A Record Collector's Guide

SP151 Billy Childish

The Ballad of Hollis Brown b/w Grizzerly Bear

Sub Pop SP151, released May 1992

This record exists on a few different colors of vinyl.  The powdered blue version is the one I have seen most often.  There are actually (at least) three different blue versions.  The pink one is the rarest.

Blue Comparison

SP152 The Fuckers

Block Party b/w A Goddamn Anthem About MAN, the General of the Motherfucking Global Forces of Fucker Chaos

Sub Pop SP152, released 1992

Odd single.  Rumor has it that this band was actually the hard core alter ego of Seaweed.  I've never heard a definitive opinion on this.  The single showed up on green vinyl and mostly transparent light blue vinyl with some light white and black marbling.  The Blue one is harder to find.

SP154 Rocket from the Crypt

Normal Carpet Ride b/w Where are the Fuckers/Slumber Queen/Flip the Bird

Sub Pop SP154, released June 1992

Sub Pop Singles Club #44

Limited to 2916 copies, all on blue vinyl.  The unconditional love of Rocket from the Crypt meets Sub Pop.  Fabulous single.

SP155 Codeine

Realize b/w Broken-Hearted Wine

Sub Pop SP155, released July 1992

Sub Pop Singles Club #45

Limited to 2933 copies, almost entirely on clear vinyl.  There are very few copies on white vinyl on the market.  It is not easy to find.  Despite its scarcity, it doesn't sell for that much.

SP156 Sick & Wrong

SP156 Sick & Wrong

Sub Pop SP156, released July 1992

Most copies of this one were on "sub-neon puke yellow-green-clear" vinyl (seriously, that description came straight from Sub Pop).  There were some other copies on a less-revolting green marble vinyl.

SP157 The Muffs

I Need You b/w Beat Your Heart Out

Sub Pop SP157, released July 1992

Available on pink marble and green marble vinyl.  Not much difference in value between the two.

Test Pressing

SP158 Crackerbash

Nov. 1 b/w Halloween Candy

Sub Pop SP158, released August 1992

Sub Pop Singles Club #46

Limited to 2752 copies, all on lavender vinyl.

SP159 Mono Men

Skin and Bones b/w Comanche

Sub Pop SP159, released September 1992

Sub Pop Singles Club #47

Limited to 2746 copies, all on blue marble vinyl.  The degree of marbling varies from one copy to another.  There are some out there that are basically solid blue.

Test Pressing

SP160 Rein Sanction

Deeper Road b/w S.K.

Sub Pop SP160, released July 1992

This is a pretty easy single to find.  It comes on green marble, purple marble, and blue vinyl w/ various marbling...possibly other colors as well.  The blue one is a bit rarer than the other two.

Test Pressing

SP163 Gas Huffer

Hot Cakes b/w Beer Drinking Cavemen from Mars

Sub Pop SP163, released September 1992

It's hard to believe, but this was the only Sub Pop release by Gas Huffer.  There are  four known colors of this single: green, blue, light blue and brown with slight marbling.

Test Pressing

SP168 Seaweed

Measure b/w Turnout

Sub Pop SP168, released October 1992

Sub Pop Europe SP57/219 - 12"/CDS (Germany)

The second Sub Pop single from Seaweed.  Seaweed was peaking at this point.  They were putting out some solid music.  This single was available on orange vinyl (most common) and clear vinyl (slightly less common).  Sub Pop says the first 2000 were on orange.  There is also a version that is a pink marble or salmon color, but it is very rare.  It looks like the orange one, but is definitely distinct.

Orange vs. Pink

SP169 Creep

No Pain b/w Words

Sub Pop SP169, released September 1992

Sub Pop Europe SP90/262 - CDS (Germany)

This one is in the running for least valuable Sub Pop single ever.  Available on pink vinyl and blue vinyl.

SP170 Supersuckers

Hell City, Hell b/w Dead Homiez

Sub Pop SP170, released 1992

Sub Pop Europe SP93/265 - Dead Homiez 7" (Germany)

The Supersuckers' second Sub Pop single.  This one has a spectacular Ice Cube cover on it.  It's been out for over 15 years, and that track never gets old.  It showed up on yellow marble and pink vinyl. I came across another copy at one point that is more red than pink, and has some marbling in it.  I think this one falls into the pink category, but it is definitely distinct and very rare.  The two pictures below were scanned on the same scanner.  Just when we thought we were done...a black copy has surfaced.  I've been encountering versions of this record for over 15 years, and saw a black vinyl version for the first time in June of 2009.

