Vinyl pressings
by Jim Hall · 1976
Commitment was first pressed on vinyl in 1976. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
8 pressings came out in 1976, the album's first year, in 5 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.
AM SP 729 RE-1 T2 A 7 T ISide A runout
SP 730 RE-1 T10 A T ISide B runout
AM SP 729 RE-1 T4 A 2 T ISide A runout variant 2
AM SP 730 RE-1 T9 A 6 T ISide B runout variant 2
(Side A) SP-715-A AM SP 729 RE-1 M1 Ⓜ︎R Δ21399
(Side B) SP-715-B AM SP 730 RE-1 M3 (CΔN) Ⓜ︎R Δ21399-X
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Australia | Horizon L36240First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1976 | Canada | Horizon SP-715First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1976 | Canada | A&M Records SP-715 / Horizon SP-715First yearLP, Promo · Promo | LP, Promo · Promo |
| 1976 | Canada | Horizon SP-715First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1976 | Colombia | A&M Records AMS 5144First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1976 | Japan | Horizon GP-3512 / A&M Records GP-3512First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1976 | US | Horizon SP-715 / Horizon HORIZON16First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1976 | US | Horizon SP-715First yearLP, Promo · Promo | LP, Promo · Promo |
| 1979 | Japan | Horizon HOJ-2003 / A&M Records HOJ-2003LP, Album, Promo, Reissue · Promo | LP, Album, Promo, Reissue · Promo |
| 1979 | Japan | Horizon HOJ-2003 / A&M Records HOJ-2003LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| 1979 | US | Horizon Horizon 16 / A&M SP-715LP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | US | A&M Records A&M SP-715 / Horizon Horizon 16LP, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Reissue, Stereo |
12 vinyl pressings of Commitment are listed here, from 5 countries, released between 1976 and 1979.
The earliest pressings are from 1976, in US, Australia, Canada, Colombia and more. One of them is Horizon SP-715.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use SP-715, L36240, AMS 5144, GP-3512) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, AM SP 729 RE-1 T2 A 7 T I and SP 730 RE-1 T10 A T I. 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.
