A Record Collector's Guide

Paint as a Fragrance

Headhunter HED-003 LP/CD/Cassette, released February 1991 (U.S.)

Toy's Factory TFCK-88634 CD, released 1995 (Japan)

Rocket's debut album, released on Headhunter. There were several editions of this record: the first two pressings were both on black vinyl. You can recognize the actual first pressing by the sleeve, trail-off wax matrix codes (see below), and vinyl. All of the later sleeves were on a standard glossy cardboard, whereas the first pressing sleeve was on a flat matte cardboard. Also, the Headhunter logo on the back was different (see below). The first press vinyl is lighter than the later ones, and actually appears as semi-translucent brown when held up to the light. All of the pressings were made from the same masters, but earlier versions have extra codes etched into the stamper.

• First pressing: Translucent black vinyl, matte cardboard sleeve with old Headhunter logo.
  Matrix codes: HED - 003 - A kdisc JG 29542 L-36999 and HED - 003 - B kdisc JG 29543 L-36999X


• Second pressing: Black vinyl, glossy cardboard sleeve, standard Headhunter logo. The second pressing inserts were clearly copied from the first pressing inserts, and as a result, the black ink in them shows up as a little more grey than on the earlier versions. I am pretty sure there were many pressings with this description - it stayed in print for a long time.
  Matrix codes: HED - 003 - A kdisc JG 29763 L-36999 and HED - 003 - B kdisc JG 29764 L-36999X (Note: The 29763 and 29764 are upside-down.)


• There was then a solid yellow vinyl pressing, but that one came much later on (late-'90s). The yellow version had a gold "Limited Edition Color Vinyl" sticker on the front of the sleeve (on the outer plastic). The yellow one is generally more expensive than the black one because people love their colored vinyl.
  Matrix codes: HED - 003 - A kdisc JG L-36999 and HED - 003 - B kdisc JG L-36999X


• Starting in 2011, a brown marble copy surfaced. I contacted Cargo Music at that point, and they told me they were re-pressing this record whenever it ran out, "usually in a different colour wax". Hm. That seemed to hold true, as several others appeared in subsequent years: purple marble was next, followed by grey marble, olive green marble, and mint green marble. There were also some mixes of colors, which just complicated things further. I've seen a brown one that was mixed with grey, and the olive green one below was also clearly mixed with grey (it's possible this is actually brown mixed with grey, but it looks liek a unique green base color). All of the above are fairly tough to find, but the green varieties seem to be more scarce than the others. Cargo seemed to stop re-pressing it around 2013 or 2014.
  Matrix codes: HED - 003 - A kdisc JG L-36999 and HED - 003 - B kdisc JG L-36999X

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
HED-003 1st Press Black w/ insert	15-25	5	Stable
HED-003 2nd Press Black w/ insert	12-15	3	Stable
HED-003 Yellow Marble	15-20	5	Down
HED-003 3rd Press Black	12-15	3	Stable
HED-003 Brown Marble	25-30	6	Stable
HED-003 Purple Marble	20-25	6	Stable
HED-003 Grey Marble	25-35	7	Stable
HED-003 Olive Green Marble	30-40	8	?
HED-003 Mint Green Marble	30-40	8	?

Insert	1st Headhunter Logo	2nd Headhunter Logo	Test Pressing
Black	Yellow	Brown Marble	Purple Marble
Grey Marble	Olive Green Marble	Mint Green Marble

Test Pressing	Black vinyl, RTI labels with typewritten info

This page was last updated on December 29, 2019.

Circa: Now!

Headhuter HED-015 LP/CD / HED 015MC Cassette, released November 1992 (U.S.)

Interscope 7 92273-2 CD, released 1993 (U.S.)

WEA/Interscope W2611/7-92273-4 Cassette, released 1993 (Indonesia)

Swami SWA 125 CD, released 2004 (U.S.)

One of the band's greatest efforts. The vinyl showed up on several of colors, some rarer than others. Other than black, the yellow marble one is the most common version. I used to think the orange one was rarer than the blue and blue and purple variants, but over the years, I have seen mroe orange ones than those. The blue and purple ones take a little extra explanation. First, there was a maroon-purple one, which is quite tough to find. Then, there was a blue-purple one. You may see this one listed as either blue or purple. It looks blue upon first glance, but you can see a purple tint, particularly when held up to the light. Finally, there is a straight blue vinyl, with no traces of purple. This is the toughest to procure. All colors had the same matrix codes in their respective trail-off waxes.

The early sleeves had tiny "Printed in Canada" marks on the backs of the sleeves. The later ones did not. The yellow version has a gold "Limited Edition Color Vinyl" sticker on the front of the sleeve (on the outer plastic).

