Vinyl pressings
by Kaleidoscope · 1967
A Beacon From Mars was first pressed on vinyl in 1967. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
6 pressings came out in 1967, the album's first year. 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.
p o XSB-1193563 1D A 1A-Side Runout Etching
p o XSB-1193564 1D B 2B-Side Runout Etching
p o XSB-119353 1D C 1A-Side Runout Etching, variant 1
p o XSB-119354 1E A 1B-Side Runout Etching, variant 1
XEM-11935 1 1BLabel, Side A
XEM-11935 2 1BLabel, Side B
T o XSB-119353 1CSide A runout, hand-etched, o stamped, variant 1
T XSB-119354 1B oSide B runout, hand-etched, o stamped, variant 1
XSB-119353 1C o A2 T 1 oSide A runout, etched; A, T, and o's stamped, variant 2
XSB-119354 1B o A3 T 1Side B runout, etched; A, T, and o stamped, variant 2
Ƨ 1 XSB-1193563 1A o A2Side A, runout etching, variant 1
Ƨ 1 XSB-1193564 1A o A1Side B, runout etching, variant 1
Ƨ 1 XSB-1193563 1A 1 o A1Side A, runout etching, variant 2
Ƨ 1 XSB-1193564 1A o B1Side B, runout etching, variant 2
XSB-119353 1A oSide A runout
XSB-119354 1A oSide B runout
XEM-119351 ID A 2Stamped runout A side
XEM 119352 ID A 2Stamped runout B side
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | US | Epic BN 26333First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1967 | US | Epic LN 24333First yearLP, Album, Promo, Mono · Promo, Mono | LP, Album, Promo, Mono · Promo, Mono |
| 1967 | US | Epic LN 24333First yearLP, Album, Mono · Mono | LP, Album, Mono · Mono |
| 1967 | US | Epic BN 26333First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1967 | US | Epic BN 26333First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1967 | US | Epic BN 26333First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | UK | Edsel Records ED 288LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| 1988 | UK | Edsel Records ED 288LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | US | Sundazed Music LP 5247 / Sundazed Music P 723534LP, Album, Stereo, Reissue | LP, Album, Stereo, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Europe | Epoque Records EP 1230LP, Album, Reissue, Unofficial Release · Unofficial | LP, Album, Reissue, Unofficial Release · Unofficial |
| 2015 | Europe | Music On Vinyl MOVLP1207LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | US | Epic BN 26333LP, Album, Reissue, Repress, Stereo | LP, Album, Reissue, Repress, Stereo |
| ? | US | Epic BN 26333LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo |
13 vinyl pressings of A Beacon From Mars are listed here, from 3 countries, released between 1967 and 2015.
The earliest pressings are from 1967, in US. One of them is Epic BN 26333, released November 1967.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use BN 26333, LN 24333) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, p o XSB-1193563 1D A 1 and p o XSB-1193564 1D B 2. 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.
