Vinyl pressings
by Erroll Garner · 1954
Contrasts 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. 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.
YMG 36001 A MRunout A side, variant 1
MG 36001B MS2 MSII I A7Runout B side, variant 1
YMG 36001A MRunout A side, variant 2
MG 36001B MF1 MSI I /\1Runout B side, variant 2
YMG 36001A MSide A runout
MG 36001B MS2 MSI I /\1Side B runout
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 | EmArcy MG 36001 / EmArcy MG-36001First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1954 | US | EmArcy MG 36001 / EmArcy MG-36001First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1955 | Australia | EmArcy MG 36001LP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1955 | Netherlands | EmArcy MG 36001LP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1955 | US | EmArcy MG 36001LP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1955 | Uruguay | EmArcy MG 36001LP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1956 | Japan | Concert Hall J-1256LP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1958 | US | Mercury MG 36001 / EmArcy MG 36001LP, Album, Mono · Mono | LP, Album, Mono · Mono |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Japan | EmArcy SJ19802LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | Australia | EmArcy MG 36001 / Mercury MG 36001Album, LP | Album, LP |
| ? | Australia | EmArcy MG 36001Album, LP | Album, LP |
| ? | Europe | Jazztone J-1256LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| ? | France | Guilde Du Jazz J. 1256 / Guilde Internationale Du Disque J. 1256LP, Album | LP, Album |
| ? | Germany | Mercury RJ 83208 / Mercury Emarcy Jazz MG 33001LP | LP |
| ? | UK | Concert Hall J-1256 / Concert Hall CJ-1256LP, Album | LP, Album |
15 vinyl pressings of Contrasts are listed here, from 9 countries, released between 1954 and 1992.
The earliest pressings are from 1954, in US. One of them is EmArcy MG 36001, released December 1954.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use MG 36001) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, YMG 36001 A M and MG 36001B MS2 MSII I A7. 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.
