Album value
Funkadelic — Maggot Brain.
First-press value.
Released August 1971 on Westbound Records. The album that closed Funkadelic's early acid-rock period and opened the band's transition to P-Funk. The original 1971 Westbound black-and-yellow label first-press is uncommon and increasingly collectible.
01
The first-press, by the numbers
Released 1971. The US first-press shipped on the Westbound black-and-yellow label.
- US stereo catalog: WB 2007
02
How to confirm a first-press
Three things separate an original from a later reissue beyond the catalog number.
- 1971 Westbound black-and-yellow label is the first-press signal — by 1973 Westbound shifted to a red-and-yellow design
- Original sleeve has the iconic Joel Brodsky head-screaming photograph on heavier paper than reissues
- Catalog number WB 2007 is the first-press; Westbound's Janus distribution era used different prefixes
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 |
|---|---|
| 1971 first-press (NM) | $60–200 |
| 1971 first-press (VG+) | $30–80 |
| Sealed authenticated original | $400–1,200 |
| Reissue (any later catalog), NM | $15–35 |
What pushes to the top: NM sleeve with original Westbound label.
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 Westbound black-and-yellow design. Confirm the catalog number on the label matches WB 2007. 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.
A few questions
The ones that come up.
Check the label design (Westbound black-and-yellow), the catalog number (WB 2007), and the matrix runout etched in the dead wax. All three need to line up for a confirmed first-press. 1971 Westbound black-and-yellow label is the first-press signal — by 1973 Westbound shifted to a red-and-yellow design.
NM sleeve with original Westbound label brings the top of the NM range, typically $60–200. Authenticated sealed first-press copies reach $400–1,200 when verified by Heritage Auctions or a specialist dealer.
Reissues use different label designs, different mastering, and were pressed in far larger quantities. Maggot Brain reissues from later decades trade at $15–35 per NM copy. The first-press premium reflects scarcity, era-authenticity, and collector demand — not the music itself.
Maggot Brain was issued in stereo only as a first-press. The WB 2007 pressing is the reference.
Free to startNo adsPrivate by defaultCloud syncBuilt for iOS