The Early CD Era
When CDs began to appear as a single format in the late 1980s (see CD single), songs were often released in two CD formats simultaneously, as a logical application of the vinyl record format to CD. There would be a regular single on a 3" CD with two tracks, similar to a 7" record. There would also be a full-size 5" CD, often with three or four tracks, which was considered the maxi-single despite often containing only marginally more music than its smaller counterpart.
Example: Erasure – Sometimes (European 5" CD maxi-single) Released by Mute in 1988 in Europe. Includes 3 different songs. Packaged in a slim jewel case with insert. Labelled "Maxi-Single-CD" on front cover.
Read more about this topic: Maxi Single
Famous quotes containing the words early and/or era:
“[My early stories] are the work of a living writer whom I know in a sense, but can never meet.”
—Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973)
“It is not an era of repose. We have used up all our inherited freedom. If we would save our lives, we must fight for them.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)