Vinyl pressings
by Willie Nelson · 1981
Somewhere Over The Rainbow was first pressed on vinyl in 1981. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
17 pressings came out in 1981, the album's first year, in 10 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.
PAL-36883- 1C B11 S2Side A runout, variant 1
PBL-36883-1D D3 S\Side B runout, variant 1
PAL 36883- 1D B8 S2Side A runout, variant 2
PBL 36883- 1D B9 S1Side B runout, variant 2
PAL-36883- 1D o C3 1SRunout side A
PBL 36883-1D o C 2SRunout side B
PAL-36883-1E PXTRunout, Side A
PBL-36883-1H F12 0 T1Runout, Side B
AL 36883Label, Side A
BL 36883Label, Side B
PAL-36883-1EVariant 1, Side A
T PBL-36883-1J C oVariant 1, Side B
PAL-36883-1Y A6 TIVariant 2, Side A
PBL-36883-1J A8 TIVariant 2, Side B
P PAL-36883-1E CSide A, variant 1
P PBL-36883-1ESide B, variant 1
P PAL-36883-1E BSide A, variant 2
P PBL-36883-1E CSide B, variant 2
2 Ƨ PAL-36883- 1D SX A 14Runout A
o T I PBL 36883-1J ARunout B
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Australia | CBS SBP 237603First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1981 | Australia | CBS SBP 237603First yearLP, Album, Promo · Promo | LP, Album, Promo · Promo |
| 1981 | Brazil | CBS 138503 / CBS 138.503First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1981 | Israel | CBS CBS 10025First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1981 | Japan | CBS/Sony 25AP 2009First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1981 | Mexico | CBS CLS-5720First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1981 | Netherlands | CBS CBS 84817First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1981 | New Zealand | CBS CBS 237 603First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1981 | South Africa | Columbia ASF 2623First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1981 | South Africa | CBS ASF 2623First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1981 | US | Columbia FC 36883 / Columbia 36883First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1981 | US | Columbia FC 36883First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1981 | US | Columbia FC 36883First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1981 | Canada | Columbia FC 36883First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| 1981 | US | Columbia FC 36883First yearLP, Album | LP, Album |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | US | Columbia PC 36883LP, Album, Reissue | LP, Album, Reissue |
22 vinyl pressings of Somewhere Over The Rainbow are listed here, from 10 countries, released between 1981 and 1984.
The earliest pressings are from 1981, in US, Canada, Australia, Brazil and more. One of them is Columbia FC 36883, released March 1981.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use FC 36883, SBP 237603, 138503, CBS 10025) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, PAL-36883- 1C B11 S2 and PBL-36883-1D D3 S\. 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.
