This is one of the best albums ever recorded. I cannot be swayed from this opinion. Elektra put this one out, but Sub Pop had the U.S. rights to the original vinyl release. The UK version was on Mute Records (STUMM143-1) and the German release, covering the rest of Europe, came out under the Elektra imprint. All three were on black vinyl. As with Gentlemen, the German version seems to be the rarest. In 2014, Music on Vinyl released a 180g re-press, which has always been pretty easy to find.
In 2016, Black Love was re-pressed as a giant 3 LP set, complete with previously unreleased demos and rough takes. It was very interesting to hear after all of these years (particularly the bones of "Crime Scene Part Two", which many fans had long wondered about). The sleeves for the re-presses were modified slightly. On the U.S. and German ones, all the images and fonts were colored gold. On the UK one, the entire sleeve was gold colored, with the images faded (ha) into the background, with black lettering.
Now...the costs. These prices have been on a roller coaster ride over the years. There were a LOT of the original Sub Pop ones on the market for a very long time - you could find sealed ones available at a shocking rate. This is still true - it seems as though sealed copies of this one still surface at a fairly high rate. And in case you are concerned that they were resealed (based on the shoddy-looking shrink wrap), I can confirm that the one I received directly from Sub Pop in 1996 had the same shoddy-looking shrink wrap. Anyway, the price for the U.S. and UK originals fluctuated wildly for years. The average price for the U.S. one came down after the 2016 re-press came out, but it was still going for a fair amount. Then, around 2018, someone flooded the market with sealed U.S. originals. Prices came down at that point and stayed low for a while, but they have been rising steadily for the past couple of years. The UK and German originals are generally both rarer and less expensive. There is little logic to this other than possibly international shipping costs are so high now that they limit the market for these a bit.
The 2014 Music on Vinyl version was dirt cheap for years. The prices for that one definitely took a hit when the deluxe reissues came out two years later. And speaking of those deluxe reissues...it took some time for sale prices to rise for those. It was possible to get all three of those for their respective retail price or below right up until around 2024. They all started rising at that point, Music on Vinyl version included. They all sell in similarlt elevated price ranges now (with the Mute deluxe reissue generally a little less expensive than the others).
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sub Pop SP353 | 80-100 | 3 | Up/Volatile |
| Elektra 7559-61896-1 | 35-55 | 5 | Stable |
| Mute STUMM143-1 | 35-45 | 4 | Stable |
| Music on Vinyl MOVLP821 | 50-80 | 1 | Up |
| Rhino/Elektra R1 557151 3xLP (U.S.) | 60-80 | 1 | Up |
| Elektra 081227942892 3xLP (Germany) | 45-65 | 1 | Stable |
| Mute XLSTUMM143 3xLP (UK) | 45-60 | 2 | Stable |
 Sub Pop |
 Elektra |
 Mute |
 Music on Vinyl |
 Rhino/Elektra Re-press |
 Mute Re-press |
| Credits: | Mike - SP353 image |
|---|
This page was last updated on April 6, 2026.