SP171 V/A

V/A - Sassy 7"

Codeine - Hard to Find/Velocity Girl - Crawl b/w Beat Happening - Not a Care in the World/Sebadoh - Soulmate

Sub Pop SP171, released October 1992

This 7" was a giveaway, available upon request to Sassy magazine readers.  I am still trying to figure out how this one happened.  Well, okay, I know how it happened...starting around this point, Sub Pop tried everything around this time to push their brand to markets that would not normally ever see it.  That's how we ended up with Sub Pop meets Sega - "That Virtua Feeling" CD, the Sub Pop-Urban Outfitters collaborative CD, and "Tad Does Disney"...okay, that one I made up, but some part of you wanted to believe me.  Anyway, all of these were on green vinyl and came in plain white cardboard sleeves.

Test Pressing

SP172 Green Magnet School/Six Finger Satellite Split 7"

The Declaration of Techno-colonial Independence 2x7"

Green Magnet School - Twelve Gauge b/w Don't Cry / Six Finger Satellite - Crippled Monster Bearing Malice b/w Sex Transistor

Sub Pop SP172, released October 1992

This was a double 7"...not bad...most copies had the Green Magnet School 7" on yellow vinyl and the Six Finger Satellite one on red vinyl.  This is said to be the first pressing.  There is a version of this release where both are on purple vinyl.  It is a bit rarer.

Test Pressing

SP173 Big Damn Crazyweight

Might as Well b/w Off That Cow

Sub Pop SP173, released October 1992

Sub Pop Singles Club #48

Limited to 2341 copies, all on yellow vinyl.  See how easy this is when there's only one color?  Where's the fun in that, though?

Test Pressing

SP174 Antiseen

We Got This Far (Without You) b/w (We Will Not) Remember You

Sub Pop SP174, released November 1992

Sub Pop Singles Club #49

Limited to 2205 copies, all on "magenta" vinyl.  They call it magenta.  Yeah, it's red.  I suppose it has a slight pink tint to it...but really, it's red.  Come on, now, people.

Test Pressing

SP178 Pond

Wheel b/w Cinders

Sub Pop SP178, released November 1992

Sub Pop SP56/218 (Germany)

Sub Pop SP59/222 12"/CDS (Germany)

This single was Pond's first appearance on the Sub Pop scene.  These were all on white vinyl, and it was purportedly a pressing of 2000.  Supposedly, there is a slight color variation in the print on the sleeve, and some copies had the band name in an olive-green color, while others are in a lime-green.  According to Sub Pop, 600 of the 2000 sleeves had green print.  Now, does this mean lime green or olive green?  I assume lime green, since olive green is the one that shows up more often.

Crazy Town b/w Creepy

Sub Pop SP179, released 1992

Sub Pop SP60/227 7" (Germany)

Sub Pop Europe SP61/228 12" (Germany)

At this juncture, Sub Pop was mostly pressing single colors of vinyl...except for this one.  The initial pressing was on green vinyl.  There are LOTS of these out there.  It is by far the most common.  Then, there are the others...it exists on blue, yellow marble, clear, brown marble (often called "cola") and white vinyl.  The blue, yellow marble, and brownish ones show up every so often.  The clear one is a little rarer.  My clear copy has a little pink in it, which leads me to believe there may be pink copies floating around.  The white one seems to be the rarest.  My white copy has a slight yellowish tint to it...it's more of an off-white or eggshell color.  I'd say probably 90% of the copies out there are on green, and the rest are on the other colors.

The European version is mostly (but not entirely) on green vinyl.  There is also a blue vinyl version out there.  It is much rarer.  Quite scarce.  The 12" also contains the song My Forgotten Favorite.

SP180 Jon Spencer

Big Yule Log Boogie b/w My Christmas Wish

Sub Pop SP180, released December 1992

Sub Pop Singles Club #50

Limited to 2218 copies, all on green vinyl...in theory...however, I came across a Wolverton Brothers single in 2007 on a clear-grey vinyl that I had never seen before.  Well, on Sub Pop's discography page, I noticed this:

"SP180 - JOHN SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION - BIG YULE LOG BOOGIE / MY CHRISTMAS WISH - GREEN VINYL (SOME FUCKUPS CLEAR LILAC VINYL W/WOLVERTON LABLES & SLEEVES)"

Well, I went back and checked, and sure enough...it's the Jon Spencer record.  It looks as though they mixed up the catalogue numbers of the two releases in the trail-off wax, and it led to this error pressing.  So there you go...there is a very rare version of the Jon Spencer Singles Club record on clear lilac vinyl, with Wolverton Brothers labels and sleeves.  Crazy.

