Vinyl pressings
by Status Quo · 1967
Pictures Of Matchstick Men was first pressed on vinyl in 1967. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
1 pressing came out in 1967, 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.
7N 17499A-1 △TSide A stamped run-out
7N 17499B-1 △TSide B stamped run-out
7N 17499 AA-side label
7N 17449 BB-side label
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | UK | Pye Records 7N 17449 / Pye Records 7N 17449First year7", 45 RPM, Single, Promo · Promo | 7", 45 RPM, Single, Promo · Promo |
| 1968 | Argentina | Music Hall 31101 / Pye Records 7N 174497", 33 ⅓ RPM, Single, Promo · Promo | 7", 33 ⅓ RPM, Single, Promo · Promo |
| 1968 | Argentina | Music Hall 311017", 33 ⅓ RPM, Single | 7", 33 ⅓ RPM, Single |
| 1968 | Argentina | Music Hall 311017", 33 ⅓ RPM, Single | 7", 33 ⅓ RPM, Single |
| 1968 | Australia | Astor AP-14587", 45 RPM | 7", 45 RPM |
| 1968 | Australia | Astor AP-14587", Single, 45 RPM | 7", Single, 45 RPM |
| 1968 | Australia | Astor AP-14587", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
| 1968 | Brazil | Musidisc CS-56 / Pye Records CS-567", 33 ⅓ RPM, Single, Mono · Mono | 7", 33 ⅓ RPM, Single, Mono · Mono |
| 1968 | Canada | Pye Records PYE 8357", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
| 1968 | Denmark | Pye Records 7N-174497", Single | 7", Single |
| 1968 | Denmark | Pye Records 7N-174497", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
| 1968 | France | Pye Records 45 PV. 152857", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
| 1968 | Germany | Pye Records HT 300161 / Hit-Ton Schallplatten HT 3001617", Single, 45 RPM | 7", Single, 45 RPM |
| 1968 | India | Pye Records 7N 174497", 33 ⅓ RPM | 7", 33 ⅓ RPM |
| 1968 | Ireland | Pye Records 7N.174497", Single | 7", Single |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | France | Pye Records 45 PV. 152857", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
| ? | Greece | Pye Records GP 32627", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
51 vinyl pressings of Pictures Of Matchstick Men are listed here, from 20 countries, released between 1967 and 1969.
The earliest pressings are from 1967, in UK. One of them is Pye Records 7N 17449, released December 1967.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use 7N 17449) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, 7N 17499A-1 △T and 7N 17499B-1 △T. 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.
