Vinyl pressings
by The Millennium · 1968
Begin 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.
5 pressings came out in 1968, the album's first year, in 3 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.
XSM136542-1C1Etched Runout A Side (Variant 1)
XSM136543 -1CEtched Runout B Side (Variant 1)
T XSM136542-1B 1 A1A-Side Runout Etching (Variant 2)
T o XSM136543 -1B 1 A4B-Side Runout Etching (Variant 2)
o i XSM136542-1A AA side runout, variant 1
S o i XSM136543 -1A AB side runout, variant 1
S o XSM136542-1A AIA side runout, variant 2
S o I XSM136543 -1A AIB side runout, variant 2
P o XSM136542 -1C1 B 2Runout side A, variant 1
P o XSM 136543 -1C B 3Runout side B, variant 1
o XSM 136542-1C 1 C 2Runout side A, variant 2
P o XSM136543 -1C ALRunout side B, variant 2
XSM 136542 I-C
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 | Canada | Columbia CS 9663First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1968 | Philippines | CBS CS9663First yearLP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| 1968 | US | Columbia CS 9663First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1968 | US | Columbia CS 9663First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1968 | US | Columbia CS 9663First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Netherlands | CBS CBS 81469LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Japan | CBS/Sony 20AP 2198LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | US | Columbia CS 9663LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo |
| 1997 | US | Columbia CS 9663LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, Limited Edition · Limited | LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, Limited Edition · Limited |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | US | Sundazed Music LP 5230LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Europe | Music On Vinyl MOVLP439Album, LP, Reissue | Album, LP, Reissue |
| 2019 | US | Sundazed Music LP 5230LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo · Colored vinyl | LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo · Colored vinyl |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Europe | Music On Vinyl MOVLP439 / Columbia MOVLP439LP, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue · Limited, Numbered, Colored vinyl | LP, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue · Limited, Numbered, Colored vinyl |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | US | Columbia CS 9663LP, Album, Repress, Unofficial Release · Unofficial | LP, Album, Repress, Unofficial Release · Unofficial |
| ? | US | Columbia CS 9663LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo |
15 vinyl pressings of Begin are listed here, from 6 countries, released between 1968 and 2025.
The earliest pressings are from 1968, in US, Canada, Philippines. One of them is Columbia CS 9663, released July 1968.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use CS 9663, CS9663) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, XSM136542-1C1 and XSM136543 -1C. 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.
