Bootleg Album Identification

The We're The Banana Splits album can frequently be found on ebaY and other auction sites. Original copies are out there...but beware of fake reproductions produced in the mid-1990s, which sellers frequently try to pass off as originals. Fortunately, these knock-offs are pretty easy to identify. They may be convenient to fill a hole in your collection until you can find a legitimate original, but don't be fooled into paying premium prices for a counterfeit copy!

Here's what to look for:

Front cover

(1) Originals have a black Decca Records "arrow" logo in the lower-right corner of the front cover. Fake copies have no reference to the Decca company on the front or back cover.

(2) There is no copyright notice for Hanna-Barbera to be found anywhere on the front or back covers of counterfeit copies. First pressings of the original album had the copyright notice left off by accident, but this is usually added on a yellow sticker at the bottom of the front cover. Legitimate second pressings have the Hanna-Barbera copyright notice printed in small black text in the lower left corner of the front cover.

(3) Fake front covers have been heavily airbrushed, and as a result, Bingo loses part of the strap hanging from his helmet, directly under Snorky's right hand.

Back cover

(4) On originals, the catalog number ("DL 75075") is printed in the upper right corner of the back cover, with the words "Decca Stereo" in smaller print right underneath. The "Decca Stereo" is missing from fake copies.

(5) Underneath the song listings on the back cover of the original album, credits read:

Vocals With Instrumental Accompaniment
Arranged And Conducted By JACK ESKEW
A PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE PRODUCTION
BY DAVID MOOK
FOR HANNA-BARBERA PRODUCTIONS, INC.

 The words "A PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE PRODUCTION BY DAVID MOOK FOR HANNA-BARBERA PRODUCTIONS, INC." are missing from fake copies.

(6) Original back covers carry the standard Decca stereo legend: "Decca Stereo Records Can Be Safely Played On Today's Monaraul Phonographs..." The text is right and left justified. On fake copies, the word "Decca" is removed, and the remaining text is repositioned with both lines no longer of even length. Below this text on original copies, in bold print, are the words "DECCA RECORDS, A Division of MCA Inc., New York, N.Y., USA." This is removed from the back cover of reproduction copies.

Labels

(7) Unlike the cover, the fake label does acknowledge both Decca Records and Hanna-Barbera Productions. Counterfeit copies of We're The Banana Splits carry white Decca promo labels (which look like the legitimate Decca promo label of the era). But the text is in a different font compared to originals, and the Side 2 matrix number (located at right center beneath the "Side 2" designation) is incorrect. On originals, the Side 1 matrix number is "7-11756," and the Side 2 matrix number is "7-11757." On fake copies, they're both "7-11756." Additionally, original labels read "Reg. U.S. Pat. Off. Marca Registrada Mfr'd By Decca Records A Div. of MCA, Inc., New York, U.S.A." This appears beneath the gray band (which would be a multicolored band on stock copies) on original labels, but is missing from fake copies. Additionally, legitimate labels include music publishing information for both sides. Because 11 of the 12 songs are credited to BMI, the Side 1 label carries individual publishing info for each track ("Toy Piano Melody" was an ASCAP song). Original Side 2 labels read "All selections BMI." The song publisher info is present on counterfeit Side 1 labels, but the "All selections BMI" notice is missing from fake Side 2 labels.

Disc

(8) On original copies, a matrix number is machine-stamped in the runoout groove area between the end of the last band and the edge of the label. On my original white-label promo copy, Side 1 reads "7-11756 2" (probably indicating the second stamper made for that side) and Side 2 reads "7-11757 1" (probably the first stamper made for Side 2). Fakes have a hand-etched "DL 75075-1" (for Side 1) and "DL 75075-2" (for Side 2), as well as a smaller space between the end of the last track and the edge of the label.

Audio

(9) Songs tend to fade out slightly earlier on fake copies as opposed to original pressings.

Misc.

(10) On original covers, the spine carries the catalog number (DL 75075) and the album title in bold print, starting from the top end. Towards the bottom of the spine are a black arrow (pointing downward) and the word "Decca." On reproductions, the catalog number and album title appear on the spine in a much thinner font, and the "arrow" and Decca name are absent from the spine altogether.

(11) Although this certainly will not apply to every used copy, original album pressings came with a Decca Records inner sleeve, showing a variety of other albums available from the label. This includes black and white reproductions of album covers, with the artist, album title and catalog number, separated into categories including "spoken word," "organ," "piano," "folk," "counrty and western," etc. Most copies I've seen have a blue background with plain black and white reproduction shown for various Decca albums; the catalog numbers listed for all the various albums are for the stereo editions. The Decca inner sleeve of my original promo pressing has a red design rather than blue, with both mono and stereo catalog numbers listed and a red tint for the various album cover illustrations. (We're The Banana Splits is not listed on either version.) Mid-1990s fake copies have a standard plain white inner sleeve with rounded corners and a hole for the label to show through.