Vinyl pressings
by Lightnin' Hopkins · 1969
Lightnin'! was first pressed on vinyl in 1969. 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 1969, the album's first year, in 3 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.
X4RS-6901 - - 1 S + Λ 1Side A runout, stamped
X4RS-6902 - - 1 S + 1 Λ 1Side B runout, stamped
X4RS 6903 X̶4̶R̶S̶-̶6̶9̶0̶0̶4̶3̶ - - 1S I + B 1Side C runout, stamped (X4RS 6903 etched)
X4RS-6903̶4 - - 1 S Λ 1 +Side D runout, stamped
X4RS-6901 TGSide A runout, etched
X4RS-6902 TGSide B runout, etched
X4RS 6903 TGSide C runout, etched
X4RS-6904 TGSide D runout, etched
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Canada | Poppy PYS-60002First yearLP | LP |
| 1969 | Japan | RCA SHP-6099-100First yearLP | LP |
| 1969 | Japan | RCA SHP-6099-100First yearLP, Promo · Promo | LP, Promo · Promo |
| 1969 | US | Poppy PYS-60002 / Poppy PYS 60,002First yearLP | LP |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | France | RCA 740 067/68 / RCA (PYS 60002)LP | LP |
| 1970 | Germany | RCA Victor LSP 10281LP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1970 | UK | Poppy PYS 11002LP | LP |
| 1971 | France | RCA Victor 740 067/68 / RCA Victor (PYS 60002)LP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1977 | US | Tomato TOM-2-7004LP, Album, Promo, Stereo · Promo | LP, Album, Promo, Stereo · Promo |
| 1977 | US | Tomato TOM-2-7004LP, Reissue | LP, Reissue |
| 1977 | US | Tomato TOM-2-7004LP, Reissue | LP, Reissue |
| 1978 | Japan | Victor VIP-9545~6LP | LP |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Germany | Tomato 269632-1LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Worldwide | Culture Factory 783776LP, Album, Deluxe Edition, Limited Edition, Reissue · Limited, Colored vinyl | LP, Album, Deluxe Edition, Limited Edition, Reissue · Limited, Colored vinyl |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | France | Utopia DXL2 3026LP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
15 vinyl pressings of Lightnin'! are listed here, from 7 countries, released between 1969 and 2025.
The earliest pressings are from 1969, in US, Canada, Japan. One of them is Poppy PYS-60002.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use PYS-60002, SHP-6099-100) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, X4RS-6901 - - 1 S + Λ 1 and X4RS-6902 - - 1 S + 1 Λ 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.
