Music Moments

Five Records with Rare First Pressings

If you’ve ever owned—or even held—one of these original pressings, consider yourself lucky. Most fans never even saw them.

The Smashing Pumpkins –Machina / The Machines of GodA grand, theatrical statement from Billy Corgan & Co., Machina / The Machines of God divided fans upon release but has since been re-evaluated as one of the band’s most ambitious works. Despite its significance, the album has never been reissued on vinyl, making original pressings increasingly rare and expensive. After years of speculation of a reissue and an expansive boxset, it has never materialized, so the one original pressing remains one of the most elusive Smashing Pumpkins records to own.

The year 2000 marked the peak of the CD era, leaving many albums either initially unpressed on vinyl or released in highly limited quantities. So what are the best vinyl to own?Here are a few records whose first pressings have become rare collector’s gems.