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Data as of Oct 3, 2026
USA For Africa – We Are The World
1985 · Europe · CBS · Vinyl LP Album Stereo
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Price guide
Estimated market value via Discogs · as of Oct 3, 2026
- MMint
- $28.54
- NMNear Mint
- $25.53
- VG+Very Good Plus
- $19.52
- VGVery Good
- $13.52
- G+Good Plus
- $7.51
- GGood
- $4.51
- FFair
- $3
- PPoor
- $1.50
173 copies listed on Discogs from $2.91.
These are reference estimates from Discogs sold/asking data for this exact pressing, not offers and not a guaranteed price. Actual value depends on condition, completeness and current demand. Any active seller offers on this page are listed separately above.
Offers
New to condition grades like NM or VG? Read our vinyl grading guide →
Pressing identification
Match these against your copy to confirm the exact pressing.
- Runout — side A
- 01-026454-1PAL 40043-IJ 01-26454-1A-1 DPAL 40043-IN 01-26454-2A-1 EPAL 40043-IK 01-26454-2A-1 CPAL 40043-IK 01-26454-2A-1PAL 40043-IJ 01-26454-1A-1 APAL 40043-IM 01-26454-4A-1 APAL 40043-IJ 01-26454-3A-1 APAL 40043-IJ D 01-26454-1A-1PAL 40043-IN 01-26454-2A-1 DPAL 40043-IN 01-26454-1A-1 APAL 40043-IK 01-26454-2A-1 APAL 40043-IJ 01-26454-1A-1 BPAL 40043-IK 01-26454-2A-1 B
- Runout — side B
- 01-026454-2PBL 40043-IK 01-26454-2B-1 BPBL 40043-IK 01-26454-1B-1 HPBL 40043-IJ 01-26454-1B-1 EPBL 40043-IK 01-26454-2B-1PBL 40043-IJ 01-26454-1B-1 APBL 40043-IK 01-26454-2B-1 APBL 40043-IJ 01-26454-1B-1 CPBL 40043-IK 01-26454-2B-1BPBL 40043-IK 01-26454-2B-1 DPBL 40043-IK 01-26454-2B-1 C
- Rights society
- BIEM/STEMRA, BMI, ASCAP, PROC
- Label Code
- LC 0149
- Price Code
- CB 341
- Other
- 01-026454-20(Haarlem computer number)
- Record Company
- MCA Inc.
- Recorded At
- Record One, Los Angeles
- Recorded At
- Studio 55, Los Angeles
- Recorded At
- Meadowlands Arena
- Recorded At
- Manta Sound
- Recorded At
- Little Mountain Sound Studios
- Recorded At
- Record Plant, N.Y.C.
- Recorded At
- Black Truck
- Recorded At
- Lion Share Recording Studios
- Recorded At
- Sunset Sound
Specifications
- Artist
- USA For Africa
- Genre
- Rock, Funk / Soul, Pop
- Style
- Pop Rock, Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Vocal, Gospel
- Year
- 1985
- Label
- CBS
- Catalog number
- CBS 26454
- Country
- Europe
Tracklist
- A1We Are The World7:02
- A2If Only For The Moment, Girl3:44
- A3Just A Little Closer3:53
- A4Trapped5:11
- B1Tears Are Not Enough4:21
- B24 The Tears In Your Eyes2:45
- B3Good For Nothing3:35
- B4Total Control3:38
- B5A Little More Love2:54
- B6Trouble In Paradise4:34
- Executive-Producer
- Ken Kragen
- Executive-Producer [Assistant]
- Michael Branch
- Design, Logo [USA For Africa Logo Design]
- Michael Manoogian
- Photography By [Additional Photography]
- Henry Diltz
- Photography By [Additional Photography]
- Ken Lei Chung
- Photography By [Additional Photography]
- Sam Emerson
About this record
This CBS pressing from Haarlem bears the orange/yellow sunburst label design CBS used from 1976 through 1985, marking it as a first-edition European release rather than the US Columbia original. The dead-wax matrix codes (PAL 40043-IJ 01-26454-1A-1 D and PBL 40043-IK 01-26454-2B-1 B) confirm the Dutch pressing plant, a detail that separates this from simultaneous North American and Canadian variants.
