[iMac] CD problem

[Pat]

I have a CD that a friend's daughter who sings opera had made.  He is 
having problems with it and I offered to try to copy it for him.  Well, 
it has a paper printed label on it and when I loaded it, it made a 
strange noise, so I quickly removed it after the first song.  It plays 
fine on my portable CD player but not my iBook or iMac.

Can anyone tell me how to get the label off it without damaging it and 
if you've ever had this problem?

Am I right in my diagnosis?

Pat