A Record Collector's Guide

These were the 7"s that started everything.  They shaped 90's vinyl collecting and beyond.  Many of the singles on this page can be called legendary.  It began with a few singles, mostly on color vinyl.  Then, color vinyl stopped for a while, but would return with a vengeance.  The earliest Sub Pop singles exist on transparent black vinyl (giving a brown effect), rather than solid black vinyl.  This was an unintended effect of the pressing process.  Some black copies are thinner, lighter vinyl than others.  The lighter ones exhibit this semi-translucent brown effect.  The black versions of the first six Sub Pop singles were all translucent black.  The Sonic Youth/Mudhoney split 7" (SP26) started to change over, but those are still mostly translucent black, as far as I can tell.  I would not be surprised to find a solid one, though.  On the Flaming Lips single (SP28), we started to see both solid black and translucent black.  Solid black appears to be more common.  Basically everything after that point seems to have been on solid black, wit the exception of the SP50 Dwarves single.  Almost all of these were on translucent black.  I have heard recent reports of solid black ones, but cannot confirm this yet.

SP12a Soundgarden

Hunted Down b/w Nothing to Say

Sub Pop SP12a, released June 1987

The first Sub Pop 7".  500 copies on blue vinyl with a blue paper sleeve.  This one was later bootlegged.  Beware fakes.  They are regularly sold as the real thing.  I got burned.  The fakes are still rare, but the collecting community is increasingly aware of them.  They are not very valuable.

Originals
• Clear blue vinyl with no marbling.
• "Soundgarden" on label: not cut off at all
• Matrix codes in trail-off wax: R10866 and R10867
• Comes with blue paper sleeve

Fakes
• Thin blue vinyl with slight marbling
• "Soundgarden" on label butts up against the edge and can be slightly cut off
• Matrix code in trail-off wax: 19c87
• Blue paper sleeve is generally missing

Original

Fake

SP13 Blood Circus

Two Way Street b/w Six Foot Under

Sub Pop SP13, released June 1988

The second Sub Pop single.  800 copies on red vinyl and 200 on black.  The black ones were mainly used as promotional items.  The single had no picture sleeve, but did come in a plain red paper sleeve.

Test Pressing

SP14 Swallow

Trapped b/w Guts

Sub Pop SP14, released June 1988

Sub Pop single #3.  600 copies on yellow vinyl and 200 on black.  The black ones were mainly used as promotional items.  The single had no picture sleeve, but did come in a plain yellow paper sleeve.

SP18 Mudhoney

Touch Me I'm Sick b/w Sweet Young Thing (Ain't Sweet No More)

Sub Pop SP18, released August 1988

Oy.  Where to start with this one...one of the most famous 7"s from the Sub Pop era, Mudhoney's debut Sub Pop single exists in almost too many incarnations to discuss.  The first pressing was of 800 on reddish-brown vinyl (see pic), with an additional 200 on black vinyl, most of which were used for promotional purposes (these are probably translucent black, but I have not seen one up close).  These copies all had no picture sleeves and had the classic toilet labels, which had a light blue-green tint to them.  In addition, there were a few other colors of vinyl (10-15 each) that came with toilet labels.  Many have now surfaced.  I've seen yellow, blue, clear, red, orange, and several mixed colors.  There may be more.  There are several stories floating around about these, one of which is that they were a gift from the pressing plant for being late with the order.  I don't know for certain.  What I do know is that these are all preposterously valuable.

Second pressing: Touch Me I'm Sick was later re-released with a picture sleeve.  It was released this way during the period in which Erika Records was pressing all of Sub Pop's color vinyl releases on a huge variety of colors.  As a result, there are many colors of this one out there.  This was actually a completely different version of the record, with distinct matrix codes.  All subsequent versions were from the same mold.  The back of the sleeve has "Second Edition" printed on it.   Sorry about some of those images...some were scanned with the sleeves behind them.  I cleaned them up, and the transparent ones look a little odd.

Third pressing: After the color vinyl parade, a third pressing of the single came out with the same picture sleeve, but on black vinyl with Sub Pop's mid-90's era black labels.  The back of the sleeve has "Third Edition" printed on it.  This one isn't worth much.

Fourth pressing (3b): Sometime in 2006, Sub Pop threw us a curveball.  They released a version of this single with "third edition" picture sleeves, but on black vinyl with toilet labels.  This is where it gets screwy.  The toilet labels are slightly different from the original ones.  These had either a blue background color, much darker than the original, or a white background.  Very interesting to see...I paid way too much for one of these when it first showed up on the market.  Oh well, at least I wasn't the guy who dropped $500 on one...

