Vinyl pressings
by Bobby Brown · 1988
Don't Be Cruel was first pressed on vinyl in 1988. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
15 pressings came out in 1988, the album's first year, in 11 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.
MCA 7812 A-4 FUTUREDISC | p̶Side A runout variant 1
MCA 7813 FDS-3 | p̶Side B runout variant 1
MCA 7812 FDS 2 FUTUREDISCSide A runout variant 2
MCA 7813 FDS 1Side B runout variant 2
MCA 7812 FDS 2 FUTUREDISC ⧈-G-⧈Side A Runout, Variant 1
MCA 7813 FDS 1 ⧈-G-⧈Side B Runout, Variant 1
MCA 7812 FDS-1 FUTURE DISC ⧈-G-⧈ 2Side A Runout, Variant 2
MCA 7813 FDS-1 ⧈-G-⧈ 1Side B Runout, Variant 2
MCA 7812 FDS-5 ◈-P-◈Side A runout, variant 1
MCA 7813 FDS 4 ◈-P-◈Side B runout, variant 1
MCA 7813 FDS 3 ◈-P-◈ l gpSide B runout, variant 2
MCA 7812 FDS-5 ◈-P-◈ IISide A runout, variant 3
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Argentina | MCA Records 7812First yearLP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1988 | Australia | MCA Records 42185First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1988 | Australia | MCA Records 255913-1First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1988 | Canada | MCA Records MCA-42185First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1988 | Canada | MCA Records MCA-42185First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1988 | Canada | MCA Records MCA-42185LP, Album, Mini-Album, Club Edition · Club edition | LP, Album, Mini-Album, Club Edition · Club edition |
| 1988 | Canada | MCA Records MCA-42185LP, Album, Club Edition, Stereo · Club edition | LP, Album, Club Edition, Stereo · Club edition |
| 1988 | Europe | MCA Records 255 913-1First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1988 | Greece | MCA Records 255 913-1First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1988 | Greece | MCA Records 255 913-1LP, Album, Test Pressing · Test pressing | LP, Album, Test Pressing · Test pressing |
| 1988 | Jamaica | MCA Records MCA-42185First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1988 | Mexico | MCA Records LDXC-6823First yearLP, Album, Mispress | LP, Album, Mispress |
| 1988 | South Africa | MCA Records LMCA-42185First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1988 | South Korea | MCA Records MCA-42185First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1988 | UK | MCA Records MCF 3425 / MCA Records MCF 3245First yearLP, Album, Misprint | LP, Album, Misprint |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | US | Get On Down GET 54059LP, Album | LP, Album |
| 2014 | US | Get On Down GET 54059LP, Album, Reissue, Test Pressing · Test pressing | LP, Album, Reissue, Test Pressing · Test pressing |
25 vinyl pressings of Don't Be Cruel are listed here, from 13 countries, released between 1988 and 2014.
The earliest pressings are from 1988, in US, UK, Argentina, Australia and more. One of them is MCA Records MCA-42185.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use MCA-42185, MCF 3425, 7812, 42185) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, MCA 7812 A-4 FUTUREDISC | p̶ and MCA 7813 FDS-3 | p̶. 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.
