Vinyl pressings
by Frances Faye · 1956
George Gershwin's Porgy And Bess was first pressed on vinyl in 1956. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
1 pressing came out in 1956, 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.
P+B - 1 - RE - 3scratched, Side A
P+B - 2 - RE - 3scratched, Side B
P+B - 3 - RE - 3scratched, Side C
P+B - 4scratched, Side D
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | US | Bethlehem Records EXLP 1 / Bethlehem Records EXLP-1First yearLP, Album, Mono, Box Set · Mono | LP, Album, Mono, Box Set · Mono |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | US | Bethlehem Records EXLP 1 / Bethlehem Records EXLP-1LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, Box Set | LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, Box Set |
| 1962 | Unknown | Ember Records CEL 900LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| 1962 | UK | Ember Records International Ltd CEL 900LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| 1962 | UK | Ember Records International Ltd CEL 900LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| 1962 | UK | Ember Records International Ltd CEL 900LP, Album | LP, Album |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | US | Bethlehem Records 3BP-1Box Set, Reissue, LP, Album | Box Set, Reissue, LP, Album |
| 1976 | US | Bethlehem Records BCP 6009 / Bethlehem Records BCP-6009LP | LP |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | France | Bethlehem Records BTM 6809/10/11LP, Album, Stereo, Box Set | LP, Album, Stereo, Box Set |
| 1985 | Japan | Bethlehem Records YB-7014 16-BELP, Album, Mono, Box Set · Mono | LP, Album, Mono, Box Set · Mono |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | US | Bethlehem EXLP-1LP, Stereo, Mono · Mono | LP, Stereo, Mono · Mono |
11 vinyl pressings of George Gershwin's Porgy And Bess are listed here, from 4 countries, released between 1956 and 1985.
The earliest pressings are from 1956, in US. One of them is Bethlehem Records EXLP 1.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use EXLP 1) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, P+B - 1 - RE - 3 and P+B - 2 - RE - 3. 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.
