Vinyl pressings
by Jimmy Cliff · 1981
Give The People What They Want was first pressed on vinyl in 1981. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
19 pressings came out in 1981, the album's first year, in 17 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.
R/S Alsdorf 99160 A 2Runout side A, variant 1
R/S Alsdorf 99160 B 1Runout side B, variant 1
R/S Alsdorf 99160 A 2 STRAWBERRY (C)Runout side A, variant 2
R/S Alsdorf 99160 B 2 STRAWBERRY (C)Runout side B, variant 2
W1 MCA 2626 □-G-□ MCA HP (Smiley Face Identifier)Side A (Variant 1)
W1 MCA 2627 □-G-□ MCA HP (Smiley Face Identifier)Side B Runout (Variant 1)
MCA 5217 AS [scratched out] W2 MCA 2626 回-G-回 MCA HP (Smiley Face Identifier)Side A Runout (Variant 2)
MCA 5217 W1 BS [scratched out] W1 MCA 2627 回-G-回 MCA HP 2 (no smiley face)Side B Runout (Variant 2)
MCA 2626 W3 ◈-P-◈Side A
MCA 2627 W5 ◈-P-◈Side B
MCA-2626Side A Label
MCA-2627Side B Label
28.049Side A Label
28.049Side B Label
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Barbados | WIRL W 139First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1981 | Brazil | WEA 28.049First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1981 | Canada | MCA Records MCA-5217 / MCA Records MCA2626First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1981 | Europe | WEA WEA K 99 160 / WEA WEA 99 160First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1981 | France | WEA WEA 99 160 / WEA WEA K 99 160First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1981 | Germany | WEA WEA 99 160 / WEA WEA K 99 160First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1981 | Italy | WEA WEA K 99 160 / WEA WEA 99160First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1981 | Jamaica | OnenessFirst yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1981 | Japan | WEA P-11046JFirst yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1981 | Japan | WEA P-11046JFirst yearLP, Album, Promo · Promo | LP, Album, Promo · Promo |
| 1981 | Mexico | WEA LWI-6038First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1981 | New Zealand | WEA WEA 99160First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1981 | Portugal | WEA WEA U 99160First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1981 | Scandinavia | WEA WEA 99 160 / WEA WEA K 99 160First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1981 | South Africa | Reprise Records RRC 2245First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | US | MCA Records MCA-5217LP, Album | LP, Album |
21 vinyl pressings of Give The People What They Want are listed here, from 17 countries.
The earliest pressings are from 1981, in Europe, UK, US, Barbados and more. One of them is WEA WEA K 99 160.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use WEA K 99 160, K 99160, MCA-5217, W 139) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, R/S Alsdorf 99160 A 2 and R/S Alsdorf 99160 B 1. 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.
