A Record Collector's Guide

SP102 Velvet Monkeys

Rock the Nation b/w Why Don't We Do It in the Road?

Sub Pop SP102, released February 1991

Sub Pop Singles Club #28

Limited to 7000 copies, 4000 on clear vinyl and 3000 on black vinyl.  This one can be found at any record store in the world at any time.  I am convinced this is true.

Attached Insert

Test Pressing

SP103 Unrest

A Factory Record

Deaf/UFO b/w Sex Machine/When It All Comes Down

Sub Pop SP103, released March 1991

Sub Pop Singles Club #29

Limited to 7000 copies, 4000 on lilac vinyl and 3000 on black.  Well...I thought it was that simple.  Many people call the lilac one pink.  That's a fair assessment.  Slightly misleading, though.  It's more of a lavender (and officially, it's lilac). I thought there was no pink one. Then I found a pink one.  Oops.  It looks like it is part of the lilac pressing, but that they ran out of the marbling colors.  The result: it's pink, and very rare.  See pics.  In real life, it is more pink than in the picture. It is a distinct difference.

Attached Insert	Test Pressing

SP104 Fastbacks

The Answer is You EP - 2 x 7"

Sub Pop SP104, released July 1991

This was a great little EP - one of the stronger things the Fastbacks have put out in the last 20 years or so.  It is two records, most commonly found with one red and one green marble 7" (pressing of 2500 on those colors).  There are, however, some variations.  It is also pretty easy to find both records on black vinyl.  Less common:  both records on red.  Very rare: both records on yellow marble.  Most of the double yellow copies seem to have been sent to Europe.  They are much more common in the UK.

Test Pressing

SP108 Shonen Knife

Neon Zebra b/w Bear Up Bison

Sub Pop SP108, released April 1991

Sub Pop Singles Club #30

Limited to 5000 grey copies.  This was one of the records that was pressed in Germany.

Attached Insert

SP109 Urge Overkill

Now That's the Barclords! b/w What's This Generation Coming To

Sub Pop SP109, released May 1991

Sub Pop Singles Club #31

Limited to 5000 copies, all on neon yellow vinyl.  This was another in the brief German pressing era.

Attached Insert

SP113 Dwarves

Lucky Tonight b/w Speed Demon/Dairy Queen

Sub Pop SP113, released October 1991

Sub Pop SP21/163 (Germany)

Another Dwarves single, this time with a remarkably tame sleeve.  This one is mostly on orange vinyl.  I have been told that there are black vinyl copies as well, but I have never seen one.  I think the confusion may be coming from the Sub Pop Europe version, which is black and has the yellow labels typically reserved for U.S. releases.  There are three main differences with this one that easily identify it as the European one: first, the vinyl color (black).  Next, the catalogue number is SP21/163 instead of SP113.  Finally, the sleeve is slightly different.  The Dwarves logo is done in grey.

SP114 Godflesh

Slateman b/w Wound '91

Sub Pop SP114, released 1991

Another of those German pressings.  This one appeared on red and black vinyl.  Black is more common.  This single also marked the end of the era of the attached Singles Club form.

Attached Insert

From this point onward, Sub Pop eliminated the Singles Club enrollment forms and started pressing full sleeves (closed on three sides), with the exception of the double singles and the German pressings, which continued to have foldover paper sleeves.  The full sleeves were on much heavier stock (like cardboard), and had a nice matte finish.  These did not last long, as the label then moved to a lighter stock full sleeve with a glossy finish.  I hate these sleeves with a passion.  They develop ring wear extremely easily, they crease like crazy along the edges, and the outer glossy finish comes up and flakes off.  They are terrible sleeves, and Sub Pop used them for a long time.

SP115 Come

Car b/w Last Mistake

Sub Pop SP115, released August 1991

Sub Pop Singles Club #34

Sub Pop SP35/192 - Car 12"/CDS (Germany)

Limited to 4500 copies, all on white vinyl.  From this point on, most of the rest of the singles were predominantly released on one color of vinyl (with a few notable exceptions...keep reading...).

SP119 Gorilla

Detox Man b/w Sober

Sub Pop SP119, released September 1991

Sub Pop Singles Club #35

Limited to 4500 copies, all on grey marble vinyl.

Test Pressing

SP121 V/A

V/A - Tribute to Alice Cooper 2 x 7" - Sonic Youth/Gumball/Laughing Hyenas/These Immortal Souls

Sub Pop SP121, released June 1991

Sub Pop Singles Club #32/33

This was sent out as a double single, and so it counted and the June and July Singles Club singles.  Limited to 5500 copies, mostly on black vinyl, with a handful on blue-grey marble vinyl.  The blue set is really difficult to get.  I don't think it was really supposed to be pressed in blue.  The A-side label says "Limited Edition Black Vinyl," and the D-side label says, "they're all black, sucker."  I found a blue copy after a very long search, and I paid more than the price listed here to get it.  Be warned.

Test Pressing - Side A	Test Pressing - Side C

SP125 Supersuckers

Like a Big Fuckin' Train EP

Sub Pop SP125, released December 1991

Sub Pop SP27/180 (Germany)

The first of many Supersuckers Sub Pop singles.  This one can be found on purple marble or blue vinyl.  Blue is harder to find, but it's not too difficult.

Insert

Test Pressing

SP127 Night Kings

Night Kings Theme b/w Midnight

Sub Pop SP127, released November 1991

German pressing.  All on black vinyl.

SP128 Derelicts

Don't Wanna Live EP - 2 x 7"

Sub Pop SP128, released November 1991

Glitterhouse GR0131? (Germany)

German pressing.  All on black vinyl.  There may or may not have been a separate German pressing of it on Glitterhouse.

