collectors appendix
UK 7" [Rough Trade RT131]
Rigid sleeve. Blue label with silver text. As the Smiths grew in popularity and the single sold out, more copies had to be pressed. Four versions have been reported:
- 'Manchester' version - May 1983
back: "Endless Gratitude to Joe and Janet" / "Sleeve by The Smiths" / Manchester contact adress
labels: solid centre; publishers are Glad Hips music; Rough Trade logo on top
RT 131 A1 / RT 131 B1; estimated 6000 copies were pressed - 'London-Smiths' version - mid-1984
back: idem but London contact adress
labels: push-out centre; publishers changed to Warner Bros; Rough Trade logo moved to left; band name now bigger
RT 131 A1 / RT 131 B1 - 'London-Morrissey' version - appr 1986
back: idem to 'London' above but sleeve credit changed to Morrissey and gratitude line dropped
labels: back to solid centre but layout idem to previous version
RT 131 A1 / RT 131 B1
RT 131 A-2U-1-1-?? Kiss My Shades / RT 131 B1 KISS MY SHADES TOO
RT 131 A-2U-1-2-5 Kiss My Shades / RT 131 B1 KISS MY SHADES TOO
RT 131 A-2U-1-2- kiss my shades / RT131 B1 (no message) - 'no address' version - date unknown, appr. mid-1980s
back: no contact address, Smiths sleeve credit and 'gratitude' line are present
labels: idem to previous
RT 131 A-2U-1-2- / RT-131-B; no 'kiss my shades' messages
RT 131 A-2U-1-1-25 Kiss My Shades / RT 131 B1 KISS MY SHADES TOO
A 'Manchester' version with sleeve credited to Morrissey is rumoured, but unconfirmed.
It is speculated that the 'no address' version may have been produced for export, hence the removal of the contact address. Some copies have 'Made in England' stickers on them.
It is possible that variations on the above exist. Leftover sleeves were sometimes re-used with a later represssing, or vice versa, therefore sometimes a record will be found inside a sleeve that doesn't match.
UK 7" - 2008 reissue [Rhino UK RHN131]
Almost identical to original Rough Trade release. The sleeve is still rigid. On the back of it the catalogue number was changed to RHN131, a barcode was added at the bottom and the "Distributed by The Cartel" line was removed. The sleeve is credited to the Smiths and the Gratitude line is present. There are obviously no Rough Trade contact address. The record has a solid centre. On the label there is no logo and the catalogue number was also changed to RHN131. Publishers on the right are now Universal Music, etc.
UK 7" - jukebox issue [Rough Trade RT131]
The text layout on the label of the "Hand In Glove" jukebox 7" is the same as that of the Manchester version described above, but the record has a large opening in the centre. It doesn't come with a picture sleeve unless someone found an orphan sleeve for it.
RT 131 A1 / RT 131 B1
UK 7" - 1983 promo + press release [Rough Trade RT131]
The original 1983 release of this single was promoted via stock copies of the original 7" with a white Scott Piering (plugger) contact info sticker on the back of the sleeve. Some copies came with a 2-sided Rough Trade press release on white A4 paper titled "Official Biography, 13 May 1983" and featuring biographical information signed by Ivor Jones on one side, and on the other side, "Dissecting the Smiths", a questionnaire filled by all four members. Others copies have been seen with a 2-page 'Appearing' press sheet on blue paper featuring the same text as the 2-sided white paper one described above, but on two 1-sided pages, and with a 'Appearing' logo at the top instead of 'Rough Trade'. The latter press release has been seen paired with photocopies of recently published NME interview and concert review.
RT 130 A-1U-1-1-5 / RT 130 B-1U-1-1-2
UK 7" - 1983 promo + press release [Rough Trade RT131]
The original 1983 release was also promoted with copies of the original 7" record (as described above) in a white paper die-cut record bag on which plugger Scott Piering's Appearing Media Services contact information was stamped in ink. The record come with a one-sided press release on a mustard yellow A4 sheet. The release mentions the buzz around the band, states that three major labels wanted to sign them but they ended up going for Rough Trade, and mentions the recent Peel session.
UK 7" - 1984 promo + press release [Rough Trade RT131]
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UK 7" - 1984 white label promos [Rough Trade RT131]
Two 1984 white label promos have been reported. Both usually come with a press release if they have not been lost.
- Two-sided, stamped '18 APR 1984'. Matrix numbers RT131 A1 / RT131 B1 also handwritten on the label. Some also have 'EMI' written on the label. This very likely corresponds to the 1984 'London-Smiths' version listed above.
