text: what are lp's and ep's? i know that bands release albums that are either lp or ep, and i fairly certain that lp's are full length albums, but what does it stand for and what do they mean? terms from the days of vinyl records. as i worked in a record store selling vinyl for 2 years during the 80s, i got to work intimately with them... so...  lp = long play (full length album) - 33 1/3 speed ep = extended play (as in extended from a single) - 33 1/3 speed single = one song a side - 45 speed  lp records could be a maximum of about 40 minutes with microgrooving, less without. ep records were from 3-20 minutes (as i recall).  an lp could hold 5-6 songs per side. an ep could hold 1-3 (cramped at 3) per side. a single could hold one song per side.  how they were used.  bands generally used lps for full length album releases.  eps were used commonly to release a short album release (a few songs or extended remix singles).  the ep format was also typically used on 12" singles.  12" singles also ran 33 1/3 speed.  45's (singles) were obviously used to release two songs from an album (not usually remixes).  sizes for vinyl include 12", 10" and 7" diameter.  eps could be 10" or 12".  lps were only 12".  45's were only 7".    and finally, there were picture disks.  these were a special process to overlay the vinyl grooves on top of a picture.  they were generally heavier and the vinyl didn't hold up as long.  picture disks were, as i recall, always 12" in size.