**OK Computer Vinyl at 30: 1997 First Pressing vs Reissues, Value and OKNOTOK** > OK Computer turns 30 in 2027. How to spot the 1997 Parlophone NODATA 02 by its etched runout messages, why it costs so much, and which reissue to buy instead. Source: https://vinylai.app/guides/ok-computer-vinyl-value-guide/ · updated: 2026-10-12 [Home](https://vinylai.app/) › [Guides](https://vinylai.app/guides/) › OK Computer Vinyl at 30: 1997 First Pressing vs Reissues, Value and OKNOTOK ![OK Computer Vinyl at 30: 1997 First Pressing vs Reissues, Value and OKNOTOK](https://vinylai.app/images/articles/ok-computer-vinyl-value-guide/featured.png) Buying & Selling # OK Computer Vinyl at 30: 1997 First Pressing vs Reissues, Value and OKNOTOK **OK Computer turns 30 in 2027**: it came out in Japan on 21 May 1997, in the UK on 16 June and in the US on 1 July. The 1997 vinyl is a single edition, **Parlophone NODATA 02**, a double LP cut by Chris Blair at Abbey Road. You can recognise it by the messages etched in its dead wax, such as `I LIKE YOU, YOU ARE A WONDERFUL PERSON`. It is expensive for a simple reason: on Discogs more people want it than own it, while every reissue is plentiful. For listening, the reissues pressed from the original metal parts are the sensible buy. By VinylAI Editorial Updated October 12, 2026 ## Key Takeaways - The only 1997 vinyl is Parlophone NODATA 02 (7243 8 55229 1 8), a 2LP gatefold. Discogs lists no US Capitol vinyl from 1997. - A 1997 original has hand-etched runout messages ("I LIKE YOU, YOU ARE A WONDERFUL PERSON", "I'M FULL OF ENTHUSIASM I'M GOING PLACES"), "VINYL BLAIR" and a "D" stamp for Direct Metal Mastering. - Why it is expensive: on 12 October 2026 about 18,300 Discogs users wanted the 1997 original against about 11,700 who owned it, while reissues such as the 2016 XL pressing are owned by more than 25,000. - For listening: forum and review consensus favours the Chris Blair cut. Reissues pressed from the original DMM parts (2008 worldwide, 2015 Parlophone) keep it; OKNOTOK (2017) is a new Bob Ludwig remaster with 11 extra tracks. ## OK Computer turns 30 Radiohead released *OK Computer* in Japan on 21 May 1997, in the UK on 16 June, in Canada on 17 June and in the US on 1 July. It came out on CD, cassette, MiniDisc and double LP. Thirty years on, the vinyl question has become two questions. Collectors ask whether their copy is the 1997 original and why that original costs so much. Everyone else asks which of the many reissues to buy. The anniversary falls between May and July 2027. As of 12 October 2026, no 30th-anniversary edition had been announced. The last anniversary release was *OKNOTOK 1997 2017*, ten years ago, which we cover below. Searches for **OK Computer vinyl** already peak every December, when people buy records as gifts. An anniversary edition, if one comes, would add a second wave. This guide gives you a checklist for the 1997 pressing, the reason behind the second disc, a table of every edition worth knowing, an honest look at the price, and a recommendation for listening. Our [Radiohead vinyl collection guide](https://vinylai.app/guides/radiohead-vinyl-album-collection/) covers the rest of the catalogue. ## The 1997 Parlophone original: how to tell There is exactly one 1997 vinyl edition: **Parlophone NODATA 02**, also numbered **7243 8 55229 1 8**. It is a two-LP gatefold with printed inner sleeves, and the inner sleeves have thin scooped cut-outs along the top edge. Discogs lists it as "Worldwide": copies exported to the US carry a **MADE IN ENGLAND** sticker on the back. Discogs shows no American Capitol vinyl pressing in 1997. Five checks: 1. **Back cover:** barcode `7 24385 52291 8`, "UK: NODATA 02" and the price code `PM 262`. 2. **Labels:** each disc has its own number, `7243 8 57331 1 6` for LP1 and `7243 8 57332 1 5` for LP2. 3. **Stamped matrix:** `NODATA 02A-1-1-` and so on, with a `D` stamp showing Direct Metal Mastering. On some copies the "1" of an earlier "01" is visibly struck through. 