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vertigo


NORWAY, SWEDEN, DENMARK

Phonogram in Scandinavia produced only a few records on swirl Vertigo. In fact, we are not even completely sure that there were any Swedish releases at all. If you own such a release, please contact us.
We are, however, sure of a few Danish and Norwegian releases and will show them beneath. Releases like 6360 071, Black Sabbath's Vol.4 (and there maybe others as well), are too similar to their British counterparts to get a treatment here.
Just for the record: the coveted collector's item, the self-titled album on Vertigo by Flax from Norway, was never released with a swirl label, nor was Aunt Mary's Janus, another very rare LP on Norwegian Vertigo. Both were issued when the ''spaceship'' label was already in use.


Here are the Scandinavian (with which we mean Norwegian, Swedish or Danish, admittedly an arbitrary way of defining this area) releases we have found so far:


ALBUMS

Country codes do not help us to determine the origin of a record when it comes from Scandinavia. The code ''710'' was used for all Scandavian releases. We must therefore rely on other characteristics. All Scandinavian releases have the copyright logo ''NCB'' somewhere on the label. The label pictured below would so far only betray its Scandinavian origin, not a specific country. The A-side of the label is identical to the British one.


6360050Nlbl

Scandinavian matrix numbers are built up as follows:

6360050 A 7P71 F 710
catalogue number, side, pressing date (month and year), unknown digit, country code.



6360 050
BLACK SABBATH - MASTER OF REALITY (july 1971)


6360050N

No boxed cover for this album in Norway. We have received confirmed information that a poster was included with a few early copies. The title is now outlined in white to increase readability and the bandname is in a slightly redder shade of purple than in Britain. The cover is laminated and the Vertigo logo is much bigger, too.
We now also received the message that the mysterious inner sleeve as seen in the German section .



We could determine for sure where the cover was printed: in Norway. On the bottom right corner of the backcover a tiny notice says TEAM TRYKK. This is a (still existing) printing company in Oslo, established in 1963 and responsible for many Norwegian sleeves. It seems very unlikely that the record would be pressed in another country. As you have seen above, the label is white with black lettering and not the other way around as in most other countries.


teamtrykk




6360 701
JIM CROCE - LIFE AND TIMES (march 1973)


6360701N

For some unfathomable reason the Norwegians decided to change the light blue of the lettering to white and to transfer the logo from bottom left to top right. Does this make any sense? It's a fold-out cover, identical to the British one, but laminated.


This time we could not find any indication towards the country of origin, but as the label is in every graphical aspect identical to the Black Sabbath label above, we assume that this is a Norwegian release too.



6370 401/CREST 15 (1974)
NAZARETH - RAMPANT

6370401Nlbl

Quite a surprising cat.nr. here!
The matrix numbers do not mention ''Crest'' of any of the Mooncrest's label digits:
6370401 A P 74 F 710
6370401 B P 74 F 710







9102 001
STATUS QUO - QUO (april 1974)

9102100
9102001LBL


Line-up: John Coghlan, dr/Alan Lancaster, bsgtr, gtr, voc/ Richard Parfitt, gtr, keyb, voc/ Tom Parker, keyb/ Francis Rossi, gtr, voc/ Rob Young, harm.
Production: Status Quo.
Cover-art by D.J.Field
Cover-design by Christine Patient, Logo & Status Quo.
Liner notes: none.
Recorded at IBC Studios.

Track listing A-side: Backwater (Richard Parfitt + Alan Lancaster) 4'21'' / Just Take Me (Richard Parfitt + Alan Lancaster) 3'39''/ Break The Rules (Status Quo) 3'40''/ Drifting Away (Richard Parfitt + Alan Lancaster) 5'05''.
Track listing B-side: Don't Think It Matters (Richard Parfitt + Alan Lancaster) 4'55''/ Fine Fine Fine (Francis Rossi + Rob Young) 2'30''/ Lonely Man (Richard Parfitt + Alan Lancaster) 5'00''/ Slow Train (Francis Rossi + Rob Young) 7'55''..

Matrix number A-side
9102001 A 4P74 F 710
Matrix number B-side
9102001 B 4P74 F 710

Rarity scale: R2


Again an album, like so many of the Quo, strictly aimed at the undiscerning listener who does not want to be distracted by uncommon sounds or disappointed expectations. Everything as usual, no reason to get excited (the thief he kindly spoke).

