Vinyl pressings
by Frédéric Chopin · 1970
The Chopin I Love was first pressed on vinyl in 1970. 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 1970, 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.
SB-6874-A -10E 'W' ARAE JA(Side A, runout, etched, variant 2)
SB-6874-B-17E 'W' A2B(Side B, runout, etched, variant 2)
SB-6874-A - TE A1D 'W'
SB-6874-B - 14E A2H 'W'
SB-6874-A - 9S 'W' A/A
SB-6874-B - 13E A/P 'W'
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Trinidad & Tobago | RCA LSC-4000First yearLP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1970 | UK | RCA Red Seal SB 6874 (LSC-4000)First yearLP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1970 | UK | RCA Red Seal SB 6874 (LSC-4000)First yearLP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1971 | Canada | RCA Red Seal LSC-4000LP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1971 | Israel | RCA Red Seal LSC-4000LP, Compilation, Stereo | LP, Compilation, Stereo |
| 1971 | Japan | RCA Red Seal SX-2705LP | LP |
| 1971 | South Africa | RCA Red Seal 36-510LP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1971 | UK | RCA Red Seal SB 6874 (LSC-4000)LP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1971 | UK | RCA Red Seal SB 6874 (LSC-4000)LP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1971 | US | RCA Red Seal LSC-4000LP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1972 | US | RCA Red Seal LSC-3322LP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1974 | Spain | RCA Red Seal LSC-4000LP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1979 | Japan | RCA Red Seal RX-2320LP, Reissue | LP, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | Argentina | RCA Red Seal LSC-4000LP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| ? | Brazil | RCA 105.4051LP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| ? | Israel | RCA Red Seal LSC-4000LP | LP |
| ? | US | RCA Red Seal LSC-4000LP, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Reissue, Stereo |
| ? | US | RCA Red Seal LSC-3322LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo |
| ? | US | RCA Red Seal LSC-4000LP, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Reissue, Stereo |
19 vinyl pressings of The Chopin I Love are listed here, from 10 countries, released between 1970 and 1979.
The earliest pressings are from 1970, in UK, Trinidad & Tobago. One of them is RCA Red Seal SB 6874 (LSC-4000).
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use SB 6874 (LSC-4000), LSC-4000) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, SB-6874-A -10E 'W' ARAE JA and SB-6874-B-17E 'W' A2B. 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.
