1986 Reissue Campaign
This page has been added in an attempt to provide some clarity over the mysterious ‘1986 Reissues’ campaign for the following singles:
Many collectors are unaware of these releases, particularly as there was almost no publicity in relation to their release (or reissue) at a time when all of Madonna’s singles were heavily promoted in music magazines such as ‘Smash Hits’.
Due to this lack of information it is not certain when this ‘campaign’ took place. It is assumed to have occurred during the summer of 1986 as a means to promote the back catalogue during the critical and commercial success of the ‘True Blue’ album. It can be seen that the font style used for the lettering of ‘Madonna’ is identical to that used on the ‘True Blue’ album sleeve. In addition both the display flat and the counter display are a ‘true blue’ shade of colour.
For collectors, this raises the issue of whether these reissues can be distinguished from the standard releases. The simple answer appears to be ‘no’ as it is likely that these releases were mainly surplus stock that the record company decided to shift during a peak in Madonna’s career. There is also a view that some of the singles were effectively ‘topped up’ if supplies were low with 7” single top-ups denoted by an ‘A’ design on the label, 12” top-ups denoted by being a German pressing.
Collectors of variations will already be aware of the variations that exist with the 7” singles (large logo, small logo etc) and 12” singles with the standard UK design supplemented by additional pressings manufactured in Germany as and when needed if the original UK pressings sell out. The UK pressings have copyright info that goes around the entire outer circle of the label while the German pressing has copyright in a semi-circle (German pressings for German releases have a double semi-circle). It could be that many of these German top-ups were produced for this reissue campaign.
What follows is a brief resume of the singles that were included in the ‘campaign’.
“Lucky Star”
It could have been very different for the legendary ‘Sunglasses’ sleeve if ‘The Powers that Be’ had decided to re-print that iconic image for the 7” single. Thankfully, for those who like a few rare gems in a collection, its integrity as a collectable item remained intact as the 7” single was only made available in the reissued ‘Stars’ picture sleeve. The label design is also the reissued version with the 'Jellybean' credit.
Of more interest is the 12” single as this was made available in the original ‘Sunglasses’ sleeve. It is impossible to know if there was a batch left over due to disappointing sales or if this sleeve was reprinted. The volume available points towards a repressing which would explain why this 12” version appears regularly on eBay and is relatively easy to find compared to the extreme rarity of the 7” version. It also follows that many of us who thought we had an original 12” from 1983 actually have a 1986 re-issue! However, given that both the sleeve and the label design (with 1983 date) are identical it makes no difference. Interestingly it is only the ‘promo’ 12” in plain white die-cut sleeve with custom sticker that has a 1984 date (for the avoidance of doubt, the record label within the reissued ‘TV screen’ sleeve from 1984 also has a 1983 date).
Finally, to add to the mix there has also been a recent discovery of a very rare ‘top-up’ 12” label variation. It was previously thought that no top-up existed for ‘Lucky Star’. Those who have a copy state that it came in a generic b/w WEA sleeve. It is so scarce that it has only recently been added to this website (March 2017!).
At least the 7” release is more straightforward, the version shown here being the ‘top-up’ with a capital letter ‘A’ design label
“Holiday”
‘Holiday’ is listed here, after ‘Lucky Star’, in accordance with its original release chronology. However this reissue re-uses both sleeve designs and labels that were used for the 1985 re-release. Therefore the sleeve of the 7" single is the 'train' image while the 12” has a 'Chrysalis Music Ltd' credit as shown on the 1985 page rather than 'Copyright Control' as shown on the original 1984 page. The 12" is the standard UK manufactured design with no German ‘top-up’ in existence (as far as is known).
“Like A Virgin”
‘Like a Virgin’ was issued with only one label design for the 7” (‘large logo’) but there was a credit variation as an additional credit was added (or removed) from the 7" label design. The version shown here does not have the additional 'Billy Steinberg' credit. There were also variations in the sleeve designs (see ‘Like A Virgin’ entry for more details) with versions appearing with a white or clear box on the rear sleeve. The sleeves used for both the 7” and 12” reissue has the ‘white box’ variant on the rear sleeves. The 12” label was also issued in a German-pressed 'top-up' version.
