Don't
Rain On My Parade
UK, Germany, Italy
& Australia March 1978
A: Don't Rain On My Parade 2.54
B: Stateline 4.45
The UK edition was issued in a plain black
Ariola/Hansa sleeve and the disc has paper labels bearing the colourful
"colour spectrum" background. Some copies have solid centres while
others have press-out centres. Promos have a large "A" on the
appropriate side. As with all of the early Hansa pressings, which were
manufactured by Pye, this is a good quality one with a really punchy
sound.
The German edition has a glossy colour picture
sleeve and wrongly titles the b-side as "Unconventional State Line".
The typography on the sleeve is a bit deceptive which has led some fans
to believe that it is an E.P. containing the track "The
Unconventional", but this is not the case. The labels on the German
edition are also paper, but they are the slate grey and silver "Hansa
International" ones. The sound quality of the German edition is not as
good as the UK version (not bad, just not as good) and the vinyl is
noticeably thinner, with that "brittle" feel.
The Australian single was presented in an RCA
company sleeve (see the later Adolescent Sex single for an example).
Finally, the Italian edition, issued on Hansa's
affiliate Durirum, is housed in a sleeve which is like a miniature of
the "Adolescent Sex" album.
"Don't Rain On My Parade" also appears on the Japan
album "Adolescent Sex" while "Stateline", a rarity for a couple of
years, has turned up on numerous compilations e.g. "Assemblage" and "In
Vogue".
Single review in the NME 8/4/78: "A fairly clever
Tubes-like overkill job on the old Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney
showtune by a band whose ad motif - a hand down a pair of trousers -
has been liberally plastered on walls and papers over the last few
weeks. Unfortunately it's a bit too clever and smacks, like the ad, of
some gimmick merchant's idea of the easiest route to a fast buck."
- UK 7" (plain sleeve) Hansa AHA-510
- German 7" (photo picture sleeve): Hansa 15502AT
- Italian 7" (LP artwork picture sleeve) Durium
DE3014.
- Australian 7" RCA 103208 (record company sleeve)
The German sleeve has the following article on the
back (thanks Lech!):
"Punk, New-Wave -na gut, das war! Hier kommt JAPAN
mit Rock "Im Reich der Sinne". Ihre erste Single ist die ureigene
Version eines Barbara Streisand-Hits, den die 5 Engländer auch
auf ihrer ersten LP präsentieren."
& in *english*: "Punk, New-Wave -that's
gone! Here is JAPAN with their first single "Don't Rain On My Parade"
which was actually one of Barbara Streisand's-hits. JAPAN, who come
from England, have really put their own mark on this recording, which
is also included on their shortly to be released LP."
The Australian 7" lists the time of "Stateline" as 4.54, but it plays the regular version.
An acetate of the track was sold on eBay in 2006.
Thanks to Lucio De Francesco for the info on the
Italian edition and Gary for the Australian info.
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