Japan Japanese 7" discography / The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984]

The Rolling Stones - Toshiba sticker • Japan discography: The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984]Toshiba-EMI pressed and marketed Rolling Stones Records from 1978 to 1984.
The Japanese discography is close to the UK or US ones, yet some exclusive picture sleeves are worth the look.
Records came into green Toshiba company sleeves and insert sleeves, except for 'Miss You', 'Emotional Rescue' and 'Undercover' for which standard PS were printed [and therefore additional lyrics sheets inside too].
Labels are yellow, except for promotional copies - pressed for virtually each release. Promo white labels were distributed into stock copy inserts with a drill hole at the place of the price tag.

As for the US, Japan opted for 'Beast Of Burden' [ESR 20503] as the second single from 'Some Girls' in 1978.
The Rolling Stones - Beast Of Burden - EMI ESR 20503 • Japan discography: The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984]Its exclusive artwork used the same picture than 'Respectable' in the UK though.
Note that the US were the only other country to issue this single in PS [the well-known mega rare 'lion sat on a girl' artwork].

In 1980, the hit single 'Emotional Rescue' [ESS-17026] was heavily promoted worldwide and Japan is no exception. The stock copy features the edited version of the track, and a first promotional copy of it was made with the same B-side.

Then a special exclusive promo pressing [PRP-1065] in unique picture cover was made with the short / long versions coupling.
The Rolling Stones - Emotional Rescue - EMI PRP-1065 • Japan discography: The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984]Much sought after, this scarce record sported the 'mummy' artwork used in France for the stock copy of this single.

While the 'Start Me Up' [ESS-17164] insert sleeve in 1981 has the standard worldwide look, a rare artisanal and confidential EMI black & white insert sleeve [very rougly designed by hand for xerox reproduction] was made for a pre-release ‘test pressing’ of this song.

Then EMI-Toshiba preferred the UK 'Waiting On A Friend' [ESS-17228] to the US 'Hang Fire' as the second single from the album 'Tattoo You'.

But the major rarity and nicest sleeve from this period remains the 'Let's Spend The Night Together' / 'Start Me Up' [PRP-1104] promo-only live single from 1983, supposed to promote the movie of the same name by Hal Ashby [screened in June 1983 in Japan]. Nearly impossible to find, with a nice and absolutely unique Japanese styled artwork, this is the bête noire of many collectors [as the exclusive promo-only cover also made for this single in Mexico].

The rest of the singles production from these years is pretty straightforward in the land of the rising sun, except for the 'Still Life' second single 'Time Is On My Side' [ESS-17287] which was pressed on red colored vinyl [both stock & promo copies].

'Undercover' [ESS-17399] and 'She Was Hot' [ESS-17436] evenutually used the UK artworks.

The Rolling Stones - Let's Spend The Night Together - EMI PRP 1104 • Japan discography: The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984] The Rolling Stones - Japan - The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984] The Rolling Stones - Japan - The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984] The Rolling Stones - Japan - The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984] The Rolling Stones - Japan - The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984] The Rolling Stones - Japan - The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984] The Rolling Stones - Japan - The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984]
The Rolling Stones - 1978 • Japan discography: The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984]
RSR / EMI information
# view cat. number rel. date titles a-side / b-side PS - labels
124-a ESR- 20455 06/78 Miss You / Far Away Eyes PS - white promo labels
124-b ESR- 20455 06/78 Miss You / Far Away Eyes PS
125-a ESR- 20503 10/78 Beast Of Burden / When The Whip Comes Down IS - white promo labels
125-b ESR- 20503 10/78 Beast Of Burden / When The Whip Comes Down IS
126 PRP-1065 07/80 Emotional Rescue (short / long. v.) PS - promo-only issue
127-a ESS-17026 07/80 Emotional Rescue / Down In The Hole PS - white promo labels
127-b ESS-17026 07/80 Emotional Rescue / Down In The Hole PS
128-a ESS-17067 11/80 She's So Cold / Send It To Me IS - white promo labels
128-b ESS-17067 11/80 She's So Cold / Send It To Me IS
129-a ESS-17164 09/81 Start Me Up / No Use In Crying IS - test pressing
129-b ESS-17164 09/81 Start Me Up / No Use In Crying IS - white promo labels
129-c ESS-17164 09/81 Start Me Up / No Use In Crying IS
130-a ESS-17228 04/82 Waiting On A Friend / Little T & A IS - white promo labels
130-b ESS-17228 04/82 Waiting On A Friend / Little T & A IS
131-a ESS-17249 07/82 Going To A Gogo / Beast Of Burden (live) IS - white promo labels
131-b ESS-17249 07/82 Going To A Gogo / Beast Of Burden (live) IS
132-a ESS-17287 11/82 Time Is On My Side / Twenty Flight Rock (live) IS - wlp - red vinyl
132-b ESS-17287 11/82 Time Is On My Side / Twenty Flight Rock (live) IS - red vinyl
133 PRP-1104 05/83 Let's Spend The Night. / Start Me Up (live) IS - promo-only issue
134-a ESS-17399 12/83 Undercover (Of The Night) / All The Way Down PS - white promo labels
134-b ESS-17399 12/83 Undercover (Of The Night) / All The Way Down PS
135-a ESS-17436 03/84 She Was Hot / Think I'm Going Mad IS - white promo labels
135-b ESS-17436 03/84 She Was Hot / Think I'm Going Mad IS
136-a ESS-17480 08/84 Brown Sugar / Bitch IS - white promo labels
136-b ESS-17480 08/84 Brown Sugar / Bitch IS

The Rolling Stones - She Was Hot - EMI ESS-17436 • Japan discography: The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984] The Rolling Stones - Time Is On My Side - live - EMI ESS-17287 • Japan discography: The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984]
The Rolling Stones - Japan - The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984] The Rolling Stones - Japan - The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984] The Rolling Stones - Japan - The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984] The Rolling Stones - Japan - The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984] The Rolling Stones - Japan - The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984] The Rolling Stones - Japan - The RSR - EMI years [1978-1984]