The way we listen to music has undergone a total transformation since our parents were young. Nowadays, new music is one simple click away. Back in the day, if you wanted to hear the latest track or album from your favourite artist, you would have to head down to the local record store.
In recent years, vinyl records have made a comeback. The younger generations have started to show an interest in records, since vintage is now considered to be fashionable. This has led to a significant surge in record sales. While it is relatively easy to get hold of a re-pressed record, original versions can be difficult to come by. Each album tells its own story, from controversial album artwork, to mistakes made during production, each of these stories has contributed to the increase in value of these 40 vinyls, making them some of the most sought after collectors items out there. If your parents have a record collection, be sure to have a rummage through it after reading this article, after all, it could hold the key to a veritable fortune!
40. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin (1969)
1969 was a big year for Led Zeppelin. This was the year that they released their very first album. Now it is hard to imagine Led Zeppelin as a little-known band making their first entrance into the world of rock and roll. The album initially received some poor reviews, but it is now perceived to be one of their most iconic, featuring rearrangements of various contemporary blues and folk songs.
en.wikipedia.org
While Rolling Stone magazine initially asserted that the album offered “little that its twin, the Jeff Beck Group, didn’t say as well or better three months ago…”, it proved to be a commercial success. Back in 2013, Rolling Stone listed it as the 29th greatest album of all time. They’ve certainly changed their tune! Today this album could be sold for up to $1000.
39. Miles Davis, Kind of Blue (1959)
Miles Davis is one of the most influential and acclaimed musicians of his genre. His music is considered to have had a significant impact on modern jazz. His most renowned album is ‘Kind of Blue’, which was released in 1959.
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For the recording, Davis called on legendary saxophonists, John Coltrane and Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, pianists Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb. In the world of music, this arrangement is known as a sextet. The album was very experimental and has been deemed by many as one of the most influential albums ever recorded. Today, you would be able to sell an original pressing of it for up to $1000.
38. The Who, The Who Sell Out (1967)
This is the third studio album by the British rock band, The Who. It is considered to be one of the rarest albums out there. It is a concept album and features jingles from fake commercials and public service announcements created by the band.
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So, how much is this album worth now? It can be sold for around $1,100 and, if you end up with one of the first 1,000 copies that were printed, it should come complete with a psychedelic butterfly poster illustrated by Adrian George. If you come across this one in your collection and don’t intend to keep it, perhaps hang onto it for a little while longer. You never know how much it’ll increase in worth in the years to come!
37. Nirvana, Bleach (1989)
While Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ album contains all of the classics, if you’re after some serious bucks, ‘Bleach’ is the album you want in your collection. This was the band’s debut studio album, released on June 15, 1989.
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The first 1,000 copies that were sold were on white vinyl and some included a Nirvana\Sub Pop poster. These can now sell for a whopping $2,000 plus. The third pressing of just 500 copies, had a red and white 12″ and a blue 7″ vinyl included. These can be sold for $1,100 each.
36. XTC – Science Friction (1977)
XTC were a British rock band who gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s. This record is an EP, featuring only two tracks: ‘Science Friction’ and ‘She’s So Square.’ After this was released, the band would go on to produce a further 14 full-length albums.
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This record was originally released as a 7″ copy, but was later put out as a 12″ copy. There were allegedly only 50 copies released of the original 7″ version, so these are worth a lot. They can sell today for up to $2,000.
35. David Bowie – The Prettiest Star (1973)
This record sleeve features one of the most iconic album covers in rock and roll history. The Prettiest Star is also one of Bowie’s most famous songs. He dedicated this song to his wife at the time, Angela Barnett.
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He once admitted to performing this song over the phone to Angela. The guitar on this record was played by Bowie’s longtime friend and, at times, rival, Mack Bolan. This record can now be sold for up to $2,000.
34. ABBA – Hova’s Vittne (1981)
This record is one of the rarest vinyls out there. The track was created for ABBA’s manager, Stig Anderson’s fiftieth birthday party. How very flattering! The only 200 copies that were ever printed were then distributed to the guests at the party.
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ABBA was one of the most commercially successful musical groups of all time. The band was made up of two married couples. Unfortunately however, neither couple stood the test of time. Quite the opposite has happened to this record and it can now be sold for anywhere within the region of $3,000 – $6,000. This ones a real money-maker!
