Elvis Presley - Rock ‘N’ Roll
The legendary Elvis Presley released his first studio album in 1956. The UK version of it was called Rock ‘N’ Roll, which was a huge success.
What makes this record special, aside from the fact that it is a UK edition, is its cover. The photo, taken by William Robertson, has made the album one of the most famous covers in history, and Rolling Stone magazine has included it in its 100 Greatest Album Covers list. The record is worth $1530.
The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Signed)
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band has one of the most recognizable covers of all of The Beatles’ albums. This colorful record was released in 1967, and it is not hard to find a copy of it at any record store.
However, a copy signed by all four Beatles members in good condition is worth $290,000. There are only a few out there, so they are very hard to find.
The Quarrymen - That’ll Be The Day
Have you ever heard of The Quarrymen? If you haven’t, that’s probably because you’re not a big Beatles fan. Before Ringo Starr joined them, that’s the name that the legendary group went by.
The band recorded a cover of Buddy Holly’s That’ll Be The Day and only made about 50 copies of the vinyl, not knowing they would become the most famous band in the world someday. The original copies are invaluable, and reprints sell for as much as $3,500.
The Supremes - Meet The Supremes
The Supremes was one of the most popular music groups in the 1960s. Comprised of Florence Ballard, Mary Wilson, and Diana Ross, the group absolutely changed the music scene.
Their debut album, Meet The Supremes, featured 10 songs in which Diana Ross sang most of the lead vocals. You can buy it for $100, which doesn’t seem like much compared to the next records, but it is still a lot for an old vinyl.
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin released their debut self-titled album in 1968, but back then it wasn’t really successful. They were trying to make a name for themselves in the music industry, but people weren’t ready for them yet.
Once they reached worldwide success, this record went up in value. If you find a copy with turquoise lettering on it, it’s probably worth around $1,000 because it is especially rare.
Nirvana - Bleach
Bleach was Nirvana’s first album, released two years before the group actually gained traction. Back then, Dave Grohl wasn’t part of the group yet. The album was good, but it didn’t sell many copies.
In fact, only 1,000 copies were made upon its release. You can buy one for $1,000-$2,500 depending on where you look.
Queen - Queen Rocks
Queen is one of the greatest bands ever to exist, and they’ve released so many hit songs that it’s hard to keep track of all of them. One pretty unique record is Queen Rocks because it is a compilation album.
Although it is a compilation, it is not the usual “Greatest Hits” record. Instead, it has many deep tracks mixed in with famous hits and solo songs by Freddie Mercury. You could buy a copy for $1413.
Steely Dan - Can’t Buy A Thrill
Steely Dan’s debut album was Can’t Buy a Thrill. Released in 1972, the album put the American rock band on the map. Besides the music, the artwork made the record stand out.
The cover was created by Robert Lockhart, and it includes a scene from Rouen, France. This image makes it worth $1450, although Steely Dan members Donald Fagen and Walter Becker have named it “The 70s most hideous album cover”.
Elvis Presley - That’s All Right
The King of Rock didn’t release his first studio album until 1956, as we’ve previously talked about, but he was making music before that, of course. One of the songs he recorded was a cover of Arthur Crudup’s That’s All Right.
This was Elvis’ debut single and made him a star. It was released in 1954, and the original pressing can be bought for about $4,000. After all these years, it is still considered one of the greatest songs of all time.
The Beatles - Please Please Me
Of course, we had to talk about The Beatles again! Their 1963 album Please Please Me was rushed due to the high demand for new Beatles music at the time. They were the hottest band around, and fans wanted more, so the band made this album in record time.
What makes this album rare is that the writing credits on the vinyl read McCartney-Lennon, which in later albums became Lennon-McCartney. It is not known why the band decided to put John Lennon’s name first in later records. Copies of this album go for over $4,000.
Elton John - I’ve Been Loving You
Elton John has had an impressive career that spans over fifty years. It all started when he released his first single, I’ve Been Loving You, in 1968.
The single was withdrawn shortly after its release for some reason, so copies of it are hard to come by. That, combined with the fact that it was his first song, makes this record sell at around $5,000.
Bruce Springsteen - Spirit In The Night
Bruce Springsteen rose to fame when he released Born to Run, but what many people don’t remember is that he had been making music for a while before becoming a star. In 1973, he released Spirit in the Night, which at the time wasn’t a big hit.
Years later, when Springsteen became huge, the record suddenly was in demand. Getting your hands on an original copy of the record could cost you around $5,000 because they are so rare.
U2 - Pride (In The Name Of Love)
U2 have an impressive body of work and are still making music nowadays. Back in the 1980s, they released Pride (In the Name of Love), which you can still get at any record store. So… why is it so valuable then?
