Metallica Vinyl Albums;

1. music for nations england 84, white label test press with hand written label (MFN 27)
   NOTES;
   three known copies exist;
   one copy located in England, owned by Hector
   one copy located in Holland, has tracklist handwritten on the plain cover by Lars
   one copy last known of in England, exact location unknown
   all three lp`s have plain white labels with "metallica" & a" written on them
   all three lp`s come in a plain white sleeve with "metallica ride the lightning mfn 27" written on it
   according to the kerrang journalist Dave Ling, Lars claimed the original test pressings played too slow!, I don`t know if he was talking about this version
2. mayking/music for nations france 84, white label test press dated 27 jul 1984 (MFN 27) 
   NOTES;
   one known copy exists, located in Spain, owned by Jordi
   "mayking" is the name of the pressing plant, date & "mayking" are stamped on the label, this comes in a plain cover
3. music for nations france 84, first label with first cover & inner sleeve (MFN 27)
4. music for nations france 84, first label as above, miss pressed without label on side-b (MFN 27)
   NOTES;
   one known copy located in England, owned by Hector
   a side label is correct but side two is completely blank, this was pressed like this and has not been altered
5. music for nations france 84, first label as above, pressed with labels on the wrong sides of the lp (MFN 27)
   NOTES;
   one known copy located in England,owned by Hector
   this has the A-side label on side b and the B-side label on side a, very cool
6. music for nations england 84, second label with first cover, inner sleeve & insert (MFN 27)
7. music for nations england 84, third label with second cover, inner sleeve & insert (MFN 27)
8. music for nations france 87, fourth label with third cover, inner sleeve & insert (MFN 27)
   NOTES;
   first label is biege with no country of origin listed
   second label is biege with "made in france" on it
   third label is red & yellow with "made in england" on it
   fourth label is red & yellow with no country of origin listed
   first cover has no barcode and bears the `7-9 praed st` address on it
   second cover has a barcode & no address on it
   third cover has a barcode, `102 belsize lane` address & "made in france" on it
   as far as i can tell this is the correct pairings, all copies should have inner sleeves
   inner sleeves on my first 3 copies have the mfn catalogue number & the logo, my fouth press inner lacks the logo
   click here to view all label, cover & insert variations, all inner sleeves misspell "kirk hammeT"
   
   
9. the music connection/megaforce usa 84, white label test press w/ logo sticker or cover note (MRI 769 A) 
   NOTES;
   five copies known;
   one copy located in England, owned by Chris Harmer w/ cover note
   one copy located in Germany, owned by Andreas w/ logo sticker
   one copy located in Norway, owned by Henning
   one copy located in Usa, owned by Usa Collector w/ logo sticker
   one copy located in Switzerland owned by Zinferniohell, originally owned by Billy Milano
   Chris` copy comes in a plain die cut sleeve with a note about the tracklist & title stuck to the front
   Zinferniohell`s copy comes with a note from Billy Milano who was given the lp by Jon Zazula
10. megaforce usa 84, with gold promo stamp on back cover, silver labels, insert & inner sleeve (MRI 769)
11. megaforce usa 84, with two different merchandise inserts, silver labels & inner sleeve (MRI 769)
12. megaforce usa 84, with grey labels & inner sleeve (MRI 769)
    NOTES;
    promo copies are pretty rare, `silver` labels have the megaforce address on, `grey` labels do not
    inserts are supposed to be in the first 10,000 copies and also advertise the fan club
    megaforce lp`s are available with matrix # A-1 mri-769 or matrix # A-2 mri-769
    
    
13. banzai canada 84, with black labels & inner sleeve (BRC 1909)
14. banzai canada 84, with white labels, inner sleeve & insert (BRC 1909)
    NOTES;
    the black labelled versions appear to be far harder to find
    
    
15. music for nations/unitor oy finland 84, white label test press (MFN 27)
16. music for nations/unitor oy finland 84, with inner sleeve (MFN 27)
    NOTES;
    this lp has different white music for nations labels
    label on side two reads; "ride WITH the lightning", inner sleeve is black & white
    one copy of the test press exists, located in Norway, owned by Henning
    