4. **Cutter:** `VINYL BLAIR`, for Chris "King Fader" Blair, who mastered and cut it at Abbey Road. 5. **The etched messages**, one per side:Side A: `I LIKE YOU, YOU ARE A WONDERFUL PERSON` 6. Side B: `I'M FULL OF ENTHUSIASM I'M GOING PLACES` 7. Side C: `I'LL BE HAPPY TO HELP YOU` 8. Side D: `I'M AN IMPORTANT PERSON, WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME HOME WITH ME?` A 1998 UK repress, pressed by Sony/CBS in Haarlem from the same DMM parts, looks almost identical, messages included. Its sleeve and labels match the first pressing, so the factory is the main clue. There was also a 180g version of that repress. The UK promo is a white label in a plain black sleeve with the same etchings. For the general method, see our [guide to runout and matrix numbers](https://vinylai.app/guides/vinyl-runout-matrix-numbers-decoded/). ## Why there are two discs *OK Computer* runs about 53 minutes. That would fit on one LP, but only with long, tightly packed sides, which costs level and bass, especially near the label. Parlophone spread the twelve tracks over four sides instead, headed **Eeny, Meeny, Miney and Mo**. That is why a copy has two discs. The split is uneven. **Side D** holds only two songs, "Lucky" and "The Tourist", so the last side is short. There is no bonus material on the 1997 vinyl. The extra tracks only arrived twenty years later, on *OKNOTOK*. Shorter sides allow wider grooves and a louder cut, which is one reason people say the album sounds good on vinyl. Hi-Fi News also mentions the band's preference for the format. No source we found gives the band's own reason for choosing two discs, so treat the explanation above as how vinyl works in general, not as a quote. The same four-side layout carries over to every reissue of the album proper. *OKNOTOK* adds a third disc for the B-sides and the unreleased songs. ## Every vinyl edition in one table Discogs lists 42 vinyl versions of *OK Computer*, far fewer than for a 1970s album. That makes the full picture easy to see. Here are the ones worth telling apart, with the side A runout of each: | Year | Country | Label and catalogue no. | Format | Runout (side A) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1997 | UK | [Parlophone NODATA 02](https://www.discogs.com/release/5217098) | LP / Album / White Label | `I Like You, You Are A Wonderful Person` | | 1997 | Worldwide | [Parlophone 7243 8 55229 1 8](https://www.discogs.com/release/4950798) | LP / Album / Gatefold | `NODATA 01̶2A-1-1- I LIKE YOU, YOU ARE A WONDERFUL PERSON D VINYL BLAIR D` | | 1998 | UK | [Parlophone NODATA 02](https://www.discogs.com/release/216593) | LP / Album / Repress / Gatefold | `NODATA 0X2A-1-1- D` | | 2008 | US | [Capitol Records 7243 8 55229 1 8](https://www.discogs.com/release/1587168) | LP / Album / Limited Edition / Reissue / 180 gram | `S-66064 Re1 0724385522918-A G2 Rm` | | 2008 | Worldwide | [Capitol Records 7243 8 55229 1 8](https://www.discogs.com/release/7540273) | LP / Album / Reissue / Gatefold | `NODATA 02 A-1-1-` | | 2015 | Europe | [Parlophone 7243 8 55229 1 8](https://www.discogs.com/release/7389413) | LP / Album / Reissue / 180 Gram | `MPO 8552291 A` | | 2016 | US | [XL Recordings XLLP781](https://www.discogs.com/release/8664384) | LP / Album / Reissue | `MPO 8552291 2A` | | 2017 | Europe | [XL Recordings XLLP868](https://www.discogs.com/release/10471009) | LP / Album / Reissue / Remastered / 180g | `XLLP 868-A1 BH76012-01 A1 BAZZA ALCHEMY IP` | | 2017 | Europe | [XL Recordings XLLP868X](https://www.discogs.com/release/10229846) | LP / Album / Reissue | `IP XLLP868-A1 BH76012-01 A1 BAZZA ALCHEMY` | | 2017 | UK, Europe & US | [XL Recordings XLMX868](https://www.discogs.com/release/10554693) | LP / Album / Deluxe Edition / Reissue | `XLLP868-A1 BH76012-01 A1 BAZZA ALCHEMY IP` | | 2024 | US | [XL Recordings XLLP781](https://www.discogs.com/release/32680977) | LP / Album / Reissue / Remastered / Repress | `278334E1/E` | Source: Discogs database, checked 2026-10-12. 