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 7", released February 1991 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #28

Limited to 7,000 copies, 4,000 on clear vinyl and 3,000 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

This page was last updated on October 21, 2019.

SP103 Unrest

A Factory Record

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

Sub Pop SP103 7", released March 1991 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #29

Limited to 7,000 copies, 4,000 on lilac vinyl and 3,000 on black. Well...at least 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 rather rare. See pics. In real life, it is more pink than in the picture. It is a distinct difference. Now, acquiring one of the pink ones might be an annoying exercise, since so many people call the lilac one pink. But it's not impossible.

Attached Insert	Test Pressing

This page was last updated on October 21, 2019.

SP104 Fastbacks

The Answer is You.

Sub Pop SP104 2x7", released July 1991 (U.S.)

This was a great little EP - one of my favorite things the Fastbacks have put out, actually. It is two records, most commonly found with one red and one green marble 7" (pressing of 2,500 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 seem to be much more common in the UK.

Test Pressing

This page was last updated on October 21, 2019.

SP108 Shonen Knife

Neon Zebra b/w Bear Up Bison

Sub Pop SP108 7", released April 1991 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #30

Limited to 5,000 grey copies. This was one of the records that was pressed in Germany.

Attached Insert

This page was last updated on October 21, 2019.

SP109 Urge Overkill

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

Sub Pop SP109 7", released May 1991 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #31

Limited to 5,000 copies, all on neon yellow vinyl. This was another in the brief German pressing era.

Attached Insert

This page was last updated on October 21, 2019.

SP113 Dwarves

Lucky Tonight b/w Speed Demon/Dairy Queen

Sub Pop SP113 7", released October 1991 (U.S.)

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.

This page was last updated on October 21, 2019.

SP114 Godflesh

Slateman b/w Wound '91

Sub Pop SP114 7", released 1991 (U.S.)

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

This page was last updated on October 21, 2019.

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 7", released August 1991 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #34

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

Limited to 4,500 copies, all on white vinyl. From this point on, most of the rest of the singles were predominantly released on a single color of vinyl, which made things easier, but much less interesting. There were a few notable exceptions...keep reading...

Test Pressing

This page was last updated on October 21, 2019.

SP119 Gorilla

Detox Man b/w Sober

Sub Pop SP119 7", released September 1991 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #35

Limited to 4,500 copies, all on grey marble vinyl.

Test Pressing

This page was last updated on October 21, 2019.

SP121 V/A

Tribute to Alice Cooper - Sonic Youth/Gumball/Laughing Hyenas/These Immortal Souls

Sub Pop SP121 2x7", released June 1991 (U.S.)

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 5,500 copies, mostly on black vinyl, with a handful on blue-gray marble vinyl. The blue-gray set is really difficult to get. I'm not sure 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-gray copy after a very long search, and I paid a ton at the time. The price has come down, but it's still a tough find.

Test Pressing - Side A	Test Pressing - Side C

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

SP125 Supersuckers

Like a Big Fuckin' Train EP

Sub Pop SP125 7", released December 1991 (U.S.)

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

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

SP127 Night Kings

Night Kings Theme b/w Midnight

Sub Pop SP127 7", released November 1991 (U.S.)

German pressing, released in the U.S. All on black vinyl. This one used to be a bit challenging to find. Not anymore.

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

SP128 Derelicts

Don't Wanna Live EP

Sub Pop SP128 2x7"/CD, released November 1991 (U.S.)

German pressing, released in the U.S. All on black vinyl. I once thought there might have been a separate German pressing of it on Glitterhouse, but I no longer think so. Easy to find.

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

SP134 Gories

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

Sub Pop SP134 7", released October 1991 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #36

Limited to 4,500 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' later popularity 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 since seen a lot more blue copies over the years, and the prices now reflect this. Blue ones have come way down, while pink prices have remained high. Regardless, they are both scarce.

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

SP135 Love Battery

Foot b/w Mr. Soul

Sub Pop SP135 7", released November 1991 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #37

4,500 copies released on green marble vinyl. It can be found with varying degrees of marbling, with some appraoching more of a solid green (that is rarer). "Mr. Soul" is a Buffalo Springfield cover.

