Vinyl pressings
by Mighty Sparrow · 1969
Sparrow Meets The Dragon 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.
12 pressings came out in 1969, the album's first year, in 6 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.
S /BL 01AS (4872 A1) DRun-out side A, etched
S /BL 01BS (4872 B1) · DRun-out side B, etched
SLP 001-ASLabel side A
SLP 001-BSLabel side B
S /BL 01AS (4872 A1) DRun-out side A, etched
S /BL 01BS (4872 B1) · DRun-out side B, etched
SLP 001-ASLabel side A
SLP 001-BSLabel side B
TRLS/8ARunout A
TRLS/8BRunout B
SPELEE+0̶0̶1̶+ARunout A [Struck Through]
SPELEE+0̶0̶1̶+BRunout B [Struck Through]
SPALEE+001+A [crossed out] TRL/$8ASide 1 runout
TRLS-8-BSide 2 runout
TRLS.8-ASide 1 label
TRLS-8BSide 2 label
6710-A KD-P MRunout Side A
6710-B KD-P MRunout Side B
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 | Barbados | SpaLee Records LP-001 / SpaLee Records SLP. 001First yearLP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1969 | Barbados | SpaLee Records SLP-001 / SpaLee Records SLP. 001First yearLP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1969 | Canada | Trans-World TWS 6710First yearLP | LP |
| 1969 | Europe | Trojan Records TRLS 8First yearLP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1969 | Jamaica | SpaLee Records LP-001First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1969 | Jamaica | SpaLee Records LP-001First yearLP, Album, Mono · Mono | LP, Album, Mono · Mono |
| 1969 | Jamaica | Dynamic Sounds SLP-001First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1969 | Jamaica | SpaLee Records LP-001First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1969 | Jamaica | SpaLee Records SLP-001 / SpaLee Records LP-001First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1969 | UK | Trojan Records TRLS 8First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1969 | UK | Trojan Records TRLS 8 / SpaLee Records TRLS 8First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1969 | US | SpaLee Records SLP - 001First yearLP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Netherlands | Trojan Records 5N 058N-60624 / Trojan Records 5N 058-60624LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo |
| 1978 | UK | Trojan Records TRLS 159LP, Album | LP, Album |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Benelux | Trojan Records 204.804LP | LP |
| 1984 | Netherlands | Trojan Records TRLS 159LP, Reissue | LP, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Europe | Vinyl Passion VP 80039LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | Canada | SpaLee Records SLP-001 / Island Series SLP-001LP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| ? | Jamaica | SpaLee Records LP-001LP, Album | LP, Album |
| ? | Jamaica | SpaLee Records LP-001 / SpaLee Records SLP-001LP, Album | LP, Album |
| ? | UK | Trojan Records TRLS 8LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| ? | US | SpaLee Records LP-001LP, Album, Mono · Mono | LP, Album, Mono · Mono |
22 vinyl pressings of Sparrow Meets The Dragon are listed here, from 8 countries, released between 1969 and 2014.
The earliest pressings are from 1969, in Barbados, UK, US, Canada and more. One of them is SpaLee Records LP-001.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use LP-001, SLP-001, TRLS 8, SLP - 001) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, S /BL 01AS (4872 A1) D and S /BL 01BS (4872 B1) · D. 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.
