A Record Collector's Guide

SP151 Billy Childish

The Ballad of Hollis Brown b/w Grizzerly Bear

Sub Pop SP151 7", released May 1992 (U.S.)

This record exists on a few different colors of vinyl. The powdered blue version is the one I have seen most often (you will sometimes see this called gray). There are actually (at least) three different blue versions. The pink one is by far the rarest.

Blue Comparison

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

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 7", released 1992 (U.S.)

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.

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

SP154 Rocket from the Crypt

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

Sub Pop SP154 7", released June 1992 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #44

Limited to 2,916 copies, all on blue vinyl. The unconditional love of Rocket from the Crypt meets Sub Pop...two of my collecting worlds colliding. A fabulous single. The test pressings are on black vinyl. I understand why some collectors don't go after test pressings, but this release supports why I do: there were only what, 8-10 test pressings, right? That means that there were only 8-10 copies of this one pressed on black vinyl total, since all of the released ones were on blue. I pursue test presses anyway, but if the test press is a different color than the final release, it ratchets up my interest even more.

Test Pressing

This page was last updated on January 5, 2020.

SP155 Codeine

Realize b/w Broken-Hearted Wine

Sub Pop SP155 7", released July 1992 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #45

Limited to 2,933 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 usually doesn't sell for that much.

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

SP156 Sick & Wrong

Wesson Oil b/w Sick Dog/The Ballad of Johnny Abortion

Sub Pop SP156 7", released July 1992 (U.S.)

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.

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

SP157 The Muffs

I Need You b/w Beat Your Heart Out

Sub Pop SP157 7", released July 1992 (U.S.)

Available on pink marble and green marble vinyl. Lots of color variation, particularly in the green one. Not much difference in value between the two.

Test Pressing

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

SP158 Crackerbash

Nov. 1 b/w Halloween Candy

Sub Pop SP158 7", released August 1992 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #46

Limited to 2,752 copies, all on lavender marble vinyl. Common.

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

SP159 Mono Men

Skin and Bones b/w Comanche

Sub Pop SP159 7", released September 1992 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #47

Limited to 2,746 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

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

SP160 Rein Sanction

Deeper Road b/w S.K.

Sub Pop SP160 7", released July 1992 (U.S.)

This is a pretty easy single to find. It comes on green marble, purple marble, and light blue vinyl w/ various (black, pink, white) marbling. The blue one is a rarer than the other two.I've seen reference to a gray one as well, but have not seen a good picture.

Test Pressing

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

SP163 Gas Huffer

Hot Cakes b/w Beer Drinking Cavemen from Mars

Sub Pop SP163 7", released September 1992 (U.S.)

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

This page was last updated on October 23, 2019.

SP168 Seaweed

Measure b/w Turnout

Sub Pop SP168 7", released October 1992 (U.S.)

Sub Pop SP57/219 12" / SPCD 57/219 CD, released 1992 (Germany)

The second Sub Pop single from Seaweed. Seaweed was peaking at this point, putting out some consistently solid music. This single was available on orange vinyl (most common) and clear vinyl (slightly less common). Sub Pop says the first 2,000 were on orange. However, there were two distinct orange versions - one is the standard flat orange that you will commonly see for sale. The next was a much lighter, marbled orange version with some pink streaks in it. Then, there was the pink marble/salmon version. This one is a very rare variant. It looks somewhat like the orange one, but is definitely a distinct pink marble color. And I want one. Let me know if you have one available...

Test Pressing

Orange

Light Orange w/ Pink Streaks

Pink/Salmon Marble

Clear

Europe 12"

Standard Orange vs. Light Orange

Standard Orange vs. Pink Marble

This page was last updated on February 7, 2020.

SP169 Creep

No Pain b/w Words

Sub Pop SP169 7", released September 1992 (U.S.)

Sub Pop SP90/262 CD, released 1992 (Germany)

This one is very easy to find. Available on pink vinyl and blue vinyl. Pink is more common.

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.

SP170 Supersuckers

Hell City, Hell b/w Dead Homiez

Sub Pop SP170 7", released 1992 (U.S.)

Dead Homiez b/w Poor (Mexi-Mix)

Sub Pop SP93/265 7" / SPCD 93/265 CD, released 1993 (Germany)

Sony SRCS 6865 CD, released 1993 (Japan)

The Supersuckers' second Sub Pop single. This one has a spectacular Ice Cube cover on it. It originally seemed as though it was just available on yellow marble and pink vinyl, in roughly equal quantities. Over time, it became clear that the yellow one was a bit more common than the pink one, but they are both fairly easy to find. I came across another copy at one point that is more red than pink, and has some marbling in it. I think it still falls under the pink heading, but it is definitely unique. The two pictures below were scanned on the same scanner.

And just when we thought we were done...a black copy surfaced. I had been encountering versions of this record for over 15 years, and saw a black vinyl version for the first time in June of 2009. Since then, a couple of others have shown up, but very infrequently.

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.

SP171 V/A

Sassy

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

Sub Pop SP171 7", released October 1992 (U.S.)

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 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. Easy to acquire.

Test Pressing

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.

SP172 Green Magnet School/Six Finger Satellite Split 7"

The Declaration of Techno-colonial Independence

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

Sub Pop SP172 2x7", released October 1992 (U.S.)

Sub Pop SPCD 55/217 CD, released 1992 (Germany)

This was a double 7". It's 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 with both records on purple vinyl. It is slightly rarer, but both are common.

