Lucky Star
Reissue
Released: 17.03.84 Highest Chart Position: 14 Weeks on Chart: 9 Total Sales: 117,470
For the background narrative on 'Lucky Star' please refer to the entry under the original release in 1983
UK Variations and Collectables
'Lucky Star' (reissue) is available in standard 7" and 12" formats, supplemented with an additional 'US Remix' 12", and a limited edition 12" with poster.
Keen to keep the momentum going, the reissue of 'Lucky Star' was hastily repackaged and reissued in March before 'Holiday' had even dropped out of the charts. This time around the track was more successful scoring a top 20 hit peaking at no. 14.
Sire were now keen to promote their new (Lucky) 'Star' (ahem) and it has the distinction of being the first UK release to be issued with an official limited edition - the standard marketing tool of the eighties - when initial pressings of the 12" came with a stickered sleeve and colour poster.
The 7" single comes with a large variety of label variations mainly due to having been repressed with an additional credit to 'Jellybean'. However, it would appear the original label, without the credit, was also repressed as it appears in reasonably plentiful numbers. It may be that the label was only amended after Jellybean lodged a credit request as a result of Madonna's rising profile. This reissued label appears in both 'A' small logo and large logo formats, again with the large logo being surprisingly scarce. It is possible that the large logo are actually from the original pressing but minus the all-important sleeve.
The 'A' small logo label appears in 'flat' and 'indented' formats, the indented versions being designed to assist with 'dinking' i.e. the process of punching out a larger hole in order to be playable in jukeboxes, popular in pubs at that time. There is even a rare label variation which shows a 'partial dinking' whereby the centre circle is only held in place by four small points which could easily be manually pushed out. Finally, in terms of the regular pressings, there is also an Irish label (this time appearing as an indented label).
All 7" singles are housed in the same flimsy paper sleeve, many of which have not stood the test of time (nb - for ease of reference the same picture sleeve has been used in all picture galleries below).
Perhaps also due to the aforementioned haste, 'Lucky Star' also has three mis-pressings. One appears with a 'Lucky Star' label with the 'small logo' (which also states 'Side 1'), but is backed with 'I Know It' pressed on a 'large logo' label (which states 'Side B'). The second has a 'Lucky Star' label pressed on both sides, but one has the 'small logo Side 1' label while the other side has the 'large logo Side A' label. The third, and probably the rarest, comes with the rare large logo printed as Side A on both sides. The rarest, however, would be those of the second mispressing which apparently play an 'A-ha' track (Driftwood).
All of the above, combined with 'dinked' jukebox versions, means there are actually ten different varieties of 7" label for the assiduous collector to amass!
Fortunately the 12" is rather more straightforward albeit that it still appears in no fewer than four versions: standard; standard with white sticker; limited poster edition; and US Remix.
As mentioned, the 'Lucky Star' reissue is the first to be released in an official limited edition format which consisted of a full colour poster housed in a red-stickered 12". It is now very rare selling for £160-£180 (July 2015 - Ebay). As also previously mentioned in the narrative for the original release, there is another 'US Remix' 12" that comes in a custom sleeve, and can be distinguished by the date '1984' printed on the label.
Far harder to find than either of the above is the surprisingly scarce 12" in a white-stickered sleeve. One of the quirks of collecting 'Madonna' is finding that some standard issue items are actually scarcer than their limited editions counterparts!
Despite the white sticker version being harder to find, 'Lucky Star' is unusual in that the official limited edition genuinely was limited and therefore the 12" with a full colour poster is the most collectable and therefore the centrepiece item for this release.
Keen to keep the momentum going, the reissue of 'Lucky Star' was hastily repackaged and reissued in March before 'Holiday' had even dropped out of the charts. This time around the track was more successful scoring a top 20 hit peaking at no. 14.
Sire were now keen to promote their new (Lucky) 'Star' (ahem) and it has the distinction of being the first UK release to be issued with an official limited edition - the standard marketing tool of the eighties - when initial pressings of the 12" came with a stickered sleeve and colour poster.
The 7" single comes with a large variety of label variations mainly due to having been repressed with an additional credit to 'Jellybean'. However, it would appear the original label, without the credit, was also repressed as it appears in reasonably plentiful numbers. It may be that the label was only amended after Jellybean lodged a credit request as a result of Madonna's rising profile. This reissued label appears in both 'A' small logo and large logo formats, again with the large logo being surprisingly scarce. It is possible that the large logo are actually from the original pressing but minus the all-important sleeve.
The 'A' small logo label appears in 'flat' and 'indented' formats, the indented versions being designed to assist with 'dinking' i.e. the process of punching out a larger hole in order to be playable in jukeboxes, popular in pubs at that time. There is even a rare label variation which shows a 'partial dinking' whereby the centre circle is only held in place by four small points which could easily be manually pushed out. Finally, in terms of the regular pressings, there is also an Irish label (this time appearing as an indented label).