1st Pressings

Test Press

2nd-3rd Pressings

4th Pressings

Test Press 3rd/4th

SP19 Tad

Daisy b/w Ritual Device

Sub Pop SP19, released August 1988

Dear world: meet Tad.  This one was released with no picture sleeve.  964 copies were on clear vinyl (no idea where this number came from).  There are some black ones out there - probably 200, like the ones before it.  There are also some gold vinyl copies (Sub Pop says 70).  I have only seen this one a couple of times.

Test Pressing

SP23 Nirvana

Love Buzz b/w Big Cheese

Sub Pop SP23, released November 1988

Sub Pop Singles Club #1

Nirvana's legendary first single.  1000 hand-numbered copies, 200 additional copies with red marker across the number space on the sleeve.  All are on transparent black vinyl.  The value fluctuates wildly on this record.  Even if you catch it in a downswing, however, it will cost you an awful lot of money.  Check out sliver.it for the full details.  I cannot do a better job than that.  However, the basic ways to recognize a real one are: 1. The names Alice Wheeler and Susan Sasic on the back of the sleeve are legible.  2. The side A trail-off wax reads: Why don't you trade those guitars for shovels? L-31540 SP-23-A kdisc; side B reads: L-31540X SP-23-B kdisc.

Note that there are MANY bootlegs out there (also see sliver.it for details).  They are not terribly difficult to spot once you know what to look for.  Remarkably, the bootlegs also sell for a considerable amount of money...at one point in 2008, the fakes were going for over $300.  Asinine.

Test Pressing

SP26 Sonic Youth/Mudhoney Split 7"

Touch Me I'm Sick b/w Halloween

Sub Pop SP26, released December 1988

Sub Pop Singles Club #2

Glitterhouse GR0056 - Split 12" (Germany)

500 on clear vinyl and 2500 on translucent black (some may be on solid black).  Sonic Youth and Mudhoney cover each other.  A classic.

Test Pressing

SP28 Flaming Lips

Drug Machine b/w Strychnine/(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding

Sub Pop SP28, released January 1989

Sub Pop Singles Club #3

Glitterhouse GR0043 (Germany)

1500 copies, all on black vinyl.  Many of these are on solid black vinyl, but some are out there on translucent black.  Based on the number of these I have seen, I would guess it is about 2:1 solid/translucent.

Test Pressing

SP29 Les Thugs

Chess and Crimes b/w Sunday Time

Sub Pop SP29, released February 1989

Sub Pop Singles Club #4

1500 copies, all on black vinyl.

Test Pressing

SP30 Helios Creed

Nothing Wrong b/w The Sky

Sub Pop SP30, released March 1989

Sub Pop Singles Club #5

1500 copies, all on black vinyl.

SP32 The Afghan Whigs

I Am the Sticks b/w White Trash Party 7"

Sub Pop SP32, released April 1989

Sub Pop Singles Club #6

Limited to 1500 copies, all on black vinyl.  The version of "White Trash Party" on this single is a different version from the one that was released on the Up in It album.

Test Pressing

SP33 Mudhoney

You Got It (Keep It Outta My Face) b/w Burn It Clean

Sub Pop SP33, released May 1989

Glitterhouse GR0060 - Burn It Clean 12" (Germany)

According to Sub Pop, the first 3000 of these were released with poster sleeves (see image above).  There were 300 on white vinyl, and the rest were on black vinyl.  I am guessing that the 300 white were part of the 3000 (i.e. there are 2700 black ones with poster sleeves).  Not positive on that one.  I do know that some of the white copies come with a slightly different poster sleeve.  It is on a glossier, magazine-like paper, while all of the black (and some of the white) have a poster sleeve with a thicker stock paper - more of a cardboard feel.  For a record that supposedly only has 300 copies, the white one seems to show up for sale pretty often and does not sell for that high a price.  I have no proof, but this leads me to believe there are more than 300 on the market.  There were also 2000 pressed on black vinyl with normal sleeves.  These later black copies came with loose inserts.

Loose Insert

Test Pressing

SP35 Mad Daddys

Take Me Back to Woodstock b/w Alligator Wine

Sub Pop SP35, released May 1989

Sub Pop Singles Club #7

Limited to 1500 copies, all on black vinyl.  The labels are misnumbered; they say it is SP31...it isn't.

SP37 Tad/Pussy Galore Split 7"

Damaged I b/w Damaged II

Sub Pop SP37, released June 1989

Sub Pop Singles Club #8

Limited to 2500 copies, all on black vinyl.  Both bands cover Black Flag songs.  This was the first real appearance of the Singles Club enrollment form insert.  The inserts started showing up with every Sub Pop single for a year or two in this photocopied cutout format, before eventually giving way to the attached printed insert.

