The Fluid

   

Clear Black Paper

Glitterhouse GR0026 LP, released 1988 (Germany)
Sub Pop SP16 LP / SP16a CS, released 1988 (U.S.)

Fluid Album #2. The Glitterhouse version came first for this one, all on black vinyl. The Fluid then signed to Sub Pop back in the label's very early days. There are a number of sources that cite the Afghan Whigs as the first non-Seattle Sub Pop signing, but..nope. It was The Fluid. F'real. Anyway, Sub Pop took the album, replaced four of the tracks (all of the replacement songs were available on the Freak Magnet EP), changed the sleeve, and put it out in 1988. The first pressing was on blue vinyl and limited to 500 copies. Later versions were on pink marble and black. On the sleeves for the later pressings, the shaded areas appear to be darker. It's significant enough to where I can eyeball the difference easily in a record store. The first pressing came with Sub Pop's first catalogue, a double-sided full page detailing SP10 through SP19.

Version Value ($) Scarcity Price Trending
Glitterhouse GR0026 8-12 2 Stable
SP16 Blue 25-45 5 Up
SP16 Pink Marble 12-18 3 Stable
SP16 Black 10-15 3 Stable
Sub Pop Insert - Side 1
Sub Pop Insert - Side 2
Sub Pop Test Pressing
GR0026
SP16 Blue
SP16 Pink Marble
SP16 Black

This page was last updated on March 3, 2022.

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Scarcity Score Definition
10 Near impossible: Fewer than 50 copies or publicly sold every few years
8-9 Very rare: 50-199 copies or publicly sold 1-2 times per year
6-7 Rare: 200-499 copies or publicly sold a few times a year
4-5 Medium: 500-999 copies or publicly sold ~10 times a year
1-3 Common: 1000+ copies, readily available, or publicly sold 20+ times a year

Estimated values are based on recent auction results or online sales.