Sort of surrealism on the cover. A complicated bunch of roots, that do not only sprout the album title but also the four heads of our heroes, all set in a gloomy copper-brown. The drawing is uncredited on the backcover, but a small signing is visible in the bottom right corner. There is an insert with the lyrics tucked inside the cover. Laudable!
The lettering is the same corporate mistake as ever.

Notes: The lay-out of the label has been changed, but the matrix number still is exactly identical in style to the other albums. Moreover, the ''TEAM TRYKK'' logo turns up on the backside, so this must be a Norwegian release too.

We did not find any other albums on Vertigo swirl ''made in Scandinavia'' yet...



SINGLES

It is amazing how few singles on swirl from Scandinavia are in circulation. Surely, there must be more than the few we show below?! If you own any of these, please contact us.

Single matrix numbers in Scandinavia are composed just like those on the albums:
6059018 A 10P70 F 710
catalogue number, side, pressing date (month and year), unknown digit, country code.

The few singles we have seen did NOT show the ''NCB'' copyright logo, which is very strange, as virtually all Scandinavian releases have this on the label.
Furthermore, there are no indications in which Scandinavian country these singles originate. The labels show the B-side style on both sides. The backcovers are blank on most of these singles (as with many Scandinavian singles from this era). It seems very likely that all of these are in fact Norwegian releases.

Here are the singles (in numerical order) we have found as of this moment, certainly there are many more:



6000434N 6000434lbl
Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6000 434, Nazareth Big boy/ Turning a new leaf
On the B-side label the band name has been given special treatment.





6059001N
6059002N 6059009N
Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 001, Juicy Lucy Who do you love/ Walking down the highway. Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 002, Black Sabbath Evil woman/ Wicked world. Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 009, Gracious Once on a windy day/ Fugue in D minor.


6059010N 6059013N 6059015N
Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 010, Black Sabbath Paranoid/ The wizard. Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 013, Magna Carta Airport song/ Elizabethan. Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 015, Juicy Lucy Pretty woman/ I'm a thief.

6059018N 6059027S 6059029N
Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 018, Linda Hoyle with Affinity Eli's comin'/ United states of mind. Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 027, Warhorse St.Louis/ No chance. Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 029, Ronno 4th hour of my sleep/ Powers of darkness.

6059053N
6059053DK 6059071N
Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 052, Magna Carta Country jam/ Home groan. Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 053, Paul Jones Life after death/ The mighty ship. Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 071, Status Quo Paper plane/ Softer ride.


6059106N
6059114N
6059199N
Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 106, Alex Harvey Band Sergeant Fury/ Gang bang. Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 114, Status Quo Down down/ Night ride.
Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 199, Graham Parker & The Rumour Hey Lord/ Don't ask me questions.


6059231N
6059242N
Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 231, Thin Lizzy Do anything you want to/ Just the two of us.
Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 242, Status Quo Whatever yoy want/ Hard ride.

6059248N 6059280N 6059401N
Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 248, Status Quo Livin on an island/ Runaway. Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 280, Thin Lizzy Chinatown/ Sugar blues (live). Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6059 280, Thin Lizzy Chinatown/ Sugar blues (live)


6068006N 6073152N
6078209N
Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6068 006, Rod Stewart Dirty old town/ My way of giving. Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6073 152, Lighthouse One fine morning/ Little kind words. Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6078 209, Nazareth Love hurts/ Down.

6078212N 6078213N 6078217lbl
Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6078 212, Nazareth Hair of the dog/ Turn on your receiver. Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6078 213, Nazareth My white bicycle/ Miss Misery. Scandinavian label for 6078 217, DanMcCafferty Out of time/ Cinnamon girl.


6078239 6084300N
Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6078 239, Martyn Ford Orchestra Stranger on the Shore/ A Summer Place. Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6084 300, Aunt Mary Nocturnal voice/ Mr. Kaye .



6084301 6084301lbl 6195001N
Scandinavian (at least we assume so through the ''NCB'' logo) picture sleeve and label for 6084 301, Eyes' Wild wild woman. This ''A'' demo has the same song on both sides. Anyone out there with a stock copy, who knows what the B-side is? Scandinavian picture sleeve for 6159 001, Black Sabbath Sabbath bloody sabbath/ Changes.

FLAX01
Scandinavian picture sleeve for FLAX 01, Flax What'cha gonna do/ Pain in the ass.




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