Them Heavy People - Japan 7" Single

I have always liked Japanese vinyl releases, especially the early ones, because of their unique picture designs and overall layouts - not to mention all the bold Japanese text that dominate these covers. They really are something special, in my opinion.

Early Japanese releases differ vastly from standard releases from other countries, in that they aren't the common full picture sleeves. Of course, that would change later on. The early releases were actually double-sided picture inserts, with the record slotted into a separate Toshiba EMI company sleeve. The reverse side of the picture insert normally featured the lyrics of the song in both Japanese and English text, including the b-side track. They can also feature additional Japanese text about the artist or the album, and usually have a little photo or two as well.

Next to the Japanese release of Symphony In Blue, this is probably my most favourite Japanese release. The colours are bright and rich, and the text on the front absolutely jumps out at you. This is actually the very first Japanese single I ever bought, which was a very long time ago now, and as you can see it's still sealed in its original plastic wrap. It's never been opened, so I can only show you the front of the picture insert and the back of the Toshiba EMI sleeve. Sorry about that.