Dear Oldfield friends. I think I have found a variant - in the 7" version of "Moonlight Shadow" - both in the cover and the vinyl single itself.

We know it a little well already - it is mentioned in the fantastic Reiner's Discography - as the “Norwegian version” - as a German single with an English cover.

But I think we are wrong there. Why?

Well, the other day I bought a stack of 25 Oldfield singles from a second-hand record seller. They were primarily Swedish and English singles, and then five "Norwegian" 7"s of "Moonlight Shadow". You can always find them in Danish second-hand stores.

But this time I started to examine them more closely. and that's when I discovered - that the picture covers on the "Norwegian" editions - were not English soft picture covers. (see picture) English soft covers are confusingly similar - but on the back the front is folded over (F/B) - unlike the "Norwegian" ones - where the back is folded over the front (B/F). The same with the German covers - where the back is folded over the front (B/F) - and the German soft covers also have the serial number on the top corner of the front - neither the English nor the "Norwegian" ones have that.

So the cover on the "Norwegian" ones is neither English nor German - nor Swedish - as their covers are usually soft, but also dotted and uneven in structure.

But most exciting is the vinyl record.

It's German - yes - BUT BUT .. it has its own matrix number!!! which is not found on the normal German singles. Take at look at the normal German matrix numbers – all of them are stamped:

D:    105 390-100    silver label                                 

Matrix A1/B1   - GEMA STEMRA 

D:    105 390-100    silver label                                 

Matrix A1/B2   - GEMA STEMRA   

D:    105 390-100    silver label                                 

Matrix A2/B1  -  GEMA STEMRA   

D:    105 390-100    silver label                                 

Matrix A3/B2 – Different label – GEMA STEMRA BIEM

D:    105 390-100    silver label                                 

Matrix A4/B1 – Jukebox strip  -   GEMA STEMRA

But the "Norwegian" ones all have, next to the normal stamped matrix, two handwritten ones: (see pictures) the letters "DS" - and a little further back and more indistinctly something that looks like "O2O" or "D2D".

I don't think this is found on the German singles - that I can see - only the stamped matrix numbers.

So what do you say? Is this a unique version of their own. "Norwegian" - or maybe Danish - since it so often appears in this country.

Sorry for my long post. Regards from jens from Denmark