Test Pressing

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.

SP173 Big Damn Crazyweight

Might as Well b/w Off That Cow

Sub Pop SP173 7", released October 1992 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #48

Limited to 2,341 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

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.

SP174 Antiseen

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

Sub Pop SP174 7", released November 1992 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #49

Limited to 2,205 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

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.

SP178 Pond

Wheel b/w Cinders

Sub Pop SP178 7", released November 1992 (U.S.)

Sub Pop SP56/218 7" / SP59/222 12" / SPCD 59/222 CD (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 2,000. 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 2,000 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.

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.

SP179 Velocity Girl

Crazy Town b/w Creepy

Sub Pop SP179 7", released 1992 (U.S.)

Sub Pop SP60/227 7" / SP61/228 12" / SPCD 61/228 CD, released 1992 (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", sometimes referred to as purple or pale pink), and white vinyl. The blue, yellow marble, and cola ones show up fairly often. The clear one is a lot rarer. It's not a straight clear color. It is almost a clear gray, and kind of looks like the "clear lilac" mispress of the Jon Spencer single. My clear copy has a little pink in it, which once had me thinking there may be pink copies floating around. I no longer think so. The pink in the clear one may be related to the cola version, which has some pink in it.

Now, we have to talk about the white one. This version is crazy rare. My white copy has a slight yellowish tint to it...it's more of an off-white or eggshell color. I'd say in total, probably 80-90% of all 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".

Green (U.S.)	Blue (U.S.)	Yellow Marble
Brown Marble/Cola	Clear	White
Green (Europe)	Blue (Europe)	12" (Europe)

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.

SP180 Jon Spencer

Big Yule Log Boogie b/w My Christmas Wish

Sub Pop SP180 7", released December 1992 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #50

Limited to 2,218 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 catalog 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. The error press is quite hard to come by. The regular one is not.

Error Press

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.

SP181 Wolverton Brothers

My Assassin b/w Max Gomez Love

Sub Pop SP181 7", released January 1993 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #51

Limited to 2,015 copies, all on white vinyl. There is a record with the labels and sleeve of this record on a clear lilac/gray vinyl, but it is actually a mispress of the SP180 Jon Spencer record. It is very rare, but it is not actually the Wolverton Brothers record.

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.

SP182 Tad

Salem b/w Welt

Sub Pop SP182 7" / SP182b CD, released 1992 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Europe SP62/229 12" / SPCD62/229 CD, released 1992 (Germany)

Tad strikes again. Almost all on blue vinyl. There are black ones as well, but they are much rarer. There was also a European 12".

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.

SP183 Dwarves

Underworld b/w Lies

Sub Pop SP183 7", released January 1993 (U.S.)

This single was first released as a 5" orange vinyl single, limited to 1,000 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 quantities of the 7", but the 5" seems to be a slightly tougher find than the yellow 7".

Test Pressing

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.

SP187 The Legend

Do Nuts b/w Rockaway Beach/Roses

Sub Pop SP187 7", released February 1993 (U.S.)

Boy, this single is a workout. I mean, everyone has their own preferences, right? It's not just universally torturously bad for everyone...right? All on black vinyl.

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.

SP188 House of Pain

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

Sub Pop SP188 7", released November 1992 (U.S.)

Yep, that House of Pain. Why, you ask? It's a mystery. This single contained two remixes of Shamrocks and Shenanigans, and almost all copies were on (what else?) green vinyl. Turns out there was a black vinyl version as well, but much like the other singles of this era, the black ones were much rarer.

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.

SP191 Hazel

Jilted b/w Truly

Sub Pop SP191 7", released February 1993 (U.S.)

Sub Pop SP67/234 12" / SPCD 67/234 CD, released 1993 (Germany)

Sub Pop SP74/241 7", released 1993 (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 gray vinyl. There are a few black ones on the market, but they are rarer. It also came out in Europe as a blue 7" and a black 12".

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.

SP193 Lubricated Goat

Play Dead b/w Prayer for Blood

Sub Pop SP193 7", released February 1993 (U.S.)

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

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.

SP194 Nick Cave & Shane MacGowan

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

Sub Pop SP194 7", released December 1992 (U.S.)

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

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.

SP195 Dwarves

Anybody Out There b/w Who Cares?

Sub Pop SP195 7", released 1993 (U.S.)

Sub Pop SP63/230 CD, released 1993 (Germany)

Sub Pop SP83/254 7", released 1993 (Germany)

This one's pretty solid. All on black vinyl. Fairly easy to get. The European version is on blue vinyl (500 copies).

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.

SP198 V/A

Nevermind the Molluscs

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 2x7"/CD, released 1993 (U.S.)

Sub Pop SP84/255 CD, released 1993 (Germany)

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. And also, there's Idee du Nord. Pretty good single overall. All on black vinyl.

This page was last updated on April 4, 2020.

SP199 Bewitched

Hey White Homey b/w Troll Doll

Sub Pop SP199 7", released February 1993 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #52

Limited to 2,000 copies, all on yellow vinyl.

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.

SP200 Dead Moon

Dirty Noise b/w Dark Deception

Sub Pop SP200 7", released March 1993 (U.S.)

Sub Pop Singles Club #53

Limited to 2,125 copies, all on clear vinyl. The value of this one has been a roller coaster, with occasional periods of renewed interest spiking prices for a while. It seems to be prety stable for the moment.

Test Pressing

This page was last updated on October 24, 2019.