Vinyl pressings
by Black Sabbath · 1975
Paranoid / Iron Man was first pressed on vinyl in 1975. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
3 pressings came out in 1975, the album's first year. 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.
GWB-0312 NA-18937-S-W1#4 0Runout Side A, Variant 1, Stamped
GWB-0321 NA 18939-S-W1 #1 0Runout Side B, Variant 1, Stamped
GWB-0312 NA-18937-S-W1#3 0Runout Side A, Variant 2, Hand-Etched except last '0'
GWB-0321 NA 18939-S-W1 #1 0Runout Side B, Variant 2, Hand-Etched except last '0'
GWB-0312 NA-18937-1 T111Runout Side A, Variant 1, Etched
GWB-0312 NA-18937-1S T111Runout Side B, Variant 1, Stamped
(NA18937)Label Side A
(NA18939)SLabel Side B
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | US | Warner Bros. Records GWB 0312First year7", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
| 1975 | US | Warner Bros. Records GWB 0312First year7", 45 RPM, Styrene | 7", 45 RPM, Styrene |
| 1975 | US | Warner Bros. Records GWB 0312First year7", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | UK | Nems 12 NEX 01 / Nems 12NEX0112", 33 ⅓ RPM, EP, Limited Edition · Limited, Colored vinyl | 12", 33 ⅓ RPM, EP, Limited Edition · Limited, Colored vinyl |
| 1982 | UK | NEMS NEP17", Picture Disc, Single · Picture disc | 7", Picture Disc, Single · Picture disc |
| 1985 | UK | Old Gold OG94677", 45 RPM, Stereo | 7", 45 RPM, Stereo |
| 1985 | UK | Old Gold OG 94677", Single, 45 RPM | 7", Single, 45 RPM |
| 1985 | UK | Old Gold OG 94677", 45 RPM, Single, Stereo | 7", 45 RPM, Single, Stereo |
| 1985 | UK | Old Gold OG 94677", Single, 45 RPM | 7", Single, 45 RPM |
| 1985 | UK | Old Gold OG94677", 45 RPM, Stereo | 7", 45 RPM, Stereo |
| 1987 | US | Warner Bros. Records GWB 03127", 45 RPM, Single, Reissue | 7", 45 RPM, Single, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | US | Warner Records 0812278089764", 33 ⅓ RPM, Single, Limited Edition, Stereo · Limited | 4", 33 ⅓ RPM, Single, Limited Edition, Stereo · Limited |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | Canada | Warner Bros. Records GS 451097", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
13 vinyl pressings of Paranoid / Iron Man are listed here, from 3 countries, released between 1975 and 2025.
The earliest pressings are from 1975, in US. One of them is Warner Bros. Records GWB 0312.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use GWB 0312) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, GWB-0312 NA-18937-S-W1#4 0 and GWB-0321 NA 18939-S-W1 #1 0. 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.