11 of 42 vinyl releases of this title are shown, oldest first. How the families break down: - **1997–98 Parlophone:** the original (NODATA 02), the white-label promo and the 1998 Haarlem repress, all cut by Chris Blair with the etched messages. - **2008 Capitol "From the Capitol Vaults":** a 180g US reissue released on 19 August 2008, cut by Ron McMaster and pressed by Rainbo. Wikipedia says it was the tenth-best-selling vinyl record of 2008. The same year a worldwide edition was pressed by Record Industry **from the original DMM parts**, so it keeps the Blair cut and the messages. - **2013/2015 Parlophone 180g:** the 2015 pressing was made by MPO. A Hoffman forum regular called the 2013 UK 180g "the most audiophile Radiohead vinyl out there", and it was believed to use the original plates. That is an opinion, but a common one. - **XL Recordings, 2016 onward (XLLP781):** XL took over the catalogue in April 2016 and reissued the vinyl that May. Represses followed from 2020; the 2024 one was cut at MPO and pressed by GZ. - **OKNOTOK 1997 2017 (XLLP868):** see the next section. ## OKNOTOK: the 20th-anniversary edition *OKNOTOK 1997 2017* came out on XL on 23 June 2017. It is a different product from the album reissues. It is a **three-LP** set that adds eight B-sides and three previously unreleased songs, "I Promise", "Man of War" and "Lift", to the twelve album tracks. Discogs credits Bob Ludwig with the new remaster and Barry Grint at Alchemy with cutting the lacquers. Optimal Media pressed it. Its runouts carry their own etchings: `BAZZA`, `SKIP`, `SKY`, `BLUE`. There are three main versions: - **Black 3LP** (XLLP868), the standard edition. - **Blue 3LP** (XLLP868X), sold through independent record shops. It was advertised as limited to 7,000 copies, though Discogs users report that more were pressed because of pre-order demand. - **The box** (XLMX868), with the black LPs in a hardcover book, a 104-page notebook, a 48-page sketchbook and a C90 cassette compiled from the session archive. Should you buy *OKNOTOK* instead of the album? Buy it if you want the extra songs. Buy the album if you want the original cut. AnalogPlanet wrote in February 2020 that *OKNOTOK* "sounds good… until you hear Chris Blair's original mastering". That is one reviewer's ear, but it matches what most forum threads say. The blue edition is the collectible one of the three. ## Why the original is expensive "Why is OK Computer vinyl so expensive?" is really a question about one record, the 1997 NODATA 02. The reissues are not expensive. The reason is in the Discogs community numbers, checked on 12 October 2026: | Edition | Users who own it | Users who want it | | --- | --- | --- | | 1997 Parlophone NODATA 02 | about 11,700 | about 18,300 | | 2008 Capitol Vaults 180g | about 23,000 | about 11,100 | | 2016 XL XLLP781 (US) | about 25,500 | about 3,700 | The 1997 original is one of the few records on Discogs that more people want than own. Three things explain it. In 1997 vinyl sales were near their lowest, so the original run was almost certainly small for an album this big. Copies were played, because this was a record people listened to. And the reissues, however good, do not satisfy collectors who want the one from the year of release. A want/have ratio measures demand, not how many copies were pressed, and it says nothing about any particular sale. So we give no price here. For what copies are being offered for right now, check a marketplace on the day you buy. The practical point stands: if you only want to hear the album, the 1997 premium buys you a date on the label, not a better record. ## Is the OK Computer vinyl rare? The 1997 original is scarce compared with demand. The album itself on vinyl is not rare at all. The XL and Capitol reissues sit in tens of thousands of collections, and they remain in print. What collectors actually treat as rare: - **The 1997 white-label promo** of NODATA 02, in a plain black sleeve. Discogs shows 86 users owning it and more than 2,200 wanting it, and no sale recorded through the site. - **A complete, clean 1997 first pressing**, with both inner sleeves and the export sticker, if it was a US-market copy. - **The blue OKNOTOK** and the OKNOTOK box, for modern collectors. Be wary of anything that does not appear in the table above. Some collectors believe bootleg copies