Intrada Soundtrack Forum

For those of us who've been around long enough, we can clearly recall the evolution of how CDs came to their present state of gooieness. Though they were ecologically excessive, I liked "long Boxes." They were always a nice addendum to get a composer to sign and I have a few signed by Williams, Poledouris, Scott, Rosenman and Jerry Goldsmith (Can you imagine seeing signed "Long Boxes" show up on ebay!?!). As those were making their way out of the market in the mid '90's, manufactures started to add a sticky adhesive tab, adorned with what appeared to be kind of holographic, rainbow colors, to the opening side of the CDs spine to secure its closure. These have since been replaced by todays standard gooey barcode spine labels, but those original gooey tabs were a bitch to open too, and were also a sticky mess... in some cases, a bit worse than todays gooey labels.

Someone mentioned DVDs. These are ridiculous to open. Sometimes these "Security Tabs" are so plentiful that they can make opening the DVDs a real chore and, in some cases, deforms or even rips, the plastic casing on the DVD's box. If there is an art to opening these it would have to be applying C4 to all the opening corners, then smiling a sigh as the sparks fly.

~ Oz

Again, slit the label lengthwise through the gap between the two halves of the DVD clamshell box, then peel outward. It's actually quite easy and effective.

Another troublesome sticky thingy: magnetized thngs stuck on the case, especially on the transparent jewel boxes, masking part of the inlay picture with their ugliness.

I haven't peeled off the one on my brand-new Memoirs of a Geisha yet, because as I started doing so, the glue was sticking to the case, and would have thus stuck on the picture.
I'll take care of it later.

Someone mentioned longboxes; I hate those things. Thank goodness I didn't buy any...

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"Now I don't wanna kill you and you don't wanna be dead!"

Actually the trick lies with, as someone mentioned, unhinging it.

Unhinge the case from the bottom and slowly, very slowly, peel the case away from the sticker.
If you maintain an even slow peel, the glue will stay on the sticker.
If the perforation starts to give and tear, stop and start peeling from the other end.
That's the best way I've found to liberate the case from the label.

Surely these stickers are not as horrid as those early little silver ones that bound the case shut from the "front" of the case.

I don't much care whether the labels leave sticky deposits or not, since I'm in the habit of consolidating like-CD's (i.e., the Varèse re-recording and 20th Century-Fox Records OST of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL), in slimline 2-CD cases (which saves shelf space, makes locating discs easier, and simplifies filing; other multi-disc matches, such as the three Goldsmith OMEN scores go into 3-4 disc boxes).

I've got such a surplus of single-disc jewelboxes that I'm probably going to end up throwing away close to a hundred of 'em.

It's a technique I heartily recommend.

Well, the consensus is in. Sticky is out. You folks have offered some great suggestions out there, too - so thanks. Obviously there are ways to work around the labels, to slit them just so, or even to just keep them. They're certainly not designed to be opened while driving, though. And in tandem with CD sticky labels, those DVD security labels are quite a pain! Three of 'em on some DVDs! Even though they can be slit just so, in some cases the residue adheres to the packaging just a little too much for my taste!
--Doug

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No matter where you go, there you are....Wait a minute! That's how it always works out.

My, my, aren't you the little philosopher.

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"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance...that principle is contempt prior to investigation.
Herbert Spencer

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"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance...that principle is contempt prior to investigation.
Herbert Spencer