Circa: Now! was re-released a couple of times, but not on vinyl. First, Interscope picked it up and released it again in CD form in 1993. Years later, another CD version came out on Swami. This one had four never-before-released bonus tracks from the original recording sessions. Very good stuff. No new vinyl variations have surfaced the way they have for Paint as a Fragrance. Since Interscope picked it up, I would bet that they acquired the rights, the ownership of which would have gone back to the band after they were unceremoniously dropped from the label. Either way, it would appear that Headhunter/Cargo no longer has the rights, and therefore, there are no new vinyl variants. The original test pressing came in a sleeve designed by Mike Stobbe.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
HED-015 Black	25-35	3	Up
HED-015 Blue	60-80	8	Up
HED-015 Blue-purple	45-55	7	Stable
HED-015 Purple	45-55	7	Stable
HED-015 Orange	40-50	6	Volatile
HED-015 Yellow Marble	25-35	6	Stable

Test Pressing Sleeve	Test Pressing	Black	Yellow
Blue	Blue-purple	Purple	Orange

Test Pressing	Black vinyl, white Cargo labels, writing in black marker
Credits	RAB: Test pressing images Wegi: info on the blue vinyl version

Recent Sales Data: Blue Vinyl:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	0	N/A	N/A
2018	1	100	eBay
2017	0	N/A	N/A

Recent Sales Data: Blue-purple Vinyl:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2018-19	0	N/A	N/A
2017	1	20	Discogs

Recent Sales Data: Purple Vinyl:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	0	N/A	N/A
2018	2	45	Discogs
2017	1	30	eBay

Recent Sales Data: Orange Vinyl:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	2	53	Discogs
2018	2	51	Discogs, eBay
2017	4	38	Discogs, eBay

This page was last updated on December 30, 2019.

 

All Systems Go

Toy's Factory 8804-P CD, released 1993 (Japan)

Headhunter HED-023 LP/CD/Cassette, released 1993 (U.S.)

Sympathy for the Record Industry SFTRI 558 CD, released 1998 (U.S.)

This release started as a 1993 Japanese CD release named "All Systems Go!" It was a compilation of rare material, mostly from the band's early singles. I hesitated to lump this in with the U.S. release, since the track listings are so different, but decided that they fit together. All Systems Go was released in the U.S. later the same year. The vinyl was black - there have been occasional rumors of a color vinyl version of this record, but no concrete evidence has ever surfaced.

The Japanese version contained 15 tracks, while the U.S. one had 19. They overlapped a lot, but not completely. 11 of the tracks on the Japanese release were on the U.S. version. The ones that were not were "10 Forward," "Call It a Complex," "Ballot Fire," and "Gold." Two of those tracks appeared later on All Systems Go 2, but this was the only CD release for "Gold" and "Call It a Complex." Gold had its own 7", while the only other release on which "Call It a Complex" could be found was the Rocket Queen bootleg 7".

All versions of All Systems Go were fairly difficult to track down for a while, until the CD was re-released in the late '90s. The Japanese CD sold for somewhere in the $30 range for a long time, but came down a bit in price once eBay really got going. The vinyl price has stayed pretty stable over the years.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
HED-023 Black	25-35	4	Stable
Toy's Factory 8804-P CD	15-20	4	Stable

Test Pressing

Test Pressing	Black vinyl, generic white Cargo labels
Rumors	Color vinyl version

This page was last updated on December 29, 2019.

The State of Art Is on Fire

Sympathy for the Record Industry SFTRI-320 10"/CD, released April 1995 (U.S.)

This record actually caught fire and melted my last turntable. The tracks from side A of this one made frequent appearances in the band's live sets over the years. They would regularly play at least the first three songs from this record in order. Most of these were on black vinyl, but there were also a few on blue marble vinyl and a small number on pink marble vinyl. There were some pressing numbers making the rounds that turned out to be false. Long Gone John of Sympathy for the Record Industry told me he estimates there were between 100 and 200 blue copies and around 100 pink copies. The pink one is a very tough find, but there was a couple year period when they were showing up with greater frequency. As a result, the prices started bouncing all over the place - up above $150, down below $50...it's hard to say how it will go at any given point, but there hasn't been one sold publicly in a couple of years now.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SFTRI-320 Blue Marble	45-55	7	Stable
SFTRI-320 Pink Marble	90-120	9	Volatile
SFTRI-320 Black	8-10	1	Stable

Insert	Test Pressing

Test Pressing	Black vinyl, white labels
Credits	RAB: Test pressing image

This page was last updated on December 29, 2019.

