David Bowie - Labels

Almost every vinyl record has matrix numbers. I don't want to go into too much detail on how vinyl records are made, but the final records are "negatives" in a sense. So there have to be "positives" (one for each side) from which the records are pressed. These are the so-called matrices or stampers (usually coated with chromium). To distinguish one stamper from another, there is a number in the innermost area of each side of each stamper. On the final record, this number can be seen (as a "negative", i.e. as an indentation) in the innermost area where there is the run-out groove. This area is sometimes called the "dead wax". In other words:

The matrix numbers are the numbers pressed into the "dead wax" close to the labels of the record:

Machine-stamped matrix number on first US issue of TMWSTW
(To make it more easily visible, I had to change the contrast and brightness of the scan.)

The matrix numbers are not always easy to detect. Sometimes you have to hold the record under a bright light to see them.
Why could these numbers be important to record collectors? Well, they sometimes helps to identify different pressings of a record. Usually, the numbers are machine-stamped, but sometimes they are hand-scratched. But this is not always a reliable criterion to distinguish originals from counterfeits or re-issues, since especially in the USA the numbers are often hand-scratched - even on perfectly legal, original records. However, there are cases in which the matrix number is the decisive criterion. There is no general rule, though!
Moreover, when the matrix of a record is worn out, a new one is used. Usually, it has got a different number then. It may seem logical to give the first matrix used for pressing the A-side of a particular record the number "A1" (or something like that). Some collectors have turned this into a kind of religion: they try to collect records with the matrix number combination "A1/B1" or so. However, when several copies of a record are pressed simultaneously, then several matrices must be used. So right from the beginning, matrix "A1" might have been used at the same time as "A2".
Ultimately, matrix numbers might help to distinguish first pressings from later pressing, but there is no general rule concerning the number system.
By the way... if several matrices were made, who can tell which one the workers at the pressing plant decided to use first: "A1" or "A2"? So "A2" might even have been used before "A1".
To sum up: there are cases in which the matrix numbers are helpful to distinguish different issues of a record, but apart from these few cases I wouldn't care too much about them!

On Label Layouts

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In the introduction to his Bowie singles discography, Jarman writes: "My original intention was to illustrate EVERY record. It didn't take long for me to realise that the book would be the size of the Tokyo telephone directory!" Originally, I also decided not to show the labels of every record, but ultimately, I changed my mind, which means, you'll have to live with a lot of time until all the pictures are visible.
So, strictly speaking, this section has become obsolete, but it might nonetheless useful to say a few words on label designs. On websites you very often find offers claiming that a particular record is an original because it has, say, an "original orange label". Well, there were some countries with a very "conservative" policy concerning label design, such as Germany, which had almost identical RCA labels from the early 1970s to the early 1980s:

Early 1970s RCA Germany label

Early 1980s RCA Germany label

"Identity" of design is a tricky term, though. Even the above example shows that there is always some minor variation - in this case concerning the label moulding (the groove pressed into the label) and the label code (LC) number, which is not present on the early 1970s record. All in all, all you can do is check the labels of a record very carefully to find out whether it's an original or not. Here's a - not necessarily complete - list of the label details that might be relevant to the question of whether a particular record is an original or not:

- the label colour
- the typeface of the text
- the exact spacing and position of the text
- additional information on the labels, like label codes ("LC...") on the labels of German LPs and records from neighbouring countries
- the copyright company listed on the labels (like "GEMA", "BIEM", etc. - often in a square box), and, if there is more than one such company listed, the order in which they are listed
- the details of the text running around the label margins
- the width of the space between that text and the label margins
- the label moulding (i.e. the way that grooves are pressed into the label) - which is why I also show white labels (of bootlegs, for example)
- and possibly other things I can't think of at the moment...

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