Vinyl pressings
by Don Shirley · 1959
Piano was first pressed on vinyl in 1959. 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 1959, 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.
BC-7757-13613-A3Side A Runout, Etched [variant 1]
BC-7757-13613-B4Side B Runout, Etched [variant 1]
BC-775Y-13613-A2 AFLP-1897-A2 1-17-59Side A Runout, Etched [variant 2]
BC-775Y-13613-B4 AFLP-1897-A4 2-17-59Side B Runout, Etched [variant 2]
AFSD 5897-A 4-21-60 (OSS-4-19-60)Side A Runout
AFSD 5897-B 4-21-60 (OSS-4-19-60)Side B Runout
AFSD-5897-A5 4-3-59 BCS-833Y-13893-A5Side A runout, varient 1
4-3-59 AFSD-5897-B6 BCS-833Y-13893-B6Side B runout, varient 1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Italy | Audio Fidelity AFLP 1897 / Audio Fidelity AFSD 5897First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1959 | US | Audio Fidelity AFLP 1897First yearLP, Album, Mono · Mono | LP, Album, Mono · Mono |
| 1959 | US | Audio Fidelity AFSD 5897First yearLP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1959 | US | Audio Fidelity AFSD 5897LP, Repress, Stereo | LP, Repress, Stereo |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | UK | Audio Fidelity AFSD 5897LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | US | Audio Fidelity AFSD 5897LP, Album, Repress | LP, Album, Repress |
| 1976 | US | Audio 10 A10-5897 / Audio Fidelity AFSD 5897LP, Album, Repress | LP, Album, Repress |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | US | Audio Fidelity ST-90262 / Audio Fidelity ST 90262LP, Club Edition, Stereo · Club edition | LP, Club Edition, Stereo · Club edition |
| ? | US | Audio Fidelity AFSD 5897LP, Stereo, Reissue | LP, Stereo, Reissue |
| ? | US | Audio Fidelity AFSD 5897LP, Repress, Stereo | LP, Repress, Stereo |
10 vinyl pressings of Piano are listed here, from 3 countries, released between 1959 and 1976.
The earliest pressings are from 1959, in US, Italy. One of them is Audio Fidelity AFLP 1897.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use AFLP 1897, AFSD 5897) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, BC-7757-13613-A3 and BC-7757-13613-B4. 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.
