True Analog LPs versus Digital Recordings

Older recordings pre-dating the early 80's are almost certainly pure analog.

Otherwise, you will find more and more digital in later years. Today I would suspect most everything is digital unless analog processing is clearly identified otherwise.

I the early 80's, digital was novel and recordings advertised that as a selling point.

Today, digital is the norm and analog novel so I would expect those using analog gear would want to make it clearly known to buyers who are looking for that.

Any new releases on major labels today passed through a ProTools and are digital. One exception is original releases from the White Stripes - they record exclusively in analog, often to eight track.

The statement regarding pressings from the early 80's or earlier is correct - all-analog.

Today's reissues of older analog recordings are usually digital, and reissue labels do sometimes lie about provenance.

According to Wiki, it started in the 70s. Denon had a digital 8 track reel to reel in 1972, so who knows if anyone used one of those. A record company in Minnesota did digital vinyl in 1978. Wiki link.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_recording]

You have to use a very, very powerful magnifying glass to look at the grooves. If you see 1s and 0s, then its digital.

Really, if you can't tell by listening, does it matter?