Test Pressing of Baja Marimba Band's, As Time Goes By

Farmer Bumpy

New Member
Is anyone familiar with a test pressing of the Baja Marimba Band's LP As Time Goes By? I recently acquired one. Strangely, it has printed white labels with "Capitol Records, Jacksonville, Ill." along with "Matrix No." and "Catalog No.," but no other details are written or printed. It also has a Capitol catalog number - SW 94890 - etched in the deadwax. Owing to lack of identifying information, the record title was established only by playing it.

It seems odd to me that a test pressing of an A&M artist was pressed at a Capitol pressing plant and, moreover, that it has a Capitol catalog number. A search for the specific catalog number has turned up nothing.

Any help from the membership would be greatly appreciated!

Farmer Bumpy
 
Hello Farmer,

What you have there is a test pressing of a Capitol Records Club issue of AS TIME GOES BY. A&M, like many labels, licensed out their product to various record clubs over the years, and in the vinyl days, each of those clubs would usually press the records themselves. So, for collectors, the record club issues are usually considered a notch lower on the value scale because they were pressed from something other than the original master - at least a generation down.

Record club issues on CD fared better as digital copies of the masters were used.

Capitol Record club issues are easy to spot for their use of the SW-xxxxx numbering system.
 
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