Folder 43
Portugal
SPA - Sociedade Portuguesa de Autores, the Portuguese rights society, establishing the territory from the label itself.
What the record says
Every line below was read off a native-resolution crop of the photograph named beside it.
Run-out photographed. The legible portion is 790 258 1 A, 12.3.88 and EMI ESPECIAL, followed by a hand-etched signature. Discogs records the fuller 7902581 A 12.3.88 EMI ESPECIAL IRON MAIDEN; the IRON MAIDEN part is not resolved here and is not claimed as observed. Both Portuguese entries carry the same matrix, so it corroborates the release and cannot choose between them.
Barcode and Other Identifiers: Matrix / Runout
As Discogs records them for release 3280548. Green: in my collection (0 of 2). Red: missing.
| ✗ | Matrix / Runout (Side A - Written) | 7902581 A 12.3.88 EMI ESPECIAL IRON MAIDEN FCortez |
| ✗ | Matrix / Runout (Side B - Written) | 7902581 B 12.3.88 EMI ESPECIAL IRON MAIDEN FCortez |
Every line of small print, and the photograph it came from — 9 of them
Label: 790258 1 and SPA
image00068, image00072, image00077
Label rim, Portuguese: RESERVADOS TODOS OS DIREITOS DO PRODUTOR FONOGRÁFICO E DO PROPRIETÁRIO DA OBRA GRAVADA…
image00077, image00078
Label: OTHER SIDE / THIS SIDE track split, EMI logo, 33⅓ RPM
image00069, image00071
Run-out, etched: 790 258 1 A, 12.3.88, EMI ESPECIAL
image00068, image00070, image00073, image00075
Run-out: a hand-etched signature
image00074
Rear sleeve: © 1988 … VALENTIM DE CARVALHO
image00082
Rear sleeve: Edição gráfica COSTA & VALÉRIO
image00082
Rear sleeve: STEREO, Também em cassette, barcode
image00083, image00084
Insert: blue double-sided lyric and credit sheet
image00079
The photographs
image00068.jpg1 of 19READ FROM
The object, and what marks it out
Sleeve, labels and inserts
- Outer sleeve - standard artwork, Portuguese rear with the Valentim de Carvalho credit and the Costa & Valério printing credit.
- Insert - a blue printed lyric sheet.
- Labels - the eye/Eddie artwork with Portuguese rim text and the SPA rights mark.
- Vinyl - black.
What distinguishes this pressing
SPA- Sociedade Portuguesa de Autores, the Portuguese rights society, establishing the territory from the label itself.EMI ESPECIALand12.3.88etched in the deadwax, a dated identification Discogs records verbatim for this release.VALENTIM DE CARVALHOon the rear sleeve, the Portuguese EMI licensee, with Costa & Valério credited for the printing.- Printed labels, which is what excludes the other Portuguese entry.
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. Portugal is certain from SPA on the label and the Valentim de Carvalho credit on the sleeve. The master holds two Portuguese vinyl entries:
How the other candidates were ruled out
| Candidate | Verdict |
|---|---|
3280548 - 79 0258 1 | Matches. Discogs records the SPA rights society, Costa & Valério as printer, and a run-out reading 7902581 A 12.3.88 EMI ESPECIAL IRON MAIDEN - the dated portion of which is legible on this copy. |
14518852 - 7902581 | Cached as White Label, and described as “White label, no sleeve, no info.” This copy has fully printed labels and its original printed sleeve. |
The two share the same run-out, which is expected: a white label is normally the same metalwork without the printing. What separates them here is everything the printing carries.
Standing caveat: this method cannot exclude a pressing absent from Discogs.