR: EPQ1 0001-QF)
R4S-5026 - Los Indios Tabajaras 'Fascinating Guitars'
R4S-5027 - Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra and Chorus 'The Best of Hugo Montenegro'
R4S-5028 - Elvis Presley 'As Recorded at Madison Square Garden' (LP: R4P-5032 / US Q8: PQ8-2054)
R4S-5029 -
R4S-5030 -
R4S-5031 - Elvis Presley 'Aloha From Hawaii, Vol. 1'
R4S-5032 - Elvis Presley 'Aloha From Hawaii, Vol. 2'
R4S-5033 - Hugo Montenegro 'Scenes & Themes - Love Licks From The Golden Flicks'
R4S-5034 - Henry Mancini 'Mancini Salutes Sousa'
R4S-5035 -
R4S-5036 - Al Hirt 'The Best of Al Hirt'
R4S-5037 -
R4S-5038 -
R4S-5039 - Hugo Montenegro 'Neil's Diamonds'
R4S-5040 - Chet Atkins 'Discover Japan'

RQP-1001 -
RQP-1002 -
RQP-1003 -
RQP-1004 -
RQP-1005 - Various Artists 'European Screen Themes in Quad 8' / 決定盤 ヨーロッパ映画音楽のすベて


Demonstration Tapes
DMS-2001
-
DMS-2002 -
DMS-2003 - 4Track 4Channel [QR]

DT-451 - Victor 4-Channel Tape Recorder Demo Tape [QR]
DT-456 - JVC 4-Channel Stereo Demonstration Tape / 4Trak 4Channel [QR]
DT-901 - Victor quad 8 4 Channel Stereo Demonstration Tape [Q8]
DT-902 - 4 Channel Demonstration Tape [Q8]
DT-903 - 4 Channel Demonstration Tape [Q8]
DT-908 - 4 Channel Demonstration Tape [Q8]

Needless to say, if you have any of the missing tapes from any of these series, or any info at all, please feel free to contribute.

3317133172331733317433175
 
Last edited:
4CHK-2001 - J.S. Bach 'Brandenburg Concerto No. 5' (Deutsche Bachsolisten)
4chk-2001-classical-QR-1.jpg4chk-2001-classical-QR-2.jpg4chk-2001-classical-QR-3.jpg4chk-4tapes.jpg

NQH-1011 - The Carmets 'Moog Electric Sounds'
nqh-1011-carmets.jpg

NQH-1012 - Blue Seas Grand Orchestra 'Poetry Of The Sea'
nqh-1012-poetry-of-the-seas.jpg

NQW-7012 - The Jack DeMello Grand Orchestra - 'Golden Western Movie Themes'
nqw-1012-1.jpgnqw-1012-2.jpg
 
QH-1007 - Yasunobu Matsuura 'Harlem Nocturne' / 松浦ヤスノブ - ハーレム・ノクターン
qh-1007-1.jpgqh-1007-1b.jpgqh-1007-2.jpgqh-1007-3.jpg

QH-1014 - Yukio Hashi 'First Recital / Memories Tomorrow' 橋幸夫 'はじめてのリサイタル 明日にかける想い出'
qh-1014-1.jpgqh-1014-1b.jpgqh-1014-2.jpgqh-1014-3.jpg
 
QH-1021 - Mina Aoe 'Koi Cape / Minato Koibito' / 青江三奈 ‎– 恋岬 / みなと・恋唄
qh-1021-1.jpgqh-1021-2.jpgqh-1021-3.jpg

R4S-5012 - Hugo Montenegro 'Music From "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly," "A Fistful of Dollars," "For A Few Dollars More"'
r4s-5012-hugo-1.jpgr4s-5012-hugo-2.jpgr4s-5012-hugo-3.jpg
 
DT-451 - Victor 4-Channel Tape Recorder Demo Tape

English translation:
1. Metronome (for channel connection check)
2. Signal sound 400 Hz, OdB (for channel balance check)
3. Fireworks Display
4. S L 3 Shinken (recorded at Fabara Signal Office) [Locomotive sounds]
5. Knock 3 Times ... Takeshi Inomata and Sound Limited
6. Romeo and Juliet ... Hadichai Nakamura Grand Orchestra
7. Elegy of the Wolf ... Movie • Symphonic Orchestra
8. Light Cavalry • Overture ... Yasushi Akutagawa conducts the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra

Original Japanese:
1. メトロノーム(チャンネル接続チェック用)
2. 信号音400 Hz, OdB (チャンネルバランスチェッ ク用)
3. 花火大会(巧爲阗にて収以)
4. S L 3重連(布原信号所にて収錄)
5. ノックは3回…猪俣猛とサウンド•リミテッド
6. ロミオとジュリエット…中村八大グランドオーケストラ (Hadichai Nakamura Grand Orchestra)
7. 狼の挽歌...ムービー•シンフォニックオーケストラ
8. 轻騎兵•序曲...芥川也寸志指揮 東京交響楽団

dt-451-1.jpgdt-451-2.jpgdt-451-3.jpg
 
I found an advertisement for JVC 4 channel reel-to-reel decks that sheds (a little bit) more light on the 4CT "technical" series of tapes:

Victor4-crop.jpg

Translation:

4 Channel · Technical · Source (Music Tape) <New Release>

JVC has created a newly recorded music tape with 4 new channels as the source supply source of the multichannel source system.
This tape will let you fully enjoy the merit of each musical instrument and orchestra by the 4 channel recording system and will entertain you to your heart's content.