    
17. bernett france 84, with missprinted green cover & inner sleeve, some stickered, fully signed circa `91 (SB 18026)
    NOTES;
    famous green cover, allegedly limited to 400 copies but is easy to find, there are two minor variations of this lp, some copies have a small `made in france` logo on the back cover, some don`t, sticker on some copies is from Enfer, a french metal magazine 
18. new electric way/music for nations france 84, with white `n.e.w.` labels & inner sleeve (2337)
19. new electric way/music for nations france 84, similar labels with 193371 cat#, with inner sleeve (2337)
    NOTES;
    sme copies have slightly different labels bearing the catalogue number; `193371`, this number also appears on a barcode sticker on top of the normal barcode on the back cover
    
    
20. roadrunner holland 84, with inner sleeve (RR 9848)
    
    
21. nexus japan 84, white label promo with obi strip, lyrics insert & red promo sticker on cover (K25P 501)
22. nexus japan 84, with obi strip, lyrics insert & promo sticker on back cover (K25P 501)
23. nexus japan 84, with obi strip & lyrics insert (K25P 501)
    NOTES;
    the labels on the normal lp`s differ slightly, some have the catalog number on the left, some on the right, all versions are on `transluscent` brown vinyl
    the promo sticker on the 2nd version is approx 2" x 3", very few `white label promo` copies exist
    this lp is sometimes credited to the "king" label, "king" is the name of the distributer
    
    
24. elektra canada 84, with gold promo stamp on back cover, no inner sleeve (96 03961)
    NOTES;
    promo stamp is in english & french, very few copies known
    promo copies vinyl is transluscent brown when held up to the light, regular press isn`t
25. elektra canada 84, no inner sleeve (96 03961)
    
    
26. elektra/speciality usa 84, white label test press dated october 1984 (60396) 
    NOTES;
    one copy located in Usa, owned by Usa Collector, dated 10/10/84
    two more copies exist, locations unknown, one comes in a plain cover and is dated 25/10/84
27. elektra usa 84, white label promo with gold stamp on back cover & inner sleeve (9 60396-1)
    
    NOTES;
    promo copies are available with `SP` matrix or `AR` matrix details, SP labels say; promotional copy not for sale on the right of the label
    AR labels say; for promotion use only on the right side of the label
    `AR` copies lack the number on the gold promo stamp on the back cover
28. elektra usa 84, with inner sleeve, red/black labels (9 60396-1)
29. elektra usa 84, with inner sleeve, grey labels (9 60396-1)
    NOTES;
    the elektra re-issues from november `84 are the first to correct the spelling mistake on "bells"
    all other pre `87 versions incorrectly list; "bellS toll"
    
    
30. elektra/wea australia 86, with inner sleeve (60396-1)
    NOTES;
    bit of a mystery this one, has no country of origin listed but all known copies have come from australia
    
    
31. music for nations england 86, silver vinyl test press of picture disc (MFN 27P) 
    NOTES;
    three known copies exist;
    one copy located in England, owned by Chris Harmer
    one copy located in Switzerland, owned by Sikkie
    one copy located in Norway, owned by Henning
32. music for nations england 86, white vinyl test press of picture disc (MFN 27P)
    NOTES;
    three known copies exist;
    one copy located in England, owned by Hector
    one copy located in Holland, owned by Matthijs
    one copy located in Spain, owned by Llorenc
    these color vinyl test pressings are often listed as dating from `84 but the matrix# "MFN 27P" dates them to `86
33. music for nations england 86, picture disc first press (MFN 27P)
34. music for nations england 86, picture disc second press with barcode (MFN 27P)
    NOTES;
    very close bootleg copies of this 2nd press picture disc exist, check the `bootleg copies` section at the bottom of the page for details
35. music for nations england 86, picture disc, part of picture on side 2 missing (MFN 27P) 
    NOTES;
    one known copy exists, 2nd press with barcode;
    located in Sweden, owned by Snoppen, record is in very poor condition
    
    
36. rge brazil 87, with gold promo stamp on the back cover & lyrics insert (304.7060)
37. rge brazil 87, with lyrics insert (304.7060)
    NOTES;
    gold promo stamp is in portuguese, these two last lp`s come in single sized covers (i.e. no spine)
    labels have numerous spelling mistakes, "for whoN the beEl tolls" for example
    Rhys copy has the lyrics insert with the print offset, see scan
    