All 7" singles are housed in the same flimsy paper sleeve, many of which have not stood the test of time (nb - for ease of reference the same picture sleeve has been used in all picture galleries below).
Perhaps also due to the aforementioned haste, 'Lucky Star' also has three mis-pressings. One appears with a 'Lucky Star' label with the 'small logo' (which also states 'Side 1'), but is backed with 'I Know It' pressed on a 'large logo' label (which states 'Side B'). The second has a 'Lucky Star' label pressed on both sides, but one has the 'small logo Side 1' label while the other side has the 'large logo Side A' label. The third, and probably the rarest, comes with the rare large logo printed as Side A on both sides. The rarest, however, would be those of the second mispressing which apparently play an 'A-ha' track (Driftwood).
All of the above, combined with 'dinked' jukebox versions, means there are actually ten different varieties of 7" label for the assiduous collector to amass!
Fortunately the 12" is rather more straightforward albeit that it still appears in no fewer than four versions: standard; standard with white sticker; limited poster edition; and US Remix.
As mentioned, the 'Lucky Star' reissue is the first to be released in an official limited edition format which consisted of a full colour poster housed in a red-stickered 12". It is now very rare selling for £160-£180 (July 2015 - Ebay). As also previously mentioned in the narrative for the original release, there is another 'US Remix' 12" that comes in a custom sleeve, and can be distinguished by the date '1984' printed on the label.
Far harder to find than either of the above is the surprisingly scarce 12" in a white-stickered sleeve. One of the quirks of collecting 'Madonna' is finding that some standard issue items are actually scarcer than their limited editions counterparts!
Despite the white sticker version being harder to find, 'Lucky Star' is unusual in that the official limited edition genuinely was limited and therefore the 12" with a full colour poster is the most collectable and therefore the centrepiece item for this release.
Promotional Items
There does not appear to be any definitive promotional pressing for the reissue of 'Lucky Star' although there is, as previously mentioned in the narrative for the original release, the alternative 'US Remix' 12". Again, it comes in a custom sleeve and is believed to be a promotional release issued to DJ's only hence it's inclusion here as well as in the standard releases section. It can be distinguished from the original version by the date '1984' printed on the label.
It is of interest to note that 'Lucky Star' is one of only three singles to have three different adverts placed in the music press. The others are 'Crazy For You' (original release) and 'Like A Prayer'. (NB 'Cherish' also had three 'different' adverts but the only difference was alternative colour background.)
Also included in this section is a 'press release' but as this was not issued on company letterhead, it's authenticity cannot be verified and is therefore only included here as a curiosity.
ALL PROMOTIONAL ITEMS CAN BE VIEWED IN THE PROMO SECTION - FOR ITEMS RELATING TO THIS RELEASE CLICK HERE
It is of interest to note that 'Lucky Star' is one of only three singles to have three different adverts placed in the music press. The others are 'Crazy For You' (original release) and 'Like A Prayer'. (NB 'Cherish' also had three 'different' adverts but the only difference was alternative colour background.)
Also included in this section is a 'press release' but as this was not issued on company letterhead, it's authenticity cannot be verified and is therefore only included here as a curiosity.
ALL PROMOTIONAL ITEMS CAN BE VIEWED IN THE PROMO SECTION - FOR ITEMS RELATING TO THIS RELEASE CLICK HERE
7" Single - Standard release with small 'Sire' logo and no 'Jellybean' Credit
7" Single - Alternative indented small 'Sire' logo label with no 'Jellybean' Credit
7" Single - Alternative partially dinked small 'Sire' logo label (no 'Jellybean' credit)
7" Single - Alternative rare large 'Sire' logo label (no 'Jellybean' credit)
7" Single - Reissued with 'Jellybean' credit on small 'Sire' logo label
7" Single - Reissued with 'Jellybean' credit on small 'Sire' logo indented label
7" Single - Mispressed with small 'Sire' logo on 'Side 1' and large 'Sire' logo on 'Side A'
7" Single - Mispressed with small 'Sire' logo on 'Side 1' and large 'Sire' logo on 'Side B'
7" Single - Mispressed with large 'Sire' logo 'Side A' on both sides
7" Single - Irish pressing 'flat' label (see 1983 for indented label version in 'Sunglasses' sleeve)
12" Single - Standard Release
12" Single - Alternative release in rare white stickered sleeve
12" Single - Limited edition with poster in red stickered sleeve
12" Single - Promotional release possibly only issued to DJs (1984 date on label)
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© madonna-decade 2013
© madonna-decade 2013
