Vinyl pressings
by Thin Lizzy · 1979
Black Rose (A Rock Legend) 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.
38 pressings came out in 1979, the album's first year, in 22 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.
9102032 1Y // 1 ∇ E UT 1 4 4 UN RENDEZ - VOUS.... [Utopia lyre symbol]Side A runout variant 1
9102032 2Y // 1 ∇ E UT 1 5 3 'A LA PALACE [Utopia lyre symbol]Side B runout variant 1
9102032 1Y // 3 ∇ E UT 11 5 UN RENDEZ - VOUS.... [Utopia lyre symbol]Side A runout variant 2
9102032 2Y // 2 ∇ E UT 1 2 6 'A LA PALACE [Utopia lyre symbol]Side B runout variant 2
BSK-1-3338 LW4 1 *Side A runout ( etched)
BSK-2-3338 LW-3 2 *Side B runout (etched)
BSK-1-3338 ww1Runout A Variant 1
BSK-2-3338 WW1 #2 ─◁Runout B Variant 1
BSK-1-3338 WW1 ─◁Runout A Variant 2
BSK-2-3338 WW1 ─◁Runout B Variant 2
BSK-1-3338 JW1 0Side 1 Etched 0 Stamped
BSK-1-3338 JW1 #3 0Side 1 Etched 0 Stamped
BSK-2-3338 WW1 #3 —◁Side 2 Etched
BSK-2-3338 WW1 #4 —◁Side 2 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 | Australia | Vertigo 6360 169First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1979 | Austria | Vertigo 30 121LP, Album, Club Edition · Club edition | LP, Album, Club Edition · Club edition |
| 1979 | Canada | Mercury SRM-1-3790First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1979 | France | Vertigo 9102 032First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1979 | France | Vertigo 9102 032First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1979 | Germany | Vertigo 38 996 5LP, Album, Club Edition, Stereo · Club edition | LP, Album, Club Edition, Stereo · Club edition |
| 1979 | Germany | Vertigo 9102 032First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1979 | Greece | Vertigo 6360 169First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1979 | India | Vertigo 6360 169First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1979 | Ireland | Vertigo 9102 032First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1979 | Italy | Vertigo 6360 169First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1979 | Japan | Vertigo RJ-7587First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1979 | Japan | Vertigo RJ-7587First yearLP, Album, Promo · Promo | LP, Album, Promo · Promo |
| 1979 | Netherlands | Vertigo 6360 169First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1979 | Netherlands | Vertigo 6360 169First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Japan | Vertigo 17PP-2LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| 1983 | Japan | Vertigo 17PP-2LP, Album, Promo, Reissue · Promo | LP, Album, Promo, Reissue · Promo |
| 1984 | Japan | Vertigo 17PP-2LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| 1986 | Japan | Vertigo 17PP-2LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| 1986 | South Korea | Vertigo 6360 169 / Vertigo SEL-RP-742LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| 1986 | Spain | Vertigo 63 60 169LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| 1986 | UK | Vertigo PRICE 90LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Greece | Vertigo 830 392-1LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| 1990 | Spain | Vertigo 830 392-1LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | UK | Vertigo 0600753134160LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered | LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | UK | Back On Black RCV035LPLP, Album, Reissue, Remastered · Colored vinyl | LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered · Colored vinyl |
| 2011 | UK | Back On Black RCV035LPLP, Album, Reissue, Remastered | LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered |
| 2011 | UK | Back On Black RCV035LPLP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered · Limited, Colored vinyl | LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered · Limited, Colored vinyl |
| 2011 | UK | Rock Classics RCV035LPLP, Album, Reissue, Remastered, Test Pressing · Test pressing | LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered, Test Pressing · Test pressing |
| 2012 | US | Friday Music FRM-3338LP, Reissue, Remastered | LP, Reissue, Remastered |
| 2014 | UK & Europe | Vertigo 5354252 / Universal Music Group International 0600753542521LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| 2019 | Europe | Vertigo 7720796 / Mercury 7720796LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo, LP, Stereo, All Media, Record Store Day | LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo, LP, Stereo, All Media, Record Store Day |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Europe | Vertigo 0802640 / Universal Music Group 00602508026409LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| 2022 | US | Friday Music FRM-93338LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered · Limited, Colored vinyl | LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered · Limited, Colored vinyl |
| 2022 | US | Friday Music FRM-93338LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered · Limited, Colored vinyl | LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered · Limited, Colored vinyl |
| 2023 | Italy | VertigoLP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | Taiwan | Nova 73010LP, Album, Unofficial Release, Stereo · Unofficial | LP, Album, Unofficial Release, Stereo · Unofficial |
| ? | UK | Vertigo 9102 032LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
68 vinyl pressings of Black Rose (A Rock Legend) are listed here, from 27 countries, released between 1979 and 2023.
The earliest pressings are from 1979, in UK, US, Germany, Yugoslavia and more. One of them is Vertigo 9102 032, released April 14, 1979.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use 9102 032, BSK 3338, 6360 169, SRM-1-3790) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, 9102032 1Y // 1 ∇ E UT 1 4 4 UN RENDEZ - VOUS.... [Utopia lyre symbol] and 9102032 2Y // 1 ∇ E UT 1 5 3 'A LA PALACE [Utopia lyre symbol]. 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.