    
38. music for nations france 87, double lp with first label, gatefold cover & sticker (MFN 27 DM)
39. music for nations england/france 87, double lp with second label, gatefold cover & sticker (MFN 27 DM)
    NOTES;
    both covers are french, first labels have no country of origin, second labels say "made in england"
    first labels have "for whom the bells tolls", the second labels correct this
    this album was released as a 2x12" set for better sound quality early `87 after music for nations had success with the `master of puppets` gatefold lp
    sticker; "limited edition direct metal mastered double lp"
    
    
40. polygram/vertigo australia 89, with lyrics insert (838 140-1)
    
    
41. phonogram/vertigo europe 89, with spaceship labels & inner sleeve (838 140-1)
42. phonogram/vertigo europe 89, with spaceship labels & inner sleeve, misspressed (838 140-1/841 242-1)
    NOTES;
    side two of this album contains eight tracks of classical opera, view top 100 entry for owners 
43. phonogram/vertigo europe 89, with yellow labels & inner sleeve (838 140-1)
44. phonogram/vertigo europe 89, with yellow labels & inner sleeve, misslabelled (838 140-1)
    NOTES;
    one known copy located in England, owned by Hector
    the label on side one of this album lists "master of puppets"
    these last four records have identical covers & inner sleeves
    these records are often listed as being english, german or dutch but have no country of origin listed
45. phonogram/vertigo europe 89, with red logo, & individual numbering sticker (838 140-1)
    NOTES;
    highly unusual version which has the Metallica logo printed in bright red, this album has the spaceship vertigo labels and is numbered out of 500 copies - #111 was on ebay but turned out to be a fake - view top 100 entry for owners 
    
    
46. polygram/vertigo/mil india 89, with unique white vertigo labels, no inner sleeve (838 140-1)
    NOTES;
    this lp comes in a single sized cover (i.e. no spine), and has a black border around the edge
    
    
47. phonogram/vertigo spain 89, with "madrid 28037" address on back, no inner sleeve (838 140-1) 
48. phonogram/vertigo spain 89, with "madrid 28037" address on back, miss pressed without label on side-b (838 140-1) 
    NOTES;
    one known copy, located in England, owned by Hector
    this was pressed like this and has not been altered
49. phonogram/vertigo spain 91, with "madrid 28002" address on back cover & inner sleeve (838 140-1)
    
    
50. polygram/vertigo argentina 90, with silver promo stamp on back cover & promo labels, no inner sleeve (29225)
51. polygram/vertigo argentina 90, no inner sleeve (29225)
    NOTES;
    track list is in spanish, promo labels say; " diffusion - venta prohibide" (promo - sale prohibited)
    
    
52. polygram/vertigo brazil 90, with inner sleeve (838 140-1)
    
    
53. phillips/vertigo colombia 90, with black & white back cover, no inner sleeve (838 140-1)
    NOTES;
    this album comes in a single sized cover (i.e. no spine) and has blue & white spiral labels
    
    
54. vertigo ecuador 90, no inner sleeve, w/ black text on labels (LP-31022)
55. vertigo ecuador 90, no inner sleeve, w/ silver text on labels (LP-31022) 
    
    
56. polygram/vertigo guatemala 90, (838 140-1) 
    
    
57. phonogram/vertigo korea 90, with lyrics insert & blue vertigo labels (SEL-RP 2026)
    
    
58. polygram/vertigo mexico 90, with tracklist in english & spanish on the back cover, some w/ inner sleeve (LPR 23068)
    
    
59. phonogram/sonographica/vertigo venezuela 91, with space labels, no inner (20 077-L)
    
    
60. polygram/vertigo greece 92, with light blue cover, no inner sleeve, lists `92 on label (838 140-1)
    
    
61. polygram/rodven/vertigo venezuela 93, with different back cover, no inner (210219)
    
    
62. polygram/phonogram "russia" 94, with black vertigo labels, no inner sleeve (838 140-1)
    NOTES;
    this lp is usually credited as being russian but has no country of origin listed, possibly bootleg, some copies have b-sides labels pressed on both sides
    