Well, the Australian edition of this record is the valuable one because the vinyl is translucent. It is estimated that there were only 50 copies made, so finding one is extremely rare. Each copy is worth $9,000.
Olivia Newton-John And Electric Light Orchestra - Xanadu
Olivia Newton-John rose to prominence thanks to her role as Sandy in the musical movie Grease, but her popularity didn’t last long. She released music and appeared in several films, but none of them reached the same level of success as Grease.
One of these movies was Xanadu. The movie was a financial disaster, but the soundtrack did well. She reportedly didn’t like how she looked on the cover, so she ordered that production be stopped. 20 to 30 copies survived, and now they go for around $9,000 because of their rarity.
The White Stripes - Lafayette Blues
The White Stripes rose to fame in 2002 as one of the key bands in the garage rock revival scene. Before that, they released three albums that were only known in the Detroit music scene.
Lafayette Blues is a single that they released in 1998. They only made a few copies to be sold at their gigs for just $6, but nowadays getting your hands on one of these bad boys will cost you $12,700.
Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen/No Feeling
Everyone who has heard of the Sex Pistols knows about their very controversial song God Save the Queen. The single was released the same day as the silver jubilee, which was the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s becoming queen.
The song was actually banned by the BBC and is still banned to this day. Therefore, getting a hold of this vinyl, which has the song on its B side and has No Feeling on its A-side, is pretty pricey. It’s yours if you’re willing to shell out $17,000.
The Beatles - Yesterday & Today
The Beatles are one of the most popular bands of all time. That means you can find their records pretty much anywhere. However, one record is especially rare, not because of its music but its artwork.
Yesterday & Today initially had a cover showing the band members covered in meat, which didn’t sit well with their record label. Then, the cover was changed for a simple picture of The Beatles wearing regular clothes and just staring at the camera. If you happen to own the record with the original cover, you can sell it for up to $125,000.
The Rolling Stones - Street Fighting Man
Before they were as huge as they are today, The Rolling Stones released a record called Street Fighting Man. The album featured a police officer standing over injured protesters on the original cover.
For obvious reasons, the record label wasn’t on board with the cover, so only 18 copies were made. These scarce copies are worth an estimated $17,000 but are almost impossible to find.
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground are one of the most recognizable bands out there, but there was a time when nobody really knew who they were. The Velvet Underground & Nico was released in 1967 but was quickly banned by most radio stations.
It was considered too controversial, and it just wasn’t very popular, so only 30,000 were sold. Nowadays, they go for around $25,000 each.
Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan was released initially in 1963, but sales had to be stopped immediately after a mistake was detected.
It is unknown how it happened, but the record got pressed with all the wrong songs on it. Once the mistake was caught, it was fixed. Nowadays, trying to find one of the original versions of the record with the serial number ending in “-1A” could cost you around $35,000 because of how rare they are.
Tommy Johnson - Alcohol And Jake Blues
Alcohol and Jake Blues was released by Tommy Jonhson all the way back in 1930. He was one of the biggest influences in blues music, but that’s not what makes this record so valuable.
The master tapes to this record have been lost, which means that all that’s left from it is its copies. Therefore, every copy is extremely valuable to the point that recently, one of them was sold for $37,000.
Prince - The Black Album
Since we just talked about The White Album, let’s talk about Prince’s The Black Album. This record is unique because it is a fully black-sleeved disc with no printed title, credits, photograph, and not even Prince’s name.
He released this as a response to the criticism that he was too colorful and flashy. Only a few copies were made because Prince regretted his decision and ordered that the production be stopped. It can be bought for $42,300.
The Beatles - The White Album
Oh, you thought we were done talking about The Beatles? Well, you thought wrong! This band is so epic that many of their records are sold for exorbitant prices.
Their self-titled 1968 album is known as The White Album because the cover is entirely white. Ringo Starr held the first copy of the record, which had the serial number “0000001” until 2015, when he sold it for an impressive $790,000. It’s probably worth even more now!
Wu-Tang Clan - Once Upon A Time In Shaolin
Hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan revolutionized the rap world. Not only that, but they had very interesting release strategies when it came to their records. The most interesting one is definitely what they did with Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.
This album was recorded in secret over the course of six years, and only one copy was ever made. This unique record sold for $2 million, and it increases in value with every passing year. The most peculiar thing about it is that it includes this strangely genius clause: > “The seller may legally plan and attempt to execute one heist or caper to steal back (the album), which, if successful, would return all ownership rights to the seller. Said heist or caper can only be undertaken by currently active members of the Wu-Tang Clan and/or actor Bill Murray, with no legal repercussions.”