Skip to content
VinylLens
"Babbacombe" Lee by Fairport Convention, album cover

Vinyl pressings

"Babbacombe" Lee

by Fairport Convention · 1971

29 pressings13 countriesFolk RockRockFolkWorld

"Babbacombe" Lee was first pressed on vinyl in 1971. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.

How to spot a first pressing of "Babbacombe" Lee

12 pressings came out in 1971, the album's first year, in 8 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.

UK

1971
Label and catalog number
Island Records ILPS 9176
Format
LP, Album
Runout / matrix

ILPS 9176 A-1U PORKY A 1Side A runout variant 1

ILPS 9176 B-1U PECKO M 1Side B runout variant 1

ILPS 9176 A-1U PORKY H 1Side A runout variant 2

ILPS 9176 B-1U PECKO R 1Side B runout variant 2

Full details of this pressing

US

1971
Label and catalog number
A&M Records SP-4333A&M Records SP 4333
Format
LP, Album, Stereo · Terre Haute Pressing, Gatefold
Runout / matrix

A&M SP 4565 TI 1A-Side runout, variant 1

A&M SP 4566 PI 1B-Side runout, variant 1

A&M SP 4565 T1 1 AA-Side runout, variant 2

A&M SP 4566 T1 1 1AB-Side runout, variant 2

Full details of this pressing

US

1971
Label and catalog number
A&M Records SP-4333A&M Records SP-4333-DJ
Format
LP, Album, Promo, Special Cut · DJ
Runout / matrix

A&M SP 4565 DJ M1 [Monarch logo] Λ Δ16905Side A runout, etched [Monarch logo stamped]

A&M SP 4566 DJ M1 [Monarch logo] Λ Δ16905-x (3)Side B runout, etched [Monarch logo stamped]

SP-4565-DJLabel matrix, side A

SP-4566-DJLabel matrix, side B

Full details of this pressing

Australia

1971
Label and catalog number
Island Records SIL 934457Island Records SIL-934,457
Format
LP, Album
Runout / matrix

ILPS 9176 A - 1U [stamped] SMX39653 PORKY [etched]Side A runout

ILPS 9176 B - 1U [stamped] SMX39654 PECKO [etched]Side B runout

Full details of this pressing

Canada

1971
Label and catalog number
A&M Records SP-4333
Format
LP, Album
Runout / matrix

SP-4565 TGSide A runout

SP-4566 TGSide B runout

Full details of this pressing

Not sure how to read the runout? See matrix numbers, runout and dead wax and how to tell a first pressing.

All 29 vinyl pressings

By decade, oldest first. Open a pressing for its full label, barcode and runout details.

1970s18 pressings
YearCountryLabel and catalog numberFormat
1971AustraliaIsland Records SIL-934,457LP, Album, RepressLP, Album, Repress
1971AustraliaIsland Records SIL 934457 / Island Records SIL-934,457First yearLP, AlbumLP, Album
1971CanadaA&M Records SP-4333First yearLP, Album, Promo · PromoLP, Album, Promo · Promo
1971CanadaA&M Records SP-4333First yearLP, AlbumLP, Album
1971CanadaA&M Records SPX 4333First yearLP, AlbumLP, Album
1971DenmarkIsland Records ILPS 9176First yearLP, Album, StereoLP, Album, Stereo
1971NetherlandsIsland Records ILPS 9176First yearLP, Album, StereoLP, Album, Stereo
1971SpainIsland Records 85.805-I / Ariola ilps 9176First yearLPLP
1971SwedenIsland Records ILPS 9176First yearLP, AlbumLP, Album
1971UKIsland Records ILPS 9176First yearLP, AlbumLP, Album
1971USA&M Records SP-4333 / A&M Records SP 4333First yearLP, Album, StereoLP, Album, Stereo
1971USA&M Records SP-4333First yearLP, Album, Promo · PromoLP, Album, Promo · Promo
1971USA&M Records SP-4333 / A&M Records SP-4333-DJFirst yearLP, Album, Promo, Special Cut · PromoLP, Album, Promo, Special Cut · Promo
1972ItalyIsland Records ILPS 19176LP, AlbumLP, Album
1972JapanIsland Records ICL-18LP, Album, StereoLP, Album, Stereo
All 18 pressings from the 1970s
2020s1 pressing
YearCountryLabel and catalog numberFormat
2025WorldwideIsland Records UMCLP103 / Universal Music Recordings UMCLP103LP, Reissue, StereoLP, Reissue, Stereo
Year unknown10 pressings
YearCountryLabel and catalog numberFormat
?GermanyIsland Records 200 572 XOTLP, AlbumLP, Album
?GermanyIsland Records 85 805 IT / Island Records ILPS 9176LP, AlbumLP, Album
?ItalyIsland Records ILPS 19176LP, Album, ReissueLP, Album, Reissue
?NetherlandsIsland Records 200 572 XOT / Island Records 200 572LP, AlbumLP, Album
?UKIsland Records ILPS 9176LP, Album, ReissueLP, Album, Reissue
?UKIsland Records ILPS 9176LP, Album, ReissueLP, Album, Reissue
?UKIsland Records ILPS 9176LP, Album, ReissueLP, Album, Reissue
?UKIsland Records ILPS 9176LP, Album, ReissueLP, Album, Reissue
?UKIsland Records ILPS 9176LP, Album, ReissueLP, Album, Reissue
?UKIsland Records ILPS.9176LP, Album, ReissueLP, Album, Reissue

Tracklist

  1. AJohn's Reflection On His Boyhood, His Introduction To Miss Keyes And The Glen, His Restlessness, And His Struggles With His Family, Finally Successful, To Join The Navy. This Was The Happiest Period In His Life. All Looked Set Fair For A Career Until He Was Stricken With Sickness And Invalided Out Of His Chosen Niche In Life. Reluctantly And Unhappily He Turned To A Number Of Menial Occupations And Finally Returned To The Services Of Miss Keyes. Tragedy Now Strikes Hard. The World's Imagination Is Caught By The Brutal Senselessness Of The Apparent Criminal Who Slays His Kind Old Mistress.
  2. BJohn Was Hardly More Than A Bewildered Observer At His Own Trial, Not Being Allowed To Say More Than A Few Words. The Tides Of Fate Wash Him To The Condemned Cell Where He Waits Three Sad Weeks For His Last Night On Earth. When It Comes, He Cannot Sleep, But When He Does, A Strange, Prophetic Dream Comes To Him, And Helps Him To Bear The Strain Of His Next Day's Ordeal As Scaffold And Its Crew Try In Vain Three Times To Take His Life.

Questions

How many vinyl pressings of "Babbacombe" Lee are there?

29 vinyl pressings of "Babbacombe" Lee are listed here, from 13 countries, released between 1971 and 2025.

When was "Babbacombe" Lee first released on vinyl?

The earliest pressings are from 1971, in UK, US, Australia, Canada and more. One of them is Island Records ILPS 9176.

How do I tell if my copy of "Babbacombe" Lee is a first pressing?

Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use ILPS 9176, SP-4333, SIL 934457, SPX 4333) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, ILPS 9176 A-1U PORKY A 1 and ILPS 9176 B-1U PECKO M 1. Later reissues often keep the catalog number but change the label design or the runout codes.

How much is "Babbacombe" Lee on vinyl worth?

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.

More Fairport Convention on vinyl

VinylLens app

What is your copy of "Babbacombe" Lee worth?

Point your phone at the label. VinylLens finds the exact pressing in seconds and shows its value for every condition, from Mint to Poor, so you know what your record is really worth.

Scan your records free