| Main Pressing plants Pennyroyal Tea Test pressings Collection |
| Sliver TUPEP 25 test pressing | |||||||
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White label test pressing, some have been spotted with handwritten titles on the labels. White inner sleeve with handwritten titles. A release sheet from the distributor is included with several copies, some include the text "PLAY LOUD!", while some don't. Pressed by MPO in France for Mayking, as they had a partnership. The Mayking/ MPO test pressings usually came with Mayking test pressing labels, white labels were done only at request from the record label. Even so, they would usually make three test pressings with Mayking labels, though none of these have turned up yet. The relatively high number of test pressings found, and the fact that Tupelo requested white labels, may indicate that in addition to being used by the Cartel to gather advance orders from retailers as usual, they were also used for "regular" promotion, in other words radio and press. Release sheets like images 4 and 5 were given with those copies used by the distributor, but I don't know if they also came with those used for radio and press promotion. The sheet shown in image 6 came with a regular retail issue used for promotion. Usually 25 test pressings were made for a release they thought would sell well, but there are probably more of this 12". There seems to be less test pressings of the Sliver 7", which is reasonable as they only used the 12" for gathering advance orders and promotion. One copy came in a regular picture sleeve, without a release sheet. It may have been added for promotion if it was sent out late enough so that they had sleeves ready, or it may have been added by a later owner. Another came in a Rough Trade promo sleeve, which is a part of the Cartel, with release sheet, handwritten titles, and a number stamped on the inner sleeve. The Rough Trade sleeve was added purely for additional protection, as the Cartel got the test pressings from the pressing plant in inner sleeves only. The handwritten titles on the inner sleeves is similar to the titles on the inner sleeves on the Bleach and Blew test pressings. I don't know if that was added by the pressing plant, the distributor, or by later owners. I list the year as 1990/91, because as a test pressing, it was most likely pressed a month in advance. The release date for the retail single was January 21, but the Tupelo Sliver 7" test pressings were made November 7. Regarding the matrix code, "UTOPIA" on Side A is etched vertically from the center, each letter between two of the run-out grooves. Utopia was (is?) a cutting room where the lacquers were cut. Nine copies have been found, six with release sheets.
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 1. Record in white inner sleeve  2. Rough Trade promo sleeve  3. Inner sleeve with titles and stamp  4. Release sheet  5. Release sheet with added text Thanks to Enrico Vincenzi (info, images 2-3), Hamish Allison, and eil.com (image 5). | |||||||
| Main Pressing plants Pennyroyal Tea Test pressings Collection |