“Material Girl”
The 7” single, like its predecessor, was only available with the ‘large logo’ version although there were some variations in the credits (see the Material Girl page for more information). The version shown here has a 'Copyright Control' credit and it is not know if this was added for this reissue or a correction/addition to the original release. The 12” is intriguing as it has no fewer than four variations. It is possible that one of those could be a result of this re-issue although that would mean ‘Material Girl’ would be the only reissue 12” to have a unique label design, which is unlikely. Such label variations are normally the result of copyright disputes and corrections. The ‘Material Girl’ 12” shown here is 'Version 4' from the main 'Material Girl' page which is one of two 12" versions that were pressed with the 'half rim' copyright German top-up style as already discussed.
“Into The Groove”
For collectors of rare labels this is where the reissues are more interesting as the capital letter ‘A’ design for the 7” release is a very rare variant. This can be tricky to source, particularly as most sellers on eBay do not bother to show the actual label. The 12” label was issued in a German pressed 'top-up' version.
“Angel”
The last reissue is for ‘Angel’ – it is not known why ‘Dress You Up’ was excluded, while ‘Borderline’ had only just been successfully re-released in its own right. As with its predecessor, the ‘A’ design 7” label variation is another rarity that requires a certain amount of dogged patience to find. The 12” label was also issued in a German pressed 'top-up' version.
- Lucky Star
- Holiday
- Like A Virgin
- Material Girl
- Into The Groove
- Angel
Many collectors are unaware of these releases, particularly as there was almost no publicity in relation to their release (or reissue) at a time when all of Madonna’s singles were heavily promoted in music magazines such as ‘Smash Hits’.
Due to this lack of information it is not certain when this ‘campaign’ took place. It is assumed to have occurred during the summer of 1986 as a means to promote the back catalogue during the critical and commercial success of the ‘True Blue’ album. It can be seen that the font style used for the lettering of ‘Madonna’ is identical to that used on the ‘True Blue’ album sleeve. In addition both the display flat and the counter display are a ‘true blue’ shade of colour.
For collectors, this raises the issue of whether these reissues can be distinguished from the standard releases. The simple answer appears to be ‘no’ as it is likely that these releases were mainly surplus stock that the record company decided to shift during a peak in Madonna’s career. There is also a view that some of the singles were effectively ‘topped up’ if supplies were low with 7” single top-ups denoted by an ‘A’ design on the label, 12” top-ups denoted by being a German pressing.
Collectors of variations will already be aware of the variations that exist with the 7” singles (large logo, small logo etc) and 12” singles with the standard UK design supplemented by additional pressings manufactured in Germany as and when needed if the original UK pressings sell out. The UK pressings have copyright info that goes around the entire outer circle of the label while the German pressing has copyright in a semi-circle (German pressings for German releases have a double semi-circle). It could be that many of these German top-ups were produced for this reissue campaign.
What follows is a brief resume of the singles that were included in the ‘campaign’.
“Lucky Star”
It could have been very different for the legendary ‘Sunglasses’ sleeve if ‘The Powers that Be’ had decided to re-print that iconic image for the 7” single. Thankfully, for those who like a few rare gems in a collection, its integrity as a collectable item remained intact as the 7” single was only made available in the reissued ‘Stars’ picture sleeve. The label design is also the reissued version with the 'Jellybean' credit.
Of more interest is the 12” single as this was made available in the original ‘Sunglasses’ sleeve. It is impossible to know if there was a batch left over due to disappointing sales or if this sleeve was reprinted. The volume available points towards a repressing which would explain why this 12” version appears regularly on eBay and is relatively easy to find compared to the extreme rarity of the 7” version. It also follows that many of us who thought we had an original 12” from 1983 actually have a 1986 re-issue! However, given that both the sleeve and the label design (with 1983 date) are identical it makes no difference. Interestingly it is only the ‘promo’ 12” in plain white die-cut sleeve with custom sticker that has a 1984 date (for the avoidance of doubt, the record label within the reissued ‘TV screen’ sleeve from 1984 also has a 1983 date).