Hot Charity

Perfect Sound WOS 001, released August 1995 (U.S.)

Elemental ELM27LP, released 1995 (UK)

Hot Charity/Cut Carefully and Play Loud

Swami SWA112 CD, released 2002 (U.S.)

I have never seen the bottom drop out of the value of a record the way it did for Hot Charity. Limited to an overall press run of 5,000-7,500 (I have heard both numbers), this record was highly sought in the collecting community for many years. It was not released in CD form for the first few years, and so, in order to get most of these tracks, you had to track down the vinyl. Well, I should clarify - between the Japanese and Australian CD versions of the Scream, Dracula, Scream! album, all of the tracks on Hot Charity were made available on CD, but the full album was not released on CD until 2002. In that seven-year gap, Hot Charity's value skyrocketed. I watched it sell anywhere from $80-$125. Once the CD came out, the value of the vinyl plummeted. It was something to behold. As I mentioned, the total number pressed appears to have been between 5,000 and 7,500. I have heard 500 or 1,000 for the number of red vinyl copies (1,000 is the number I have heard most often). There was also a UK version released on Elemental - all on black vinyl - I have no idea how many of those there were.

The value of the red vinyl version rebounded over time, but the black one never did.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
WOS 001 Red	40-60	6	Volatile
WOS 001 Black	15-20	2	Stable
ELM27LP Black	15-20	2	Stable

Insert	Test Pressing
WOS 001	WOS 001	ELM27LP

Test Pressing	Black vinyl, generic white Specialty labels

This page was last updated on December 29, 2019.

Scream, Dracula, Scream!

Headhunter HED-054 LP, released 1995 (U.S.)

Interscope INTD-92596 CD / INTSD-92596-4 Cassette, released 1995 (U.S.)

Elemental ELM34CD / ELM34MC Cassette, released 1995 (UK)

Virgin 841430 2/724384143022 CD, released 1995 (Europe)

Interscope INTSD-92596 CD, released 1995 (Canada)

Interscope MVCP-5/INTD-92596 CD, released 1996 (Japan)

Interscope INTD-92596 2xCD, released 1996 (Australia)

Elemental ELMDMM34, released 2008/2016 (UK)

This album is important. It means something. Rocket's real major label debut (though the vinyl was released on Headhunter). This was the record that really extended the reach of Rocket from the Crypt and made the band the global force that it became. The brief spell of Rocket-mania that spread across the UK was sparked by the singles from the album. "On a Rope" ended up being the most successful of those.

The pressing situation was easy. Or...well...I thought it was. All original copies that have made public appearances have been on black vinyl, but rumor has it that there were 10 (TEN!) pressed on black & white swirled vinyl. I have never seen one, nor do I know of anyone who has seen one. I'm not fully convinced that these were for real, despite the in-the-know source of the rumor.

Also, it turns out there were two different original Headhunter pressings. Not sure how this came about, but there are two distinct sets of trail-off wax matrix codes:

• HED-054 A-1 F/W GSV / HED-054 B-1 F/W GSV
• ST-IN-950419 A DMM SP 1-1 / ST-IN-950420 A DMM SP 1-1

I had no idea until 2018 sometime. I had the latter one for many years without knowing there were two variants. Presumably, the difference is the direct metal master method was used in pressing the latter ones (hence, the DMM). The prices for the two fall roughly into the same range.

In 2008, Elemental re-released this album as a direct metal master on 200g vinyl. Then, they put a huge price tag on it. It was limited to 500 numbered copies, and seems more affordable now than it was when it came out, but it has become much harder to find.

Elemental repeated this exercise in 2016, on 180g vinyl (not numbered). This one is currently as expensive as the numbered 2008 version, which makes little sence to me, but what can you do...I report what the market tells me.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
HED-054 Black (HED-054 Matrix)	35-45	3	Stable
HED-054 Black (ST-IN DMM Matrix)	30-40	3	Stable
ELMDMM34 Black (200g, Numbered)	30-40	5	Stable
ELMDMM34 Black (180g)	30-40	4	Stable

Insert

HED-054

ELMDMM34 (200g - 2008)

ELMDMM34 (180g - 2016)

Rumors	Black & White swirled vinyl version. If you have one, please let me know.

This page was last updated on December 29, 2019.

RFTC

Sympathy for the Record Industry SFTRI-548 LP, released June 1998 (U.S.)

Interscope INTD-90167 CD / INTC-90167 Cassette, released 1998 (U.S.)

