In my previous collection feature, I talked about The Cross their second album called Mad: Bad: And Dangerous To Know. The article ended with two rare acetates for an unreleased single and this prompted me to dive into the world of acetates!

What is an acetate disc?

In order to produce a vinyl record, a number of steps need to be followed. This process has not changed much since the first vinyl discs were created in the 1950s.

Once music has been recorded by an artist, whether it be analogue or digital, it will be cut to a lacquer or, as it is called amongst vinyl collectors, an acetate disc. This is an aluminium (or aluminum in the US) disc with a lacquer coating. The music is cut directly from the source to the acetate through a cutting lathe, a device as per the photo below, which also shows a blank, uncut, acetate.

Photo credit: meemix.com

Once such a disc has been cut, it is playable on any regular turn table. Due to the softness of the lacquer coating, these type of discs tend to be less durable when compared to a regular vinyl disc.

The purpose of an acetate either ends here as a reference disc for the artist or is used as the next step of producing a vinyl disc.

In the latter case, a negative father is created by nickel-plating the acetate. This process is repeated with the father by creating a positive (playable) mother. The mother is the source to create (negative) stampers for producing the vinyl records.

A mother disc for the A-side of the 1981 David Bowie UK release Don’t Be Fooled By The Name

Whenever an artist created an acetate as a reference disc, it could have very well been done while the final version of a song was still not completed. It is for this reason that acetates can be a rare glimpse into an artist’s recording process as they can contain earlier takes, rough mixes or completely unreleased songs. It can unfortunately therefore also make them more desirable and (even more) expensive for collectors.

This was just a quick introduction on acetates, but there is more to be said about these fascinating discs. So for more information and details I’d like to recommend to go through this article at rarerecords.net

The next few sections, broken down by artist, will cover all acetates that I currently have in my collection. This should give you an idea of the variety in the world of acetates including labels, formats and sizes that were used throughout the years. It is obviously not a complete overview.

Phil Collins

Phil arguably does not need an introduction. He joined progressive band Genesis in August 1970 as a drummer and became the band’s front man (and drummer) when singer Peter Gabriel left during the first half of 1975. Since then Genesis increased their profile and success and, in parallel, Phil started a successful solo career as of 1981.

On the 15th of January 1990, Phil released the second single off his November 1989 album …But Seriously called I Wish It Would Rain Down. It would be another hit single for him, reaching the top 10 in many countries. The B-side for this single is the non-album song You’ve Been In Love (That Little Bit Too Long). On the 28th of November 1989, acetate test pressings were made in the US on the Masterdisk label for the 7″ release. The disc for the B-side can be seen below.

This is a single-sided 10″ disc, whereas the playable part is 7″ in size, featuring this non-album song. At the time when I bought it (early 2000?), I did not know this song so I initially thought that I stumbled upon an unreleased studio track. I soon learned that it was the B-side for the aforementioned single.

The record comes in a plain white die-cut sleeve and unfortunately the disc featuring the A-side is missing. This was my first ever acetate and I still hope to trace down the other disc one day!

Peter Gabriel

Moving from Phil to Peter Gabriel, who was the initial lead singer in the band Genesis. Then left the band in 1975 and started a successful solo career in early 1977 (although his first solo output was in November 1976 in the form of a Beatles cover for the compilation album All This And World War II). Songs such as Solsbury Hill, Sledgehammer and Don’t Give Up with Kate Bush probably ring a bell.

In September 1982 Peter released his fourth solo album called Peter Gabriel (just as his previous three albums). In the US however it got the name Security. The album contains the songs Shock The Monkey and I Have The Touch which were released in an edited form as singles and became moderate hits in the US and UK. Wallflower saw a limited single release in the Netherlands.

About 4 weeks earlier, on the 11th of August, an acetate was made for the whole album. Presumably to verify the sound and pressing quality. This pressing was made on the US Masterdisk label, just as the previous entry for Phil Collins. The following images show the front of the sleeve and the A and B-side labels.

Photo for the front sleeve plus a close-up of the Masterdisk info sticker

The A and B-side labels for discs 1 and 2

The cover is a plain white gatefold sleeve which houses the two single-sided 12″ discs. An informational sticker is present in the top left corner which contains the Masterdisk logo, artist name, record company and the recording date. Someone added a more precise recording date of ‘8-11-82’ (American notation for the 11th of August 1982) by hand versus the ‘August 1982’ date, added by a typewriter. The US LP catalogue number (GHS-2011) was also added by hand, implying that this disc was made for the US release.