SP134 Gories

Give Me Some Money b/w You Don't Love Me

Sub Pop SP134, released October 1991

Sub Pop Singles Club #36

Limited to 4500 copies, almost all on red vinyl.  This one is fun for so many reasons, not the least of which is the band covers Spinal Tap.  The Dirtbombs' popularity has caused the value of this single to rise.  An early discography cited this as "100 copies on red, 1500 copies on blue marble, 2900 copies on pink".  This is very, very wrong.  That may have been the original plan for the pressing of this single, but it did not work out that way.  Almost every copy is on red vinyl.  However...there are very few blue marble and pink copies out there.  I thought for a while that they were equally rare, but I have now seen 6 or 7 blue copies, and still only one pink one.  Regardless, they are both very rare.

SP135 Love Battery

Foot b/w Mr. Soul

Sub Pop SP135, released November 1991

Sub Pop Singles Club #37

4000 copies released on green marble vinyl.  "Mr. Soul" is a Buffalo Springfield cover.

SP136 Green Magnet School

Singed b/w Slipper

Sub Pop SP136, released December 1991

Sub Pop Singles Club #38

Limited to 4000 copies, all on gold (yellow) vinyl.

SP137 Tsunami/Velocity Girl Split 7"

Left Behind b/w Warm/Crawl

Sub Pop SP137, released January 1992

Sub Pop Singles Club #39

Limited to 4000 copies, all on pink vinyl.

SP139 The Monkeywrench

Bottle Up and Go b/w Cold Cold World (no organ)/Out of Focus

Sub Pop SP139, released January1992

This one is found on red and pink marble vinyl.  Red is more common, and was the first pressing.

Test Pressing

SP140 V/A

Smells Like Smoked Sausages 2 x 7"

Tar - Deep Throw/Cows - My Girl/Helmet - Oven/Surgery - Our Demise/Vertigo - Dynamite Cigar/Helios Creed - Hideous Greed/Boss Hog - Fire of Love/God Bullies - Bullet

Sub Pop SP140, released February 1992

Sub Pop Singles Club #40/41

As a double single, this counted as the February and March Singles Club installments.  Limited to 5000 copies, all on pink vinyl - the first record is on clear pink vinyl, and the second is on pink marble vinyl.  It also came with a two-sided pink insert correcting the completely mixed-up track listing on the sleeve.  It also advertised upcoming releases and merch.

Insert - Side 1	Insert - Side 2	Test Pressing - Side A	Test Pressing - Side C

SP141 Seaweed

Bill b/w Pumpkin

Sub Pop SP141, released April 1990

Sub Pop SP40/199 - 12" (Germany)

Seaweed's first Sub Pop single, released after their two 7"s on Leopard Gecko.  This one appeared on both green marble and turquoise (or aqua) marble vinyl.  There is some confusion in the record trading community as to which is which.  The lighter one is the green.  Both colors are fairly easy to find, but the green one is slightly more common.  Sub Pop says the first 2000 were on turquoise.  There are some green variations that have bits of other colors mixed in - I have one with some pink in it.

Test Pressing

SP142 The Afghan Whigs

Conjure Me b/w My World is Empty Without You

Sub Pop SP142, released 1992

Sub Pop SP42/203: My World is Empty Without You 12" (Germany)

The sleeve is a glossy full sleeve.  There are many colors of this one out there, and some confusion about them.  Let's try to sort it all out.

Alright, then.  There are two very common colors of this single: red (almost a magenta-red) and white.  Simple.  

Next: lilac.  The lilac version causes a lot of confusion.  It is a very subtle greyish-lavender base color, marbled with bits of pink and blue.  I've seen it called pink, lilac, lavender, even grey...any of these would be somewhat correct, but at the end of the day, it's the same color vinyl.  We will call it lilac.  Fabulous.  That's settled.  Almost.  There is a version of this color out there with little to no pink marbling in it, which has the effect of basically making grey.  Now, I guess this means we know a grey copy exists.  The big question is whether this version is the only one or whether a dark grey marble one also exists.  I thought I saw one at one point, but I may be mistaken.  It will have to remain in the rumors section for now.

NOW...there are some other rarer colors.  There is a blue-green marble that is rarer.  Then, there's the clear copy, which is rare, but does show up on occasion.  There was once rumored to be a black vinyl version.  I do not believe this exists.  Most of the Sub Pop releases of this era that were on many colors of vinyl were all on color vinyl, with none on black.  Then, there's the pink marble version...after convincing myself that this did not exist, one showed up for sale.  I lost out on that one, but have since tracked another down.

There is also a very uncommon promo cd for this single.  The catalogue number is Sub Pop SUBPROCD#3.  I am including it because some have spent considerable time tracking it down.

		SP42/203	SUBPROCD3

SP148 Pain Teens

Death Row Eyes b/w The Smell

Sub Pop SP148, released May 1992

Sub Pop Singles Club #43

Limited to 3285 copies...no, really.  Those numbers actually came from Sub Pop.  There were 1841 blue marble copies, 1234 on white vinyl, and a mere 210 on aqua colored vinyl.  The aqua is a green color (some are more green than others).  Some confuse the blue with the aqua.  When you see them side by side, it is very easy to tell the difference.  It seems that there is quite the color range for the blue copies, from dark blue marble to light powder blue.  The powder blue ones are clearly a subset of the 1841 blue marble copies, but exactly how many are on powder blue vinyl, we will never know.  It is pretty rare.

SP149 Mecca Normal b/w Kreviss Split 7"

You Heard It All/Broken Flowers b/w Going To Hell

Sub Pop SP149, released April 1992

Sub Pop Singles Club #42

3500 copies, all on dark green marble vinyl...it's a really great color of vinyl, and I don't think it was ever used again for Sub Pop.