Vinyl pressings
by The Merton Parkas · 1979
Face In The Crowd was first pressed on vinyl in 1979. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
7 pressings came out in 1979, 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.
BEGA 11 A2 S-3 EG STRAWBERRYSide A runout, etched / stamped
BEGA 11 B2 EG STRAWBERRY S-5Side B runout, etched
BEGA 11 A*Side A label
BEGA 11 B*Side B label
BEGA 11 A2 S-3 EG STRAWBERRYSide A runout, etched / stamped
BEGA 11 B2 EG STRAWBERRY S-5Side B runout, etched
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | France | Beggars Banquet 50 641First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1979 | Germany | Beggars Banquet 146.523First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1979 | Japan | WEA P-10798JFirst yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1979 | Japan | WEA P-10798JFirst yearLP, Album, Promo · Promo | LP, Album, Promo · Promo |
| 1979 | Netherlands | Beggars Banquet 660.056First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1979 | UK | Beggars Banquet BEGA 11First yearLP, Album, White Label, Stereo | LP, Album, White Label, Stereo |
| 1979 | UK | Beggars Banquet BEGA 11 / Beggars Banquet K 50641First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1979 | France | Beggars Banquet 50 641LP, Album, Test Pressing · Test pressing | LP, Album, Test Pressing · Test pressing |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | UK | Beggars Banquet BBL 11LP, Album | LP, Album |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Europe | Radiation Reissues RRS160 / Beggars Banquet RRS160LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo · Colored vinyl | LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo · Colored vinyl |
10 vinyl pressings of Face In The Crowd are listed here, from 6 countries, released between 1979 and 2022.
The earliest pressings are from 1979, in UK, France, Germany, Japan and more. One of them is Beggars Banquet BEGA 11, released September 1979.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use BEGA 11, 50 641, 146.523, P-10798J) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, BEGA 11 A2 S-3 EG STRAWBERRY and BEGA 11 B2 EG STRAWBERRY S-5. 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.
