Disc Labels

The original UK edition of White Music had one of Virgin Records' standard designs for its labels: overlapped pink and red "Virgin" letters on a blue and white background. This design was used for Virgin's LP releases issued between January and September 1978 (approximately). It seems, however, that copies of White Music pressed overseas during this period did not have the same label design as the British one, but rather had one of the company's earlier designs.

For example, the initial Canadian edition had the colour mirrored girl and dragon label that was being used by Virgin UK in the early to mid '70s. French (the first issue), Japanese, and New Zealand copies were pressed with another design: a yellowish mirrored girl on a graded green background, which was being used in the UK just before the blue and white one.

As Virgin UK introduced the more familiar green/red label design (a red line on a green background on the A side and a green line on a red background on the B side) for their releases from the autumn of 1978 (Go 2, released in October 1978, had this), most overseas branches took up the new design on their subsequent pressings.


Covers

The original UK cover had the album title printed in matte white on a white glossy background in the centre at the top of the front cover. Some pressings from Australia, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, and the USA were made a little more conspicuous with a slight strengthening of the contrast between the title and background, while others maintained the authenticity of the original, leaving the title almost invisible.

Adds six singles tracks and "Traffic Light Rock" from the Virgin Sampler LP Guillotine to the original LP version.

In Britain, White Music, Black Sea, and Mummer CDs were released simultaneously. Copies of UK CDs exported to Germany were given stickers with German catalogue numbers (258 288, etc.) on them until Virgin UK started to print both UK and German numbers on the cover. A while after the first release of CDs, Virgin UK would reduce the price (calling them "Mid-Price", "Compact Price," or "Virgin Value") and remarket them. In Germany, copies with numbers that had the suffix -217 were sold at a "nice price" (the suffix -217 was the German budget price code for LPs).

Contains the same tracks as on CD Version 1 in a different running order.

The Japanese edition is one of the "XTC Original Paper Sleeve Collection" series. It even comes with a miniature version of the original black inner sleeve -- with no hole or polylining, however. The disc label reproduces the original Virgin blue label, with no bonus tracks listed on it.