33. The Quarrymen – That’ll Be the Day (1981)
If you are a hardcore music fan, you will know that Quarrymen has significant associations with the Beatles. In fact, they became the Beatles! They were a band formed by John Lennon in 1956, which would later evolve into The Beatles.
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This record was written by Buddy Holly and Jerry Allison and was, in fact, the first song that The Quarrymen ever recorded. This vinyl was the first ever recording to feature John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison – only Ringo Starr was left out! It is for this reason that this edition can sell for up to $3,500!
32. Cherry Five – Cherry Five (1975)
Those who are into horror movies will know that this band provided the soundtrack for movies such as Deep Red, Dawn of the Dead and Suspiria. After releasing this record, the band changed their name to Goblin.
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This release is extremely rare and if you happen to have it in your possession, you could be looking at earning yourself up to $3,500! The band went on to do several more successful collaborations with the director of Deep Red, Dario Argento.
31. David Bowie, Diamond Dogs (1974)
We are not at all surprised that Bowie has featured twice on this list. The album cover shown below is particularly famous for its strange artwork by Guy Peelaert. The original version featured Bowie as half-man, half(male)-dog, but due to the dog’s genitalia being visible, the artwork was deemed inappropriate.
en.wikipedia.org
This version of the album was never meant to see the light of day, so, as you can imagine, it is worth a lot of money. Even more so since Bowie’s passing in 2016. You should expect at least around $3,550 for this one.
30. The Beatles – Abbey Road (1969)
If you can get your hands on the right version of this classic, you’re laughing! A specific version of this record can be sold for up to $4,000. How do you know if it’s the right one? Check for the yellow and black Parlophone records label. The catalogue number is PPCS 7088. Better still if you find a gold sticker on the back!
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This was the eleventh studio album released by the iconic Liverpudlian band. Though it initially received some mixed reviews, it is now considered one of the greatest rock records of all time, sliding in at number 14 on Rolling Stone’s list of the “500 greatest records of all time.”
29. Elvis Presley, That’s All Right (1954)
This album was released following a significant break from “The King”. During this break, Presley was jamming with his bassist, Bill Black and started playing Arthur Crudup’s song ‘That’s All Right, Mama.’ Scotty Moore soon joined in, also on guitar.
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Upon hearing this, producer Sam Phillips decided that this should be put out as a record. The wheels were set in motion and soon the record was out, featuring ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky’ on its B-side. This record is believed by some to be the first true rock n’ roll record ever made. This record is worth around $4,000.
28. The Thirteenth Floor Elevators – Reverberation (Doubt) (1966)
This psychedelic rock band was extremely influential in the 60s. However, they only recorded four studio albums. This was largely because the guitarist, Rocky Erickson, suffered from paranoid schizophrenia which ultimately made it difficult for the band to continue.
en.wikipedia.org
This record features songs such as ‘Reveration (Doubt)’, ‘You’re Gunna Miss Me’, ‘Fire Engine’ and ‘Tried to Hide.’ This album with its funky album cover can earn you up to $4,000. However, if you keep it, it’ll be sure to brighten up the place!
27. The Beatles, Please Please Me (1963)
The Beatles were certainly hard workers. The majority of the tracks on this album were recorded over a period of nine hours and 45 minutes. Who would have thought it! If that wasn’t impressive enough, John Lennon was also suffering from a bad cold on this day! However, this actually made for an iconic raspy sounding version of “Twist and Shout.”
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The rarest copies of this full-length debut album have sold for $4,200. If you have the stereo version, expect even more than this. If you have a mono version, then it is still worth a significant amount of money so don’t go throwing it away!
26. Depeche Mode, Music for the Masses (1987)
The cover featured below brings this record’s worth up to $4,600. The original UK version of the album features a graphic of a megaphone with sound waves coming out of it. The deserted scene behind it is in the Peak District.
en.wikipedia.org
The album was re-released in the 90s following it’s original release in 1987. The record label mistakenly shipped out a few of the old records to stores. Therefore, these copies are extremely rare and will be sure to sell for a lot of money.
