Vinyl pressings
by Roy Harper · 1974
Valentine was first pressed on vinyl in 1974. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
7 pressings came out in 1974, the album's first year, in 5 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.
SHSP 4027 A2A side runout (Variant 1)
SHSP 4027 B2B side runout (Variant 1)
SHSP 4027 A-2A side runout stamped (Variant 2)
SHSP 4027 B-2B side runout stamped (Variant 2)
SHSP 4027 A-2 RD 2A side runout, variant 1
SHSP 4027 B-2 RO 1B side runout, variant 1
SHSP 4027 A-2 RC 1A side runout, variant 2
SHSP 4027 B-2 RII 2B side runout, variant 2
SHSP4027A HARX 1043Runout Side A
SHSP4027B HARX 1044Runout Side B
SHSP 4027 A2A side runout (Variant 1)
SHSP 4027 B2B side runout (Variant 1)
SHSP 4027 A-2A side runout stamped (Variant 2)
SHSP 4027 B-2B side runout stamped (Variant 2)
SHSP.4027aLabel A, in parentheses
SHSP.4027bLabel B, in parentheses
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Australia | Harvest SHSP 4027First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1974 | Japan | Harvest EOP-81014 / Harvest SHSP 4027First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1974 | Japan | Harvest EOP-81014First yearLP, Album, Promo · Promo | LP, Album, Promo · Promo |
| 1974 | New Zealand | Harvest SHSP 4027 / Harvest SHSP.4027First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1974 | UK | Harvest SHSP 4027First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1974 | UK | Harvest SHSP 4027First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1974 | UK | Not On Label SHSP 4027LP, Single Sided, Album, Test Pressing, White Label · Test pressing | LP, Single Sided, Album, Test Pressing, White Label · Test pressing |
| 1974 | Yugoslavia | Jugoton LSHAR 70606 / Harvest LSHAR-70606First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1978 | Canada | Chrysalis CHR 1163LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| 1978 | US | Chrysalis CHR 1163LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | UK | Awareness Records AWL 1015LP, Album, Reissue, White Label | LP, Album, Reissue, White Label |
| 1989 | UK | Awareness Records AWL 1015LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
12 vinyl pressings of Valentine are listed here, from 7 countries, released between 1974 and 1989.
The earliest pressings are from 1974, in UK, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and more. One of them is Harvest SHSP 4027.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use SHSP 4027, EOP-81014, LSHAR 70606) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, SHSP 4027 A2 and SHSP 4027 B2. 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.
