Page Index
SP 51 - SP 100

Around 1992, we started to see some singles pressed on a lot of different colors of vinyl. Sub Pop realized there could be delays if they asked for a single or specific color.  They determined that once it was color vinyl, the actual color of the vinyl didn't matter to the consumer.  Of course, it does matter to the collector.  Some releases ended up on a huge variety of colors when pressed by Erika Records.  The releases that fit this description are:

Sub Pop Singles Club single #13, released November 1989.  2000 copies pressed, 1200 on red vinyl and 800 on black vinyl.

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ loose insert

Loose Insert

Sub Pop Singles Club single #14, released December 1989.  2000 copies pressed, 1200 on green vinyl and 800 on black vinyl.  This one has a weird sleeve, pressed on a rice paper and laid over a beige inner sleeve.   

Summary:

Sleeve: Rice paper foldover w/ inner velum sleeve and paper insert

Inner Sleeve	Loose Insert
Green	Black

Sub Pop Singles Club single #17, released March 1990.  3000 copies pressed, 1500 on white vinyl and 1500 on black vinyl.  Okay, the insert situation is a little screwy with this record.  Many just came with the normal loose paper insert (see A below).  I got one recently that clearly had not been touched since its release.  It contained a catalogue that had insert A incorporated into it (see B below), along with a credit card survey printed on dot matrix paper (C).  Then...I heard from somebody who received two photographs along with their copy (thanks to Keith for the pic).  

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ loose inserts

Insert A	Insert B - Side 1	Insert B - Side 2
Insert C	Photo Insert

First 3000 copies pressed on green vinyl.  Subsequent pressings included pale blue and black vinyl.  None of them is particularly valuable.

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ loose insert

Test pressing: Clear vinyl, small hole, plain white labels.

Loose Insert	Test Press

The Fluid's first 7"...aww... The labels on this record are marked as SP56, but the sleeve is correctly printed as SP57.  The first pressing of this one was of 4500, the first 4000 on orange vinyl and the latter 500 on yellow.  Orange is by far the easiest color to find.  The yellow one is pretty rare.  Subsequent pressings were on grey marble, purple marble, pink and black.  I also recently came across a color that I am calling "burnt orange."  It is a darker orange than the straight orange color, and has some marbling in it with an even darker color (I can't tell whether this is black or something else).  I had heard rumors of an "orange-brown" version, and can only guess that this is what the person was talking about.  Regardless, it is clearly different from the regular orange version.  Take a look at the pictures.  They were done on the same scanner.  I have heard various rumors of a red version, but those always turn out to be orange.  

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ loose insert

Test pressing: Black vinyl, small hole, plain white labels.

Rumors: 
Red version.  If anyone has one of these, please email me and send pics.

Loose Insert	Test Press	Orange
Yellow	Purple Marble	Burnt Orange
Pink	Grey Marble	Black

Sub Pop Singles Club single #15, released January 1990.  3000 copies pressed: 1200 on green and 1800 on black. 

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ loose insert

Test Pressing: Black vinyl, white labels, small hole

Loose Insert	Test Press

First 4000 copies on green vinyl w/ lavender insert and pink sticker, subsequent copies on black vinyl.  The black vinyl version is actually harder to find than the green one.  I don't know that all of the copies in that initial pressing had the inserts and sticker...I have seen many without either.  The sticker is neon pink.

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ loose inserts

Test pressing: Black vinyl, large hole, plain white labels.

Test Press	Green	Black
Loose Insert	Insert	Sticker

First 3000 copies on pink marble vinyl, most of the rest on black.  There are some purple copies as well, but they are rare.  There is also a handful of green copies available, but those are extremely rare.  The test pressing was on purple vinyl.

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ loose insert

Test pressing: Purple marble vinyl, small hole, plain white labels.

Loose Insert	Test Press

Sub Pop Singles Club single #18, released April 1990.  3500 copies total: 2000 on gold (yellow), 1500 on black.

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ loose insert

Loose Insert

Sub Pop Singles Club single #19, released May 1990.  Limited to 3500 copies, 2000 on gold (yellow) vinyl, 1500 on black vinyl.  When I was selling my last big set of records, someone emailed me to tell me of a red vinyl version of this one.  He said that there were a few made, but they didn't play correctly, so they were scrapped.  He also said that there was a version of the sleeve with an alternate picture on it.  I am skeptical.  I have never seen of heard of either of these things before or since.  It is a rumor, though, so I am including it.

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ loose insert

Rumors:
Red vinyl version; alternate sleeve with different picture.  I don't think either of these things exists, but...that's my gut talking.

