The Who — Who's Next: How to Identify a First Pressing

• Cover: The cover photo was taken on July 4, 1971, while the band was travelling from Sheffield to Leicester, in front of a concrete pillar beside a slag heap, creating the effect that the band members appear to be collectively urinating on the pillar.
• Cover: According to photographer Ethan Russell's recollection, only guitarist Pete Townshend actually urinated on the pillar; the rest of the 'urinating' effect was created by pouring rainwater out of an empty film canister.
• Other: The US edition was released on August 2, 1971, and the UK edition on August 27, 1971, roughly three weeks apart — a secondary time-based clue for judging which region a copy comes from; the US edition was released by Decca Records and the UK edition by Track Records.

• The album has been reissued/remastered multiple times using masters from different recording sessions, including CD editions in 1995 and 2003 and a deluxe box set in 2023, all with a different master source from the 1971 original vinyl.
• The 1995 and 2003 CD reissues include an inner-sleeve 'alternate cover' image showing drummer Keith Moon wearing black lingerie and a brown wig and holding a whip; this image never appeared on the official 1971 original vinyl sleeve and only appears as artwork material in later CD reissues, useful for distinguishing the original physical release from later reissue bonus material.

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.