Folder 23
Japan
Japan, with obi. Limited first pressing, 666 campaign obi. Run-out photographed.
What the record says
Every line below was read off a native-resolution crop of the photograph named beside it.
Run-out photographed: side A reads 1006 - A 1S 1, the same etching as folder 22, so the two Japanese copies share stampers.
Every line of small print, and the photograph it came from — 11 of them
Obi strip: RP28-5610 · ¥2,800 · ロック · アイアン・メイデン 第七の予言
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Obi, white box at the top: アイアン・メイデン 666 プレゼント!! / ●詳しくは解説書をお読み下さい。
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Obi, yellow text at the foot: メタル・ステッカー付き!! - comes with a metal sticker
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Obi: 堂々7作目、入魂の最新作完成!! and the Side 1 / Side 2 tracklists in katakana
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Obi credits: 解説：伊藤政則 (liner notes, Masa Itoh) and 対訳：渡辺 淳
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Obi: EMI STEREO, CD32-5610, ZP28-5610
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Label: IRON MAIDEN, EMI in box, RPM, THIS SIDE / OTHER SIDE track split with writer credits, no promotional overprint
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Run-out groove, side A, etched: 1006 - A 1S 1
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Run-out groove, side B, etched: 1006 - B 1S
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Rear sleeve: TOSHIBA EMI and barcode T4988006622449
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Insert: a Toshiba EMI hard rock and metal booklet listing SCORPIONS, UFO, VIXEN, VINNIE VINCENT INVASION, QUEENSRŸCHE, MEGADETH, DWEEZIL ZAPPA
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The photographs
IMG_0748.jpg1 of 22READ FROM
The object, and what marks it out
Sleeve, labels and inserts
- Obi strip - present, the
666design with the white campaign box at the top and the yellow sticker line at the foot. This is the component that identifies the release. - Outer sleeve - single, standard artwork, Japanese rear with Toshiba EMI credits and barcode.
- Inserts - several, and they match what Discogs records for this release: a Japanese lyric and liner sheet with a monochrome photo discography, a full-colour picture insert, and a four-page Toshiba EMI hard rock and metal advertisement booklet.
- Labels - the EMI globe design, clean, with no promotional marking. Compare folder 22.
- Vinyl - black, with the eye/Eddie label artwork.
What distinguishes this pressing
- The obi's white campaign box. Discogs states that “only this first pressing comes with the obi with a white box on top” announcing the Iron Maiden 666 present campaign. This copy has it, with the text matching character for character.
メタル・ステッカー付き!!in yellow at the foot of the obi, the second documented line, announcing the metal sticker.解説：伊藤政則- liner notes by Masa Itoh, named by Discogs for this release.- The Toshiba EMI advertisement booklet, listed by Discogs as part of this edition and present here.
- No promotional overprint, which separates it from folder 22.
- The 666 campaign ran to a postmark deadline of 31 May 1988: entrants cut an Eddie box from the insert and posted it for a chance at a stage costume, a tour bag or a torch.
Eight tracks, two sides, and the recording credits
Side A
- A1Moonchild
- A2Infinite Dreams
- A3Can I Play With Madness
- A4The Evil That Men Do
Side B
- B1Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
- B2The Prophecy
- B3The Clairvoyant
- B4Only The Good Die Young
Bruce Dickinson - vocals · Dave Murray - lead and rhythm guitar · Adrian Smith - lead and rhythm guitar, synth · Steve Harris - bass, string synth · Nicko McBrain - drums.
Produced, engineered and mixed by Martin Birch. Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound, New York. Recorded at Musicland Studios, Munich. Sleeve illustration, concept and design by Derek Riggs (with Rod Smallwood). Inner-sleeve photograph by Ross Halfin. Published by Zomba Music Publishers Ltd.
Personnel and studio credits are sourced from Discogs release 576952, the UK original, and apply to the recording rather than to this pressing. The producer, publisher and copyright lines are independently corroborated by this copy's own label, quoted above.
Condition, from the photographs
A photograph cannot grade a record - this is a description of what is visible, not a grade.
- Sleeve: general handling wear with some edge and corner softening; no splits or seam separation visible in these shots.
- Vinyl: light surface marks and handling sheen catch the light. No visible deep scratches, warping or edge damage in these photographs. The labels are clean and unmarked.
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
Confirmed. Japan and catalogue RP28-5610 are certain. Of the three 1988 Japanese editions, the obi decides it:
How the other candidates were ruled out
| Candidate | Verdict |
|---|---|
| 2829960 - Limited Edition, first pressing | Matches. Discogs: “Only this first pressing comes with the obi with a white box on top announcing アイアン・メイデン666プレゼント” and a “second line of yellow text on the bottom メタル・ステッカー付き”. Both are present and legible. |
| 9262697 - standard issue | Ruled out: issued with the regular obi, not this campaign design. |
| 3020098 - Promo | Ruled out: its labels carry a 見本 (非売品) overprint, which these do not. That copy is folder 22. |
Standing caveat: this method cannot exclude a pressing absent from Discogs.
Nothing material is open. For completeness rather than identity, Discogs records this edition as including a chrome/mirror-finish Iron Maiden logo sticker sheet and a cut-out Eddie box on the insert. If the Eddie box is still uncut, the copy is complete and the campaign was never entered, which is worth knowing.