A Record Collector's Guide

There were not very many singles released during this tremendous career, so I am including them all with the albums on one combined page.  Screaming Trees had a good run, from their initial 1984 demo to their 1996 swan song.  They had a few great albums, a couple that missed the mark, a brush with major label success, and a distinct chapter in the musical history of the Pacific Northwest.  Collecting their vinyl can be a confusing, difficult task.  The first real challenge is determining what is out there.  All (well, okay...MOST) of the band's SST LPs were released on some form of color vinyl.  I have finally sorted out the mystery of the color vinyl pressings.  They all happened in 1990.  Buzz Factory was released, mostly on color vinyl, and it was followed closely by the Anthology double LP (not on color vinyl).  Around the time of Anthology's release, the color versions of the others were pressed.  It is likely that these facts are related.  The color versions of Even If and Especially When and Invisible Lantern both came with SST catalogue inserts that list the catalogue numbers up until about SST 262 (thus giving us the 1990 date).  So they definitely came out later than the original pressings.  That said, those seem to be the desirable ones to get, and fetch the highest prices.  Also, from what I can gather, there is only one color vinyl version of each SST release (except for Buzz Factory, which was originally on color vinyl, so it ended up with two).

Other Worlds EP

Velvetone CS, released 1984

SST 105, released 1988

The first Screaming Trees release was their 1984 demo, initially released exclusively as a cassette on Velvetone Records (from what I am told, this was limited to 1000 copies).  Insanely difficult to find.  It was later reissued by SST Records as SST 105 in 1988.  The SST version had a completely different sleeve design.  Many copies are on green vinyl.  In fact, the black vinyl version seems to be the rarer one.  The color versions of Other Worlds and Buzz Factory are much easier to find than those of Invisible Lantern or Even If and Especially When, which leads me to believe there were many more of those two pressed.

Velvetone Cassette	Velvetone Cassette Insert	Test Pressing	Test Pressing Insert

Clairvoyance

Velvetone VST 86002, released 1986

The legendary lost Screaming Trees album.  The band's first full length, released on Velvetone records in 1986 (theoretically limited to 2500 copies).  This was one of the top three on my want list in the 90's.  It was a tough find.  It wasn't until eBay showed up that I finally added this one to my collection.  According to someone I knew who was friends with the band, they had lost the master tapes, and so were unable to repress the vinyl or release it on cd, even though the demand was there.  I don't know how much truth there is to this story, but it seemed like something that would happen to this band.  Whether true or not, the problem was eventually resolved, and the album was finally released in cd form just a couple of years ago.  When that happened, it detracted slightly from the overall value of the LP, but it is still very difficult to find and pretty expensive.  I still consider it one of my great vinyl prizes, even though the music may be a bit...underdeveloped.  All copies were on black vinyl.

Even If and Especially When

SST 132, released 1987

The first truly excellent Screaming Trees album.  After a very long time, I finally located the color vinyl version of this record, and it is pink, as was rumored.  It is very, very rare, and will go for a lot of money if placed on the open market.  The black vinyl version isn't the cheapest either, but it's out there.  The pink one was a later pressing (1990), possibly released in conjunction with the Anthology record.

Test Pressing

Invisible Lantern

SST 188, released 1988

Full-length LP # 3.  This one might be my favorite album of theirs.  It's a toss-up between this, the previous one, and Sweet Oblivion.  The color vinyl for this one was a dark blood-red.  The red one was a later pressing (1990), possibly released in conjunction with the Anthology record.

Test Pressing	Test Pressing Insert	Test Pressing Press Kit

Beat Happening Screaming Trees EP

Homestead HMS-110, released 1988

53rd and 3rd AGARR 20T (UK)

A bit of a random EP...this collaboration, released on Homestead Records, was definitely more Beat Happening than Screaming Trees.  There was really only one Screaming Trees song on the EP (Polly Pereguin).  It appears that there are two different sleeves for the U.S. version of this record: I am calling the one with the swinging 2x4 "Sleeve A," and the one with Lanegan sitting "Sleeve B."  These do appear to have been pressed at different times; the print quality of the text on sleeve B is lower than that of sleeve A.  They also have different sets of labels on the vinyl, but identical trail-off wax suggests that the two were cut from the same master.  The two versions seem to show up with about the same regularity.  There is also a UK pressing of the record, on 53rd and 3rd Records.

Sleeve A - Side A	Sleeve A - Side B	Sleeve B - Side A
Sleeve B - Side B	53rd and 3rd - Side A	53rd and 3rd - Side B

Change Has Come

Sub Pop SP48 (2x7"), released 1989

Glitterhouse GR0080 (12" - Germany)

Finally...a 7"!!!  This was Screaming Trees' only release on Sub Pop, a double single in 1989.  Most copies of this one either contain two black 7"s or one white and one black.  Both discs exist on white vinyl, but SP48C on white seems to be slightly more difficult to find.  There is a version with both records on red vinyl (~60 were supposedly made).  There was also a concurrent German release of this EP on Glitterhouse, but it was a 12" with one extra song (the same track that is on the Sub Pop cd version).

