MackDJ

Yeah I know about the vinyl issue of the '70s... pretty sad really. There's a definite difference in '73 vinyl versus '75 and later vinyl. This is absolutely a '73 hunk of vinyl, I can tell by the thickness and groove quality.

I agree... If it weren't for the different VERSIONS of the songs I'd never have noticed it myself. I only eyeball matrix numbers when trying to identify record club copies (400 albums for ONE CENT!)... The original "Could It Be Magic" from '73 is a completely different vocal, is 7:11 long, and has a VERY prominent electric guitar in the last two minutes or so. After I played SIDE A and flipped it over, heard the '75 version of CIBM I was like "huuuuuh?!". Anytime for the past 20 years or so when I run across an original Bell copy of this first album for under $10, I grab it. I probably have about five or six copies of this thing (haven't counted lately), and have NEVER seen this before. I like your description of 'Frankenstein copy '... I'm borrowing that. 😎

Here's the best pics I could take...it's not easy to get a good pic of engraved matrices... https://postimg.cc/gallery/kS4HgzQ

PLATE! That's the word I was looking for...sheesh! Thanks! Now I can hopefully better articulate this... SIDE A was pressed with the original 1973 Bell plate... SIDE B was pressed with the 1975 Arista plate... Ended up with original Bell labels and original Bell jacket... "STERLING" stamped on both sides, not a bootleg (I have several Sterling discs)... I'm gonna upload these pics somewhere so I can post a link...

Yeah he's been my go-to for years... I'm at the point now I'm just Googling 24 hours a day trying to find someone... ANYONE... that might either have this or know where/how it came to exist?

For some reason, I'm having trouble trying to explain exactly what I have here physically in my hands. Not literally of course, but it's two feet in front of me 😎... I know about labels and packaging and reissues and such, especially Manilow, but this actual record has SIDE A pressed with the 1973 Bell recordings, engraved BELL-1129-A-1. SIDE B is pressed with the 1975 Arista re-recordings, engraved B-1129-B T AL-4007-SB-2. The jacket, sleeve, labels, are all original Bell. I wish I could post pictures of the run-outs I'm describing so you could see what I mean. I'm not trying to sell this or anything, I've just never run across anything like this before. It's as if they found a stack of Bell pressings that were half-done, and said "what the ___, let's run the other side two years later". Which ended up as some bizarre hybrid. I'm told by three different former record plant employees (two 70s and one 90s) and experts (?) that this just isn't possible. But here it is... I have an original first-run BARRY MANILOW I (Arista 1975), its runout is engraved AL-4007-SA, AL-4007-SB, respectively. No mention of Bell whatsoever.

Hey folks, I just joined this group, looking for some assistance please. I have an original 1973 Bell copy of the first Barry Manilow album (BARRY MANILOW, aka 'white album'), which was later re-recorded (in part) in 1975 and re-released as BARRY MANILOW I. What I have here can't exist, and the internet agrees with me. But it does, because I have it in my possession. Side A of this album has the 1973 tracks/versions, with the matrix/runout "BELL-1129-A-1". Side B has the 1975 tracks/versions with the m/r "BELL 1129-B-2 AL-4007-SB". The word "STERLING" is stamped on both sides' runouts. AL 4007 is the 1975 Arista (re-recorded, re-released) catalog number, BELL 1129 is the original Bell number. I've never seen or heard of the 1975 tracks appearing on HALF of this album, and still being pressed on the original 1973 Bell label with the original white cover and copyright info. This isn't a record club copy, nor is it a promo or an import. I've been scouring the WWW (Discogs, et al) for WEEKS now and have found NOTHING. Any help would be appreciated; I'd really just like to know exactly what I have here, other than an obviously gross mis-press.