A multilayer record carrier is for recording information by writing marks representing addressable blocks in a track. Each recording layer has a pre-formed recording control pattern for indicating the track, the pattern comprising physical addresses (59) that indicate the physical position of the physical address with respect to a starting point of the track. The predefined number of bits of the physical address indicates the physical position with respect to a starting point of the track. At least one address bit of the predefined number of address bits of the physical address is allocated as a layer address bit (60) that has a value indicating the recording layer. A recording device has a layer unit (34) for detecting a recording layer in dependence of the layer address bit.