    
63. universal/vertigo eu 01, re-issue lp on 180 gram vinyl with black & white labels & inner (838 140-1)
    NOTES;
    released on 18/06/01, inner sleeve bears the new metallica fan club address in san rafael
    
    
64. universal eu 2008, 180 gram re-issue (5308533)
65. universal eu 2008, double lp in gatefold cover, 180 gram re-isse w/ bellyband (5308524)
    NOTES;
    uk/european gatefold edition alledgedly limited to 1000 copies
    
    
66. warner bros. usa 2008, 180 gram re-issue w/ sticker (093624988274)
67. RTI/warner bros. usa 2008, white label test pressing of lp2 w/ RTI labels, dated 06/03/08 (1-424572)
    NOTES;
    first copy to surface has `record technology incorporated` labels and is only sides 3 & 4 of the gatefold version
    one copy located in Canada, owned by Matt
68. warner bros. usa 2008, double lp in gatefold cover, 180 gram re-issue w/ sticker & bellyband (424636 1)
    NOTES;
    usa copies released on ??/04/08, eight test pressings were given away by the metclub, presumably two test pressings of each version??
    one copy has surfaced so far, if you have another please let me know the details
    
    bootleg copies;
    
    
69. rat russia 94, bootleg lp with red labels, "photocopied" cover, no inner sleeve (RAT 30742)
    NOTES;
    the cover on this lp is slightly out of focus and "fuzzy", also says "ride the LIGHTING" on back cover
    back cover has tracklist in english & russian
    
    
70. "bernett" "france" 96, bootleg green picture disc with "promotional copy" on the back (SB 18026)
    NOTES;
    bootlegged from the original green album, actually made in germany
    
    
71. "music for nations" "england" unknown year, bootleg copy of 2nd press picture disc (MFN 27P)
    NOTES;
    bootleg copies are copied from the 2nd pressing and are identifiable by the addition of the letters `PA7955` in the matrix detail
    
    
72. no label brazil unknown year, bootleg lp with plain white labels, insert sleeve & grey back sleeve (RM 10001)
73. no label brazil unknown year, bootleg lp with plain orange labels & grey back sleeve (RM 10001)
74. no label brazil unknown year, bootleg lp with blue printed labels & grey back sleeve (RM 10001)
75. no label brazil unknown year, bootleg lp with plain yellow labels & light blue back sleeve (RM 10001)
    NOTES;
    first brazil pirate lp has photocopied covers glued to a plain sleeve, the others have proper sleeves, version #2 nas a date of 1985 on the labels
    
    
76. "elektra" korea unknown year, bootleg lp with lyrics on back cover, w/ biege "elektra" labels (HM9/9 60396-1)
77. "elektra" korea unknown year, bootleg lp with lyrics on back cover, w/ green "elektra" labels (HM9/9 60396-1)
78. no label korea unknown year, bootleg lp with monochrome cover, no inner sleeve (584)
    
    NOTES;
    this monochrome covered lp was copied from the mfn pressing and have different back covers , the labels have numerous spelling mistakes i.e.; `Jade to black`
    these last three lp`s are credited as being korean but do not list a country of origin
    
    
79. "phonogram/vertigo" germany 02, bootleg picture disc with die cut cover (838 140-3)
    NOTES;
    this bootleg is available with the picture disc colored Blue, Orange or Green, all three are pictured
    
    
80. "bernett" "france" 05, pirate of french copy, clear vinyl, no inner (SB 18026) 
81. "bernett" "france" 06, pirate of french copy, pale blue vinyl, no inner (SB 18026) 
    NOTES;
    first appeared in feb 2005, available on clear, clear w/ blue streaks, clear w/ green streaks or pink vinyl
    october 2005 dark blue and dark green vinyl copies appeared
    early 2006 pale blue vinyl copies appeared
    mid/late 2006 white vinyl copies appeared
    september 2007 orange vinyl copies appeared
    february 2008 yellow vinyl copies appeared
    vinyl bears the same matrix as the bootleg mfn picture disc incl.; PA7955  matrix