Vinyl pressings
by The B-52's · 1989
Cosmic Thing was first pressed on vinyl in 1989. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
15 pressings came out in 1989, the album's first year, in 13 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.
1-25854-A-SR5 1-1 MASTERDISK [SRC logo]Side A runout
1-25854-B-SR2 1-1 MASTERDISK [SRC logo]Side B runout
MX303903 25854-1 MF 1Side A Runout Groove Hand-Etched
MX303904 25854-1 MF 2Side B Runout Groove Hand-Etched
MX303903Side A Label
MX303904Side B Label
BMG 870.8092-A 1S A |Runout side A, stamped
BMG 870.8092-B 1S A |Runout side B, stamped
92-58541-A CR SRC MASTERDISK 1-25854-A-SR5 1-2 SP-CANSide A runout
92-58541-B CR SRC MASTERDISK 1-25854-B-SR6 SP-CAN 1-2Side B runout
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Argentina | Reprise Records 1-25854First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1989 | Brazil | Reprise Records 670.8092 / Reprise Records 00698First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1989 | Canada | Reprise Records 92 58541First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1989 | Ecuador | Warner Bros. Records LP-80100First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1989 | Europe | Reprise Records 925 854-1 / Reprise Records WX 283First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1989 | Greece | Reprise Records 925 854-1First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1989 | Greece | Reprise Records 925 854-1LP, Album, Test Pressing, White Label · Test pressing | LP, Album, Test Pressing, White Label · Test pressing |
| 1989 | Greece | Reprise Records 925 854-1First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1989 | Guatemala | WEA (7599) 25854-1First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1989 | Mexico | Reprise Records LDXB-6856First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1989 | Peru | Reprise Records PN-REP-0258541.7First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1989 | Peru | Reprise Records PN-REP-0258541.7First yearLP, Album, Promo · Promo | LP, Album, Promo · Promo |
| 1989 | South Korea | WEA Records Ltd. 7599-25854-1First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1989 | US | Reprise Records W1-25854 / Reprise Records 1-25854LP, Album, Club Edition · Club edition | LP, Album, Club Edition · Club edition |
| 1989 | Uruguay | Reprise Records 1-25854First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Bolivia | WEA WL - 1102LP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1990 | Colombia | Warner Bros. Records 23(1031)00101 / Reprise RecordsLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1990 | Czechoslovakia | Popron 50 030-1 / Reprise Records 9 25854-1LP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1990 | Venezuela | Warner Bros. Records 35.017-LLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1990 | Yugoslavia | Jugoton LP-7-1-F 2025411 / Reprise Records 925854-1LP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1993 | Russia | SNC Records 9 25854-1LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | US | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab MOFI 1-023LP, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Remastered, Special Edition, Stereo · Limited, Numbered | LP, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Remastered, Special Edition, Stereo · Limited, Numbered |
| 2012 | US | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab MOFI 1-023LP, Album, Promo, Remastered, Test Pressing, Stereo · Test pressing, Promo | LP, Album, Promo, Remastered, Test Pressing, Stereo · Test pressing, Promo |
| 2018 | USA & Europe | Reprise Records RCV1 25854LP, Album, Record Store Day, Limited Edition, Reissue · Limited | LP, Album, Record Store Day, Limited Edition, Reissue · Limited |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | USA & Europe | Reprise Records R1 25854 / Reprise Records 603497847686LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| 2024 | Argentina | Reprise Records 1-25854LP, Album, Reissue, Repress, Stereo | LP, Album, Reissue, Repress, Stereo |
| 2024 | Argentina | Reprise Records 0394 78560-6LP, Album | LP, Album |
29 vinyl pressings of Cosmic Thing are listed here, from 20 countries, released between 1989 and 2024.
The earliest pressings are from 1989, in US, Australia, Argentina, Brazil and more. One of them is Reprise Records 9 25854-1, released June 27, 1989.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use 9 25854-1, 25854-1, 1-25854, 670.8092) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, 1-25854-A-SR5 1-1 MASTERDISK [SRC logo] and 1-25854-B-SR2 1-1 MASTERDISK [SRC logo]. 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.