Loose Insert

This one is a collector's favorite.  Supposedly, there were 10,000 of these pressed on white vinyl and 200 on purple.  I believe most of this.  However, in addition to these two, there is a pink vinyl version, which is very rare, but seems to show up 4-5 times as often as the purple.  Look at the pictures to see the distinct differences between the purple and the pink.  They were scanned on the same scanner.  Bottom line...we don't really know the actual numbers.  We do know that pink and purple are both very rare.

Summary:

Sleeve: Full cardboard matte w/ loose insert

Test pressing: Black vinyl, large hole, plain white labels.

Loose Insert	Test Press

This moment began the run of sleeves that contained attached, perforated Singles Club subscription forms.  It lasted through to SP 109, the May 1991 Singles Club release.  It also started mass confusion amongst record dealers, as the less informed decided that the presence of this form meant that the 7" in question was part of the Singles Club.  Not the case...for about a year, ALL singles that Sub Pop released contained the attached forms.

This one exists on both mint green marble and black vinyl.  I have no idea how many of each, but both are easy to acquire.

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ insert attached

Sub Pop Singles Club single #20, released June 1990.  Limited to 4000 copies, 2000 on blue vinyl and 2000 on black vinyl.

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ insert attached

Attached Insert

Sub Pop Singles Club single #21, released July 1990.  Limited to 4000 copies, 2000 on color vinyl (pink marble and red) and 2000 on black vinyl.  The red ones are by far the rarest.  I don't know precisely how many red copies were pressed, but I probably see ne red for every 10-15 pink ones I come across.  There is also an in-between-colors version, which is a combination of the pink and black.  It ends up basically being purple.  However, after viewing this one up close, I consider it part of the pink set.  It's the rarest of the bunch, but I don't think it deserves to be considered a separate color.  I have included a scan below.

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ insert attached

Attached Insert
	"Purple": Pink + Black

This one deserves its own page.  But wait - it has one!  This page on Sliver.it details this single much better than I could.  I will still attempt to be as complete as possible here, though.

The first pressing of this one had blue marble and black pressings, and came with foldover sleeves with singles club forms attached.  The labels and sleeves did not mention Erika Records.  Sub Pop says the first 3000 were on blue marble vinyl.  If the pressing pattern holds true, there are probably between 3500 and 4000 black ones.  There are also pink copies out there that had these labels and sleeves.  I originally thought these were second pressings that used the leftover materials from the first pressings, but I am not sure anymore.  The pink color is definitely distinct from the 2nd pressing clear pink (see scans).  

Second pressing: this is where it gets messy.  These versions had full sleeves, sealed on three sides, and many had Erika Records information on the back.  Most of these had Erika Records on the labels as well...but not all of them.  Colors include...black, blue, blue w/ black marbling, orange, peach, yellow, pink, pink marble and clear.  And then...there's the white one.  There are very few of these in existence (~100?).  It is very rare and very expensive.  Some of the prices below are guesses based on market trends, as I have not seen them sold recently.  Thanks to Sliver.it for a large portion of the pictures!

Third pressing: These had full sleeves with the late-90's era black labels.  No one really cares about these...

Fourth pressing: I call this a 4th pressing, just based on the patterns of some other Sub Pop releases.  The vinyl is exactly like the third pressing, except that now, the sleeves are of the foldover variety, on thick card stock. 

Summary:

Sleeve: 1st pressing: Paper foldover w/ insert attached;
            2nd pressing: Full glossy
            3rd pressing: Full glossy
            4th pressing: Thick-stock paper foldover

Test pressing: Black vinyl, small hole, plain white labels.

1st Press - Attached Insert	Test  Press
1st Press Blue	1st Press Black	1st Press Pink
2nd Sleeve: Erika	White	2nd: Pink
2nd: Blue	2nd: Blue Marble	2nd: Pink Marble
2nd: Yellow	2nd: Peach	2nd: Orange
2nd: Clear	2nd: Black	3rd/4th: Black

The first 2000 copies of this one are on red vinyl, while most of the rest of them are on black.  There are some green copies circulating.  They are the rarest, but I've seen them a couple of times.

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ insert attached

Test pressing: Green marble vinyl, small hole, plain white labels.

Test Press

Sub Pop Singles Club single #22, released August 1990.  Limited to 4000 copies: 2500 on green marble vinyl and 1500 on black vinyl.  The test pressings were on green marble vinyl.

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ insert attached

Test pressing: Green marble vinyl, small hole, plain white labels.