Loose Insert	SP48A White	SP48C White
SP48A Black	SP48C Black	SP48A Red	SP48C Red

Buzz Factory

SST 248, released 1989

The final independent Trees album.  A very good one.  Not quite as good as their previous two efforts, in my opinion, but still very solid.  The clear blue version is fairly common (much more common than the black vinyl version, actually).  It is on a deep blue, which you will occasionally see listed as purple.  It isn't.  Well, not really.  If you hold it up to light, it looks somewhat purple.  It's still more blue than purple, though.  The black one is harder to find.  A while back, someone wrote to me to inform me that there was, in fact, a purple version on the market, and that it was a purple marble copy.  It turns out that this is true (apologies to whoever it was who first clued me in to this version...I lost your message).  I eventually found a copy.  This is by far the rarest version of Buzz Factory.

Test Pressing	Test Pressing Insert

Something About Today 4-song 12"

Epic 49 73539, released 1990

Something About Today 3-song 12"

Epic EAS 3092, released 1990

And just like that, they were a major label band...this EP was initially released as a promotional item for the soon-to-be-released Uncle Anesthesia LP.  The EP had a nice picture sleeve and contained one song that was unavailable elsewhere, along with an alternate version of the title track.  After the album came out, Epic released a 3-song promotional 12" version with a completely different set of tracks.  This one had two more tracks that were otherwise never released.  It did not have a picture sleeve; instead, it came in a standard black cutout sleeve with a label on it.  The 3-song version is much harder to find than the 4-song version.  Both versions were also released on CD.

Bed of Roses 12"

Epic EAS 2296, released 1990

Same song on both sides of this 1990 promo 12", all on black vinyl.  The sleeve was a plain black one with a label on it.  It came out shortly before the full length Uncle Anesthesia album.

Uncle Anesthesia

Epic E46800 (U.S.), released 1991

Epic 467307 1 (Holland)

In January 1991, we saw the first Screaming Trees major label album.  It was a concept album, and it had mixed results.  I've always thought it was pretty good overall.  Black vinyl, released in at least the U.S. and Europe.  I have the U.S. and Dutch versions pictured here.  Most of the European Epic pressings from this time period were done in Holland.

Anthology 2xLP

SST 260, released 1991

Once Screaming Trees made the jump to Epic, SST put out this 1991 compilation of the best of their four SST releases.  This one, to the best of my knowledge, was never released in color vinyl form.  It was released as a double LP on black vinyl.

Sweet Oblivion

Epic E48996 (U.S.), released 1992

Epic 471724 1 (Holland)

Epic 188.291/1-471724 (Brazil)

Epic/Sony CPL-1313 (CK-48996) (Korea)

This 1992 album was the band's greatest commercial success.  It's a fantastic album.  It came on the heels of the extremely successful Singles soundtrack, which contained Screaming Trees' best known song, "Nearly Lost You" (also released on Sweet Oblivion).  This is probably one of my all-time favorite complete albums.  I have no idea how many different versions of this record were released.  It was a major label release with good label support, and as a result, it was released in several countries.  I know at the very least, there were U.S., Dutch, Korean, and Brazilian versions.  There may be more.

The U.S. version was called the "One Foot in the Grave Limited Vinyl Version."  It had a plain black sleeve with a label on the front and another on the back, and was sealed in plastic along with a cd sized booklet.

U.S.

Holland

Brazil

Korea

Sweet Oblivion Sessions Flexi

For Celebrations Past b/w E.S.K.

Epic ES7 4699, released 1992

Okay...Epic released a promo flexi.  Who knew?  A fairly tough find these days.

Nearly Lost You 12"

Nearly Lost You/E.S.K. b/w Song of a Baker/Winter Song (acoustic) 12"

Epic 658237 6, released 1993

A 12" single for Nearly Lost You came out in the UK and Holland.  As far as I can tell, it was the same version in both countries.  The sleeve says "Sony Music UK," but the label on the record says "Made in Holland."  It shows up for sale regularly.  Black vinyl.

Dollar Bill b/w (There'll Be) Peace in the Valley for Me 7"

Epic 659179 7, released 1992

Dollar Bill b/w (There'll Be) Peace in the Valley for Me/Tomorrow's Dream 12"

Epic 659179 6, released 1992

There were a couple of versions of the Dollar Bill single.  One was a 7" picture disc, and other was a yellow vinyl 12".  Both were European releases, and both are pretty common.  I think they were UK pressings, but they may have been Dutch.  There is no mention of any country on the sleeves or on the labels.  The 7"s were numbered, but there are several thousand of them (10,000?) in circulation.  What I find interesting is that the disc itself is numbered, not the sleeve.

Screaming Trees/Paul Westerberg Split Promo 7"

Nearly Lost You b/w Dyslexic Heart

Epic 34-74419, released 1993

This was a U.S. promo 7" concurrent with the promotion of the Singles soundtrack.  It has a plain record label paper sleeve.  Somewhat rare, black vinyl.

Dust

Epic/Sony 483980 2, released 1996

Screaming Trees' last album, Dust, really left a lot to be desired.  The first single that they released from Dust, "All I Know," was quite good, but I can really do without most of the rest of it.  It had the feel of a band knowing the end was near and mailing in the performance.  But that's just my opinion.  Many people like it a lot.  Black vinyl.  I don't know how many versions of this there were worldwide.  The one listed above is most common, but I have heard that there is another wit the catalogue number Epic 84178-1.

Sworn and Broken b/w Butterfly

Epic 663870 7, released 1996

The final Screaming Trees release, from the Dust album.  This single was a UK (or Dutch) release, on white vinyl.  The sleeve isn't even really a sleeve; it's a two-sided insert.  It is numbered, but I have no idea how many were pressed.  It's pretty common.