With 173 copies listed for sale and a lowest asking price of 2.91 USD, this title floods the secondary market despite strong collector ownership.
What drives its value
The price spread on this European pressing runs from 28.54 USD in Mint condition down to 1.50 USD in Poor—a steep cliff that reflects the charity-release glut. A VG+ copy sits at 19.52 USD, while a VG example drops to 13.52 USD, showing that even minor wear cuts value by one-third.
The 173 copies currently for sale vastly outnumber the 368 collectors actively seeking one, inverting typical supply-demand logic. Against the US Columbia pressing (catalogue USA 40043) and the Canadian variant (BEN 40043), all released the same year, this CBS Haarlem edition holds no scarcity premium.
Community data shows 10747 collectors own it, making condition the only lever for value; a played copy in Good+ grades at 7.51 USD, barely above the lowest asking floor.
How to appraise this pressing
Verify this pressing by the CBS label imprint and catalogue CBS 26454 (also stamped 26454 or USA 40043 on the label itself). The runout etchings in the dead wax read either PAL 40043-IJ 01-26454-1A-1 D (Side A) or PBL 40043-IK 01-26454-2B-1 B (Side B); the PxL prefix and the Haarlem plant attribution confirm the European pressing.
The gatefold sleeve carries the sunburst center label image on both sides and includes 25 session photos plus a full inner sleeve with track-by-track credits and artist information. The tracklist on the back cover and inner sleeve differs from the label sequence (B3, B6, A2, A3, B2, B5, A4, B4, B1, A1), a known quirk of this edition.
Grade by vinyl surface cleanliness, label printing sharpness (the CBS walking-eye logo should be crisp), and sleeve condition; the gatefold hinge and photo pages are prone to splitting and fading.
Further reading: grading a record, what makes a pressing valuable.
Listen
Hear the album before you buy.
Official videos via YouTube.
Release notes
First edition orange/yellow “sunburst” center label used by CBS from 1976 until 1985.
Issued with: Gatefold sleeve: inside USA For Africa information, 25 session photos Inner sleeve: track-by-track credits, general credits, thank you's, session photo of all/most artists
On back cover and inner sleeve the tracklist is in a different order: B3, B6, A2, A3, B2, B5, A4, B4, B1, A1
Release titles as they appear: Front cover: The historic recording We Are The World Plus nine new superstar songs Spine: We Are The World USA For Africa/ The album Labels: USA For Africa We Are The World
Back cover: © 1985 United Support Of Artists For Africa ℗ 1985 United Support Of Artists For Africa
A1: ℗ 1985 United Support Of Artists For Africa A2: ℗ 1985 CBS Inc. A3: ℗ 1985 Planet Records A4: ℗ 1985 Bruce Springsteen B1: ℗ 1985 Northern Lights For Africa Society B2, B3: ℗ 1985 Warner Bros. Records Inc. B4: ℗ 1985 Capitol Records Inc. B5: ℗ 1985 RCA Records B6: ℗ 1985 Chrysalis Records
CBS & [Walking Eye logo] ® CBS Inc. Made in Holland
Labels: Publishers: A1 Mijac Music/Brockman Music A2 Random Notes/Street Talk Tunes A3 MCA Music, a Div. of MCA, Inc./Music Corporation of America Inc. A4 Island Music B1 Foster Frees Music, Inc./Adams Communication, Inc./Calypso Toonz/Irving Music Inc. B2 Controversy Music B3 Security Hogg Music, Inc./Fin De Siecle Musique/Foster Frees Music, Inc. B4 Frettsongs/Clean Sheets Music B5 Debdave Music Inc./Briarpatch Music Inc./Good Sport Music/Montage Music Inc. B6 Hulex Music Inc.
