The Jimi Hendrix Experience — Are You Experienced: How to Identify a First Pressing

• Cover: The UK cover was designed by Chris Stamp, using a photo of Hendrix, Mitchell, and Redding together taken by photographer Bruce Fleming, in mainly dark green and brown tones.
• Other: At the time of the 1967 release, stereo recording was not yet widespread among listeners, so this batch of tracks, including the original UK recording, was entirely mixed and released in mono.

• Cover: The US (North American) edition used a completely different cover design, shot by photographer Karl Ferris, and also has a different tracklist from the UK edition; reportedly Hendrix himself disliked the UK cover's dark green-brown tones and asked for a more psychedelic design for the US edition, shot at Kew Gardens using a fisheye lens.

• The album was first released on CD in 1985 (by Polydor in Europe, Reprise in the US), followed by slightly revised reissues between 1989 and 1991, and in 1993 MCA Records released a remastered edition with entirely new artwork and liner notes — all of these are later formats/reissues clearly postdating the 1967 original vinyl.

• UK vs. US cover/tracklist differences: The UK Track Records edition and the North American Reprise edition not only have completely different cover designs (photographed by Bruce Fleming and Karl Ferris respectively) but also differ in tracklist — the best-known regional variation for this album.

discogs.com returned a 403 this time and could not be accessed; the English Wikipedia entry was used instead. The specific US/UK catalog numbers, label design, and matrix-etching details could not be verified this time.

• Read the runout (the smooth area between the last groove and the label) with the disc tilted under a lamp: matrix numbers, stamper codes and mastering initials are the strongest evidence.
• Label details change between pressing plants and years: rim text, logo style, address, "Manufactured by" wording.
• Cover printing shows the plant and era: printer credit, catalog number position, barcode presence.
• Match all three. A first-press disc in a later cover, or the reverse, is common.

Shoot the label straight on in even light, then the runout with the disc tilted so the etched text catches the light (a phone torch from the side works). Add the front and back cover, the spine, and any inner sleeve or insert. The app reads the label and cover; the runout photo is what confirms the pressing.