Vinyl pressings
by Front 242 · 1988
Front By Front was first pressed on vinyl in 1988. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
7 pressings came out in 1988, the album's first year, in 7 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.
RRELP-7-A Tape 1 1 JASide A, variant 1
RRELP-7-B Tape 1 1 JASide B, variant 1
RRELP-7-A Tape 1 X1 JASide A, variant 2
RRELP-7-B Tape 1 X1 JASide B, variant 2
WAX-054-A Tape 1 JASide A
WAX-054-B Tuye 1 JASide B
RRELP-7-A (scratched through) WAX-054-A Tape 1 JASide A (Variant 1)
RRELP-7-B (scratched through) WAX-054-B Tape 1 JASide B (Variant 1)
RRELP-7-A Tape 1 - JARunout, A side
RRELP-7-B Tape 1 - JARunout, B side
RRELP-7-A Tape 1 1 JARunout side A, etched
RRELP-7-B Tape 1 1 JARunout side B, etched
RRELP-7-A Tape 1 JASide A runout, variant 1
RRELP-7-B Tape 1 W1 30029 B JASide B runout, variant 1
{RRELP-7-A} W1-30029-A Tape 1 ⇀ JASide A runout, variant 2 [String within { } is crossed out]
RRELP-7-B Tape 1 ⇀ W1 30029-B JASide B runout, variant 2
DMC -4362 A-2/9-88Runout side A
DMC -4362 B-2/9-88Runout side B
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Canada | Nettwerk W1-30029First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1988 | Europe | Red Rhino Europe RRE LP 7LP, Test Pressing, Album · Test pressing | LP, Test Pressing, Album · Test pressing |
| 1988 | Germany, Austria, & Switzerland | Animalized SPV 08-1389 / Animalized SPV ☉ 08-1389First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1988 | Spain | Nuevos Medios 63 344First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1988 | US | Wax Trax! Records WAX 054First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1988 | US | Wax Trax! Records WAX 054LP, Album, Test Pressing · Test pressing | LP, Album, Test Pressing · Test pressing |
| 1988 | Belgium | Red Rhino Europe RRE LP 7 / Red Rhino Europe RRELP7First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1988 | France | Red Rhino Europe RRE LP 7 / Red Rhino Europe RRELP7First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1988 | Germany | Animalized 08-1389LP, Album, Test Pressing · Test pressing | LP, Album, Test Pressing · Test pressing |
| 1988 | Scandinavia | Red Rhino Europe RRE LP 7 / MNW RRE LP 7First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1989 | Brazil | Stiletto 220.4012LP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1989 | Brazil | Stiletto 492.010LP, Album | LP, Album |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Czechoslovakia | Globus International 21 0032-1 311LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| 1990 | Czechoslovakia | Globus International 21 0032-1 311LP, Album, Promo · Promo, Colored vinyl | LP, Album, Promo · Promo, Colored vinyl |
| 1990 | Czechoslovakia | Globus International 21 0032-1 311LP, Album, Promo · Promo | LP, Album, Promo · Promo |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Belgium | Red Rhino Europe RRE LP 7LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Belgium | Red Rhino Europe RRE LP 7LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
17 vinyl pressings of Front By Front are listed here, from 11 countries, released between 1988 and 2023.
The earliest pressings are from 1988, in Belgium, US, France, Scandinavia and more. One of them is Red Rhino Europe RRE LP 7, released October 28, 1988.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use RRE LP 7, WAX 054, W1-30029, SPV 08-1389) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, RRELP-7-A Tape 1 1 JA and RRELP-7-B Tape 1 1 JA. 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.