25. Misfits, Legacy of Brutality (1985)
This is perhaps one of the rarest albums ever. Only 16 copies of the second pressing of this album were released. This is the last album that featured the work of Misfits’ singer, Glen Danzig. He produced it following his departure from the band.
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With the goal of not having to pay royalties to his old band-mates after leaving, Danzig overdubbed the instrumental parts of the band’s old recordings. This resulted in an intense legal battle which lasted for months. A mint condition copy of the pink version of the second pressing can be sold for $5,000, if not more.
24. Elvis Presley – Speedway (1968)
As a lot of artists do, Elvis Presley decided to explore the world of acting. In 1968, he starred in “Speedway”, alongside renowned actress, Nancy Sinatra. The movie itself wasn’t well received by the public, but the soundtrack was very popular.
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It is said that only 300 copies of this album were printed. If you were clever enough to keep this record in its packaging, it would easily sell for $5,000. At least something good came out of this failure of a film!
23. Brute Force – King of Fuh (1969)
This single featured some obscene lyrics. It is for this reason that it almost never saw the light of day. If you are a Beatles fan, this album artwork will be familiar to you. This is because it was ultimately released by The Beatles’ label, Apple Recordings.
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Due to the obscene lyrics, Capitol and EMI refused to have any part in its release. The Beatles decided to take it into their own hands. The record actually featured an overdub of philharmonic strings done by George Harrison himself. Interestingly, it wasn’t officially released until 2010, almost half a century after it was originally recorded. It is now worth up to $5,000.
22. Elton John – I’ve Been Loving You (1968)
Elton John worked closely with English lyricist and singer, Bernie Taupin. He credited Taupin for the lyrics on a few of his songs, in order to rase his profile. This song was one of those. However, years after its release, Elton admitted to writing the lyrics himself.
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The single itself is rare, but there is a copy that’s worth even more. It was only released in Portugal so it is ultra-rare and if you can get your hands on this version, you’re looking at a small fortune of $5,000!
21. Bruce Springsteen, Spirit in the Night (1973)
Kudos to you if you manage to track down a copy of this single. An original pressing of this record will earn you around $5,000. If you think you might have one of these buried somewhere, now is the time to start looking!
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This single wasn’t particularly popular initially. It wasn’t until it was heard on Springsteen’s third album, ‘Born to Run’, that it finally received some well-deserved attention. It is now considered to be a crowd favourite.
20. Century Symphony Orchestra, Waltzes by Johanne Strauss, Jr. (1956)
Classical music will always have a place in a record collection. It provides a nice contrast to all of those rock n’ roll records you most likely have in your store. This album is particularly special because a famous artist is responsible for the design on the sleeve. Can you guess which one?
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If you didn’t already guess, it was Andy Warhol who designed this album cover. There are only seven known copies of this particular record in existence. One lives in the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, while another was sold for a whopping $5,500 back in 2012.
19. Max Steiner, The Caine Mutiny (1954)
Half soundtrack, half dialogue recording, this record caused some serious drama. Herman Wouk, writer of the novel, on which this critically-acclaimed film was based, threatened to never again allow the studio in question to use his work if they decided to go ahead with releasing this album.
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Wouk saw this as blatant theft of his intellectual property. Part of the record had been verbatim lifted from the original text which he wrote. Taking his threat seriously, Columbia records agreed to halt the release of the album, even going as far as to destroy all the copies they had pressed thus far. Several clever employees managed to stash some copies before they were completely destroyed. One of these copies has since been sold for the grand total of $6,700.
18. Sex Pistols, God Save the Queen (1977)
Only 25,000 copies of this hugely iconic and influential album were pressed. The song was extremely controversial considering it’s lyrics reflected the band’s anti-monarchy and anti-establishment views. The BBC went as far as to completely ban any airing of this song.
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The A&M label, who were responsible for this record’s original release, ultimately ended up ordering them all to be destroyed. It is rumoured that only ten survived. The band were so angry at this, that they went on to terrorise the label. John Rotten allegedly threatened and cursed executives at A&M, while Sid Vicious demolished the toilets at their headquarters. The remaining records are now among the most valuable ever pressed in the UK and one was sold for $13,000 back in 2006.
