1. The Beatles’ “Butcher Cover” Mishap
In 1966, The Beatles released “Yesterday and Today” with a controversial cover featuring the band in butcher smocks surrounded by raw meat and doll parts. The image was quickly deemed inappropriate, leading to a recall and replacement with a more conventional cover. However, some original “butcher covers” survived, either untouched or with the new cover pasted over them. These rare versions have become highly sought after by collectors. Depending on the condition and whether the original image is visible, these albums can fetch between $500 and $700.
2. Bob Dylan’s Misprinted “Blonde on Blonde”
Bob Dylan’s iconic “Blonde on Blonde” album cover is famously known for its blurry, almost unsettling image. While many speculate that the image was intended to convey the drug-fueled 1960s, photographer Jerry Schatzberg says it was an accident. Schatzberg explains that the photo was taken on a cold February day, and they were shivering, leading to the blurry effect. Dylan himself chose the shot, and it has become one of the most recognizable album covers. . This led to the photo being removed from subsequent releases, making the early misprinted copies valuable collectibles, with some fetching prices up to $3,700. The album is also notable as one of the first double albums in rock and roll history.
3. Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen” Recall
A&M Records, the Sex Pistols’ label at the time, signed the band in March 1977, but their controversial antics, including an incident where a friend of the band threatened someone close to A&M’s director, led to the label dropping them just six days later. Most of the 25,000 copies of “God Save the Queen” were destroyed after A&M’s decision, leaving only a handful of survivors. The scarcity of the A&M release has made it highly valuable, with one copy selling for £13,000 in 2019, according to RTE. Another copy sold for nearly £25,000 at auction.
4. Nirvana’s White Vinyl “Bleach”
Nirvana’s debut album “Bleach” was originally pressed in 1989 on white vinyl, limited to 1,000 copies. These early pressings have become highly collectible, with sealed copies selling for up to $10,000. The major factor influencing this is the scarcity and the band’s later global success, which have made these early pressings highly valuable and sought-after by collectors.
5. David Bowie’s “Diamond Dogs” Controversial Cover
David Bowie’s 1974 album “Diamond Dogs” featured a cover image of Bowie as a half-man, half-dog creature, complete with genitalia. The image was quickly censored, and the original uncensored versions were pulled from shelves. Only a few copies of the original cover exist, making them extremely valuable. One such copy sold for $3,550 on eBay.
6. U2’s “Joshua Tree” Mispressings
U2’s “The Joshua Tree” album, released in 1987, has a few known mispressings, particularly in the context of promotional releases like the “The Joshua Tree Collection (Album Sampler)”. A rare mispress of this collection omits “Where the Streets Have No Name”. Additionally, some promo-only 7″ album sampler box sets, including the “U2 The Joshua Tree Collection,” have been mispressed, with extra copies of sampler 1 included. These anomalies have turned these versions into collector’s items, with some selling for over $6,700.
7. Prince’s “The Black Album” Withdrawal
Prince’s “The Black Album” was scheduled for release in 1987 but was ultimately pulled due to the artist’s concerns about its content. A small number of copies were pressed before the release was canceled, and these rare, unreleased versions have indeed become highly sought after by collectors. One sealed copy did sell for $42,298 at auction, reflecting the high demand and value of these pieces of music history.
8. Led Zeppelin’s Misspelled Debut
Led Zeppelin’s debut album, sometimes referred to as Led Zeppelin I, was released on January 13, 1969, in the United States and March 31, 1969, in the United Kingdom. The album contains tracks like “Dazed and Confused,” “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,” and “Black Mountain Side”. A small error has been reported on some vinyl copies, where the track “Dazed and Confused” is misspelled as “Dazaed and Confused”. These misprinted versions are rare and have sold for over $1,500.
9. The Rolling Stones’ “Sticky Fingers” Zipper Cover
The Rolling Stones’ 1971 album “Sticky Fingers” featured a working zipper on the cover, designed by Andy Warhol. While innovative, the zipper often damaged the vinyl inside. Copies with the zipper intact and the vinyl undamaged are rare and can sell for up to $2,500.
10. Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” Typo
The most notable typo related to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” album is a misspelling of his manager, John Landau’s name on early vinyl releases. While the official spelling is “John Landau,” some early vinyl releases mistakenly listed it as “Jon Landau”. This typo, along with other misspellings of names like “Bruce Springsten” and “Chuck Plorkin” on international releases, became a collectors’ item. These misprinted versions are collectible, with some selling for up to $900.
11. The Beatles’ Numbered “White Album”
the first pressing of The Beatles’ 1968 self-titled album, known as the “White Album,” featured individually numbered copies. These numbers were embossed on the cover in a small gray serial number, located on the front lower right corner of the album. The first few million copies had these numbers, and the numbering system was later changed.
According to some sources, The idea behind the numbered copies came from the cover designer, Richard Hamilton, who wanted to make each copy unique and personal to its owner. The first four numbered copies (0000001 to 0000004) were given to the Beatles themselves, making these extremely rare and valuable. Low-numbered editions, especially those under 0010000, are highly sought after. One copy numbered 0000007 sold for £21,000.
12. Billy Joel’s “Cold Spring Harbor” Speed Error
Billy Joel’s debut album, “Cold Spring Harbor,” was plagued by a speed error during mastering, which resulted in the album sounding higher-pitched than intended. The studio tapes were transferred to vinyl at a higher speed, causing Joel’s voice and the music to sound unnaturally high, even leading Joel to compare it to the Chipmunks. The error was corrected in later pressings, making the original flawed versions rare. These first pressings can sell for up to $1,500.
Collecting vinyl records can be a rewarding hobby, especially when rare errors or unique features increase their value. If you have old records lying around, it might be worth checking them for any unusual characteristics, they could be worth more than you think.
This story 12 Vinyl Records With Mistakes That Made Them Super Rare and Worth a Small Fortune was first published on Daily FETCH.