Attached Insert	Test Press

Sub Pop Singles Club single #23, released September 1990.  This single was the source of some confusion at one point.  An early discography listed it as a 4000 copy pressing, with 2500 on green vinyl and 1500 on black.  The pressing plant must have been short on the green, because it ended up being 2500 yellow and 1500 black.  The yellow ones are mostly yellow marble, but there are also some clear yellow copies available.  They are rarer.  Check out the comparative pictures below. To complicate matters, there were a handful of green marble copies that made it to the market.  They are by far the rarest variety.  A fellow collector got one from a former Sub Pop employee (that being Green Marble 2 below), who said that there were 50 of these made and given to the band.  I would believe this figure - these are very tough to come by.

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ insert attached

Test pressing: Green marble vinyl, small hole, plain white labels.

Test Press	Yellow Marble	Clear Yellow
Attached Insert	Green Marble	Green Marble 2
Comparison of Yellows		Black

One of the more underrated Sub Pop singles of this era.  Solid songs on this one.  Most copies are on green marble and black vinyl.  According to Sub Pop, the first 2000 were green.  I recently found a pink version, and there may be more colors of this one around.

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ insert attached

Test pressing: Black vinyl, small hole, plain white labels.

Attached Insert	Test Press

First 2000 pressed on yellow marble vinyl.  Copies also exist on light blue marble, purple marble, and black.  Test pressings were on red vinyl.  Thanks to PLC for the red test press picture.  I have also added two very rare variations (thanks to Gregg Conover forthe images).  They are yellow/black mixes; one with more yellow, one with more black.

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ insert attached

Test pressing: Red vinyl, small hole, plain white labels.

Attached Insert	Test Press	Yellow
	Light Blue	Purple Marble
	Black/Yellow	Yellow/Black

Infamous sleeve...another picture from the Blood, Guts & Pussy photo shoot.  This single was mostly on black vinyl.  The first 2500 came with a pin that said "Fuck you up and get high."  There are a few copies in circulation on purple marble vinyl.  It is not easy to come by.  The early copies had foldover sleeves with singles club forms attached.  The later ones did not.

Summary:

Sleeve: Poster foldover w/ insert attached

Test pressing: Black vinyl, small hole, plain white labels.

Inside Poster Sleeve	Attached Insert	Test Press
Pin	Purple Marble	Black

Sub Pop Singles Club Bonus single, released September 1990.  Limited to 5000 copies, 1500 on purple vinyl and 3500 on black vinyl. 

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ insert attached

Test pressing: Orange-peach marble vinyl, small hole, plain white labels.

Attached Insert	Test Press

Released in 1990.  The sleeve is a foldover paper sleeve with a Sub Pop Singles Club order form attached.  The first 2000 were on red vinyl.  At one point in collectors' past, this was the desirable version to have.  Over the years, it became clear that this version was actually very easy to come by.  The black version was released at this point as well.  Several other colors have shown up since his point.  I don't know whether they were pressed later or if they were just smaller quantities that were part of the original press run.  Regardless, they are tougher finds.  The purple marble one will show up fairly often.  It's the green and pink marble ones that are really difficult to find.  I have seen each version exactly twice.  The green one is clear green, with slight marbling (see picture).  The pink one is a solid pink marble.

Damn...just when I thought we were done with this one, a clear pink copy showed up...well, maybe.  It was advertised as purple, so I ended up missing it, and someone else bought it.  Looks to be clear pink...but it could just be a bad picture of the red one.  I have seen another reference to a clear pink version, though, and I take that as a decent indicator of it  being real.  

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ insert attached

Test pressing: Black vinyl, small hole, plain white labels.

Rumors: Clear pink version...not entirely confirmed yet.

Attached Insert	Test Press
	Clear Pink?

First 2000 pressed on pinkish-red marble vinyl, the rest on black.  Red is rarer, but they are both easy to find.   

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ insert attached

Test pressing: Green marble vinyl, small hole, plain white labels.

Attached Insert	Test Press

Sub Pop Singles Club single #25, released November 1990.  Limited to 4500 copies, 3000 on mint green marble vinyl and 1500 on black vinyl.  Much like many of the other records listed here, the color vinyl version sells for more, even though there are twice as many in existence.  People like pretty colors...

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ insert attached

Attached Insert

There are several varieties of this single in existence.  It has shown up in many colors.  The standard ones are red, mint green marble, green with reddish marbling, dark purple, and black vinyl.  A couple of very rare versions have surfaced recently: an orange copy and a blue & red copy.  Thanks to Mark Henderson for the pictures.

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ insert attached

Test pressing: Black vinyl, small hole, plain white labels.

Attached Insert	Test Press	Red
Mint Green	Purple	Blue & Red
Orange	Black

Sub Pop Singles Club single #24, released October 1990.  Limited to 4500 copies, 3000 on pinkish-red marble vinyl and 1500 on black vinyl.  Some will call the color vinyl version of this single pink, some will call it red.  It's the same thing in this case.    

