Vinyl pressings
by Europe · 1986
The Final Countdown was first pressed on vinyl in 1986. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
42 pressings came out in 1986, the album's first year, in 22 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.
01-026808-1 ARunout side A, variant 1
BL40241-IAB 01-26808-4B-1Runout side B, variant 1
AL 40241-1AA 01-26808-4A-1 DRunout side A, variant 2
BL40241-1AB E 01-26808-4B-1Runout side B, variant 2
AL40241-1AB G 01-26808-4A-Runout side A variation 1
BL40241-1AA A 01-26808-3B-1Runout side B variation 1
AL40241-1AB 01-26808-4A-1 CRunout side A variation 2
BL40241-1AA 01-26808-3B-1 ARunout side B variation 2
AL40241-1AB 01-26808-4A-1 ARunout side A, variant 1
BL40241-1AB 01-26808-4B-1 ARunout side B, variant 1
AL40241-1AB 01-26808-4A-1 BRunout side A, variant 2
BL40241-1AA 01-26808-3B-1 ARunout side B, variant 2
AL40241-1ABRunout side A
BL40241-1AB 01 26808-4B-1Runout side B
07-136879-20Insert
EPC 26808Label Side A
AL40241-1AB E 01-26808-3A-1Runout, side A, etched & stamped, variant 1
BL40241-1AB D 01-26808-4B-1Runout, side B, etched & stamped, variant 1
AL40241-1AB E OI-26808-3A-IRunout, side A, variant 2
BL40241-1AA A OI-26808-3B-IRunout, side B, variant 2
AL40241-1AB 01 26808-4A-1 ARunout side A, Variant 1
BL-EUROPE-1A MASTERDISK A 01-26808-1B-1Runout side B, Variant 1
AL40241-1AB 01 26808-4A-1 ARunout side A, Variant 2
BL-EUROPE-1A MASTERDISK B 01-26808-2B-1Runout side B, Variant 2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Argentina | CBS 120.000.867First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1986 | Argentina | CBS 120.000.867First yearLP, Album, Promo · Promo | LP, Album, Promo · Promo |
| 1986 | Argentina | CBS 120.000.867First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1986 | Bolivia | CBS 20488 / Discos CBS SLP 20488First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1986 | Brazil | Epic 144909 / Epic EC 144909First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1986 | Colombia | Epic 19418First yearLP, Album · Colored vinyl | LP, Album · Colored vinyl |
| 1986 | Costa Rica | Epic 1033234First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1986 | Europe | Epic EPC 26808 / Epic 26808First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1986 | Europe | Epic EPC 26808 / Epic BFE 40241First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1986 | Europe | Epic EPC 26808 / Epic BFE 40241First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1986 | Europe | Epic EPCCL 32 448 3 / Epic EPC 26808LP, Album, Club Edition · Club edition | LP, Album, Club Edition · Club edition |
| 1986 | Europe | Epic EPC 26808 / Epic EPCCL 13 687 9First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1986 | Europe | Epic EPCCL 13 687 9LP, Album, Club Edition · Club edition | LP, Album, Club Edition · Club edition |
| 1986 | Europe | Epic EPC 26808 / Epic 26808First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1986 | Europe | Epic EPC 26808 / Epic BFE 40241First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Czechoslovakia | Supraphon 11 0265-1 311 / CBS 11 0265-1 311LP, Album, Repress | LP, Album, Repress |
| 1990 | Europe | Epic EPC 26808 / Epic 26808LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo |
| 1990 | South Korea | CBS CPL-1054LP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1990 | Spain | Epic EPC 466328-1 / Epic 466328 1LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| 1994 | Russia | Santa Records П94 RAT 30817LP, Album, Unofficial Release · Unofficial | LP, Album, Unofficial Release · Unofficial |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Europe | Music On Vinyl MOVLP 1424LP, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue · Limited, Numbered, Colored vinyl | LP, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue · Limited, Numbered, Colored vinyl |
| 2015 | Netherlands | Epic MOVLP1424LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo |
| 2015 | Europe | Music On Vinyl MOVLP 1424LP, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue · Limited, Numbered, Colored vinyl | LP, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue · Limited, Numbered, Colored vinyl |
| 2015 | Europe | Music On Vinyl MOVLP 1424LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Europe | Sony Music 19439801911 / Legacy 19439801911LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Stereo · Limited, Colored vinyl | LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Stereo · Limited, Colored vinyl |
| 2023 | Italy | S.A.I.F.A.M. COM 286 / Epic COM 286LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | Unknown | Epic Bl 40241LP, Album | LP, Album |
| ? | Europe | Epic 466328 1LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| ? | Europe | Epic EPC 26808 / Epic BFE 40241LP, Album, Repress, Stereo | LP, Album, Repress, Stereo |
| ? | Europe | Epic EPC 26808 / Epic 26808LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| ? | Europe | Epic EPC 26808 / Epic 26808LP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| ? | Sweden | Elson Music Vision, Inc. 466328-1LP, Album | LP, Album |
| ? | UK | Epic 466328 1LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
78 vinyl pressings of The Final Countdown are listed here, from 33 countries, released between 1986 and 2023.
The earliest pressings are from 1986, in Europe, UK, US, Canada and more. One of them is Epic EPC 26808.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use EPC 26808, FE 40241, BFE 40241, E 40241) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, 01-026808-1 A and BL40241-IAB 01-26808-4B-1. 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.