Error Press

SP181 Wolverton Brothers

My Assassin b/w Max Gomez Love

Sub Pop SP181, released January 1993

Sub Pop Singles Club #51

Limited to 2015 copies, all on white vinyl.  There is a mispress of the SP180 Jon Spencer record out there on clear lilac vinyl (see above) with Wolverton Brothers labels and sleeves.  It is very rare, but it is not actually the Wolverton Brothers record.

SP182 Tad

Salem b/w Welt

Sub Pop SP182, released 1988

Sub Pop Europe SP62/229 - 12"/CD (Germany)

Tad strikes again.  Almost all on blue vinyl.  There are black ones as well, but they are much rarer.

SP183 Dwarves

Underworld b/w Lies

Sub Pop SP183, released January 1993

This single was first released as a 5" orange vinyl single, limited to 1000 copies.  They didn't put labels on the 5"s, so they look a little funny.  It was then also released as a yellow vinyl 7".  There is a black vinyl version of the 7" as well, but it is much rarer.  I don't know the press run quantity of the 7", but the 5" is a tougher find than the yellow 7".

Test Pressing

SP187 The Legend

Do Nuts b/w Rockaway Beach/Roses

Sub Pop SP187, released February 1993

Boy, should this single never have happened.  It's torturously bad.  The A Side is much worse than the B Side.  All on black vinyl.

SP188 House of Pain

Shamrocks and Shenanigans (In the Dirt Mix) b/w Shamrocks and Shenanigans (Buds & Brew  Mix)

Sub Pop SP188, released November 1992

Yep, that House of Pain.  Why, you ask?  It's a mystery.  This single contained two remixes of Shamrocks and Shenanigans, and all copies were on (what else?) green vinyl.

SP191 Hazel

Jilted b/w Truly

Sub Pop SP191, released February 1993

Sub Pop SP67/234 - 12" (Germany)

Sub Pop SP74/241 - 7" (Germany)

I love the B-side of this single.  The song was on one of Hazel's albums, but I like the single version a little better.  Almost all copies of this record were on grey vinyl.  There are a few black ones on the market, but they are very rare.

SP193 Lubricated Goat

Play Dead b/w Prayer for Blood

Sub Pop SP193, released February 1993

Still one of the better band names ever.  Red vinyl.

SP194 Nick Cave & Shane MacGowan

What a Wonderful World b/w Rainy Night in Soho/Lucy (Version #2)

Sub Pop SP194, released December 1992

Yeah, that happened.  It's fun, in all of its drunken splendor.  Black vinyl.

SP195 Dwarves

Anybody Out There b/w Who Cares?

Sub Pop SP195, released 1993

Sub Pop SP63/230 - CDS (Germany)

Sub Pop SP83/254 - 7" (Germany)

This will be the last Dwarves single featured here.  This one's pretty solid.  All on black vinyl.  The European version is on blue vinyl (500 copies).

SP198 V/A

Nevermind the Molluscs 2 x 7"

Disc 1: Sloan - Pillow Fight b/w Jale - Lung

Disc 2: Eric's Trip - Blue Sky for Julie/Smother / Idee du Nord - Iodine Eyes

Sub Pop SP198, released 1993

Yeah, it's a comp, but it was Jale's first Sub Pop appearance, so it's important.  Canada began to invade Sub Pop land with this double 7".  The Jale song is really solid.  Sloan never did anything else on Sub Pop.  Eric's Trip developed a really dedicated following with their releases (they never really grabbed me, though).  I choose to ignore Idee du Nord.  Pretty good single overall.  All on black vinyl.

SP199 Bewitched

Hey White Homey b/w Troll Doll

Sub Pop SP199, released February 1993

Sub Pop Singles Club #52

Limited to 2000 copies, all on yellow vinyl.

SP200 Dead Moon

Dirty Noise b/w Dark Deception

Sub Pop SP200, released March 1993

Sub Pop Singles Club #53

Limited to 2125 copies, all on clear vinyl.  There has been renewed interest in this single since 2008.  It has been selling for a lot more money in auctions.

Test Pressing