Vinyl pressings
by The Beatles · 1964
I Should Have Known Better was first pressed on vinyl in 1964. 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 1964, the album's first year, in 4 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.
128 A HL003921-1Runout side A etched
128 B HL003922-1Runout side B etched
128 ALabel side A
128 BLabel side B
128 ASide A label
128 BSide B label
128 A HL003921-1A side, runout
128 B HL003922-1B side, runout
128 AA side, label
128 BB side, label
XEX 481 2 T1 15 9 64Runout area side A
XEX 481 6 T1 15 9 64Runout area side B
XEX 481-2/T1Label side A
XEX 481-6/T1Label side B
7XBE 50116-BRunout side A
7-XKP-402-ARunout side B
7XBE 50116Label side A in parenthesis
7XKP 402Label side B in parenthesis
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Denmark | Odeon DK 16247", 45 RPM, Single, Repress | 7", 45 RPM, Single, Repress |
| 1964 | Denmark | Odeon DK 1624First year7", 45 RPM, Single, Mono · Mono | 7", 45 RPM, Single, Mono · Mono |
| 1964 | Denmark | Odeon DK 16247", 45 RPM, Single, Repress | 7", 45 RPM, Single, Repress |
| 1964 | Denmark | Odeon DK 16247", 45 RPM, Single, Repress, Mono · Mono | 7", 45 RPM, Single, Repress, Mono · Mono |
| 1964 | Denmark | Odeon DK 1624First year7", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
| 1964 | Denmark | Odeon DK 16247", 45 RPM, Single, Repress | 7", 45 RPM, Single, Repress |
| 1964 | Greece | Parlophone GMSP 57First year7", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
| 1964 | Greece | Parlophone GMSP 57First year7", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
| 1964 | Italy | Parlophon QMSP 16367First year7", 45 RPM, Jukebox | 7", 45 RPM, Jukebox |
| 1964 | Italy | Parlophon QMSP 16367First year7", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
| 1964 | Italy | Parlophon QMSP 16367First year7", 45 RPM | 7", 45 RPM |
| 1964 | Netherlands | Parlophone HHR 128 / Stibbe HHR 128First year7", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
| 1964 | Netherlands | Parlophone HHR 128 / Stibbe HHR 128First year7", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
| 1964 | Netherlands | Parlophone HHR 128 / Stibbe HHR 128First year7", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
| 1964 | Netherlands | Parlophone HHR 128First year7", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | France | Odeon 2C 006-044637", 45 RPM, Single, Reissue | 7", 45 RPM, Single, Reissue |
| 1976 | France | Odeon 2C.010-044637", 45 RPM, Single, Reissue | 7", 45 RPM, Single, Reissue |
| 1976 | Italy | Apple Records 3C 006-04463 / Apple Records 3C 006 04463 M7", 45 RPM, Single, Reissue | 7", 45 RPM, Single, Reissue |
| 1976 | Italy | Apple Records 3C 006-04463 / Apple Records 3C 006 04463 M7", 45 RPM, Single, Reissue | 7", 45 RPM, Single, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | Greece | Parlophone GMSP 57 / Odeon GMSP 577", 45 RPM | 7", 45 RPM |
21 vinyl pressings of I Should Have Known Better are listed here, from 5 countries, released between 1964 and 1976.
The earliest pressings are from 1964, in Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, Greece. One of them is Parlophone HHR 128, released August 1964.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use HHR 128, QMSP 16367, DK 1624, GMSP 57) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, 128 A HL003921-1 and 128 B HL003922-1. 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.