Finally, to add to the mix there has also been a recent discovery of a very rare ‘top-up’ 12” label variation. It was previously thought that no top-up existed for ‘Lucky Star’. Those who have a copy state that it came in a generic b/w WEA sleeve. It is so scarce that it has only recently been added to this website (March 2017!).
At least the 7” release is more straightforward, the version shown here being the ‘top-up’ with a capital letter ‘A’ design label
“Holiday”
‘Holiday’ is listed here, after ‘Lucky Star’, in accordance with its original release chronology. However this reissue re-uses both sleeve designs and labels that were used for the 1985 re-release. Therefore the sleeve of the 7" single is the 'train' image while the 12” has a 'Chrysalis Music Ltd' credit as shown on the 1985 page rather than 'Copyright Control' as shown on the original 1984 page. The 12" is the standard UK manufactured design with no German ‘top-up’ in existence (as far as is known).
“Like A Virgin”
‘Like a Virgin’ was issued with only one label design for the 7” (‘large logo’) but there was a credit variation as an additional credit was added (or removed) from the 7" label design. The version shown here does not have the additional 'Billy Steinberg' credit. There were also variations in the sleeve designs (see ‘Like A Virgin’ entry for more details) with versions appearing with a white or clear box on the rear sleeve. The sleeves used for both the 7” and 12” reissue has the ‘white box’ variant on the rear sleeves. The 12” label was also issued in a German-pressed 'top-up' version.
“Material Girl”
The 7” single, like its predecessor, was only available with the ‘large logo’ version although there were some variations in the credits (see the Material Girl page for more information). The version shown here has a 'Copyright Control' credit and it is not know if this was added for this reissue or a correction/addition to the original release. The 12” is intriguing as it has no fewer than four variations. It is possible that one of those could be a result of this re-issue although that would mean ‘Material Girl’ would be the only reissue 12” to have a unique label design, which is unlikely. Such label variations are normally the result of copyright disputes and corrections. The ‘Material Girl’ 12” shown here is 'Version 4' from the main 'Material Girl' page which is one of two 12" versions that were pressed with the 'half rim' copyright German top-up style as already discussed.
“Into The Groove”
For collectors of rare labels this is where the reissues are more interesting as the capital letter ‘A’ design for the 7” release is a very rare variant. This can be tricky to source, particularly as most sellers on eBay do not bother to show the actual label. The 12” label was issued in a German pressed 'top-up' version.
“Angel”
The last reissue is for ‘Angel’ – it is not known why ‘Dress You Up’ was excluded, while ‘Borderline’ had only just been successfully re-released in its own right. As with its predecessor, the ‘A’ design 7” label variation is another rarity that requires a certain amount of dogged patience to find. The 12” label was also issued in a German pressed 'top-up' version.
In addition to what has been stated above, Frank Longo has kindly supplied this article written about the ‘Sunglasses’ sleeves on an eBay auction from a seller who listed a few years ago:
LUCKY STAR . . . and it's UK record release history
From my experience it seems this original UK 7" edition of "LUCKY STAR" was withdrawn from sale only one week after its original September 1983 release as it really was absolutely impossible to obtain another copy from the record company after only one week! Back in those days I was working at the local branch of the HMV chain store, and as I was also an over enthusiastic record collector with more spare money than sense, I collected one copy of every British 7" single release. Many of the records released each week were not available directly at the shop as they were not priorities for the record company and had to be specially ordered, and Madonna’s "LUCKY STAR" was certainly a low priority release for her record company back in September 1983 (just the same as "EVERYBODY" some nine months earlier) and was not even stocked on 7" by the major record shops like HMV and Virgin. I had noticed "LUCKY STAR" in the Record Mirror dance charts some weeks earlier and with also reading a review by James Hamilton, I ordered a copy of the 7" vinyl edition some weeks before the release date and in hindsight was very lucky to have the one copy that the shop received that week reserved for me. I did try to order a second copy for a friend the following week and then for about six more weeks but the delivery invoices each week described the item as out of stock and then finally around the 6th week after it's release the invoice described the item as deleted. By this time, November 1983 Madonna's latest dance track "HOLIDAY" was already buzzing around the club scene with a far better reception in the clubs than "LUCKY STAR" had done and as for Madonna's UK singles history, well everybody knows what happened with "HOLIDAY" and everything else that came after ! I have only ever seen this early UK 7" edition of "LUCKY STAR" available for sale a couple of times.
