Vinyl pressings
by Miles Davis · 1973
Black Beauty was first pressed on vinyl in 1973. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
5 pressings came out in 1973, 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.
SOPJ 39A1 1 A 3Runout side A stamped variant 1
SOPJ 39B1 1 A 4Runout side B stamped variant 1
SOPJ 40A1 1 A 10Runout side C stamped variant 1
SOPJ 40B1 1 A 1Runout side D stamped variant 1
SOPJ 39A1 1 A 8Runout side A Stamped
SOPJ 39B1 1 A 3Runout side B Stamped
SOPJ 40A2 1 A 1Runout side C Stamped
SOPJ 40B1 1 A 6Runout side D Stamped
SOPJ 39A1 1 A 8Runout Side A Stamped
SOPJ 39B1 1 A 1Runout Side B Stamped
SOPJ 40A2 1 A 11Runout Side C Stamped
SOPJ 40B1 1 A 6Runout Side D Stamped
SOPJ 39A1 | 1A2Side A runout
SOPJ 39B1 | 1A5Side B runout
SOPJ 40A1 | 1A5Side C runout
SOPJ 40B1 | 1A5Side D runout
SOPJ 39A1 1 A 10Runout side A stamped
SOPJ-39B3 1 A 1Runout side B stamped
SOPJ-40A2 1 A 4Runout side C stamped
SOPJ 40B1 1 A 8Runout side D stamped
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Japan | CBS/Sony SOPJ 39-40First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1973 | Japan | CBS/Sony SOPJ 39-40First yearLP, Album, Promo · Promo | LP, Album, Promo · Promo |
| 1973 | Japan | CBS/Sony SOPJ 39-40First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1973 | Japan | CBS/Sony SOPJ 39-40First yearLP, Album, Promo · Promo | LP, Album, Promo · Promo |
| 1973 | Japan | CBS/Sony SOPJ 39-40First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1979 | Japan | CBS/Sony 36AP 1775~6LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Japan | CBS/Sony 28AP 2155~6LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | UK | Columbia 487528 1LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Europe | Columbia MOVLP1427 / Music On Vinyl MOVLP1427LP, Album, Reissue, Repress, Stereo | LP, Album, Reissue, Repress, Stereo |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | US | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab MFSL 2-568 / Columbia MFSL 2-568LP, Album, Numbered, Reissue, Remastered, Special Edition, Stereo · Numbered | LP, Album, Numbered, Reissue, Remastered, Special Edition, Stereo · Numbered |
10 vinyl pressings of Black Beauty are listed here, from 4 countries, released between 1973 and 2025.
The earliest pressings are from 1973, in Japan. One of them is CBS/Sony SOPJ 39-40.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use SOPJ 39-40) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, SOPJ 39A1 1 A 3 and SOPJ 39B1 1 A 4. 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.