RT 131 A1 / RT 131 B1 - One-sided with test tones on b-side, stamped '1 JUN 1984' on the label. The matrix number is RT131 A 2U, also appears handwritten on the label. This may correspond to the 'no address' version listed above.
RT 131 A-2U-1-1-1
UK 30cm x 60cm promo poster (12" x 24")
View here.
UK 100cm x 152cm promo poster (40" x 60")
Subway size poster. This is an oddity because no subway size poster was ever produced for any Smiths single before 1985, and surely Rough Trade would not have widely advertised the band's first single, however much they believed in them. And even if they had wanted to advertise the single, they would presumably have had to change the image for a less graphic one. The item was apparently produced by Rough Trade so its legitimacy shouldn't be doubted, but it was very likely never used and it can be speculated that it was printed in very small numbers. View here.
UK various artists Rough Trade promo cassette "3 PACK"
The two songs from the single were included on a Rough Trade pre-release promo cassette sent to certain media in early/mid-1983. The cassette also features 2 songs each by labelmates Zerra 1 and Influence. The front of the photocopied insert actually shows a close-up of the 'bum' from the "Hand In Glove" artwork next to the title "3 PACK". The spine states the names of the three featured artists and a Rough Trade credit and Dolby information are found on the back flap. The track listing is printed on the insert's extra fold-out panel. The cassette itself is made of black plastic and bears generic "Rough Tapes" labels which are greyish with red print. The London Rough Trade address is also printed in red at the top and the names of the three featured artists were typewritten beneath it.
Rough Trade ad
A full page Rough Trade Records ad published in City Life magazine in June-July 1983 features a segment on the Smiths' debut single "Hand In Glove". The ad is in black and white, it doesn't show any artwork, only a quote from a City Life review for the single. Beneath that, "What Difference Does It Make?" is announced as the band's next single (this would eventually change for "This Charming Man").
UK 7" - blue sleeve mispressing [Rough Trade RT131]
Some copies of the 'London-Morrissey' re-release mentioned above were mispressed with the cover picture appearing in negative (view left). The back of the sleeve is also in negative, with grey text on blue background. A handful of these mispressings made it out of the record plant at the time of pressing, and now and then (particularly around 1997-1998) more have entered the collectors market when copies believed to have been deleted were found in Rough Trade storage, or when ex-employees who had salvaged copies sold them on the internet.
UK 7" - 1983 test pressing [Rough Trade RT131]
This is a two-sided test pressing of the original 'Manchester' version listed above. Most copies have handwriting on them stating, for example, "The Smiths" and "Hand In Glove" on side A and "Handsome Devil" on side B, or some variation on that. Some copies just have 'A' and 'B' handwritten on the labels. It is expected that about 5-10 copies may have been pressed, one for each member of the band, plus a few more for record company people. Johnny and Mike's copies are now in the hands of collectors. Mike's was autographed.
RT 131 A1 / RT 131 B1
UK 7" - Mayking test pressing [Rough Trade RT131]
The story of this oddity which surfaced in 2012 in unclear but it may be a test pressing for the 'London-Morrissey' repressing of the single from around 1986 (see top of this page for description). The record bears generic Mayking labels, the same ones seen on other Mayking test pressings of Smiths singles. However, unlike other Mayking test pressings this one is not date-stamped. The only handwritten text on the labels is the side letter, "Smiths" on the "Cat.No." line and that side's title on the "date" line. Additional information is welcome.
RT 131 A-2U-1- Kiss My Shades / RT-131-B (no message on side B)
UK 7" - 2008 reissue 7" test pressing [Rhino UK RHN131]
The white label test pressing of this item has so far only been sold as a set with the test pressings of the other 7"s included in the "Singles Box". It is therefore described in the latter item's collectors appendix.
UK 7" - 2008 reissue 10" acetate [Rhino UK RHN131]
The 10" metal-based lacquer reference acetate for the 2008 7" reissue listed above comes housed in a 12" grey Heathmans Mastering sleeve with printed custom studio labels on the front (white with Heathmans Mastering logo on top, band name, title, catalogue numbers and '21/9/2008'). The matrix number is handwritten in the centre of the disc.
UK Strawberry Studio quarter-inch tape
A perhaps one-of-a-kind 1983 Strawberry Recording Studios quarter inch tape of "Hand In Glove" was sold to a collector in the late 1990s.