UK
July 1954- Label and catalog number
- Decca LXT 2941
- Format
- LP, Album, Mono
Vinyl pressings
by Benjamin Britten · 1954
Les Illuminations was first pressed on vinyl in 1954. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
2 pressings came out in 1954, the album's first year, in 2 countries. Compare the label and catalog number on your copy, then the codes etched or stamped in the runout groove (the dead wax around the label): they are the surest sign of an early pressing.
ARL 2017A-side
ARL 2018B-side
Not sure how to read the runout? See matrix numbers, runout and dead wax and how to tell a first pressing.
By decade, oldest first. Open a pressing for its full label, barcode and runout details.
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | US | London Records LL 994 / London Records LL.994First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1954 | UK | Decca LXT 2941First yearLP, Album, Mono · Mono | LP, Album, Mono · Mono |
| 1955 | UK | Decca LXT 2941 / Decca LXT.2941LP, Mono · Mono | LP, Mono · Mono |
| 1958 | UK | Decca LXT 2941LP, Reissue, Mono · Mono | LP, Reissue, Mono · Mono |
| 1959 | UK | Decca LXT 2941 / Decca LXT .2941LP, Repress, Mono · Mono | LP, Repress, Mono · Mono |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | Germany | Decca LXT 2941LP, Mono · Mono | LP, Mono · Mono |
| ? | Germany | Decca LXT 2941LP, Mono · Mono | LP, Mono · Mono |
| ? | UK | Decca LXT 2941LP, Reissue, Mono · Mono | LP, Reissue, Mono · Mono |
| ? | UK | Decca LXT 2941LP, Reissue | LP, Reissue |
| ? | US | London Records 5358LP, Album | LP, Album |
10 vinyl pressings of Les Illuminations are listed here, from 3 countries, released between 1954 and 1959.
The earliest pressings are from 1954, in UK, US. One of them is Decca LXT 2941, released July 1954.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use LXT 2941, LL 994) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above. Later reissues often keep the catalog number but change the label design or the runout codes.
It depends on which pressing you have and on the condition of the record and its sleeve. Early pressings from the album's home country in near mint condition are usually worth the most; common later reissues are worth far less. Scan your copy with VinylLens to see its value for every grade.

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