Test Pressing

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

SP136 Green Magnet School

Singed b/w Slipper

Sub Pop SP136 7", released December 1991 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #38

Limited to 4,000 copies, all on gold (yellow) vinyl. Super common.

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

SP137 Tsunami/Velocity Girl

Left Behind b/w Warm/Crawl

Sub Pop SP137 7", released January 1992 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #39

Limited to 4,000 copies, all on pink vinyl. Easy to find.

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

SP139 The Monkeywrench

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

Sub Pop SP139 7", released January 1992 (U.S.)

This one is found on red and pink marble vinyl. Red is much more common, but pink marble is pretty easy to find. Someone also identified an interesting variant of the red one, on which the phone number in the Erika Records label credits has a 310 area code instead of 213. That one seems fairly scarce. I'm investigating.

Test Pressing

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

SP140 V/A

Smells Like Smoked Sausages 2x7"

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 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #40/41

As a double single, this counted as the February and March Singles Club installments. Limited to 5,000 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. These are pretty common.

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

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

SP141 Seaweed

Bill b/w Pumpkin

Sub Pop SP141 7" / SPCD PRO 4 CD, released April 1990 (U.S.)

Sub Pop SP40/199 12" / SPCD 40/199 CD (Germany)

Seaweed's first Sub Pop single, released after their two 7"s on Leopard Gecko. "Pumpkin" is a cover of Wwax, a pre-Superchunk band. Such a fantastic song. The 7" appeared on both green marble and turquoise marble vinyl. There is some confusion in the record trading community as to which is which. The two colors are close enough that it is easy to mix them up. The lighter one is the green. Both colors are easy to find. Sub Pop says the first 2,000 were on turquoise. There are some green variations that have bits of other colors mixed in - I have one with some pink in it. Both versions are pretty common. The black vinyl German 12" is even more common. There was also a German CD single - the German versions both came with a third track - a remix of "Squint". A U.S. promo CD emerged as well - that one had the same two tracks as the 7". It's fairly hard to find.

Test Pressing

Turquoise Marble

Green Marble

Europe 12"

12" Test Pressing

12" Test Press Insert

This page was last updated on February 7, 2020.

SP142 The Afghan Whigs

Conjure Me b/w My World is Empty Without You

Sub Pop SP142 7", released 1992 (U.S.)

My World is Empty Without You

Sub Pop SP42/203 12", released 1992 (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 grayish-lavender base color, marbled with bits of pink and blue. I've seen it called pink, lilac, lavender, even gray...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 gray. Now, I guess this means we know a gray copy exists. The big question is whether this version is the only one or whether a real dark gray marble one also exists. I've seen a couple advertised as gray, but they have turned out to be lilac. Gray 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 a bit rarer. Then, there's the clear copy, which is rare, but does show up with some regularity. There was once rumored to be a black vinyl version, but I am nearly certain that this does not exist. 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...that one is a tougher find. I have now seen a few of them show up for sale, and it appears that the most dedicated Whigs collectors seem to have tracked it down, so the auction price has come down to a more reasonable level.

I also randomly happened upon a very interesting variant of the Conjure Me single - it looks like the "iceberg" variation of the Nirvana Bleach LP. It must be a white/green mix, but has a mint green marble effect. I have included pictures below, including one of this variant next to a white copy. The scans don't really do it justice. It's a nice distinct greenish color.

In 2017, a copy was auctioned that looked like a powder blue version. I missed it at the time, and the picture in the auction wasn't great, so it was hard to confirm. Fortunately, I'm in touch with the person who bought it, and it turned out to be another iceberg copy (thanks, Andy!). So this means at least three iceberg copies have surfaced.

Finally, there is 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. Not an easy find.

Test Pressing
			SP42/203
SUBPROCD3	Iceberg Vinyl Variant	Iceberg/White Comparison

This page was last updated on December 7, 2019.

SP148 Pain Teens

Death Row Eyes b/w The Smell

Sub Pop SP148 7", released May 1992 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #43

Limited to 3,285 copies...no, really. Those numbers actually came from Sub Pop. There were 1,841 blue marble copies, 1,234 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.

Blue Marble

White

Aqua Marble

Powder Blue Marble

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

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 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #42

3,500 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. Very common record, though.

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.