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Mama Tried by Merle Haggard, album cover

Vinyl pressings

Mama Tried

by Merle Haggard · 1968

26 pressings4 countriesCountryBakersfield SoundFolkWorld

Mama Tried was first pressed on vinyl in 1968. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.

How to spot a first pressing of Mama Tried

5 pressings came out in 1968, 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.

US

1968
Label and catalog number
Capitol Records ST 2972Capitol Records ST-2972
Format
LP, Album, Stereo · Los Angeles Pressing
Runout / matrix

Side 1 (Etched): ST-1-2972-H-3: 2 ✲Variant 2

Side 2 (Etched): ST-2-2972-H-3• 1 ✲Variant 2

Side 1 (Etched): ST-1-2972-H-3• 1 ✲Variant 3

Side 2 (Etched): ST-2-2972-H-3• 2 ✲Variant 3

Full details of this pressing

US

1968
Label and catalog number
Capitol Records ST 2972Capitol Records ST-2972
Format
LP, Album, Stereo · Scranton Press
Runout / matrix

ST1-2972-A1 [I A M in a triangle]Side A runout, variant 1

ST2-2972-A1 [I A M in a triangle]Side B runout, variant 1

ST1-2972-B2 #3 [I A M in a triangle]Side A runout, variant 2

ST2-2972-A1 #5 [I A M in a triangle]Side B runout, variant 2

Full details of this pressing

UK

1968
Label and catalog number
Capitol Records ST 2972
Format
LP, Album, Stereo · Orange Labels
Runout / matrix

ST1 2972 A-4 I 1Side 1

ST2 2972 A-4 GG 1Side 2

Full details of this pressing

Not sure how to read the runout? See matrix numbers, runout and dead wax and how to tell a first pressing.

All 26 vinyl pressings

By decade, oldest first. Open a pressing for its full label, barcode and runout details.

1960s12 pressings
YearCountryLabel and catalog numberFormat
1968CanadaCapitol Records ST 2972 / Capitol Records ST-2972First yearLP, Album, StereoLP, Album, Stereo
1968CanadaCapitol Records ST-8-2972LP, Album, Club Edition, Stereo · Club editionLP, Album, Club Edition, Stereo · Club edition
1968CanadaCapitol Records ST 2972 / Capitol Records ST-2972First yearLP, Album, StereoLP, Album, Stereo
1968UKCapitol Records ST 2972First yearLP, Album, StereoLP, Album, Stereo
1968USCapitol Records ST 2972 / Capitol Records ST-2972First yearLP, Album, StereoLP, Album, Stereo
1968USCapitol Records ST 2972 / Capitol Records ST-2972First yearLP, Album, StereoLP, Album, Stereo
1968USCapitol Records ST-8-2972LP, Album, Club Edition, Stereo · Club editionLP, Album, Club Edition, Stereo · Club edition
1969UKCapitol Records ST 2972LP, Album, StereoLP, Album, Stereo
1969UKCapitol Records ST 2972LP, AlbumLP, Album
1969UKCapitol Records ST 2972LP, Album, StereoLP, Album, Stereo
1969UKCapitol Records T 2972LP, Album, Mono · MonoLP, Album, Mono · Mono
1969UKCapitol Records ST 2972LP, Album, StereoLP, Album, Stereo
1970s4 pressings
YearCountryLabel and catalog numberFormat
1970USCapitol Records ST 2972 / Capitol Records ST-2972LP, Album, Repress, StereoLP, Album, Repress, Stereo
1970USCapitol Records ST 2972 / Capitol Records ST-2972LP, Album, Repress, StereoLP, Album, Repress, Stereo
1971USCapitol Records ST 2972 / Capitol Records ST-2972LP, Album, Repress, StereoLP, Album, Repress, Stereo
1975USCapitol Records ST-2972 / Capitol Records R-133989LP, Album, Club Edition, Stereo · Club editionLP, Album, Club Edition, Stereo · Club edition
2000s2 pressings
YearCountryLabel and catalog numberFormat
2009USCapitol Records 509996 98169 18LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue · LimitedLP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue · Limited
2009USCapitol Records 98169-1LP, Repress, Test Pressing · Test pressingLP, Repress, Test Pressing · Test pressing
2010s1 pressing
YearCountryLabel and catalog numberFormat
2017USCapitol Records 509996 98169 18 / Capitol Records 50996-98169-18LP, Album, Limited Edition, Stereo · LimitedLP, Album, Limited Edition, Stereo · Limited
Year unknown7 pressings
YearCountryLabel and catalog numberFormat
?CanadaSparton Of Canada Ltd. ST 2972LP, Album, StereoLP, Album, Stereo
?CanadaCapitol Records ST 2972 / Capitol Records ST-2972LP, Album, StereoLP, Album, Stereo
?JapanCapitol Records CP-8559 / Capitol Records ST1-2972 , ST2-2972LP, Album, Stereo · Colored vinylLP, Album, Stereo · Colored vinyl
?USCapitol Records R - 133989LP, Reissue, StereoLP, Reissue, Stereo
?USCapitol Records ST-8-2972LP, Album, Club Edition, Reissue, Stereo · Club editionLP, Album, Club Edition, Reissue, Stereo · Club edition
?USCapitol Records ST 2972 / Capitol Records ST-2972LP, Album, StereoLP, Album, Stereo
?USCapitol Records ST-2972 / Capitol Records ST-2972LP, Album, Remastered, StereoLP, Album, Remastered, Stereo

Tracklist

  1. A1Mama Tried2:10
  2. A2Green Green Grass Of Home3:13
  3. A3Little Ole Wine Drinker Me2:36
  4. A4In The Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)2:43
  5. A5I Could Have Gone Right2:31
  6. A6I'll Always Know2:20
  7. B1The Sunny Side Of My Life2:08
  8. B2Teach Me To Forget3:13
  9. B3Folsom Prison Blues2:46
  10. B4Run 'Em Off2:50
  11. B5You'll Never Love Me Now2:45
  12. B6Too Many Bridges To Cross Over2:26

Questions

How many vinyl pressings of Mama Tried are there?

26 vinyl pressings of Mama Tried are listed here, from 4 countries, released between 1968 and 2017.

When was Mama Tried first released on vinyl?

The earliest pressings are from 1968, in US, UK, Canada. One of them is Capitol Records ST 2972.

How do I tell if my copy of Mama Tried is a first pressing?

Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use ST 2972) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, Side 1 (Etched): ST-1-2972-H-3: 2 ✲ and Side 2 (Etched): ST-2-2972-H-3• 1 ✲. Later reissues often keep the catalog number but change the label design or the runout codes.

How much is Mama Tried on vinyl worth?

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.

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