All 7 pressings

Folder 281

Europe

Deadwax pair 1575931-A1-D / 1575931-B2-D is 13223106's variant 1; 609375 pairs A1-D with B1-D, never with B2-D

Catalogue
1C 038-15 7593 1
Label
EMI
Released
1985
Confidence
Confirmed
Why this grade

European 1985 DMM reissue, the second of the two cream-label EMI Electrola cuts: the one whose labels put the DMM logo UNDER the LC box, catalogue number and (P)1981 EMI Records Ltd. line. Both labels read 1C 038-15 7593 1 A / 1 B with LC 0542, boxed GEMA, STEMRA and MADE IN EEC., and the back sleeve carries 038 15 7593 1, barcode 5 099915 759313 and Printed in Germany by 4P NICOLAUS GmbH, Köln, which leaves exactly two rows on the master, 609375 and 13223106, both Europe 1985 with the same barcode, label code and rights societies. The deadwax is photographed on both sides and reads 1575931-A1-D and 1575931-B2-D, machine-stamped, with no crossed-out digit and no extra hand-etched number. That exact pair is 13223106's variant 1 and appears under no variant of 609375, whose pairs are A12-D/B2-D, A1-D/B1-D and a crossed-out A1̶2-D 1/B2-D 2. The label layout says the same thing: Discogs separates the two rows on where the DMM logo sits, and here it is below the catalogue line as 13223106 describes, not above it as on 609375. The run-out pair is carried by one survivor only, so the grade is Confirmed. The owner's note gave the barcode and both run-outs and the photographs show the same strings; the note did not decide anything, since the deadwax was photographed. The debossed EMI stamp Discogs lists on 13223106's back cover is not visible in these photographs, which is a gap, not a contradiction. The version list is incomplete, so an uncatalogued variant can't be excluded.

Reference
Discogs 13223106
Median sale
DKK 144
Sale range
DKK 56-224
On sale now
13, from DKK 112
Last sold
5 September 2026
A photograph of pressing 281, Europe

What the record says

Every line below was read off a native-resolution crop of the photograph named beside it.

A: 1575931-A1-D; B: 1575931-B2-D

Every line of small print, and the photograph it came from — 9 of them

Back sleeve top right: 038 15 7593 1, cassette logo then 1C 238 15 7593 4, barcode 5 099915 759313

IMG_6313.jpeg, IMG_6312.jpeg

Back sleeve lower right: Direct Metal Mastering DMM logo with TM, EMI ELECTROLA box, LC 0542, EMI Electrola GmbH - All rights reserved, Printed in Germany by 4P NICOLAUS GmbH, Köln

IMG_6314.jpeg, IMG_6312.jpeg

Back sleeve lower left: road crew thanks, UP THE HAMMERS, (P)1981 ORIGINAL SOUND RECORDINGS MADE BY EMI RECORDS LTD, IRON MAIDEN NOW AVAILABLE LIVE ON VIDEO CASSETTE (VHS EVH 25002) (Beta EVX 45002), ALSO AVAILABLE ON CASSETTE

IMG_6315.jpeg, IMG_6312.jpeg

Back sleeve: live stage photo, red tracklist line The Ides Of March to Drifter, five band portraits, credits PRODUCED, ENGINEERED AND BULLIED BY MARTIN "HEADMASTER" BIRCH, RECORDED AT BATTERY STUDIOS, LONDON

IMG_6312.jpeg

Side 1 label: cream EMI label, LC 0542 box above 1C 038-15 7593 1 A, (P)1981 EMI Records Ltd., then DMM logo with TM below that line, Side 1, ST 33 STEREO, boxed GEMA, STEMRA, tracks 1-6 The Ides Of March to Innocent Exile, rim text MADE IN EEC. with English and German rights warnings, red EMI box at the foot

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Side 2 label: same design, 1C 038-15 7593 1 B, Side 2, tracks 1-4 Killers to Drifter, All tracks Written by Steve Harris except ** written by Paul Di'Anno and Steve Harris, Produced by Martin Birch

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Run-out side A: machine-stamped 1575931-A1-D, no crossed-out digit, no separate hand-etched number

IMG_6318.jpeg

Run-out side B: machine-stamped 1575931-B2-D, no separate hand-etched number

IMG_6319.jpeg

Front sleeve: standard Killers artwork with the red Fame script under the Killers title, no stickers

IMG_6311.jpeg

The photographs

IMG_6311.jpg1 of 9READ FROM

The object, and what marks it out

Sleeve, labels and inserts

  • Glossy outer sleeve with the Fame script on the front and barcode on the back, ring wear and corner creasing, a split starting at the top right rear corner
  • Black vinyl LP with cream EMI labels, DMM logo, GEMA/STEMRA boxes and MADE IN EEC. rim text
  • No hype sticker visible on the front
  • No inner sleeve photographed

What distinguishes this pressing

  • Deadwax pair 1575931-A1-D / 1575931-B2-D is 13223106's variant 1; 609375 pairs A1-D with B1-D, never with B2-D
  • Label layout puts the DMM logo below the LC / catalogue / (P) block, which Discogs gives as the difference from 609375
Ten tracks, two sides, and the recording credits

Side A

  1. A1The Ides Of March
  2. A2Wrathchild
  3. A3Murders In The Rue Morgue
  4. A4Another Life
  5. A5Genghis Khan
  6. A6Innocent Exile

Side B

  1. B1Killers
  2. B2Prodigal Son
  3. B3Purgatory
  4. B4Drifter

Paul Di'Anno - vocals · Dave Murray - guitar · Adrian Smith - guitar · Steve Harris - bass · Clive Burr - drums.

Produced and engineered by Martin Birch, assisted by Nigel Hewitt; the release's own credit lists him as producer, engineer, and, in Discogs' wording, "bullied by". Recorded at Battery Studios, London; lacquer cut at The Town House. Sleeve illustration by Derek Riggs; photography by Robert Ellis. Management by Rod Smallwood for Sanctuary. Published by Zomba Music Publishers Ltd. Phonographic copyright and copyright EMI Records Ltd.

Personnel, production and artwork credits are sourced from Discogs release 1538759, the UK original (EMI EMC 3357, 1981) and this master's main release, 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.

  • 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

Settled by the run-out pair and the label layout together. A photograph of the back cover under raking light would show whether the debossed EMI stamp 13223106 lists is there, and one of the inner sleeve would show whether this copy has the Fame promo inner.