ABBA's UK test pressing singles

The UK test pressings. I’ve not seen a Chiquitita on yellow vinyl though, and nothing comes up in a Google search. Do you have a photo? I’d be interested to see it.

I’d say we’re talking single figures for numbers pressed. Perhaps even just the one of each in some cases. I’ve seen some fakes listed for sale in the past, particularly of the Angeleyes yellow and red pressings.

None of these are mine. All images from the web. I did see I Have A Dream on eBay about 10 years ago. I didn’t bid. I don’t think it went for as much as you might think. These days it would probably fetch over £1,000.

Fernando - green



Angeleyes - red



www.popsike.com/ABBA-Angeleyes-VoulezVous-EPIC-S-EPC-7499-RARE-RedOrange-Vinyl/183182155225.html

www.popsike.com/UK-EPIC-7499-ABBA-ANGEL-EYES-Red-Vinyl-UK-RARITY-/381543689523.html

Angeleyes - yellow



Angeleyes - purple marbled



www.popsike.com/Abba-UNIQUE-1979-UK-coloured-vinyl-7-Angel-Eyes-Epic-S-7499-YOU-MUST-LOOK-/390359560711.html

I Have A Dream - grey marbled

Some info from a Discogs user. I would strongly disagree there were only 25 copies though. They turn up much too regularly on eBay for that (including right now!). I also don’t get the bit about the Epic logo not having a box around it. It didn’t on the orange paper labels, only on the sleeves and yellow labels.

“1. Take A Chance On Me / I'm A Marionette Epic S EPC 5950

Rejected test pressing using injection moulded centre. 1978

Epic used this single as an 'example template' as it had already been released, hit No. 1 and left the charts...

This was CBS/Epic's very first forray into injection moulded single centres, looking for a way to cut production costs.

Manufactured at the CBS pressing plant in Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire, UK.

Thier intitial concept was to copy Polydor's releases in Germany... 'but not too copied...'
Placing title at the top, artist at the bottom meant there was no prominent place for the square company logo itself.

1. Parent company CBS, were unhappy with the Epic Logo not having a box around it (they'd have to register this logo as a new one), and that the white circles were missing as from their orange solid centre designs.

2. CBS were also unhappy in that they could NOT get the Epic logo at the top of the single itself as were normal with previous solid centre releases.
With the singles information being North and South, there was no preferred and prominent place, (north, south, east or west), for the Epic company Logo.
Having the Epic logo offset at a south easterly position on this test pressing was deemed to be totally unacceptable.

3. Epic liked to add as much information to their singles as possible, (eg: Taken from the album... etc).
This test copy of an Injection Moulded centre meant they could not do this to their satisfaction. They deemed the text as 'not prominent enough'.
Therefore free advertising for the album the song was taken from was out.

The whole concept of this test pressing was unacceptable to CBS.

This 'test' was therefore 'dumped' in favour of the regular Orange Paper solid centres.

A shame as they perfected the backward B Abba Logo to perfection on this test pressing and were never able to reproduce it correctly on any other future injection moulded releases in the early 80's.

Only 25 copies were pressed. Many ended up in the waste bin.

CBS/Epic were never able to perfect any of their injection mouldings to any satisfactory standard.

I know. I worked for CBS Marketing from 1974 to 1979”