Vinyl pressings
by Georg Friedrich Händel · 1959
The Royal Fireworks Suite was first pressed on vinyl in 1959. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
4 pressings came out in 1959, 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.
XXSM48120-1ACRunout Side A, stamped
XXSM48120-1DRunout Side A, stamped (variant 1)
XXSM48121-1AKRunout Side B, stamped
XXSM48121-1FRunout Side B, stamped (variant 1)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Canada | Columbia Masterworks MS 6095LP, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Reissue, Stereo |
| 1959 | Canada | Columbia Masterworks ML 5417First yearLP, Album, Mono · Mono | LP, Album, Mono · Mono |
| 1959 | US | Columbia Masterworks MS 6095First yearLP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1959 | US | Columbia Masterworks ML 5417First yearLP, Mono · Mono | LP, Mono · Mono |
| 1959 | US | Coronet KLC 2723First yearLP, Mono · Mono | LP, Mono · Mono |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | US | Columbia Masterworks MS 6095LP, Reissue, Repress, Stereo | LP, Reissue, Repress, Stereo |
| 1974 | UK | CBS Classics 61639LP | LP |
| 1977 | Australia | CBS GM 517LP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1977 | Japan | CBS/Sony 13AC 283LP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1979 | UK | CBS 30105LP, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Reissue, Stereo |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | Israel | CBS 72241 / Columbia Records ML 5417LP, Album | LP, Album |
| ? | US | Columbia Masterworks MS 6095LP, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Reissue, Stereo |
| ? | US | Columbia Masterworks MS 6095LP, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Reissue, Stereo |
13 vinyl pressings of The Royal Fireworks Suite are listed here, from 6 countries, released between 1959 and 1979.
The earliest pressings are from 1959, in US, Canada. One of them is Columbia Masterworks MS 6095.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use MS 6095, ML 5417, KLC 2723) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, XXSM48120-1AC and XXSM48120-1D. 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.