Elemental ELM50LP / ELM50CD, released 1998 (UK)

Interscope INSTD-90167 CD, released 1998 (Canada)

Elemental/Virgin 7243 846118 2 8 CD, released 1998 (Europe)

Interscope MVCT-2403 / INTD-90167 CD, released 1998 (Japan)

One Little Indian/Elemental ELMDMM50 2xLP, released 2008/2017 (UK)

Sympathy had the U.S. vinyl for this album, but Interscope had the overall lead. In theory, there were 500 of these pressed on orange vinyl. I have a hard time believing that figure, though...the orange version has always been readily available. It's been getting much more expensive recently. The black one used to be the tougher find, but no longer. Both versions come with a nice booklet as an insert. There was also a black vinyl UK version on Elemental (which is more scarce).

In 2008, there was another version...One Little Indian and Elemental re-released RFTC as a two-disc direct metal master edition on 200g vinyl. It carried a hefty retail price tag, but can now be found for less than the original face value. This one was limited to 500 numbered copies. As with Scream, Dracula, Scream!, they re-pressed it again (this time, in 2017) on 180g vinyl. The 2017 version was not numbered and is relatively inexpensive.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SFTRI-548 Orange	45-55	5	Up
SFTRI-548 Black	35-45	4	Up
ELM50LP Black	35-45	5	Up
ELMDMM50 Black (200g - 2008)	45-60	5	Up
ELMDMM50 Black (180g - 2017)	15-25	4	Stable

Insert Booklet	Test Pressing	SFTRI-548
SFTRI-548	ELM50LP	ELMDMM50 Side A

Test Pressing	Black vinyl, plain white labels

This page was last updated on December 29, 2019.

All Systems Go II

Swami SWA2001 2xLP/CD, released 2000/2012 (U.S.)

...And from the pit of blackness emerges the Swami with a slab of greatness. This collection followed in the footsteps of the first All Systems Go. It is another collection of b-sides and lost tracks. The majority of the material on here had been released elsewhere, but there were a few exclusive tracks. I love this collection. As far as the vinyl goes...most of these are on black vinyl. Some are on red. It took me some time to get ahold of the red vinyl version, as the price rose rapidly for a couple of years. The average price came way down some time ago, though, and seems to have stabilized at the lower level. Word is Swami re-pressed the black vinyl version in 2012 minus the insert sheet. Both black vinyl versions are common.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SWAMI 2001 Red	30-40	4	Stable
SWAMI 2001 Black (2000)	15-20	2	Stable
SWAMI 2001 Black (2012)	15-20	2	Stable

Test Pressing Side A

Red Vinyl Side A

Black Vinyl Side A

Test Pressing	Black vinyl, white labels, handwritten details

This page was last updated on December 29, 2019.

Cut Carefully and Play Loud

Flapping Jet FJ-010 12", released November 1999 (U.S.)

Hot Charity/Cut Carefully and Play Loud

Swami SWA112 CD, released 2002 (U.S.)

A fun record (or annoying, depending on how cool you are), on which a label affixed to the sleeve is attached to the record, so that you actually have to cut it out in order to get to the vinyl. Originally a pressing of 3,000, with 100 on clear blue vinyl. Later re-pressed (on black vinyl). The later pressings look no different from the originals, so it is tough to know which you have unless you bought it when it came out. The blue ones are extremely difficult to find and have gotten expensive. It took me many years to get. The tracks from this record were lumped in with Hot Charity for the CD release of that album to create a supernatural digital weapon that has since rendered several civilizations extinct.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
FJ-010 Blue (100)	100-150	8	Stable
FJ-010 Black	10-15	1	Stable

This page was last updated on December 29, 2019.

 

Group Sounds

Vagrant VR-352 LP/CD, released 2001 (U.S.)

Vagrant VR-352 LP, released 2013/2016 (U.S.)

B-Unique bun 006 CD, released 2001 (UK)

Victor/Vagrant VICP-61251 CD, released 2001 (Japan)

Rocket from the Crypt debuted on Vagrant with this hotly anticipated follow-up to RFTC, and it did not disappoint. I was counting down the days until this one was released. That record store in New Orleans was not used to seeing people come in first thing in the morning. Another great record. From the collecting standpoint, this one was once straightforward...black vinyl, moderate quantities. It was starting to get harder to find, though...the price started creeping upward around 2011-12. Then, the re-presses happened, and the price of the original settled down again.

The UK and Japan CD releases of Group Sounds both contained bonus tracks. The UK version had three: "Chariots on Fire", "I Won't Stare", and "Alone." This version of "Chariots on Fire" is different from the one that appeared on the 2000 Vagrant sampler (but is the same version that eventually made its way onto All Systems Go III). "Alone." however, is the same version that appears on 2001's Vagrant sampler. "I Won't Stare" was exclusive to this disc. The Japanese version contained one bonus track: "Free Language Demons," from the split 7" with the Get Up Kids.