Loose Insert

SP39 Das Damen

Sad Mile b/w Making Time

Sub Pop SP39, released July 1989

Sub Pop Singles Club #9

Limited to 1500 copies, all on black vinyl.

Loose Insert

SP40 Rapeman

Inki's Butt Crack b/w Song Number One

Sub Pop SP40, released August 1989

Sub Pop Singles Club #10

Limited to 2500 copies, 1000 on clear vinyl and 1500 on black vinyl.  After a steady run of consistent value, the price of the clear vinyl version has been rising.

Loose Insert

Test Pressing

SP43 Lazy Cowgirls

Loretta b/w Hybrid Moments

Sub Pop SP43, released September 1989

Sub Pop Singles Club single #11

Limited to 2000 copies, 1000 on clear vinyl and 1000 on black vinyl.  I always thought there were 1200 clear, but Sub Pop says it was 1000, so...well, I am believing that at the moment.

Loose Insert

Test Pressing

SP44a Mudhoney

This Gift b/w Baby, Help Me Forget

Sub Pop SP44a, released 1989

Glitterhouse GR0070 12" (Germany)

Released in conjunction with Mudhoney's self-titled album, the first 3000 copies of this single were on purple vinyl.  Most of the rest (I do not know how many) were on black vinyl.  There is a very rare version on a maroon-purple color.  It looks to be the same purple as the SP46 test pressing.  There is also an absurdly rare green vinyl version.  It surfaced in an auction.  The seller called it a test pressing, but... I don't think that's accurate.  I think it's just a very rare version.

Test Pressing	Purple	Purple vs. Maroon

SP45 Love Battery

Between the Eyes b/w Easter

Sub Pop SP45, released 1989

Love Battery's first record, a two song 7" on Sub Pop.  The two songs on this single were both released on the Between the Eyes EP.  The first 500 copies were on red vinyl, and the next 2500 were on black.  One interesting note on this one: there is a rejected test pressing of this record with a different mix of the songs on it.  The matrix code of this test pressing reads as follows: Side A -  "Dial M for Muzak SP-45-A Kdisc ch L-33610" / Side B - "SP-45-B Kdisc ch L-33610-X".  The matrix code of the final release is: Side A - "Dial M for Muzak SP-45-A Re-1 Kdisc ch L-33610" / Side B - "SP-45-B Kdisc ch L-33610-X".  The "Re-1" in the final version is the indicator of the second test pressing.

Rejected Test Pressing

SP46 Lonely Moans

Shoot the Cool b/w Texas Love Goat

Sub Pop SP46, released October 1989

Sub Pop Singles Club single #12

Limited to 2000 copies, 1200 on red vinyl and 800 on black vinyl.  The test pressing of this record was on purple vinyl.

Loose Insert

Test Pressing - Maroon

Test Pressing - Purple

SP47 Skin Yard

Start at the Top b/w Watch

Sub Pop SP47, released October 1989

The first 500 copies of this single were on white vinyl, and the rest (3000) were on black.  Originally, after the first 500 were pressed, the next 500 were supposed to be on clear vinyl.  I am fairly certain this never happened.  I have never seen one.

Loose Insert

Test Pressing

SP48 Screaming Trees

Change Has Come

Sub Pop SP48, released 1989 (2x7" - U.S.)

Glitterhouse GR0080 (12" - Germany)

Finally...a 7"!!!  This was Screaming Trees' only release on Sub Pop, a double single in 1989.  Most copies of this one either contain two black 7"s or one white and one black.  Both discs exist on white vinyl, but SP48C on white seems to be slightly more difficult to find.  There is a version with both records on red vinyl (~60 were supposedly made).  I heard a rumor that there was a double purple copy out there...I have never seen one of these, so as far as I am concerned, it is unconfirmed.  There was also a concurrent German release of this EP on Glitterhouse, but it was a 12" with one extra song (the same track that is on the Sub Pop cd version).

Loose Insert	SP48A White	SP48C White
SP48A Black	SP48C Black	SP48A Red	SP48C Red

SP50 Dwarves

She's Dead b/w Fuckhead

Sub Pop SP50, released February 1990

Sub Pop Singles Club #16

Limited to 3000 copies, 1500 on white vinyl and 1500 on black vinyl.  There are solid and translucent black versions, but the translucent black is MUCH more common.  Supposedly, there was a second pressing of this one of about 50 on purple vinyl.  I have never seen one of these.  I am not convinced they exist.

Loose Insert