Audio wise it is the regular album and nothing new can be spotted.

Genesis

The following entry is again for a Masterdisk pressing and this time for the band Genesis themselves! It is again a 12″ sized item, though for a 12″ single, not an album. This is a double 12″ single-sided pressing for the 1986 single Land Of Confusion. It is a pressing for the UK or European release, since the US 12″ single had the two songs on the B-side swapped.

The following photos again show the front artwork and the record labels. It is interesting to see that they remained using the same informational sticker four years later, though they were using a different label design. And as per the Phil Collins entry, they were using a different label design and company logo in 1989.

Photo for the front sleeve plus a close-up of the Masterdisk info sticker

The A and B-side labels for discs 1 and 2

The music on both discs is the released audio. The A-side contains the nearly 7 minutes extended version of Land Of Confusion and the B-side the regular album version. Although that version seems to sound a bit different which can either be attributed to the purer sound coming from the acetate, or it is a unique mix after all. I am however not aware of a (7″) single mix for this track.

The second song on the B-side is the non-album track Feeding The Fire. As with many Genesis non-album songs, this is a great out-take from the 1986 Invisible Touch album sessions, but would arguably not have suited the album flow. Curiously, this song is mistitled as Feed The Fire on the B-side label.

This rounds up all Masterdisk discs that I own. The next entry will focus on two curious discs from 2015!

Everything Everything

No, this is not about the 2017 American romantic drama film, but an English art rock band from the UK. I stumbled upon them when I flew back from my business travel in Singapore in December 2017. My seat (obviously business class) offered a selection of music, including their August 2017 album A Fever Dream. After the first song my interest was piqued and I added them to my list of ‘artists to check out’. This took over a year, but in early 2019 I was hooked and my mission was to obtain all of their releases. It wasn’t long until I owned all albums and singles on CD and vinyl (though sold most of it again in 2023… gotta manage storage in your collection).

In February 2022 I stumbled upon an odd record for this band through Discogs. Information was obscure and not complete. After contacting the owner and requesting photos I soon learned that this was an acetate and he had another one, possibly even for sale! Not long after, a deal was made and the discs arrived at my home safe and sound.

Both are double-sided 10″ acetates on the Metropolis label. They come in plain white die-cut sleeves with plastic protective inner sleeves.

The first disc is for their 2015 single Regret which was released on the 22nd of June as a 7″ and download single. Audio wise the disc features the released audio. The B-side contains a non-album song called Magnetophone. A great song with a live-in-the-studio feel to it.

The double-sided 10″ disc in a plain die-cut sleeve

The A and B-sides of this double-sided acetate

To me it is great to see that the disc was supposedly made on the 13th of March 2015. Three months in advance of the commercial release. This is in stark contrast to 70s and 80s releases, as we saw in previous entries, where such discs were created a month in advance of a single or album release. This change may be attributed to today’s smaller vinyl factory pressing capacities: the lead time from ordering to producing records for record labels is much greater these days.

One can also see that a second hole is hidden beneath the labels. This is typically present to hold the disc in place and to prevent slippage through the use of an additional metal plug as a lot of pressure is applied while cutting the disc.

The second disc that I bought was cut on the 8th of July 2015, a month after Regret was released, but two months before their next single: Spring/Sun/Winter/Dread. That single was released commercially on the 14th of September.

Just as with the previous single, and most of their 7″ singles, this one also features a non-album song called Live Intro. It is an instrumental piece, which was, as suggested by the name, used during the beginning of live concerts at the time.

The double-sided 10″ disc in a plain die-cut sleeve

The A and B-sides of this double-sided acetate

Also this record is a double-sided 10″ disc whereas the playable part is 7″ in size. The labels also feature the expected catalogue numbers. For Regret, the catalogue number for the commercial release is ‘88875078317’ whereas the acetate has ‘88875085207’. It is beyond me why the acetate’s number is higher than the released one, implying that it was cut at a later stage. Though the pressing date goes against that theory. Maybe a few releases were cancelled by the label for other artists, pushing the catalogue number back a bit? The catalogue number for S/S/W/D is correct though: ‘88875130927’.

I’ll leave you with some music for S/S/W/D before moving to the next artist and disc….

