Vinyl pressings
by Waylon Jennings · 1979
What Goes Around Comes Around 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.
9 pressings came out in 1979, the album's first year, in 8 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.
AHL1-3493-A-S3Side 1, variant 1 [etched]
AHL1-3493-B-S2Side 2, variant 1 [etched]
I A2 AHL1-3493-A-S3Side 1, variant 2 [etched, "I A2" stamped]
I A7 AHL1-3493-B-S5 MasterfonicsSide 2, variant 2 [etched, "I A7" and "Masterfonics" stamped]
AHL1-3493 A3 TXSide A, etched
AHL1-3493 B2 TXSide B, etched
AHL1-3493-ASide A label
AHL1-3493-BSide B label
AHLI-3493 - A TXSide A
AHLI-3493 - B² TXSide B
AHL1-3493 ASide 1
AHL1-3493 BSide 2
RCA 13493-A PF Manufactured in GermanySide A
RCA 13493-B PF Manufactured in GermanySide B
PL 13493-ASide A, label
PL 13493-BSide B, label
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 | RCA Victor APL1-3493First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1979 | Germany | RCA PL 13493 / RCA Victor PL 13493First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1979 | Malaysia | RCA AHL1-3493First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1979 | Netherlands | RCA Victor PL-13493First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1979 | UK | RCA PL 13493First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1979 | Canada | RCA Victor AHL1-3493First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1979 | Canada | RCA AHL1-3493First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1979 | Japan | RCA RVP-6437First yearLP, Album, Promo · Promo | LP, Album, Promo · Promo |
| 1979 | US | RCA Victor AHL1-3493First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Japan | RCA RVP-6437LP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1980 | Spain | RCA Victor PL-13493 / RCA PL-13493LP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1980 | Spain | RCA Victor PL-13493 / RCA PL-13493LP, Album, Promo · Promo | LP, Album, Promo · Promo |
| 1981 | UK | RCA International INTS 5161 / RCA International NL 43797LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
13 vinyl pressings of What Goes Around Comes Around are listed here, from 9 countries, released between 1979 and 1981.
The earliest pressings are from 1979, in US, UK, Canada, Australia and more. One of them is RCA Victor AHL1-3493, released November 1, 1979.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use AHL1-3493, PL 13493, APL1-3493, PL-13493) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, AHL1-3493-A-S3 and AHL1-3493-B-S2. 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.