George Kawaguchi and Big 4
4CT-5001 ¥5,500

Charade / Vietnam / The Breeze and I / Lover / Green Dolphin Street
George Kawaguchi and Big 4

Two Tableaux For Orchestra (composed by Michio Mamiya)
4CT-2002 ¥5,500
Two Tableaux For Orchestra
First Movement / Second Movement
Hiroshi Wakasugi conducts the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra

Classical Music Collection
4CT-2001 ¥5,500

L'Arlésienne Suite / Hungarian Dance No. 5 / The Marriage of Figaro / Faust (Waltz) / Finlandia
Wakasugi Hiroshi / Shigenobu Yamaoka conduct the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra


Looking up the tracks on the George Kawaguchi reel, it appears that it's 5 songs from the 1969 stereo LP George and Sleepy, catalog number SMJX-10073.

Original Japanese text in case a native Japanese speaker ever comes across this and can do a better translation - especially the text blurb at the top explaining the tapes, which is currently rough at best.

4チヤンネル・.テクニカル・ソース(ミュ-ジックテープ)<新発売〉

ビクターは、マルチチャンネルソース システムのソース供給源として新し く4チャンネルで特別録音したミュージック テープを制作致しました。
このテープは 4 チャンネル録音方式により各楽器、楽団の良さを充分に発揮させ、心ゆくまで楽しませてくれます。

ジョージ川口とビッグ4
4CT-5001 ¥5,500
シャレード/ヴェトナム/そよ風と私/ラバー/グ リーン ドルフイン ストリート
ジョージ川口とビッグ4

オーケストラのための二つのタブロー (間宮芳生作曲)
4CT-2002 ¥5,500
オーケストラのための二つのタブロー
第1楽章 / 第2楽章
若杉弘 指揮 読売日本交響楽団

クラシック名曲集
4CT-2001 ¥5,500
アルルの女げ曲/ハンガリア舞曲第5番/フィガロ の結婚げ曲/ファウスト(ワルツ)/フィンランディア
若杉弘 山岡重價 指揮 読売日本交響楽団
 
Could it be the 4CT series is the earliest one, so it deals with the technical aspect more?
 
If the missing tapes continue to match the LP numbering system, they would be: NQW-7003 - The Film Studio Orchestra - 'The World Of Francis Lai', NQW-7009 - Paul Yoder & His Brass Orchestra - 'Japanese Marches', and NQW-7010 - The Film Studio Orchestra - 'Godfather - Sounds of Cine Action'

I can personally confirm the 7003 and 7010 as supposed. Have the carts, not the original cardboard covers.
 
I can personally confirm the 7003 and 7010 as supposed. Have the carts, not the original cardboard covers.

Thanks for that, I'll update the list in the first post. Could you post pictures of the tapes in this thread (or any other tapes you have from any of these series) in this thread at some point?

From my Japanese ability I am reading that the reels came from 'Victor's multi-channel sources' mixed for 4-channel tapes.....

Thank you, that makes it make a lot more sense. I'm beginning to think that Winopener was right, that maybe these were the first quad/4-channel tapes of any kind that Victor did in Japan, and they were basically making a big deal about the fact that they came from original multi-track sources. The fact that they were using generic boxes for the tapes (as in the photo I posted above) seems to add some weight to that theory. Then after that they did the 4CHK/4CHB series of QRs etc. which were just QR equivalents of CD-4 LPs that already existed.
 
The same seller on Yahoo! Japan that was selling the King QRs I just posted about also auctioned a pile of RCA and Victor Japanese Q8s. Again I scooped the pictures as they provide some good info. I'm not sure what the other non-RCA/Victor tapes (Man's Special! Beat Rock and Mood Rock, Jacky Yoshikawa and his Blue Comets, etc.) are, but any info on what label might have made them is welcome.

These pictures prove the existence of yet another series of RCA Japan Q8's, and that is the R4S-2xxx series, which are the Japanese equivalent of RCA's Red Seal RQ8 Q8 series in the US.

I've updated the list in post #1 to reflect these newly-discovered tapes.

(RCA/Victor contents of these photos listed below each one.)
yahooauction-17-06-2018-2.jpg

Bottom row: R4S-2010: Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra 'Hungarian Rhapsody' (US Q8: RQ8-1123 / LP: R4C-2001) , QH-1034: Frank Nagai 'Big Hits' (LP: CD4B-5041)

yahooauction-17-06-2018-3.jpg

Top row: QH-1008 'A Bride Doll' / 花嫁人形
Bottom row: QH-1041 Drum & Drum 'Best Hit 12' /ドラム & ドラム - ベスト・ヒット 12 (Stereo LP: SJV-628)


yahooauction-17-06-2018-4.jpg

Top row: R4S-2005 The Pops Symphonic / Hit 'Love is Blue' (US Q8: 'Up Up and Away' Fiedler/Boston Pops RQ8-1103)
Bottom row: R4S-2006 Rubenstein, Ormandy/Philadelphia Orch. 'Chopin: Concerto No. 2 for Piano, Op. 21' (US Q8: RQ8-1110), R4S-2001 Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra 'Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique" (US Q8: RQ8-1112)
 
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