Did you buy US ‘cut-offs’, as we used to call them, though they were often called ‘cut-outs’ too?
They were typically wholesaled to retailers and were non-returnable , meaning that the store cannot send them back to the distributor for a refund; the reason for the cut or hole in the packaging to mark the record as non-returnable. The marking also serves to prevent the retailer from attempting to sell the discounted item at the original full price.
Mine were from Debenhams and cost between 29p and 49p.
They always had heavy card sleeves which were very different from European sleeves and always seemed to feature the same bands. Debenhams didn’t sell records and just had these in an alcove by the back door from about 1976 to 1980.
I wish I’d bought everything on offer. There were always loads of Ohio Players records and I remember they had loads of Elephants Memory’s debut album, which I’ve never seen again. I did buy records by The Guess Who, namely Rockin’, So Long Bannatyne and Artificial Paradise and BTO - 4 Wheel Drive and Not Fragile.
There were a lot of records by bands I didn’t know at the time like Rhinoceros and Blue Cheer. It opened my ears to The Blues Project with the Projections album and The Electric Flag album Long Time Comin’ which I bought for 29p.
There was never anything mainstream because the cut-offs were always records that didn't sell or too many copies had been printed. This is how I got the Revolution soundtrack album, featuring Quicksilver Messenger Service, Mother Earth and early Steve Miller Band playing an otherwise unreleased version of Mercury Blues.
And I also got albums by all three, which I remember being delighted by. The copy of Sailor I bought has the original cover set into a purple border and a rare opening on the right of the sleeve, which, as you might imagine, I collect. How many of your records do not open on the left?
Crabby Appleton’s debut and Michael Fennely’s Lane Changer appeared one day and were both safely gathered in.
The cut-out was a varied thing, sometimes with a cut, sometimes with a hole punched in, some with the corner cut off.
I didn’t know at the time but it was only in the late 60s when it started happening
Cameo and Parkway actually stamped a large “NR” for “Non-Returnable” or “No Return” on the back cover of their album jackets. They also usually stamped the label on at least one side of the record. Related imprints include Fairmount Records, Wonder, and Wyncote.
Capitol punched a small hole in the upper right corner of the jacket. (In the ’80s, Capitol punched a much larger hole in the upper left corner; supposedly, these were shipped to radio stations.) Related imprints include Harvest, Sidewalk, and Tower.
MGM pressed an inkless “x” on the back cover, mostly in the lower-left corner. Related imprints include Lion, Metro, MetroJazz, and Verve.
Reprise, as well as parent company Warner Bros. inserted a small metal piece in the upper left corner of the jacket which many collectors refer to as a rivet. As the piece is circular with a hole in the center (like a donut), it is more like a grommet than a rivet.
If you’ve got singles with a hole punched through the record, they’re cut-offs too and often appeared in newsagents racks for 10p.
Cut-offs were a great way to get new records really cheap and find new music.