17. U2, Pride (In the name of love) (1984)
The rarest edition of this record is a translucent vinyl. There are allegedly only 50 of its kind. This song has been listed as 388th on Rolling Stone’s list of the greatest songs ever made. However, in spite of this, Bono has expressed dissatisfaction towards the finished product.
en.wikipedia.org
The song references the Civil rights movement and the assassination of Martin Luther King. Bono believes he could have better fleshed out the lyrics. He claims that the Edge and producer, Brian Eno, convinced him to keep the lyrics vague, to ensure that the song would resonate with non-english speakers. This particular single is worth up to $9,000.
16. Olivia Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), Xanadu (1980)
This record is the soundtrack to a movie deemed to be one of the worst movies ever made. It features vocals from Olivia Newton-John and a soundtrack by Electric Light Orchestra. The original print of this vinyl features a picture of Olivia Newton-John on the front, which she reportedly wasn’t at all happy with.
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In fact, Newton-John was so unhappy with the way she looked that the company ended up discontinuing that specific cover. The result of this? Only 20 to 30 of these records survived. If you’re lucky enough to own a copy of this record with Olivia’s face on the front, you’re looking at cashing in around $9,000 if you choose to sell it.
15. Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568 (1957)
Any jazz fans are aware of the impact Hank Mobley had on the jazz scene during the 1950s. There are plenty of versions of this record out there, but a slight hiccup in the printing process meant that one particular version became especially valuable.
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Rumour has it that the record label responsible for releasing the record, ‘Blue Note’, ran out of labels when printing the record. Some records featured the standard label with the label’s address listed as: “47 West 63rd NYC,” while other labels said: “47 West 63rd New York 23.” The one with the standard label has sold for $11,162. The other version would likely go for even more.
14. Robert Johnson, Me and the Devil Blues (1938)
This record features ‘Me and the Devil Blues’ on side A and ‘Little Queen of Spades’ on side B. If you have an original pressing of this masterpiece, it could be worth up to $12,000. We are particularly fond of the album artwork on this one!
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‘Me and the Devil Blues’ tells the story of the singer waking up to Satan knocking on his door. Blues legend has it that Johnson met with the devil and sold his soul in return for the ability to master the guitar. This song is believed to be about that experience.
13. The White Stripes, Lafayette Blues (1998)
The cover of this vinyl was hand-painted by David Buick, founder of Italy records. A total of just 15 copies of this record were pressed. The album features the songs ‘Lafayette Blues’ and ‘Sugar Never Tasted So Good’
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The copies were initially made for a Detroit record release show put on for the band back in 1998. If you attended the show, you would have been able to snap one of these up for just $6. Now they can be sold for over $12,000.
12. Stonewall, Stonewall (1976)
If you’re not into psychedelic rock, you most likely won’t have heard of this band. This is an extremely obscure band who were never actually signed onto a record label. In fact, their one release happened without their knowledge.
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The record was released by Tiger Lily Records and was part of a tax scam. They did this with several records and this happened to be one which ultimately achieved cult status as a result. In 2014 a version of this record that had been reportedly bought in a record store in New Hampshire for just $1, sold for $14,100. What a profit!
11. Röyksopp, Melody A.M. (2001)
Röyksopp are an electronic duo from Norway. Their debut album, featured below, earned itself commercial and critical success. One song from the album, ‘Remind Me’ went on to be featured in a famous GEICO insurance commercial.
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The album was released in 2001 and sold over 1 million copies. Famous street artist, Banksy hand-painted 100 limited edition copies of the record. It features the band’s name in a green, stencilled font. An original copy of this could sell for over $14,000.
10. The Beatles, Yesterday and Today (1966)
The album cover shown below didn’t last very long, for obvious reasons. We would love to know just what was going through their minds when the Beatles decided to release an album cover featuring headless baby dolls and raw meat.
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The cover wasn’t at all well received, to the point that Capitol Records spent $250,000 buying back the 750,000 records that had been printed, sold and shipped to stores. They didn’t manage to get their hands on all of the copies, however. There are some still out there. One of these would now be worth $15,000, at the very least.
9. The Rolling Stones, Street Fighting Man (1968)
This is yet another example of an album that has been made more valuable due to a controversial cover that ended up being self-censored by the record label. The original cover was black and white and featured some seemingly unfazed police officers standing over an injured protester.