Inner Sleeve: Publishers: A1 © 1985 Mijac Music (BMI) and Brockman Music (ASCAP) A2 © 1985 Random Notes (ASCAP) and Street Talk Tunes (ASCAP) A3 © 1984 MCA Music, a Div. of MCA, Inc. (ASCAP)/Music Corp. of America, Inc. (BMI) A4 © 1972 Island Music (BMI) B1 © 1985 Foster Frees Music, Inc. (BMI)/Adams Communications, Inc. (BMI)/Calypso Toonz (PROC)/Irving Music, Inc. (BMI) B2 © 1985 Controversy Music (ASCAP) B3 © 1985 Security Hogg Music (ASCAP), Fin De Siecle Musique (ASCAP) and Foster Frees Music, Inc. (BMI) B4 © 1979 Frettssongs/Clean Sheets Music (BMI) B5 © 1984 Debdave Music Inc. (BMI)/Briarpatch Music Inc (BMI)/Good Sport Music (ASCAP)/Montage Music Inc. (ASCAP) B6 © 1979 Hulex Music, Inc. (ASCAP)
Publisher Differences: "Security Hogg Music" on inner sleeve - "Security Hogg Music, Inc." on label "Frettssongs" on inner sleeve - "Frettsongs" on label "Adams Communications, Inc." on inner sleeve - "Adams Communication, Inc." on label
A1 Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering A2 recorded at Record One, Los Angeles, CA A3 recorded and mixed at Studio 55, Los Angeles, CA A4 recorded live at the Meadowlands, August 6, 1984 on the Record Plant (L.A.) remote truck. Mixed at Clover Recorders, Los Angeles, CA B1 recorded at Manta Sound, Toronto and Little Mountain Sound Studios, Vancouver B2 recorded at Record Plant, New York and Black Truck, New Orleans B3 recorded and mixed at Lion Share Studios, Los Angeles, CA B4 recorded at Sunset Sound Studios, Los Angeles, CA B5 recorded at Lion Share Studios and Sunset Sound, Los Angeles, CA. Mixed at Lion Share Studios. B6 recorded live in San Francisco on February 21, 1985 on the Westwood One remote truck
Runouts: First part of the runouts (PxL 40043-xx) is etched, while the second part (01-26454-1x-1 x) is stamped on all variants.
Notes sourced from the Discogs database.
Other pressings of this release
Different editions of the same album — pressing decides value.
Frequently asked
How do I tell this CBS Haarlem pressing apart from the US Columbia version?
The CBS label features the orange/yellow sunburst design and catalogue number CBS 26454, while the US Columbia pressing uses a different label design and catalogue USA 40043. Check the dead-wax matrix: this pressing reads PAL 40043-IJ or PBL 40043-IK followed by 01-26454-1A-1 or 01-26454-2B-1, confirming the Haarlem plant. The spine also reads 'We Are The World USA For Africa/ The album' on CBS editions.
What is a VG+ copy of this pressing worth?
According to the price guide, a VG+ graded copy is valued at 19.52 USD. This represents a significant drop from the 25.53 USD estimate for a Near Mint copy, reflecting how even light play and minor surface marks reduce value on this common pressing.
Why is there such a wide price range from Mint to Poor?
The Mint estimate is 28.54 USD while Poor grades at only 1.50 USD—a 19-fold gap. This extreme spread occurs because the title was pressed in massive quantities as a charity release, flooding the market. Played copies offer little collector appeal, so condition becomes the sole determinant of resale value; only pristine or near-pristine examples command meaningful prices.
How many copies of this pressing are currently on the market?
173 copies are listed for sale across platforms, with the lowest asking price at 2.91 USD. This abundance reflects the release's original high pressing volume and the lack of scarcity among collectors—10747 people own one, against only 368 actively seeking it.
What should I look for in the gatefold and inner sleeve?
The gatefold includes 25 session photos and inside USA For Africa information. The inner sleeve contains track-by-track credits, general credits, thank-you notes, and a session photo of all or most artists. Note that publisher names on the inner sleeve sometimes differ slightly from the label text (e.g., 'Security Hogg Music' vs. 'Security Hogg Music, Inc.'), a known variant detail of this edition.