Europe (2) – The Final Countdown

Matrix / Runout (Runout A, variant 2): 01-[7̶2̶ cancelled]7127-3-A-1 H
Matrix / Runout (Runout B, variant 2): EPCA-7127-1B1 MASTERDISK G

COLLECTOR'S ALERT

I just realized that I have a US Epic – 34-06416 release with the labels reversed. The side that is labeled "On Broken Wings" actually plays "The Final Countdown" and vice versa. Anyone else have a copy like this, or is this some uber-rare mistake that no one has ever heard of. Please shed some light on this. I can't seem to find any information ANYWHERE about it. What would this be worth? 50 cents? 50 bucks? Or should I call Sotheby's? ;)

When I heard and saw the video for this epic song for the first time I went....Oooooooh, these Swedish hairy guys know how to rock!!! And still today, everytime I hear it, it gives me chills and I just feel an explosion of energy. The voice of Joey Tempest, one of the greatest in rock, singing the lyrics "“We’re leaving together/but still it’s farewell" and that epic keyboard riff makes it one of the most popular rock songs in the history of music. I wonder what it would be like if Queen got it, and how Freddie Mercury would sing it? That would be something out of this world, don't you think so? Anyway, I had to buy this single, and so I did....in 2021. Yes, it's true, only this year I got the chance to buy this single.

There's so many stories about this song, and it's incredible how the band never included it in their first two albums. Now, 30 years later, people continue to love it and the band still enjoys playing it on the stage. 🌟💯🎵

SONG FACTS
This song's lyric is both apocalyptic and optimistic, describing a trip into Space (heading for Venus) and leaving Earth behind. Joey Tempest about it, he explained: "I had the demo without vocals, and I was singing it over and over again. The music was almost like a soundtrack to a movie, about leaving Earth, and that the Earth was spent. And one day, we'll probably have to leave this place. It was kind of a dream-like lyric, but that was the backdrop for it.""The Final Countdown" broke the CHARTS worldwide, going to number 1 in the UK and number 8 in America.
This was number 1 in 26 countries including and over 8 million singles were sold worldwide.

The interesting thing about this song is the intro and in this single version they inexplicably took it out. Horrible don't waste your money on the worst version.

I have information that this CBS is actually Zimbabve, not South African?

And the B-side is great and can only be found here (except on some Best-of-albums).
Strange that it didn't make it on to the 1986 album.

There is 2 different versions on this release. 1 Epic and 1 CBS

Is it TFC 2000 version? Then it's in wrong section

There would seem to be room for some merging on Final Countdown with catalog number EPC A 7127. The record seems to exist in three versions, one with barcode, two without. One of the two without barcode has all the text on the rear cover in white and the title on the front cover placed over the picture. The other has some text on the back in black (bottom) and some in white (top). There are five versions in the database. Four with country The Netherlands, one with country Europe. I believe that two of these releases should be merged, and that all the remaining three should have country Europe. Does anybody agree?

EPCA 7127 exists also with a small spindle hole