Double Bubble

(BUBBLE CO KA 01/02)

S1: ATOM HEART MOTHER/SET THE CONTROLS FOR THE HEART OF THE SUN
S2: ONE OF THESE DAYS/CAREFUL WITH THAT AXE EUGENE
S3: ECHOES
S4: A SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS

SQ: EXCELLENT STEREO

COMMENTS: GERMAN BOOTLEG WITH DELUXE COLOUR COVER. 1000 COPIES PRESSED WITH NUMBERED PAPER INSERTS & RUBBER STAMPED (ALSO NUMBERED) INNER SLEEVES. FIRST 250 ON COLOURED VINYL. THERE ARE SOME ANOMALIES IN THE NUMBERING AND STAMPS USED OVER THE WHOLE RUN OF THIS TITLE. THIS HAS BEEN RESEARCHED IN CONSIDERABLE DEPTH BY FLOYDBOOTS MEMBER ALEX OTTENSTEIN AND HIS FINDINGS ARE DETAILED BELOW.

RARITY RATING: (CV) (BLACK)

YEAR OF RELEASE: 1981

SOURCE: 2nd BRITISH ROCK MEETING, INSEL GRUN, GERMERSHEIM, GERMANY 21-05-1972.

NOTES FROM ALEX OTTENSTEIN: Using as many sources as I could, such as images and/or descriptions from websites including Floydboots.com, Floydboots FB group, Ebay, Popsike, Google Images, and more, I have compiled a spreadsheet to examine insert, sleeve numbering & style for 1981's bootleg Double Bubble.
FACTS - For inserts, I found two styles of numbers and two styles of text. All but two were numbered with 6 digits with accepted belief that of 001000 pressed, the first 000250 were colored vinyl (Voigts, 1991), with all known CV copies in gold/yellow. Of 23 inserts I was able to find, either viewing or reading an auction description about, there was a range of #000013 - #000973. The only anomalies being two #000025 inserts, with the same 6 digit stamp seen in two different positions, so they are not direct photocopies; aside from this, there were no other instances of duplicate numbers. The second number style has two occurrences: Insert #0041 & 0137 are only 4 digits long, not six (ie: 0041, not 000041 in the style of all the rest).
Insert text has two known variations: 'You are listening...' and 'You are consumating [sic]...' Numbers 24, 25, 25, 27, 41, 53, 128, 137, 166, 183, 514, 740, 795 & 796 all have the 'consumating" text, while 74, 76, 88 & 973 all use the 'listening' text. While that's only a moderately decent distribution of both types - one being more than double the number of the other - there are examples of close sequential runs of each, and both styles overlap numerically twice.
For sleeve stamps, I found three variations. There are images of numbers 24, 25, 27 & 53 with purple sleeve stamps that read "THIS SLEEVE BELONGS TO PINK FLOYD/DOUBLE BUBBLE NO ___ /1000" with a second, black 4 digit stamp inside the purple stamp with numbers matching each insert. The second variation, and most common, has been found on numbers 41, 74, 76, 88, 91, 128, 137, 183 & 435: this version has 5 digit numbers, with the first digit either a 1 or a 2 to indicate disc number (ie: Insert #88 has sleeves stamped 1 0088 and 2 0088). The third variation has only one known occurrence - the second #25 - with a six digit sleeve stamp of '000025' on both sleeves only, with no other accompanying text.
SPECULATION - With respect to the three variations of sleeve stamps; a few things jump to mind. The first is that the purple stamps that actually contain the name of the album, combined with their presence on very low numbered albums (24, 25, 27 & 53) makes it reasonably seem like these would be an original stamp to accompany the album...? Conversely, the indisputable presence of at least double the number of other examples of 5-digit stamps in numbers ranging from 41 to 435, would lead one to assume their originality as well...? From the information available, it doesn't seem most logical that all 1000 sleeves were originally just one way or the other - it would almost seem reasonable that there was a small run of purple stamps, then a larger run of black stamps. However, black stamp #41 creates an overlap that could bust this theory...But if you look closely at the image of that stamp in particular, on both insert and sleeve, not only is it 4 digits when all other inserts have 6, its font only matches #137, ALL of the other black stamp fonts appear to match, differently from these two. Could this be an indication that insert & sleeves for 41 & 137 were produced at a (third) different time?
With respect to insert numbers 128, 171 & 194 having black vinyl, and #435 having CV; if the original source info from Voigts book that the first 250/1000 were on CV is to be believed, the only logical explanation is that these albums and inserts were switched around at some point with other albums and inserts.
With respect to the two number 25 inserts; the inserts have different stamp positions (there is a photo of them side by side attached here), so again, one is not a direct copy of the other, both were produced at different times. One of the two #25 albums also contains the unique one-example-only of 6-digit sleeve stamps previously mentioned. This is difficult to find a reasonable explanation for, outside of 'foul play' per se.
The issue with two styles of insert text, and their fairly random distribution across 1000 numbered inserts, and how they overlap numerically twice, is the most difficult question to come up with a logical explanation for, to me.
SUMMATION - Like many others, this title definitely has some fair questions about it that may never be answered, and remember the above speculations are just one persons thoughts, based on the very limited information available.

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