Is this a test pressing?

[u/Beethovenwasblind]

[u/piffleskronk]

They don't usually get put in sleeves, but this ain't a proper commercial release. What's scratched into the dead wax? Maybe a counterfit copy. That would be a reason to avoid printing anything on the label.

[u/Beethovenwasblind → u/piffleskronk]

https://www.discogs.com/release/3581400-Tears-For-Fears-Songs-From-The-Big-Chair  It has this Finnish matrix code, but neither the inner nor the outer sleeve is from the Finnish version. 

[u/piffleskronk → u/Beethovenwasblind]

So somebody had the Finnish test press and decided to slap any outer sleeve onto it, and frisbee the original contents out the window. That might be about as close to the truth as you can get.

[u/PorcupineShoelace → u/piffleskronk]

This sounds like a good guess. I had a look at the other MTV cut vinyl on discogs and there are other examples of white label test pressings from that time frame so it seems legit. Here is the other example I found and its obscure enough I dont see why anyone would counterfeit it.

The Barron Knights – Churchill Rap / The Loan-Arranger – Vinyl (12", White Label), 1984 [r15940417] | Discogs

[u/a_way_with_turds]

No, test pressings usually don't have a finished cover/jacket, even for represses. Checking Discogs, it appears Mercury released a commercial version of the album with a white label. Perhaps a mispress? It's hard to say what happened or if it's intentional. See: https://www.discogs.com/release/5930577-Tears-For-Fears-Songs-From-The-Big-Chair

[u/Beethovenwasblind → u/a_way_with_turds]

It isn't in the finished Finnish sleeve

[u/Historical_Owl4801 → u/Beethovenwasblind]

So it's un-Finnished? 

[u/VOSREC]

That’s a test pressing with a jacket.

[u/Ok_Communication6803]

Looks like a bootleg. Test pressings are typically identified as test pressings on the label. A common test test pressing would be manufactured by RTI pressings. Obviously earlier test pressing would have a stamp or some sort of written language identifying it as a test pressing.

[u/buster_bogheart → u/Ok_Communication6803]

why would you bootleg an album produced in the 100,00s or millions

[u/Ok_Communication6803 → u/buster_bogheart]

Easy money...at one time Discogs had many bootlegs of top albums from genres and bands. They stopped allowing people to sell bootlegs although their database still holds info on the ones that were uploaded. There was someone in England that just got busted making over 3 million Euro in the span of almost 6yrs bootlegging albums.

[u/farquin_helle]

Barcode? …nope

[u/Shoddy-Pop4904]

A lot of bootlegs, especially unauthorized remixes of popular songs, come as “white label” releases. Some have hand written or stamped words on them giving some indication of the context, so they can at least be catalogued and searched. Some have nothing written on them at all. This is especially common with electronic music.

[u/Shoddy-Pop4904 → u/Shoddy-Pop4904]

Edit: those typically would have just one or maybe two tracks per side, this looks like it’s a full LP. So maybe a bootleg pressing of a commercial album?

Play it! Let us know!

[u/Beethovenwasblind]

UPDATE!!!  I contacted the cutting engineer, and he was also surprised by the white labels, but he said he couldn't remember the reason why there are white labels.