I believe the serial number stamped near the label, or the number on the label, can give you some information. Thicker vinyl(assuming it's not an audiophile recording)is another indication of the original. An example would be "Elephant Mountain", by the Youngbloods, where there are at least 3 versions. The first, by far the best sounding-and hard to find, is the thickest.
How to check original vs. reissue?
It seems pretty straightforward and I haven't had much trouble identifying original pressings against reissues, but I recently bought a Stevie Ray Vaughan album, which I was convinced was an original pressing. I already owned a copy of the album, which I was sure was a reissue as I bought it shrink-wrapped. When I compared the two, they looked identical with the exception of a slight variation on the label next to the punch hole (FE/AL, FE/BL vs. E/AL, E/BL) and some variance in the inscriptions on the dead wax. Is there a way to verify whether a record is an original pressing? It's relatively easy with records released in '60s and '70s, but might be a bit more difficult with more recent releases. Btw, the record is "Couldn't Stand the Weather."
Thank you for any advice.
Thank you for any advice.