of the album circulate. If a copy has no Parlophone, Capitol or XL catalogue number, no etched messages, and a price that seems too good, our [guide to spotting fake and bootleg vinyl](https://vinylai.app/guides/how-to-spot-a-fake-or-bootleg-vinyl-record/) walks you through the checks. Verify the runout before you pay a first-pressing price: our [first pressing identification guide](https://vinylai.app/guides/first-pressing-identification/) shows how. ## Best pressing to listen to Reviews and forum threads about how *OK Computer* sounds on vinyl keep coming back to Chris Blair's 1997 cut. In the Hoffman forum's "Best Radiohead OK Computer Vinyl" thread (2020–21), one poster summed it up: originals are "flat and open sounding", the XL represses "a little bit smiley faced", the Capitol "too much midbass". AnalogPlanet gave the EU repress pressed from "the original UK metal parts" 10 out of 10 for sound. That is the 2008 worldwide edition, pressed by Record Industry from the original DMM parts. These are opinions, but they point the same way. | If you want… | Buy | | --- | --- | | The original cut without the 1997 price | A reissue pressed from the original DMM parts: the 2008 worldwide edition (Record Industry), or the 2013/2015 Parlophone 180g | | A new copy, easy to find | XL XLLP781 | | The extra songs | *OKNOTOK* (XLLP868), black or blue | | The collector's copy | 1997 Parlophone NODATA 02, checked by runout | Whichever you choose, it is a two-disc gatefold, and second-hand copies often have seam splits. Check the jacket as carefully as the vinyl. To identify a copy without reading the dead wax, photograph the label and catalogue number with the VinylAI app. It matches the pressing and adds it to your collection. ## Related guides - [What Makes a Vinyl Record Valuable — and Which Ones Are Worth Most](https://vinylai.app/guides/most-valuable-vinyl-records/) - [Steely Dan Aja on Vinyl at 50: Every Pressing Compared, Best Sounding and What It's Worth](https://vinylai.app/guides/steely-dan-aja-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Michael Jackson Bad Vinyl at 40: 1987 Original, Value and Which Pressing to Buy](https://vinylai.app/guides/michael-jackson-bad-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Pink Floyd Animals Vinyl at 50: 1977 First Pressing, Value and Best Edition](https://vinylai.app/guides/pink-floyd-animals-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Hotel California Vinyl at 50: First Pressing, Value and Which Edition to Buy](https://vinylai.app/guides/hotel-california-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Back in Black Vinyl Value Guide: How to Spot a 1980 Original and What It's Worth](https://vinylai.app/guides/back-in-black-vinyl-value-guide/) Find vinyl for sale on VinylAI Market - [Browse Rock vinyl for sale →](https://vinylai.app/market/genre/rock/) - [Browse Pop vinyl for sale →](https://vinylai.app/market/genre/pop/) - [Browse Electronic vinyl for sale →](https://vinylai.app/market/genre/electronic/) Table of Contents - OK Computer turns 30 - The 1997 Parlophone original: how to tell - Why there are two discs - Every vinyl edition in one table - OKNOTOK: the 20th-anniversary edition - Why the original is expensive - Is the OK Computer vinyl rare? - Best pressing to listen to Related Articles - [What Makes a Vinyl Record Valuable — and Which Ones Are Worth Most](https://vinylai.app/guides/most-valuable-vinyl-records/) - [Steely Dan Aja on Vinyl at 50: Every Pressing Compared, Best Sounding and What It's Worth](https://vinylai.app/guides/steely-dan-aja-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Michael Jackson Bad Vinyl at 40: 1987 Original, Value and Which Pressing to Buy](https://vinylai.app/guides/michael-jackson-bad-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Pink Floyd Animals Vinyl at 50: 1977 First Pressing, Value and Best Edition](https://vinylai.app/guides/pink-floyd-animals-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Hotel California Vinyl at 50: First Pressing, Value and Which Edition to Buy](https://vinylai.app/guides/hotel-california-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Back