Following andrewb's enquiry about lyric sheets, I thought it might be a good idea to list the complete package contents of each of Joanna Newsom's official (or semi-official, in the case of the two early EPs) releases. I don't have everything, so please take this as a first attempt, and add details from your own collections. I have marked with a "£" those releases that I do have, and have opened and inspected, and with a "$" those which I own but have not opened! Those marked "X" I do not own in the original, and so can only surmise the content.
??.??.2002 X - WALNUT WHALES CD 'ep'
- My guess would be a jewel case containing (photocopied?) front and back inserts (cover design on front showing a stylised bird with turrets and swirls; track list on back) and a CDR disc.
??.??.2003 X - YARN AND GLUE CD 'ep'
- My guess would be a jewel case containing (photocopied?) front and back inserts (cover design showing woman with arm extended on front; track list on back) and a CDR disc.
23.03.2004 £ - THE MILK-EYED MENDER CD album
- 'Digipak' case: showing various vignettes on front; detail of stitching inside front cover and under the clear plastic tray inside back cover; track list in 'bubbles' on reverse, all in an 'embroidery' style
- CD: yellow background, illustrated with text, symbolic hem, ear of wheat, logo, and serial number
- Information booklet: 12 pages, stapled, with lyrics and credits
- Sticker: a large white rectangle, giving the album title and serial number, and containing several short reviews.
23.03.2004 X - THE MILK-EYED MENDER LP album
- Sleeve: pocket style, with the same front and back design as the CD cover
- Inner sleeve?: probably plain, if there is one
- Record: black vinyl 12", with label
- Lyric book?
02.11.2004 £ - SPROUT AND THE BEAN CD single
- 'Pocket' style case: illustrated in a similar 'embroidery' style to the above release, showing a moth on the front and the track names in 'bubbles' on the back
- CD: yellow background, with calalogue information, credits, illustration of peacock feather and hem.
14.11.2006 £ - YS CD album
- Outer slip cover: illustrated with the Vierling painting of Joanna with numerous motifs from the songs on the front; track list on back; and embossed patterning on the top and bottom edges
- Jewel case
- Front insert: 32 page stapled booklet, with a leather-look book binding motif on the front and back, lyrics, credits, and high gloss slightly extended copy of the Vierling painting; gold edging
- rear insert: track list in the same 'leather book' style on the back, with a subtle pattern behind the tray; album title and artist on spine
- CD: bearing artist name, album title, and a rose motif over the same subtle grey patterned design
- Sticker: small white label with the catalogue number and bar code only.
14.11.2006 $ - YS double LP album
- Two LP discs: presumably black vinyl with catalogue information and perhaps an illustration on the four central labels
- Gatefold cover: with similar front and back designs as in the CD version, and an unknown design across the centre when open
- I presume there is a lyric book, being a scaled-up version of the one described above.
09.04.2007 £ - "COLLEEN" CD EP
This CD does not bear a title as such: "Colleen" is the name of the first [lead] track. It is usually known by the artist which appears on the spine and rear cover, JOANNA NEWSOM & THE YS STREET BAND E.P.
- Digipak case: illustrated on the front with a picture of a plant against a blue sky; a tracklist and basic information on the rear, over a picture of the moon in a blue sky; artist and catalogue number on the spine; tree and mountain on inside front cover; plan magenta panel behind the tray
- CD: illustrated with the moon in blue, together with the EP name
- Folded sheet, with lyrics to Colleen, and credits
- Sticker: clear plastic, with the EP name.
23.02.2010 £ - HAVE ONE ON ME triple CD album
Box case: black cardboard, with a picture of the artist surrounded by artefacts on the front together with the artist name and title; track list and copyright detail on the back; artist name , title, and cataloge number on spine; plain black interior
Booklet: 32 pages, stapled; monochrome illustration of the artist seated on a couch on front cover, lyrics and credits inside, plain black back
Pockets: three card pockets (to house each disc), each bearing on the front a different monochrome picture similar to the one on the front of the booklet, and the disc number and tracklist on the back; plain white interior
CDs: three discs, each bearing the disc number and a coloured illustration being a detail from the front cover photograph: 1 - peacock; 2 - lamp and deer; 3 - painting of woman and child.
23.02.2010 X - HAVE ONE ON ME triple LP album
Box case: black cardboard, with a picture of the artist surrounded by artefacts on the front together with the artist name and title; track list and copyright detail on the back; artist name , title, and cataloge number on spine; plain black interior
Book: presumably a scaled-up version of the CD booklet
Inner sleeves: presumably three inner sleeves with designs similar to the CD version pockets
Records: three 12" discs, black vinyl, with labels.
Poster: I understand that copies ordered in advance from Drag City were shipped with a large poster, printed on one side with a design similar (but not identical) to that on the front cover. I do not know if anything was printed on the back, or of the poster was shipped inside the box (making it an integral part of the record package) or outside it.
19.07.2011 $ - WHAT WE HAVE KNOWN 12" single
- Sleeve - pocket style, with illustration of an American civil war solder on the front, and artist, title, and catalogue number on the back and the spine
Sticker: small white label with catalogue number and bar code only.
The rest is surmised without first-hand knowledge:
- LP: (black?) vinyl, with the song on one side (with label?), and an etched illustration on the other
- Inner sleeve.
I will aim to post something on these in the near future, although I only have a handful of these and so will be inviting even more help than on the above.
DEFINITIONS
Jewel case - Standard or traditional compact disc (CD) case manufactured in three parts: a plastic base, into which is inserted a tray, and a hinged front. In all known Joanna Newsom releases to date, the material is clear plastic.
Digipak - A CD case consisting of an illustrated cardboard folding outer. In all known Joanna Newsom releases to date, there is a pocket in the front cover to house the paper inserts (poster, booklet) and a clear plastic tray glued to the inside of the back cover to house the CD.
Gatefold - The equivalent to a CD's Digipak, a gatefold album cover opens out to display a further design within the inner and outer front and back covers. It will usually have a pocket set into one cover (generally the back) to house the record, and often a second pocket in the front cover to house either disc 1 of a two-record set, or any books, posters, or other material.
Booklet - Printed and stapled, and manufactured to approximate same size as the media it accompanies (12 inches square for a vinyl album or 12" single / extended play [EP], or 12cm square for a CD). The booklet can also double as the front insert (and hence cover) of a CD, as it slots into the front 'door' of a jewel case.
Poster - A paper insert in the form of a single large folded sheet.
Sticker - Adhesive label affixed to the outermost packaging (usually a cellophane wrap), presumably by the manufacturer of the CD or record, containing marketing or cataloguing information. (Price and subsequently applied retail promotional stickers are not included in this survey).
CDR - Used here to mean a home recorded (ROM, read-only memory) compact disc. I am assuming that these were shop-bought blank discs, recorded/duplicated at home or in a small private workshop, and with hand applied information on the non-playing surface (handwritten title or a basic paper sticker), but this is all conjecture.
LP - A long-playing 12" vinyl record album.