one for Alan and other CD collectors...

otherwise identical (barcode, matrix info etc), i have a copy of Buddha of Suburbia on CD with the following p+c info (bottom left of traycard and booklet, bottom of CD face art):

(p) 1993 David Bowie under exclusive license to BMG International
(c) 1993 David Bowie under exclusive license to BMG International

my other copy and the edition shown on Discogs states:

(p) 1993 BMG Music under exclusive license to BMG International
(c) 1993 BMG Music under exclusive license to BMG International

is this a known variation and which would have come first?

My edition, bought on day of release in the UK (although the rear sleeve states 'Printed in Germany', and the disc says 'Made in Germany') has the '1993 BMG Music...' lines printed in all 3 places that you have stated.

Pete.

Well spotted Matt,

(p) & (c) BMG Music is the first edition and I believe it was changed fairly quickly. If the (p) & (c) David Bowie also says ‘Printed in Germany’ on the rear inlay, it was distributed before the album went out of print circa 1995. The September 1997 reissue is ‘Made in the EU’.

thank you both. mine is the second version, i.e. "1993 David Bowie..." and Made In Germany. i also noticed there's no space between "1993" and "David Bowie" on the back of the booklet.

Thanks a lot for this, that's the kind a detail i like so much around here!!

and about



can we know the numbers of such pressings? (this first edition, than the other one with the first real cover...)

Sorry, I have no idea how many were pressed. It can’t have been very many though, as it was promoted as a soundtrack with a small marketing budget. The album was also difficult to find in the early 2000s and it regularly attracted high bids on eBay before the EMI reissue in 2007.

I think you are right Alan , I have got the first BMG edition and i remenber how hard it was to have a copy at this time. I found mine in a Fnac shop in France but not with the other Bowie records but in The soundtracks shelves after a Fnac seller told me where i would find it . A very strange and confidencial release maybe because BlackTie white noise was released same year.

Yes that's right, found mine too, the first press, in Gibert in paris at this time and in the soundtrack section almost by chance, without any "bowie" promotional advert...

When I bought mine in November 93 it was on main HMV stand as new release but with zero marketing 87 was as high as it got in charts but that means it did sell to those in the know.
The Single helped it but it did look like soundtrack album.
Also in 94 it was on a stand showing best releases of 93 according to Q magazine (again at HMV).

Bought mine in 95. First I did not want to buy it, because I did not want a soundtrack album.
But lots of people seemed to think the same, so it was left on the shelf. And after a year of regulary seeing this album in the shop, I could not resist any longer. (luckyly ).

It was years later that I learned how rare it was, especially in Germany in the days before ebay or amazon.

I got an advance copy but it is just the standard disc with a promo sticker over the barcode in 93, the single was a proper promo though. W H Smiths put out a book and cd package too, a really odd bit of marketing with no US release I thought. I passed on the censored cdr, I forget how much it was £70 maybe £80, it was just too much for a bit of in house mixing for my taste. I do know a guy who grabbed one at the time though.