LUCKY STAR ... some details about the UK 12" Sunglasses edition
Although the 12" version of Madonna's "LUCKY STAR" with the sunglasses sleeve is also quite rare now (although it cannot be compared anything like the extreme rarity of the 7" I have on auction), it does seem to be long forgotten that the 12" 'sunglasses' picture sleeve design was also re-released back into the shops in 1985, and along with most of Madonna's other earlier 12" single releases was part of a HMV chain store's promotional campaign for MADONNA around the time she was hitting number one with "INTO THE GROOVE". I was working for HMV at the time and clearly remember the shop display with racks of each Madonna 12 inch. The 'sunglasses' edition of "LUCKY STAR" was one of the best sellers of the 1985 campaign being the only one that most MADONNA fans hadn't owned the first time around! Even these 1985 re-releases were quite limited though and once the initial batches had sold out they were no longer available after a few weeks. For some reason MADONNA's earlier 12" release "EVERYBODY" was not re-released on 12" in 1985 and was therefore not included in the promotional campaign. I always wondered why Warner's decided to re-press the original 12" sunglasses sleeve design for a limited run in 1985 and not the second 'television' design sleeve that had been used on the successful 1984 releases. There is every possibility they were the original 'deleted' copies from the warehouse as the second 'television sleeve' had already been exhausted. After this copies were available to shops from Warners but by then only issued in the black Warner's die cut sleeve of the mid 1980's period.
LUCKY STAR . . . and it's UK record release history
From my experience it seems this original UK 7" edition of "LUCKY STAR" was withdrawn from sale only one week after its original September 1983 release as it really was absolutely impossible to obtain another copy from the record company after only one week! Back in those days I was working at the local branch of the HMV chain store, and as I was also an over enthusiastic record collector with more spare money than sense, I collected one copy of every British 7" single release. Many of the records released each week were not available directly at the shop as they were not priorities for the record company and had to be specially ordered, and Madonna’s "LUCKY STAR" was certainly a low priority release for her record company back in September 1983 (just the same as "EVERYBODY" some nine months earlier) and was not even stocked on 7" by the major record shops like HMV and Virgin. I had noticed "LUCKY STAR" in the Record Mirror dance charts some weeks earlier and with also reading a review by James Hamilton, I ordered a copy of the 7" vinyl edition some weeks before the release date and in hindsight was very lucky to have the one copy that the shop received that week reserved for me. I did try to order a second copy for a friend the following week and then for about six more weeks but the delivery invoices each week described the item as out of stock and then finally around the 6th week after it's release the invoice described the item as deleted. By this time, November 1983 Madonna's latest dance track "HOLIDAY" was already buzzing around the club scene with a far better reception in the clubs than "LUCKY STAR" had done and as for Madonna's UK singles history, well everybody knows what happened with "HOLIDAY" and everything else that came after ! I have only ever seen this early UK 7" edition of "LUCKY STAR" available for sale a couple of times.
