What does GR-155 on this record refer to?

December 26, 2014 9:33 PM

Yesterday I picked up a 180 gram 1995 pressing of A Love Supreme for fifteen bucks. Happy day. Prominant on the spine is printed "GR-155". What does this number refer to? Seems like an awfully conspicuous placement for it to be just a Impulse! catalogue number.
posted by jwhite1979 to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

Best answer: GR-155 is the catalogue number.
posted by Jairus at 9:43 PM on December 26, 2014

Best answer: GR-155 appears to just be the Impulse! catalogue number. See, for instance this site
posted by blob at 9:43 PM on December 26, 2014

Best answer: This page says that it's a catalog number,
while this page talks about what a catalog number is exactly:

What Is a Catalog Number?
A catalog number is assigned to every release by the record company to identify that particular release. This is true for vinyl (33, 45 and 78 rpm) records, compact discs, cassettes, 8-track tapes and DVDs. The number is used to track sales through distributors and for the label's in-house accounting purposes. This little number might not mean much to your average record buyer—in fact, most people never even notice it. But to music sellers, disc jockeys, record collectors and music junkies, a catalog number is very important. This can identify whether or not a record is rare, imported, out-of-print or of a certain historic value.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/info_8518643_catalog-numbers-vinyl-records.html
...

What You Can Learn From a Catalog Number
Much information can be gleaned from an album's catalog number, such as the country of origin, issuing label and whether it is a 33, 45 or 78 rpm. Most importantly, a catalog number helps you determine whether an album is a genuine release, a counterfeit or bootleg. When it comes to vinyl record collecting, buying and selling, these are critical factors in determining a record's monetary value. For example, an original Sun Records 45 of Elvis Presley's "Mystery Train" will be worth far more than a later counterfeit version released in the 1970s. Because some counterfeits and bootlegs are cleverly packaged to look like the original releases, sometimes the only way to tell if it's the real deal is by the catalog number.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/info_8518643_catalog-numbers-vinyl-records.html

posted by blueberry at 9:46 PM on December 26, 2014

Response by poster: So it is. Thanks. I've just never seen a cat# printed in such large letters right there next to the title. Seemed odd.
posted by jwhite1979 at 9:59 PM on December 26, 2014

I can't speak for LPs, but I've seen a fair number of CDs designed like that, especially from the 80s/early 90s. "SOME BAND  SOME ALBUM   ROCKER RECORDS RR-102"
posted by neckro23 at 2:05 PM on December 30, 2014