Wuthering Heights - Sweden 7" Single

This one comes in a thicker card sleeve similar to the original UK release. The front artwork, minus the catalogue number, is identical to the UK release.

The back of the picture sleeve is completely different to all other releases. It's nothing overly spectacular, but if you like collecting variants, then this is an interesting one to get.

The paper labels on the 7" are practically identical to the UK ones at the time.

Wuthering Heights - UK 7" Single: Reissue

The reissue picture sleeve differs considerably from the first issue sleeve. To start with, the reissue sleeve is paper, so it doesn't have the same durable quality as the first issue. The artwork is also not nearly as sharp, which also means that the colours are noticeably off when you compare the two together. On the back of the sleeve, the circular EMI logo has been replaced with a rectangular one. The G&L letters are also missing from the back, and the sleeve's opening has also been changed to a circular type cut-out.

Despite the fact that the paper record labels on the first issue and the reissue are virtually identical, you can easily tell them apart by checking the run off vinyl on the A Side. Reissues do not have any inscriptions etched into them.

The reissue version can also be found in the Single File box set.

Wuthering Heights - UK 7" Single: First Issue

The original UK release of this single came in a thick card picture sleeve. The artwork on the sleeve is much sharper and the colours are more truer than they appear on the reissue. The back of the sleeve has a circular EMI logo, along with the printed letters G&L along the bottom right-hand corner. The back of the sleeve also has a rectangular opening with angled cuts at the sides.

First issue singles also have the inscription "Remember The Whales" etched into the run off vinyl on Side A. The reissue does not have this inscription.

Kate's earliest first issue releases are more difficult to find these days, and they also tend to be more expensive as a given.

Side Note: For anyone that's interested, G&L stands for Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. They were one of the biggest sleeve printers in the UK back in the day for vinyl LPs and Singles.

Wuthering Heights - France 7" Single

The artwork on the front of the sleeve is identical to the UK release – the only difference being the catalogue number in the top right-hand corner.

The back of the sleeve is fairly plain and it's also a bit reminiscent of the Italian back cover for this single. This side of the sleeve also has a slight yellow colour to it, which you can see a little better now that I've scanned it in. The sleeve is also a card sleeve, but not a heavy one like the early UK sleeves are.

The record has silver injected moulded labels, which was typical for the French releases.

Wuthering Heights - Spanish 7" Single

This is the Spanish release for ‘Wuthering Heights’, which features a very unique looking picture sleeve. Again, the photography on this one is by Gered Mankowitz. Interestingly enough, there are three different versions of this particular single. The one I’m showing you here is the third issue release.

Even though the artwork on all three issues is practically the same, there are some slight differences between them. For example, the first issue sleeve doesn't have the “No 1 En Inglaterra” stamp on the front like the second and third issue sleeves do. Also, only the third issue sleeve has the additional title "Cumbres Borrascosas" added underneath the Wuthering Heights title.

The back of the picture sleeve is the real letdown here. It’s rather plain and boring, which is a shame considering how stunning the front of the picture sleeve is. The sleeve itself is made from a thinner card stock – not paper thin, but thinner.

The record labels have a very similar design to the UK EMI labels at that time, with some notable obvious differences. The typeset on this one is very basic and doesn’t stand out at all in any way. Not that it’s a big deal or anything.

Although I have come across all three versions at some point or another, I only own the third issue release of this single. All three issues of this release are more difficult to track down now, but the first and second issue sleeves are easily the most difficult to find now.

Wuthering Heights - Holland 7" Single

Although the front of the cover uses the exact same artwork as the UK release, the Holland release uses a sort of two tone orange and black colour scheme instead. Interestingly enough, there are two variants of this release from Holland. The other one is yellow and black. 

The back of the sleeve is also quite different to the UK release. It's just a simple black and white print showing the cover for The Kick Inside with the album tracks listed in the upper right-hand corner of the sleeve. I have no idea what the below text says - sorry!

The single itself is pretty standard looking.

Wuthering Heights - German 7" Single

German 7" for Wuthering Heights, with a thin paper sleeve. The front of the sleeve reuses the same artwork found on the UK release - the only difference here being the catalogue number in the upper right-hand corner and the circular EMI logo in the lower right-hand corner.

The back of the sleeve features a very different layout. There's a German article about Kate's first TV appearance, which was Bio's Bahnhof. Not only is the article written by Dr. Alfred Biolek, but it also features a fairly imposing and slightly creepy photo of him on the back as well. I find it creepy, but also gross because it's not his single and he had nothing to do with the making of it, so why put his face on it? Another photo of Kate on the back would have been better than this.

The single features large centre holes, which are commonly found on Canadian and U.S. singles. The b-side is the same as the UK release.

I would probably say pass on this one.

Wuthering Heights - Italy 7" Single

The Italian 7" single for Wuthering Heights has the same artwork on the cover as the UK release, but with the addition of the logo near the bottom. The back of the picture sleeve is completely different from the UK release. In fact, it actually shares a lot of similarities to the France release.

The biggest disappointment with this one is the sleeve itself. It's made out of a very cheap cardboard type material, which is more susceptible to creases, bends, edge wear and staining. It doesn't have anywhere near the same quality as the UK release. It's still nice to have though, especially if you like to collect variants of the same single.

The record labels are pretty similar to the UK ones at the time.

Wuthering Heights - Polish 7" Single

Polish 7" for Wuthering Heights. The photo used on this single is a reverse shot of the same photo that's used on the U.S. vinyl version of the Kick Inside album. The photography comes from another of Gered Mankowitz's photo sessions.

The vinyl has a large cut out centre hole, which is commonly found on U.S. and Canadian singles, and if you haven't spotted it yet, note the spelling error on the vinyl label.

The back of the sleeve isn't spectacular, but I do like how the lettering from the UK version of The Kick Inside is carried over onto the front and back of this single.