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The album release in 1968 followed an infamous riot at the Democratic National Convention. The label decided that it would be sensible to destroy this particular copy of the record. Around 18 were left unharmed and one was auctioned off at $17,000.
8. The Five Sharps, Stormy Weather (1952)
This record is one of the rarest in the world. For anyone who watches the series Pawn Stars, this record might be familiar. It was featured on one of the episodes. According to the show, only 3 or 4 copies exist. The rest were destroyed in a warehouse fire.
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The irony is, when this album was first released, its sale was so slow that the band members actually ended up buying copies for themselves. The record can now be sold for the grand total of $20,000!
7. The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
This album had a significant influence on the punk rock genre. It features controversial lyrical topics, such as prostitution, sadomasochism and drug abuse. In fact, it came very close to being banned altogether.
en.wikipedia.org
30,000 copies were sold. One lucky Canadian picked up one of these vinyls at a flea market for just 75 cents. He is now selling it for $25,200! This version was different from the rest in that it featured early versions of many of their songs.
6. Frank Wilson, Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) (1965)
Frank Wilson recorded ‘Do I Love You’ and ‘Sweeter As the Days Go By’ and not long afterwards, he had a conversation with the Motown founder, Berry Gordy, in which he agreed that he was better suited to behind the scenes work.
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As a result, Gordy ordered the pressing to be destroyed. Only two copies are said to have survived. One of those copies was kept in Motown’s vault for a decade and the second one was sold in an auction back in 2009 for almost $34,000.
5. Bob Dylan, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963)
It often happens that a small error in the publishing leads to the value of a record skyrocketing. This was the case with Bob Dylan’s ‘The Freewheelin” – an already valuable album. There were several tracks that were supposed to be replaced before the album was released but someone apparently didn’t get the memo and several copies featuring the wrong tracks ended up being pressed.
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If your copy has a serial number that ends in -1A and includes the following four songs: ‘Rocks and Gravel’, ‘Let Me Die In My Footsteps,’ ‘Gamblin’ Willie’s Dead Man’s Hand’, and ‘Talkin’ John Birch Blues,’ the record could be worth around $35,000.
4. Tommy Johnson, Alcohol And Jake Blues (1930)
This one’s a real diamond. The very first record was found by mistake in North Carolina. The seller put the record on eBay and couldn’t believe his luck as he watched the bids rise. The highest bidder bought the record at $37,100!
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The winner, John Tefteller, is the owner of what are thought to be the only two copies of this record. Much like the legend of Robert Johnson, there is also a myth that Tommy Johnson sold his soul to the devil to acquire his phenomenal guitar skills.
3. Prince, The Black Album (1994)
Following Prince’s release of the black album featured below, ‘The Funk Bible’, he decided to go back on the release, paying the record label to recall all the records. The reason for this was that Prince claimed to have had an epiphany in which it was revealed to him that the record was evil.
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However, it was much too late. The records were already being circulated and, in spite of Prince’s protestations, every song was pirated and played repeatedly on the radio. Prince eventually conceded and released a CD version of the album in 1994. An original, unopened American vinyl pressing was sold in 2018 for $42,300 while an unsealed Canadian version sold for $27,500.
2. Aphex Twin aka Caustic Window, Caustic Window (1996)
The elusive techno/drum and bass producer, Richard D. James, otherwise known as Aphex Twin, released his eponymous album under the alias ‘Caustic Window.’ After pressing just five copies, he decided to call the project a day.
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Fortunately, at least one of these copies was released into the world. In 2017, a copy of the record appeared on Discogs at the starting price of $13,500. The record was ultimately sold to ‘Minecraft’ creator Markus Persson for an astonishing $46,300.
1. The Beatles, The Beatles (aka “The White Album”) (1968)
Coming in at number 1 is the infamous “White Album” by the Beatles. This was the ninth album they released and, arguably, one of their best ever. The very first pressing of this album is marked with the serial number “A0000001”.
en.wikipedia.org
This album was received by the bands drummer, Ringo Starr. He kept it in a vault for three-and-a-half decades and it was sold at a charity auction for an epic $790,000! The money was put towards Starr’s own charity which provides support for victims of domestic violence, cancer research, the homeless and various other important causes.