Vinyl pressings
by Leon Russell · 1978
Americana was first pressed on vinyl in 1978. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
13 pressings came out in 1978, the album's first year, in 10 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.
PAK-1-3172-LW-1 ☆ MASTERED BY CAPITOL ƐRTRunout A variant 1
PAK-2-3172-LW-1 ☆ MASTERED BY CAPITOL ƐRTRunout B variant 1
PAK-1-3172-LW-2 MASTERED BY CAPITOL ƐRTRunout A variant 2
PAK-1-3172-LW-2 1 * ƐRT MASTERED BY CAPITOLRunout B variant 2
PAK-1-3172-JW-1 #2 ERTSide 1 etched
SUB PAK-2-3172-JW-1 #1 ERTSIde 2 etched
0 MASTERED BY CAPITOLBoth Sided stamped
PAK-1-3172-WW-1#2 —◁ ERT MASTERED BY CAPITOLSide A runout, variant 1
PAK-2-3172-WW-1#3 —◁ ERT MASTERED BY CAPITOLSIde B runout, variant 1
PAK-1-3172-WW-1#3 —◁ ERT MASTERED BY CAPITOLSide A runout, variant 2
PAK-2-3172-WW-1#4 —◁ ERT MASTERED BY CAPITOLSide B runout, variant 2
S-2 K 50534-A-1-15 ECTRunout Groove Side A, Etched
S-3 K-56534-B-1-15 ECTRunout Groove Side B, Etched
MX186107 PAK 3172-1Runout Side A
MX186108 PAK 3172-2Runout Side B
Label Side: 1 (PAK 1-3172)
Label Side: 2 (PAK 2-3172)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Australia | Paradise Records PAK 3172 / Warner Bros. Records PAK 3172First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1978 | Austria | Warner Bros. Records WB 56 534First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1978 | Canada | Paradise Records PAK 3172First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1978 | Germany | Warner Bros. Records WB 56 534First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1978 | Germany | Warner Bros. Records WB 56 534LP, Album, Repress | LP, Album, Repress |
| 1978 | Japan | Warner Bros. Records P-10482WFirst yearLP, Album, Promo · Promo | LP, Album, Promo · Promo |
| 1978 | Japan | Warner Bros. Records P-10482WFirst yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1978 | Netherlands | Warner Bros. Records WB 56534First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1978 | New Zealand | Paradise Records PAK 3172First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1978 | UK | Paradise Records K 56534 / Paradise Records PAK 3172First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1978 | US | Paradise Records PAK 3172First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1978 | US | Paradise Records PAK 3172First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1978 | US | Paradise Records PAK 3172First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1978 | US | Paradise Records PAK 3172LP, Album, Club Edition · Club edition | LP, Album, Club Edition · Club edition |
| 1978 | Venezuela | Warner Bros. Records LPS-200.2508First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
17 vinyl pressings of Americana are listed here, from 11 countries, released between 1978 and 1979.
The earliest pressings are from 1978, in US, UK, Australia, Austria and more. One of them is Paradise Records PAK 3172.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use PAK 3172, K 56534, WB 56 534, P-10482W) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, PAK-1-3172-LW-1 ☆ MASTERED BY CAPITOL ƐRT and PAK-2-3172-LW-1 ☆ MASTERED BY CAPITOL ƐRT. 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.
