Vinyl pressings
by The Electric Flag · 1968
An American Music Band was first pressed on vinyl in 1968. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
8 pressings came out in 1968, 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.
P XSM137790-2DRunout side A, variant 1
P XSM137791-2ARunout side B, variant 1
P o XSM137790-2A 3Runout side A, variant 2
P o XSM137791-2A 3Runout side B, variant 2
0 XSM137790-2B | T A3Runout A variant 1
XSM137791-2B | o T A3Runout B variant 1
o XSM137790-2B | 1 T D4Runout A variant 2
XSM137791-2B | 1 o T A3Runout B variant 2
0 XSM137790-2C \ Ƨ A1Runout, side A (variant 1}
0 XSM137791-2C 2Ƨ B3Runout, side B (variant 1)
0 XSM137790-2C \ Ƨ A (backwards 4)Runout, side A (variant 2)
0 XSM137791-2C Ƨ l A1Runout, side B (variant 2)
o XSM137790-2A PSide A runout, variant 1
o XSM137791-2A PSide B runout, variant 1
o XSM137790-2D P C 5Side A runout, variant 2
o XSM137791-2A P C 3Side B runout, variant 2
MX158894 SBP233628-1 ASide A runout
MX158895 SBP233628-2 ASide B runout
MX158894Side A label
MX158895Side B label
XSM137790-2Dside 1
XSM137791-2B
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Australia | CBS SBP 233628First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1968 | Canada | Columbia CS 9714First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1968 | New Zealand | CBS SBP 473640First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1968 | South Africa | Date DAS 2018First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1968 | US | Columbia CS 9714First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1968 | US | Columbia CS 9714First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1968 | US | Columbia CS 9714First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1968 | US | Columbia CS 9714First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1969 | Germany | CBS S 63 462LP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1969 | Japan | CBS/Sony SONP 50081LP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1969 | Netherlands | CBS S 63462LP | LP |
| 1969 | UK | CBS S 63462LP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1969 | UK | CBS M 63462LP, Album, Mono · Mono | LP, Album, Mono · Mono |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | US | Columbia CS 9714LP, Album, Repress | LP, Album, Repress |
| ? | US | CBS CS 9714LP, Album, Repress, Stereo | LP, Album, Repress, Stereo |
15 vinyl pressings of An American Music Band are listed here, from 9 countries, released between 1968 and 1969.
The earliest pressings are from 1968, in US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and more. One of them is Columbia CS 9714, released December 1968.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use CS 9714, SBP 233628, SBP 473640, DAS 2018) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, P XSM137790-2D and P XSM137791-2A. 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.