Feargal Sharkey

For those who grew up in the 80s, Feargal Sharkey may be a familiar name and associate it with his biggest hit A Good Heart from 1985 or his work with The Undertones in the 70s and early 80s. Some Queen fans may know him through his other 1985 single called Loving You which was produced by the band’s drummer Roger Taylor. He also provided drums and synths on this A-side track.

Feargal had quite a short solo career after The Undertones disbanded in mid-1983. He released his first solo single in 1984, had two big UK hit singles in 1985 and released three albums in 1985, 1988 and 1991. Mainly his debut album had success, whereas the other two slowly faded into obscurity, as did his career. By 1992 he had left the spotlight and moved to the business side of the music industry.

In 1991 some efforts were taken to promote his third album, Songs From The Mardi Grass. One of these was by releasing a promotional 7″ single called Cry Like A Rainy Day in the UK. A sweet and soft ballad. It is for this single for which I can show the next acetate.

The A and B-sides of this double-sided acetate

A close-up of the handwritten artist name and crossed-out catalogue number

This was made on the lovely Town House label. One of my favorite acetate labels. The disc is again a double-sided 10″ with the playable part being 7″ in size. The B-side is the song After The Mardi Grass and both songs appear to be the regular album versions (determined based on my limited Sharkey music knowledge and ears).

The disc comes in a plain white sleeve which has the artist name and the single’s catalogue number (though seemingly crossed out) in someone’s handwriting. A small detail: the catalogue number written here is ‘HEY MR DJ I’ whereas it ultimately became ‘HEYMRDJ 1’ (yes, a ‘1’ vs ‘I’).

A nice oddity and there are apparently not many Sharkey acetates out there. In fact, this is the only one that I could find at the time of writing!

Tears For Fears

Moving on from one Town House disc to the next one. This is a 1985 disc made for the Tears For Fears monster hit Shout. It is a one-sided 7″ acetate which contains the ‘Full Version’ according to the note written on the label, though in fact it is the 6:00 minutes 7″ single version. The album version runs for 6:33 so I wonder whether they had the US 7″ version in mind, which only lasts for 4:06 minutes, when writing the ‘full version’ reference.

The disc comes in a plain black 7″ sleeve with no further information written on it, unlike the entry for Feargal Sharkey.

For those who think that they don’t know this tune, check out the video below and you will probably recognize it!

Freddie Mercury

This last entry is a special one.

I used to own over ten Queen and related acetates which I unfortunately all sold in or around 2007. In 2012 a Queen fan offered a disc for sale, featuring the song Exercises In Free Love by Freddie Mercury, through a now defunct online Queen forum. I was lucky enough to obtain it, making this my first Queen related acetate again.

The story for this disc is that it was once owned by Freddie. Jim Hutton (one of Freddie’s lovers in the 1980s) obtained the disc in 1992 after Freddie’s death who then gifted it to the aforementioned Queen fan in 2001.

It is a regular 7″ one-sided disc which was presumably cut in preparation for the February 1987 single release The Great Pretender. Exercises… became the B-side of this single and the version on this acetate is the regular single version. This song was later re-recorded by Montserrat Caballé for the October 1987 single release Barcelona.

For years I wondered what happened to the acetate disc featuring the A-side. This question was answered in April 2023 when Sothebys revealed to sell a large part of Freddie’s personal collection in September 2023. Lot 2258 featured three discs, being two 12″ white label vinyl test pressings, dated January 1987, for The Great Pretender and a one-sided 7″ acetate for the same song!

The disc featuring the B-side Exercises In Free Love

An image from the Sothebys lot 2258 and the acetate featuring the A-side of The Great Pretender

As one can see, both discs contain the same Town House label. Both feature handwritten titles which appear to be in the same handwriting and style. The biggest noticeable feature is the spelling error in Freddie’s name: Freddy.

I would have really loved to own this item in order to complete the set. Alas, the three discs sold for £38,000 (or £48,260 including fees) which was, unsurprisingly, out of my price range.

Still, it is great to know that the background story attached to my disc seems to be true and that the A-side disc is still out there somewhere!

With these examples I hope to have given you a nice taste of what is out there. There are a lot more different types of labels, including a great looking Trident one from the 70s, the famous Beatles Apple discs and the late 80s Abbey Road ones. Though a lot of acetates don’t have any labels at all. Making them plain black with either an obscure inscription in the disc itself or no markings at all. This makes it very difficult to identify what disc it is, or even what song is on it.

All in all these discs are a treasure trove for collectors and a great opportunity to bring a collector and fan closer to the source of music and artist!