in Black Vinyl Value Guide: How to Spot a 1980 Original and What It's Worth](https://vinylai.app/guides/back-in-black-vinyl-value-guide/) Vinyl Marketplace - [Rock vinyl for sale](https://vinylai.app/market/genre/rock/) - [Pop vinyl for sale](https://vinylai.app/market/genre/pop/) - [Electronic vinyl for sale](https://vinylai.app/market/genre/electronic/) Download VinylAI Scan barcodes, find stores, track your collection. [Get the App](https://vinylai.app/download/) Free on iOS and Android ## FAQ: ok computer vinyl Does OK Computer sound good on vinyl? Yes. It is one of the albums people most often say benefits from vinyl. It is spread over four sides of two LPs, which allows wide, well-cut grooves. Forum and review consensus favours Chris Blair's original 1997 cut at Abbey Road and the reissues pressed from its original metal parts. XL's later represses are voiced differently ("a little bit smiley faced", in one forum poster's words), and the 2017 *OKNOTOK* is a new remaster with eleven extra tracks. Is the OK Computer vinyl rare? The 1997 Parlophone NODATA 02 is scarce relative to demand. On Discogs about 18,300 users want it and about 11,700 own it, because the original run was small at vinyl's mid-1990s low. The album on vinyl is not rare: the 2008 Capitol and 2016 XL reissues are in tens of thousands of collections and still easy to buy. The 1997 white-label promo is the genuinely rare one. What is the best vinyl pressing of Radiohead's OK Computer? For sound, listeners usually point to Chris Blair's 1997 cut: the original NODATA 02 or a reissue pressed from the same metal parts, such as the 2008 worldwide edition by Record Industry or the 2013/2015 Parlophone 180g. AnalogPlanet rated the EU repress from the original UK parts 10/10 for sound. For extra songs, buy *OKNOTOK*. For a new copy that is easy to find, buy XL's XLLP781. Why are there two vinyls in an OK Computer? The album runs about 53 minutes. Rather than cram that onto one disc, with long sides that cost volume and bass, Parlophone spread the twelve tracks over four sides headed Eeny, Meeny, Miney and Mo. Side D holds only "Lucky" and "The Tourist". There is no bonus disc on the 1997 vinyl. The extra songs came in 2017 on the three-LP *OKNOTOK*. How do I know if my OK Computer vinyl is from 1997? Check the dead wax. A 1997 Parlophone copy has "VINYL BLAIR", a stamped NODATA 02 matrix with a "D" for Direct Metal Mastering, and hand-etched messages such as "I LIKE YOU, YOU ARE A WONDERFUL PERSON" on side A. The back cover reads "UK: NODATA 02" with the barcode 7 24385 52291 8. Reissues by Capitol, MPO, XL or GZ show their own runout codes. Is the blue OKNOTOK vinyl limited? The blue three-LP *OKNOTOK* (XLLP868X) was sold through independent record shops and advertised as limited to 7,000 copies. Discogs users report that more were pressed because of pre-order demand, so treat 7,000 as the advertised figure rather than a confirmed count. It is the most collected of the three *OKNOTOK* versions. The black 3LP and the box contain the same music. ## Get the VinylAI App Scan barcodes, find stores, track your collection, and connect with vinyl lovers worldwide. [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6755653864?pt=127157325&ct=vinylaiseo_cta&mt=8&utm_source=vinylai_website&utm_medium=cta_section&utm_campaign=organic) [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vastflow.vinylai&utm_source=vinylai_website&utm_medium=cta_section&utm_campaign=organic) Free on iOS & Android. No account required. Table of Contents - OK Computer turns 30 - The 1997 Parlophone original: how to tell - Why there are two discs - Every vinyl edition in one table - OKNOTOK: the 20th-anniversary edition - Why the original is expensive - Is the OK Computer vinyl rare? - Best pressing to listen to --- HTML version: https://vinylai.app/guides/ok-computer-vinyl-value-guide/ Structured data for this site: https://vinylai.app/api/v1/openapi.json · https://vinylai.app/llms.txt Free to quote and reuse with a link back to the source URL above (CC BY 4.0).