UNUSUAL NON-UK CONTRACT PRESSINGS The German ones have the standard 'Made In Germany' stamp in the run out area. These are the only ones we remember seeing, though likely more in the days of UK vinyl shortages. More common as LP non-UK contracts especially EMI group labels.
The Beatles 1967 'Hello Goodbye' Pathe one is the most famous non UK Contract, as an idea of rarity the Decca Contract of the same title is at least 5 times more common. The Pathe is pressed on much thinner vinyl than the UK pressings & has a French added Matrix number too in the dead wax.
The last 2 RCA are the copies you would have bought in the UK in 1974 due to RCA problems. Note the 2nd RCA one has additional 'EX' & wording. Other 1974 RCA hits exist as a messy mix of USA pressings imported & Contract pressings.
The Bowie "Rebel Rebel" one, a hit in Feb 1974, always has this coloured centre & is only on the USA export until later represses, there is no 1974-made UK pressing, though there are clearly later repressings from no earlier than March 1975 (by the label design) with the same number credited to just "Bowie" unlike the USA copy with the full 'David Bowie' credit. Also research shows "Stereo" was not used by July 1975, so this repress is well over a year after RR left the charts. Most likely the UK pressing was pressed Nov 1975-Jan 1976 as Bowie had 2 Top 10 hits then. Only a 1974 Contract by Pye, Decca or Lyntone fully credited to "David Bowie" would be a 1974 one & we've not seen or heard of such.
From 1978 onwards there were many non UK pressed contracts sold as the UK release, such as Blondie 1978-79 hits on USA pressings like the Polydor Slade. Many Chrysalis & 2 Tone were French contracts with paint labels simply as these were much cheaper to make after the initial paper label ones were sold. 1978-83 UK Indie labels similarly used the French pressings, such as UB40s debut was originaly a French press with a Pic Sleeve, but once it became a hit, the UK white paper labels (likely Damont) & a very limited different UK pic sleeve was the standard version. Into the later 1980s is beyond our scope, but certain Worldwide Record Companies just made a single European version & gave it several catalog numbers to fit each countries needs, pretty like how CDs are similarly made.
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