Japanese soundtracks

[mech1]

I've got a few 45's I had acquired in Japan and was wondering what they're worth to collectors? are there particular releases that are more sought after than others? just wondering what I should look for the next time i'm there.

for example:

Enter The Dragon 7": I've got the US version which has the same song on both sides....and my copy isn't in the greatest of condition. but, i've also got the Japanese version which is in mint condition and has a different song on the B-side. I've seen this particular 7" surface on eBay every now and then so I'm under the impression that it's not that rare.

Gorilla 7 Theme 7": this is a funky 45 for a tv show called The Gorilla 7 starring Sonny Chiba circa 1970's. I found this at some mom & pop record store in northern Japan and haven't seen it anywhere since, not even in Tokyo. the A-side features the Gorilla 7 theme song and the B-side features more of the same with a lot of dialogue from the tv show.

sorry if this has been posted before, I'm bad at keeping track of these things.

[theeman]

it really depends what they are, and what the material is (whether it's a different edit etc).

obviously Jap stuff only tended to come out in Japan and is expensive on imports, so that makes the base price for Japanese stuff a little higher than the same issue on a 'local' pressing.

there's no reliable price guide for Jap pressings - it's just down to what people want to pay. generally in the UK, for a good Jap OST LP it'll be about 20-40 GBP if it's sought-after. some go for more, like Battle Creek Brawl.

45s are a completely different market and generally don't go for much more than regular 'local' 45s unless they were unissued in the local market. sounds like your Gorilla 45 might be worth something (say 10-20 GBP) and Enter The Dragon, less (probably 5-10 as like you say, it ain't rare).

[Blighty]

Do you know what the soundtrack to 'Tick, Tick, Tick' is like, Ed? A shop near me has it but not stored at the shop so I can't hear it. There's only a review of the movie at that there Blaxploitation.com website.

[DJ Marco]

Quote[/b] (Blighty @ Oct. 16 2003,10:19)]Do you know what the soundtrack to 'Tick, Tick, Tick' is like, Ed?

If you like really bad country/bluegrass music, you'll love it.

At least that's what I remember when I dropped the needle on my copy for the one and only time about five years ago.

And just to be clear, I do like country music. Good country music that is.

[Seventies Kid]

In my experience, Japanese pressings of LPs tend to be more pricey, and with good reason - they are pressed on thicker vinyl, have lovely thick card sleeves and often contain lovingly produced inserts.

For example, as Ed says, the 'Battle Creek Brawl' OST is a very hard-to-find Japanese LP, the only time I've seen one is the time I bought it. The Japanese issues of the 'Enter The Dragon', 'Three Days Of The Condor' and 'Gator' OST's are very difficult to find, but are better than the U.S issues for the reasons stated above. The 'Enter The Dragon' OST also contains all the dialogue from the film, as well as a large poster and accompanying booklet.

There are also some very interesting Japanese OST compilations out there. Years ago I picked one up which contains a brillliant version of Lalo Schifrin's 'Magnum Force' theme, with a huge breakbeat ath the beggining. It's by the Barry Stevens Orchestra whom I'd never heard of, and I still can't find any info on him.

[sermad]

You missed the classic wallet buster - The Japanese issue of 'Get Carter'. Wasnt this upto a grand at some point?

[theeman]

Quote[/b] (sermad @ Oct. 16 2003,18:48)]You missed the classic wallet buster - The Japanese issue of 'Get Carter'. Wasnt this upto a grand at some point?

yeah, at some auction. it was a one-off and came straight back to the 400-500 mark. still hardly pocket money!

[Motown67]

What e-man said about the Bruce Lee 7"s.

I think I have 3 or 4 of them. Got them all of eBay for not that much and they pop up quite often so they can't be that rare nor worth that much $$$.

[mech1]

Quote[/b] (Seventies Kid @ Oct. 16 2003,18:37)]In my experience, Japanese pressings of LPs tend to be more pricey, and with good reason - they are pressed on thicker vinyl, have lovely thick card sleeves and often contain lovingly produced inserts.

For example, as Ed says, the 'Battle Creek Brawl' OST is a very hard-to-find Japanese LP, the only time I've seen one is the time I bought it. The Japanese issues of the 'Enter The Dragon', 'Three Days Of The Condor' and 'Gator' OST's are very difficult to find, but are better than the U.S issues for the reasons stated above. The 'Enter The Dragon' OST also contains all the dialogue from the film, as well as a large poster and accompanying booklet.

