Folder 126
Japan
Japan, Pastmasters II campaign reissue (EMI TOCP-6341) - not its promo sibling; distinguished by the absence of the promo's extra rim text and inlay sticker.
What the record says
Every line below was read off a native-resolution crop of the photograph named beside it.
Mirror ring photographed and read. The native-resolution crop of IMG_2521 shows the etched ring text TOCP-6341 1A2 TO - a stamper variant Discogs doesn't record (it lists 1A3 TO and 1A4 TO for 3264667, and 1A4 TO alone for the promo 15196533). That is not a contradiction: the version list is incomplete by construction, and a further stamper on the object is exactly what isn't yet catalogued. The ring corroborates the TOCP-6341/TO family rather than deciding between the two candidates by itself - what decides it is the absence of the promo's extra rim text around this same ring.
TOCP-6341 1A2 TO — not among the 2 matrix entries Discogs records: an undocumented stamper.
Barcode and Other Identifiers: Matrix / Runout
As Discogs records them for release 3264667. Green: in my collection (1 of 2). Red: missing.
| ✓ | Matrix / Runout (Variant 2) | TOCP-6341 1A4 TO — copy 127 |
| ✗ | Matrix / Runout (Variant 1) | TOCP-6341 1A3 TO |
Every line of small print, and the photograph it came from — 8 of them
Obi, front panel, campaign masthead: PASTMASTERS II above TOCP-6341 STEREO and the price box スペシャル・プライス ¥1,970
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Front case artwork, bare beneath the obi - no additional sticker
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Rear inlay: full tracklist, ◯P 1984 EMI Records / ◯C 1984 Iron Maiden (Holdings) Ltd., STEREO●東芝EMI株式会社 MADE IN JAPAN, price 税込定価1,970円（税抜価格1,913円） - no sticker anywhere on the panel
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Disc face at native resolution: PASTMASTERS II over IRON MAIDEN / POWERSLAVE, catalogue TOCP-6341, label code CDP 7 460452, STEREO, and the rim text MFD. BY TOSHIBA-EMI LTD. IN JAPAN. / (P)1984 ORIGINAL SOUND RECORDINGS MADE BY EMI RECORDS LTD. / (C)1984 IRON MAIDEN(HOLDINGS) LTD.
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Obi spine, barcode 4 988006 648463 over 東芝EMI株式会社, rear-cover date code X~91・8・23 C・8・24
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Mirror ring at native resolution: etched TOCP-6341 1A2 TO, with only the standard EMI copyright/rights-reserved block around the rim - no extra promo text
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Rear inlay with obi still in place, barcode fully legible 4 988006 648463
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Booklet colophon: essay dated 84.8.1 伊藤政則/MASA-ITO, Special thanks to: Rod Smallwood / Steve Harris, and the reprint note ⑫88年4月発売のCDより転載致しました ("reprinted from the CD released April '88")
IMG_2524.jpeg
The photographs
IMG_2511.jpg1 of 21READ FROM
The object, and what marks it out
Sleeve, labels and inserts
- Standard jewel case, opened, black PASTMASTERS II obi still wrapped around the spine.
- 16-page booklet, full English lyrics with facing Japanese translation, plus a period essay by Masa Ito dated 84.8.1.
- Rear inlay and front artwork both bare - no sticker beyond the obi itself, checked across three separate photographs (IMG_2513, IMG_2518, IMG_2519).
What distinguishes this pressing
- Catalogue and label code,
TOCP-6341/CDP 7 460452, matching both surviving TOCP-6341 candidates. - Barcode
4 988006 648463, matching Discogs' identifier for the release exactly - shared with the promo sibling, so corroboration rather than a discriminator on its own. - Rear-cover date code
X~91.8.23 C.8.24, matching Discogs' 'Rear Cover Date Code' identifier for 3264667 exactly. - No promo-only markings. Discogs' note on 15196533 specifically calls out extra rim text on the disc and a small sticker on the back inlay; this copy's disc and inlay carry neither.
Eight tracks, and the recording credits
Tracks 1-4
- 1Aces High
- 22 Minutes To Midnight
- 3Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)
- 4Flash Of The Blade
Tracks 5-8
- 5The Duellists
- 6Back In The Village
- 7Powerslave
- 8Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
Bruce Dickinson - vocals · Dave Murray - lead and rhythm guitar · Adrian Smith - lead and rhythm guitar · Steve Harris - bass · Nicko McBrain - drums.
Produced, engineered and mixed by Martin Birch, assisted by Bruce Buchhalter and Frank Gibson. Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound. Recorded at Compass Point Studios, Nassau; mixed at Electric Lady Studios, New York. Sleeve illustration by Derek Riggs; sleeve and design concept by Derek Riggs, Iron Maiden and Rod Smallwood. Photography by Moshe Brakha. Published by Zomba Music Publishers Ltd.
Personnel and studio credits are sourced from Discogs release 1846534, the UK original, and apply to the recording rather than to this pressing. Where this copy's own packaging carries the producer, publisher or copyright lines, they are quoted in the evidence above.
Condition, from the photographs
A photograph cannot grade a record - this is a description of what is visible, not a grade.
- Case/inlay: general handling wear with some edge and corner softening; no cracks or splits visible in these shots.
- Disc: light surface marks and handling sheen catch the light. No visible deep scratches or disc-face damage in these photographs.
Nothing on this page comes from playing the record. No Goldmine grade is claimed for it, or any other. I have no record of where this copy came from.
What is settled, and what is not
Settled on an absence, checked against the one Discogs field that describes it. Catalogue and label put this copy among the two Japanese TOCP-6341 CDs in the master: the ordinary 1990 reissue (3264667) and its promo sibling (15196533). Discogs' note on the promo names exactly what would show up on sight - 'extra promo text around the centre rim of the disc plus a small promo sticker on the back inlay.' This copy's rear inlay is bare across three separate photographs, and the mirror ring under the raking light of IMG_2521 carries only the ordinary EMI copyright block, nothing extra. That leaves 3264667.
The barcode and rear-cover date code both match Discogs' identifiers for the release exactly, but both are shared with the promo too, so they corroborate the family without discriminating inside it. The mirror ring's 1A2 stamper is a further, uncatalogued variant of the same TO series Discogs already records as 1A3 and 1A4 - expected, not contradictory, given the version list is incomplete by construction.
Standing caveat: an uncatalogued third TOCP-6341 pressing can't be excluded outright, but between the two candidates the master does list, the promo-only features Discogs names are demonstrably absent from this object.