LUCKY STAR ... some details about the UK 12" Sunglasses edition
Although the 12" version of Madonna's "LUCKY STAR" with the sunglasses sleeve is also quite rare now (although it cannot be compared anything like the extreme rarity of the 7" I have on auction), it does seem to be long forgotten that the 12" 'sunglasses' picture sleeve design was also re-released back into the shops in 1985, and along with most of Madonna's other earlier 12" single releases was part of a HMV chain store's promotional campaign for MADONNA around the time she was hitting number one with "INTO THE GROOVE". I was working for HMV at the time and clearly remember the shop display with racks of each Madonna 12 inch. The 'sunglasses' edition of "LUCKY STAR" was one of the best sellers of the 1985 campaign being the only one that most MADONNA fans hadn't owned the first time around! Even these 1985 re-releases were quite limited though and once the initial batches had sold out they were no longer available after a few weeks. For some reason MADONNA's earlier 12" release "EVERYBODY" was not re-released on 12" in 1985 and was therefore not included in the promotional campaign. I always wondered why Warner's decided to re-press the original 12" sunglasses sleeve design for a limited run in 1985 and not the second 'television' design sleeve that had been used on the successful 1984 releases. There is every possibility they were the original 'deleted' copies from the warehouse as the second 'television sleeve' had already been exhausted. After this copies were available to shops from Warners but by then only issued in the black Warner's die cut sleeve of the mid 1980's period.
In conclusion, the ‘Reissues’ campaign was an oddity. For collectors the rarest items it spawned were not the records but the sparingly distributed promotional items which it would appear only went to the largest record stores. These include a ‘Counter Display’ box that held a set of 7” sleeves, along with a promotional 12”x12” flat.
In addition there is also a rare three-track ‘Gallery’ promo cassette pressing which contains ‘Like A Virgin’, ‘Material Girl’ and ‘Angel’.
The lasting legacy of the ‘Campaign’ is that, assuming the ‘Lucky Star’ 12” sleeve was repressed, it effectively destroyed the value of what would have been one of the rarest 12” singles in record collecting history, denying it a place on the ‘most collectable’ lists alongside its revered 7” sibling. While this may be a shame from a collectable point of view, it is also commendable that the record company were perhaps responding to demand from fans who wanted that colourful, iconic image in their personal collection rather than the dowdy, dull, ‘television’ artwork that had been used for the reissued ‘Lucky Star’ 12” sleeve. It also prevented the problem of most of us having to dig deep in order to acquire an item that would otherwise have reached a four-figure valuation and for that, at least, the financially humble collector can be grateful to this reissue campaign.
PLEASE BE AWARE THE RECORD LABELS THAT ARE SHOWN HERE ARE JUST THE VIEW OF THE CONTRIBUTOR AND ARE NOT STATED AS FACT.
Many thanks to Craig Hodges for information on the releases, and Frank Longo for another stunning Header.
In addition there is also a rare three-track ‘Gallery’ promo cassette pressing which contains ‘Like A Virgin’, ‘Material Girl’ and ‘Angel’.
The lasting legacy of the ‘Campaign’ is that, assuming the ‘Lucky Star’ 12” sleeve was repressed, it effectively destroyed the value of what would have been one of the rarest 12” singles in record collecting history, denying it a place on the ‘most collectable’ lists alongside its revered 7” sibling. While this may be a shame from a collectable point of view, it is also commendable that the record company were perhaps responding to demand from fans who wanted that colourful, iconic image in their personal collection rather than the dowdy, dull, ‘television’ artwork that had been used for the reissued ‘Lucky Star’ 12” sleeve. It also prevented the problem of most of us having to dig deep in order to acquire an item that would otherwise have reached a four-figure valuation and for that, at least, the financially humble collector can be grateful to this reissue campaign.
PLEASE BE AWARE THE RECORD LABELS THAT ARE SHOWN HERE ARE JUST THE VIEW OF THE CONTRIBUTOR AND ARE NOT STATED AS FACT.
Many thanks to Craig Hodges for information on the releases, and Frank Longo for another stunning Header.
Lucky Star
Holiday
Like A Virgin
Material Girl
Into The Groove
Angel
Promo Items
7" Counterstand and 12"x12" display flat for reissued singles
Comparison with the 'True Blue' album
This is a webpage created purely by collectors for collectors, and is not endorsed by Boy Toy Inc., Geffen Records, Madonna, Maverick, Sire, or Warner Music Group. All logos, images and pictures on this site are the property of their respective owners.
© madonna-decade 2013
© madonna-decade 2013