2013 brought us a rather unexpected reunion of Rocket from the Crypt. While they were busy waging audio war in Europe, Vagrant reissued the band's final two albums for Record Store Day. Group Sounds was reissued on white vinyl with a yellow splatter pattern in it. It was limited to 500 copies, and so instantly became rare.

But wait, there's more...Vagrant could not resist sapping collectors of money, so they released three more variants in 2016: clear with black and yellow splatter, yellow, and clear with blue splatter. For a while, they were saying that the blue splatter ones were not for sale, and were being held back for something, but they were eventually sold in Vagrant's store along with the others. All of these are somewhat uncommon on Discogs and eBay, but that's odd, since they all appear to still be available directly from Vagrant's store on Kingsroad Merch.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
VR-352 Black	25-35	3	Stable
VR-352 White with Yellow Splatter (500)	15-25	5	Down
VR-352 Clear with Black and Yellow Splatter	25-30	5	Stable
VR-352 Yellow	25-30	5	Stable
VR-352 Clear with Blue Splatter	25-30	5	Stable

Black Original	White with Yellow Splatter	Test Pressing (Re-press)
Clear with Black and Yellow Splatter	Yellow	Clear with Blue Splatter

Test Pressing	Re-press: Black vinyl, generic white MPO labels

This page was last updated on December 29, 2019.

 

Live from Camp X-ray

Vagrant VR-377 LP/CD, released 2002 (U.S.)

Vagrant 910 377-2 CD (Europe)

Vagrant VR-377 LP, released 2013/2016 (U.S.)

Vagrant vr-0009-2P LP, released 2013 (Europe, bootleg)

The final non-compilation full-length record from Rocket from the Crypt. This is a very good album, though I think I found it slightly disappointing at the time. The only single from this record, "I'm Not Invisible," came out prior to the album's release, and it was so good that it set my expectations for the rest of the album unrealistically high. Still a great one. The vinyl was all black, and was quite easy to find for a long time. However, as was the case with Group Sounds, the record started becoming slightly more scarce, and the price rose accordingly until reissues happened.

Vagrant re-pressed Live from Camp X-ray for Record Store Day 2013, this time on orange splatter vinyl. The reissue was limited to 500 copies, and was a tough find on and after Record Store Day. Then, in 2016, Vagrant pressed two mor variants: clear with black and orange splatter and white with black splatter. Both of those seem to still be available in Vagrant's store at Kingsroad Merch, but they are somewhat uncommon elsewhere.

Then there was this weird bootleg...a European "promo" version of Live from Camp X-ray appeared in 2013 or so. It turned out to be a fake, but I'm including it here for completeness. I've just always found it strange...of all records, why bootleg this one? That's the record collecting equivalent of counterfeiting a $5 bill.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
VR-377 Black	20-25	2	Stable
VR-377 Orange Splatter (500)	20-25	5	Down
VR-377 Clear with Black and Orange Splatter	25-30	5	Stable
VR-377 White with Black Splatter	20-30	5	Stable

Black Original	Orange Splatter	Bootleg Promo
Clear with Orange and Black Splatter	White with Black Splatter

This page was last updated on December 30, 2019.

The Name of the Band is Rocket from the Crypt

Castle Music CMHLP1584 10", released 2007 (UK)

This one bothers me. It is the most unnecessary Rocket record in history. It includes the tracks from The State of Art Is on Fire, the Music Machine single, the Boychucker single, and the On the Prowl single. That's it. Same versions. No value added. UK release. Black vinyl. It's become a bit harder to find recently.

The test pressing was somewhat interesting for this record...they pressed the 10" on 12" vinyl. I'd never seen that before (but have seen it several times since).

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
CMHLP1584 Black	20-30	5	Stable

Test Pressing

Test Pressing	Black 12" vinyl, white labels.

This page was last updated on December 30, 2019.

All Systems Go III

Vagrant VR508 CD, released 2008 (U.S.)

All Systems Go III is a collection of lost tracks from some recording sessions over the last few years of Rocket's existence. It was an unexpected and welcome addition to Rocket lore. As of this moment, it only exists in CD form. In theory, it will eventually be released on vinyl as well, but no concrete plans have been announced. I would fund this in a heartbeat if the band were to give me the green light. Dead serious. Say the word, Swami.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
VR508 CD	8-12	4	Stable

This page was last updated on December 30, 2019.

Rocket from the Crypt Index
Rocket from the Crypt Singles
Rocket from the Crypt Compilations
Rocket from the Crypt Bootlegs
Rocket Pack Owner's List
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