Vinyl pressings
by Chick Corea · 1982
Touchstone was first pressed on vinyl in 1982. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
19 pressings came out in 1982, 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.
R/S Alsdorf 57015 A4 STRAWBERRY (G)Runout A, stamped
R/S Alsdorf 57015 B-5 STRAWBERRY (G)Runout B, stamped
WB 57 015-1Label A
WB 57 015-2Label B
SP 1-23699-A-S4 0-1SML + SLM △1889Side A runout, variant 1
1-23699-B-S3 0-1SML + SLM △1889-XSide B runout, variant 1
SP 1-23699-A-S4 0-1SM1-1 + SLM △1889Side A runout, variant 2
1-23699-B-S4 0-1 SM1-1 + SP. SLM △1889-XSide B runout, variant 2
1-23699-A-S1 [α Allied logo] B-16882-AS1 SLM △1889Runout A, etched [exc. logo]
1-23699-B-S1 [α Allied logo] B-16883-B-S1 + SLM △1889-XRunout B, etched [exc. logo]
SLIN-3218-ALabel A
SLIN-3218-BLabel 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | US | Warner Bros. Records 1-23699LP, Album, Club Edition · Club edition | LP, Album, Club Edition · Club edition |
20 vinyl pressings of Touchstone are listed here, from 11 countries.
The earliest pressings are from 1982, in Scandinavia, US, Argentina, Canada and more. One of them is Warner Bros. Records WB K 57 015.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use WB K 57 015, 1-23699, 9 23699-1, W1-23699) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, R/S Alsdorf 57015 A4 STRAWBERRY (G) and R/S Alsdorf 57015 B-5 STRAWBERRY (G). 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.