There are also some very interesting Japanese OST compilations out there. Years ago I picked one up which contains a brillliant version of Lalo Schifrin's 'Magnum Force' theme, with a huge breakbeat ath the beggining. It's by the Barry Stevens Orchestra whom I'd never heard of, and I still can't find any info on him.

yeah, I've noticed that the quality of Japanese issue soundtracks are much better than the West. ok, so it's been established that certain Western soundtracks cost an arm and a leg. I guess what I'm asking is, are actual Japanese soundtracks worth anything? That is, soundtracks from proper Japanese television shows or movies? I've got a mint condition soundtrack lp for a 70's tv cop show called 'Seibu Keisatsu'. Also, I've seen loads of old Jackie Chan soundtracks from some of the films he did in the late 70's. are these worth much?

[Seventies Kid]

Quote[/b] (mech1 @ Oct. 16 2003,21:23)]

Quote[/b] (Seventies Kid @ Oct. 16 2003,18:37)]In my experience, Japanese pressings of LPs tend to be more pricey, and with good reason - they are pressed on thicker vinyl, have lovely thick card sleeves and often contain lovingly produced inserts.

For example, as Ed says, the 'Battle Creek Brawl' OST is a very hard-to-find Japanese LP, the only time I've seen one is the time I bought it. The Japanese issues of the 'Enter The Dragon', 'Three Days Of The Condor' and 'Gator' OST's are very difficult to find, but are better than the U.S issues for the reasons stated above. The 'Enter The Dragon' OST also contains all the dialogue from the film, as well as a large poster and accompanying booklet.

There are also some very interesting Japanese OST compilations out there. Years ago I picked one up which contains a brillliant version of Lalo Schifrin's 'Magnum Force' theme, with a huge breakbeat ath the beggining. It's by the Barry Stevens Orchestra whom I'd never heard of, and I still can't find any info on him.

yeah, I've noticed that the quality of Japanese issue soundtracks are much better than the West. ok, so it's been established that certain Western soundtracks cost an arm and a leg. I guess what I'm asking is, are actual Japanese soundtracks worth anything? That is, soundtracks from proper Japanese television shows or movies? I've got a mint condition soundtrack lp for a 70's tv cop show called 'Seibu Keisatsu'. Also, I've seen loads of old Jackie Chan soundtracks from some of the films he did in the late 70's. are these worth much?

They certainly are - the few Jackie Chan Japanese Film/Tv OSTs I've seen go for in the region of £50-£75 for mint copies.

[Blighty]

Cheers for the info, Marco. The best thing about Japanese rekkids is the cool writing.

[saru75]

Seventies kid is right in that they are pressed on better quality vinyl, but the thing thats amazed me about the majority ive bought has been how well Japanese collectors look after their records - a lot of them look like theyve only been played once. they also often have cool inserts with lots of stills from the films.

I have the Enter the Dragon lp, and it was pricey here in japan, but its a worthy purchase if you get the chance. Still havent seen the Get Carter....

And i agree with Blighty that the writing looks cool, but digging was a real f**cker until i learnt how to read it!

[Rich Hero]

Quote[/b] (saru75 @ Oct. 17 2003,14:00)]And i agree with Blighty that the writing looks cool, but digging was a real f**cker until i learnt how to read it!

LOL!  But Lionel Richie still looks the same in any language...  

What's the deal with licensing in Japan?  It seems that many things simply come out only in Japan - is that due to demand or because their copywright laws are different (I'm thinking of mixtapes with uncleared tracks, Japanese only Blue Note comps, etc.)?

[sermad]

I remember when saru (cheers matey&#33 took me out diggin in tokyo and found this ->



Ive got quite a few japanese EPs which never made it out anywhere else. Very cool!

[mech1]

Quote[/b] (saru75 @ Oct. 17 2003,14:00)]Seventies kid is right in that they are pressed on better quality vinyl, but the thing thats amazed me about the majority ive bought has been how well Japanese collectors look after their records - a lot of them look like theyve only been played once. they also often have cool inserts with lots of stills from the films.

yup. every record i've ever purchased in Japan has always been in great condition. when I buy records here in the US the records are always dusty, scratched or the sleeves are torn...truly depressing sometimes.

erm, I don't really have problems with reading Japanese though, makes diggin' a lot easier for sure.

Sermad--how much did you pay for that sweet Rollerball 7"? I see that one has the Dance Party song and the main theme, looks great.

Rich Hero-regarding licensing, I was under the impression that since costs are much higher in Japan certain albums will be released as Japan only releases and thus be more expensive. I think the average person pays anywhere from 2000-3000 yen for an album over there. It's weird, a majority of domestic releases are very expensive but imports are usually pretty affordable.

but thanks for the info. I'll be watching out for those Jackie Chan lp's I spotted a year ago, I'm sure they haven't moved since I left.