Album value
Boston — Don't Look Back.
First-press value.
Boston's second album came out in August 1978, went to No. 1 in the US, and sold over a million copies in its first ten days. Epic pressed it in huge numbers, so originals rarely sell for more than $10. The first US issue is FE 35050 on the orange Epic label, in a gatefold with a printed lyric inner sleeve.
01
The first-press, by the numbers
Released 1978. The US first-press shipped on the Epic orange label.
- US stereo catalog: FE 35050
- UK first-press: Epic (UK) S EPC 86057
- RIAA certification: 7× Platinum (US)
The center label is only the first clue. See the full Epic orange and blue labels identification guide.
Compare this copy with the artist's other collectible originals. See the Boston vinyl value profile.
02
How to confirm a first-press
Three things separate an original from a later reissue beyond the catalog number.
- FE 35050 on the gatefold and labels; 35050 alone appears inside the gatefold and on the inner sleeve
- Orange Epic labels and a printed inner sleeve with lyrics; copies missing the inner sleeve sell for less
- Runouts are hand-etched with a stamped 'MASTERED BY CAPITOL'; a P or S identifies the Pitman or Santa Maria plant
- Recent Friday Music colored-vinyl reissues (FRM-35050) usually sell for more than original pressings
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 |
|---|---|
| 1978 first-press (NM) | $12–$25 |
| 1978 first-press (VG+) | $5–$10 |
| Reissue (any later catalog), NM | $10–$30 |
What pushes to the top: NM orange-label copy with the lyric inner sleeve and a gatefold without ringwear.
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 Epic orange design. Confirm the catalog number on the label matches FE 35050. 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.
1976 · Epic orange
Boston — Boston
1976 first press: $8–$16 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressing
1978 · Columbia, with Family Productions logo
Billy Joel — 52nd Street
1978 first press: $5–$12 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressing
1978 · Warner Bros. Burbank palm-tree
Van Halen — Van Halen
1978 first press: $10–$20 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressingA few questions
The ones that come up.
Check the label design (Epic orange), the catalog number (FE 35050), and the matrix runout etched in the dead wax. All three need to line up for a confirmed first-press. FE 35050 on the gatefold and labels; 35050 alone appears inside the gatefold and on the inner sleeve.
NM orange-label copy with the lyric inner sleeve and a gatefold without ringwear brings the top of the NM range, typically $12–$25.
Often not by much. Don't Look Back reissues trade at $10–$30 per NM copy, against $12–$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.
Don't Look Back was issued in stereo only as a first-press. The FE 35050 pressing is the reference.
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