MPO pressed most of Nirvana's European vinyl releases before they signed with Geffen. They can be identified by "MPO" in the matrix code. MPO is written just as deep and smooth as the rest of the matrix code, so it was either written on the lacquer by the mastering studio, Utopia, or on the copper mother/ master by MPO themselves if the records were cut using direct metal mastering.
MPO never pressed anything on colored vinyl, always 100% black vinyl. Still, there are a few releases on colored vinyl with MPO in the matrix code (Bleach TUPLP 6 white and green, Sliver TUP 25 green, and Sliver TUPEP 25 blue). This means MPO processed the metal plates, and sent mothers or stampers to the factory which pressed the colored versions. In the case of the releases mentioned above, that was Orlake Records in UK.
Several test pressings pressed by MPO have Mayking test pressing labels, while MPO is only mentioned in small letters at the bottom. That's because MPO and Mayking had a partnership. Tupelo placed the order with Mayking, which subcontracted the production to MPO. The only reason the MPO name even made it onto the labels was because they wanted greater recognition for the quality of their product. Their quality on vinyl pressing was only surpassed at the time by maybe one other company that specialized in classical music and charged twice the price for vinyl pressing.
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mpo.fr
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Location
Plating sign.
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Averton, France
MPO
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