Album value
Pat Benatar — Crimes of Passion.
First-press value.
Pat Benatar's second album, released on Chrysalis on August 5, 1980 and produced by Keith Olsen. It spent five weeks at No. 2 in January 1981, went 4× Platinum, and won her first Grammy. Chrysalis pressed it at several plants at once, so a 1980 copy is easy to find and usually sells for $3 to $8. The music is the reason to own it, not the resale value.
01
The first-press, by the numbers
Released 1980. The US first-press shipped on the Chrysalis custom blue photo label.
- US stereo catalog: CHE 1275
- UK first-press: Chrysalis (UK) CHR 1275
- RIAA certification: 4× Platinum
Compare this copy with the artist's other collectible originals. See the Pat Benatar vinyl value profile.
02
How to confirm a first-press
Three things separate an original from a later reissue beyond the catalog number.
- 1980 US labels are a custom blue Chrysalis design with a photo of Benatar, the butterfly logo, CHE 1275 and '℗ 1980 Chrysalis Records', with no printing around the rim
- Labels with white rim text are a later repress from after Chrysalis moved distribution to CBS (Discogs dates it 1983). FV 41275 is the 1983 reissue number. Both sell for about the same as a 1980 copy
- Columbia House club copies have 'CRC' on the back cover and black-and-white center labels; Discogs median about $6
- Runouts show the pressing plant (PRC-C for PRC Compton, Santa Maria, Pitman and Terre Haute variants). All are 1980 originals, and none sells for a real premium
The matrix runout etched in the dead wax is the definitive identifier when label and catalog number both look era-correct.
03
What it's worth
Recent sold-listing ranges. Pressing, condition, and current market all move the number.
| Pressing & condition | Recent sold |
|---|---|
| 1980 first-press (NM) | $8–$25 |
| 1980 first-press (VG+) | $3–$8 |
| Reissue (any later catalog), NM | $5–$30 |
What pushes to the top: A 1980 CHE 1275 with glossy unworn labels and a jacket free of ringwear, seam splits or writing; even then, Discogs sales top out around $25.
Sources: Discogs sold listings (90-day window), Popsike.com auction archive, Goldmine Record Album Price Guide.
04
If you have one
Pull the record. Check the label first against the Chrysalis custom blue photo label design. Confirm the catalog number on the label matches CHE 1275. Then check the matrix runout in the dead wax. All three lining up is the first-press confirmation.
Or scan with Crown Vinyl. The app reads the label, catalog number, and matrix runout from a single photograph, returns the exact pressing, and pulls a current value from recent real sales. Free on the App Store.
Keep checking the shelf
More first pressings worth knowing.
Nearby years, matching labels, and more records by the same artist.
1979 · Chrysalis white-to-blue fade with butterfly logo
Pat Benatar — In the Heat of the Night
1979 first press: $3–$8 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressing
1980 · Warner Bros. tan (narrow horizontal lines)
Dire Straits — Making Movies
1980 first press: $8–$18 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressing
1978 · Epic orange
Boston — Don't Look Back
1978 first press: $5–$10 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressingA few questions
The ones that come up.
Check the label design (Chrysalis custom blue photo label), the catalog number (CHE 1275), and the matrix runout etched in the dead wax. All three need to line up for a confirmed first-press. 1980 US labels are a custom blue Chrysalis design with a photo of Benatar, the butterfly logo, CHE 1275 and '℗ 1980 Chrysalis Records', with no printing around the rim.
A 1980 CHE 1275 with glossy unworn labels and a jacket free of ringwear, seam splits or writing; even then, Discogs sales top out around $25 brings the top of the NM range, typically $8–$25.
Often not by much. Crimes of Passion reissues trade at $5–$30 per NM copy, against $8–$25 for a near-mint first pressing. A worn original can sell for less than a clean reissue, so condition matters as much as which pressing it is.
Crimes of Passion was issued in stereo only as a first-press. The CHE 1275 pressing is the reference.
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