This is a tricky one. In 1980 RCA in Italy released a split single with Ramones Baby I love you on one side (Sire rec) and the Italian band Decibel with the song Contessa on the other (Spaghetti rec). The disc was made for jukeboxes. So far so good. But after some years the single turned up with a picture sleeve, or rather a picture sheet.
The sleeve was marketed as a "radio promo" from SPER Radio Network.
It's is most likely that this is a fake – as well as a number of other singles with similar Circuito SPER sleeves. This is why most collectors think so:
* The sleeve sheet looks homemade. Amateurish and clipped together with random pictures and logos.
* Even if the discs are worn and scratched the covers are in near mint condition. They do not appear to be related to the records.
According to a well-known collector, there is no doubt that the single is false: "Stay away from it - famous fake sleeve!" He told me.
A seller from Italy has a different opinion: "The ps for Baby I love was pressed by the italian juke box 7" company for SPER Radio Network, I do not know how to consider it, we can call it a semi-official release! But many counterfeit copies of this ps exists".
Maybe someone from Italy knows more about the mysterious SPER Network. Until that I consider this as an official release – with a fake sleeve.
Other SPER-singles with the same "Disco successo"-mark.
The "real" italian Baby I love you jukebox single.
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