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ insert attached

Test pressing: Black vinyl, small hole, plain white labels.

Attached Insert	Test Press

The only Sub Pop release by Smashing Pumpkins.  All had foldover paper sleeves with Singles Club forms attached. There were a lot of these pressed - I have read 4500 on  pink marble vinyl and 3000 on black vinyl.  Or so I had been led to believe.  Sub Pop says there were 2500 pink ones.  I feel like this can't possibly be correct because there are so many on the market.  The black ones are definitely more scarce, and the market actually reflects this.  Oh yeah, and then there's the grey one.  Estimates vary, but there are probably between 100 and 200 of these in existence.  It's expensive.  In 2007, one of these sold for about $300.  Recently (April 2008), it has been more like $500-600.  Rumors circulated saying that the grey ones were the result of the plates not being cleaned between the pink and black pressings.  Nope.  There is no pink in those grey copies.  They just simply pressed some grey ones.  If this were from overlap, then you'd end up with far fewer than 200, and they would look purple, like the Rollins Band example above (see SP 72). 

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ insert attached

Test pressing: Red vinyl, small hole, plain white labels.

Attached Insert	Test Press	Pink
	Black	Grey

This one is common and not expensive.  It has appeared in yellow marble (3500), black, and the slightly rarer baby blue vinyl. 

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ insert attached

This single was one of the ones that had many, many colors.  This one followed a similar pattern to that of the Sliver single (see SP 73 above).  First pressings: foldover paper sleeves with Singles Club forms attached.  The first 3500 were released on dark grey marble vinyl.  I am guessing, based on patterns of other pressings around this time, that there were either 3000 or 4000 black copies made at this time as well.

Subsequent pressings encompass the other various colors we have come to see on the market. These colors also probably represent more than one pressing. There was no point in wasting materials, so Sub Pop and Erika used all of the labels and sleeves that remained from the initial pressing. The labels were applied as the records were pressed, and they just switched over from the original labels to the Erika ones when they ran out. The original sleeves were then packaged with these newer pressings as they were received. It would then stand to reason that the blue-grey and the green marble ones were the first new colors pressed. They ran out of the original sleeves somewhere around this point. 

The pink marble ones followed, with new full cardboard sleeves, but with the first labels. All the rest of the colors followed suit, with both full sleeves and Erika labels: blue marble, turquoise, peach/brown, purple, hot pink marble and clear pink (an old Hole discography site claims that a clear green version also exists.  I am not certain about that one, and have never seen it).  Based on the different style of print on the Erika labels, the clear pink ones probably came at the very end. The all-caps label style we see with this one is the one they settled on for records that were pressed later. The other version (not in all caps) was used for several Sub Pop releases, roughly spanning SP113-SP141 (which would indicate, based on Sub Pop's discography, that these were pressed between 10/91 and 4/92).

This one is somewhat confusing, and I really have never focused on it over the years, but have recently begun to figure it out.  In the future, I will add information as I receive it.  Thanks to Christian for the peach/brown image.  The values vary greatly for this single, from color to color and even from one sale to the next for any given color.  The prices listed in this table are  mostly guesses based on auction buyer behavior.  The grey marble one is the most common, and the market usually reflects this.

Summary:

Sleeve: 1st press - Paper foldover w/ insert attached; 
            2nd pressings - Full matte

Rumors:
Clear green version. 

Attached Insert (1st Sleeves)	1st: Grey Marble	1st: Black
2nd: Green Marble	2nd: Blue Grey	2nd: Pink Marble
2nd: Hot Pink Marble	2nd: Turquoise	2nd: Blue Marble
2nd: Purple	2nd: Clear Pink	2nd: Peach/Brown

I don't have a ton to say about this one.  The first 1500 were on purple vinyl.  It also exists on black vinyl, but that actually seems to be slightly rarer.

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ insert attached

This single was the beginning of a very short-lived period in which Sub Pop pressed some of its records in Germany.  This single showed up most commonly on neon yellow (the same color as the Urge Overkill single, SP109).  It was also pressed on grey vinyl (like the Shonen Knife single, SP108) and black vinyl.  

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ insert attached

Sub Pop Singles Club single #26, released December 1990.  Limited to 6500 copies.  Based on the pressing patterns of that time period, I always thought the breakdown is 3500 on blue marble vinyl and 3000 on black, but Sub Pop says there were 4000 on blue, which means the black one is much rarer.  It is usually cheaper, though.

Summary:

Sleeve: Paper foldover w/ insert attached

Attached Insert