Vinyl pressings
by The Cure · 1978
Killing An Arab was first pressed on vinyl in 1978. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
2 pressings came out in 1978, 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.
SMALL 11-A1 STRAWBERRY TBHand-etched A side
SMALL 11-B1 STRAWBERRY TBHand-etched B-side
SMALL 11-A1 STRAWBERRY TBSide A runout
SMALL 11-B1 STRAWBERRY TBSide 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | UK | Small Wonder Records small eleven / Small Wonder Records SMALL 11First year7", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
| 1978 | UK | Small Wonder Records small eleven / Small Wonder Records SMALL 11First year7", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
| 1979 | Ireland | Polydor 2059 098 / Fiction Records FICS 0017", 45 RPM, Single | 7", 45 RPM, Single |
| 1979 | UK | Fiction Records FICS 001 / Fiction Records FICS 17", 45 RPM, Single, Reissue | 7", 45 RPM, Single, Reissue |
| 1979 | UK | Fiction Records FICS 001 / Fiction Records FICS 17", 45 RPM, Single, Reissue | 7", 45 RPM, Single, Reissue |
| 1979 | UK | Fiction Records FICS 001 / Fiction Records 2059 0987", 45 RPM, Single, Reissue | 7", 45 RPM, Single, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | Russia | буд кон д60 2638Flexi-disc, 5½", 45 RPM, Single Sided, Unofficial Release · Unofficial, Colored vinyl | Flexi-disc, 5½", 45 RPM, Single Sided, Unofficial Release · Unofficial, Colored vinyl |
| ? | Russia | буд кон д60 2638Flexi-disc, 5½", 45 RPM, Single Sided, Unofficial Release, Mono · Unofficial, Mono, Colored vinyl | Flexi-disc, 5½", 45 RPM, Single Sided, Unofficial Release, Mono · Unofficial, Mono, Colored vinyl |
| ? | UK | Small Wonder Records small eleven / Small Wonder Records SMALL 117", 45 RPM, Single, Unofficial Release · Unofficial | 7", 45 RPM, Single, Unofficial Release · Unofficial |
| ? | UK | Small Wonder Records SMALL 117", 45 RPM, Single, Unofficial Release, White Label · Unofficial | 7", 45 RPM, Single, Unofficial Release, White Label · Unofficial |
10 vinyl pressings of Killing An Arab are listed here, from 3 countries, released between 1978 and 1979.
The earliest pressings are from 1978, in UK. One of them is Small Wonder Records small eleven, released December 21, 1978.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use small eleven) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, SMALL 11-A1 STRAWBERRY TB and SMALL 11-B1 STRAWBERRY TB. 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.
