Strong Gold

There are some bands that I have known of for thirty years or more and know absolutely nothing about. Back in the early 90s I used to buy records that were on the same record label as other records that I liked. So I bought a Stronghold 7" simply because it was on Doghouse Records. And even though I haven't listened to it for a long time, I semi recently found out that it existed on gold vinyl so felt compelled to buy it.

To me this is some pretty typical early 90s 7". Chugging heavy hardcore, sometimes slow and sometimes fast. Think ballpark Slugfest, but with a less powerful vocal. I always liked this when i was young and thought it was cool when I would find records like this that it felt like nobody in the world had ever heard of.

I have owned a red vinyl copy of this forever, but had no idea yellow existed. But judging from discogs, it feels like the red is rarer.

I'm not sure how many people would still care about this record in 2025. Not many I would guess. And sure, part of my love for this one is kinda based on nostalgia, but that said, I genuinely think this is a good record and a great example of low budget, rural early 90s hardcore.

'Coustic

A couple of years ago I picked up a couple of Samiam records, and this kinda reminded me that I used to like this band a lot in the early 90s. But you know how it goes sometimes with bands that go on forever... at some point you lose interest and lose touch. And then sometimes you might reconnect years later. So I decided to keep my eyes out for more Samiam records. And a few weeks back I stumbled on a 7" for sale in the UK.

The 'Coustic 7" was released by a UK label (Unleess You Try Records) in 2016. It is so titled because it contains two acoustic songs, both from the 2011 'Trips' LP (which I have never heard).

This colour is one of the 100 preorder copies that were all on random colours of vinyl, referred to as 'tie dye'. Having looked at some photos on discogs of other copies, this is one of the visually less interesting copies. But it's still a nice one to have. There are about seven other colours of this record, but zero copies for sale on discogs. So not an easy find in 2025.

This still makes me want to listen to more of the Samiam records I have missed, but getting records may well prove challenging.

More Rev Gaps Filled

In May this year I picked up two copies of the first Sick Of It All 7", and in celebration of my 2000th post on here, I pulled out all of my copies to take a group photo. I took the time to lay out 24 copies of the record, take some pics, and then put them all away again. And then, after I posted the pic on here, I looked at it and realised that I had missed out on one version at some point. After the initial sense of confusion and panic passed, I got on the internet and found a copy quite qucikly. So here we are, the 'bone' version (from 2021) with regular labels.

This one caused a bit of confusion when it came out. Back in 2021 there were 100 copies issued with the SOIA book and only available from Coretex Records. These copies had the Koller brothers picture labels and they were referred to as 'ivory'. There were then 500 copies announced right after on 'bone' vinyl. Basically, the two colours are the same, but the labels are what differentiate them.

Anyway, after getting this copy I simply cannot be bothered to lay out all of the other copies again. Maybe I'll do that again when I pick up another few copies. Probably for post number 2500.

Another Rev 7" that I was missing was the most recent pressing of the Quicksand 7". This version is 'transluscent orange vinyl' from 2024 (926 copies made). It was pressed at the UK plant, which is noticeable as it has small labels.

Back in 2002, Rev pressed 300 copies on 'yellow' vinyl which was supposed to be the 'final pressing' of this record. This new pressing looks slightly similar, although if you place the two copies side by side the difference is obvious - the labels. The latest version has the zeotrope label on the flipside.

And finally, I grabbed the latest pressing of the Crippled Youth 7". This is the 2024 pressing on 'neon pink' vinyl (550 copies). The last pressing of this one (on silver vinyl) was pressed at the UK plant, whereas this one was pressed in California at Erika. I have to say, this colour is really great in real life.

There was also a neon green version of this pressed back in 2018, and the two look pretty cool side by side:

A Beautiful Feeling

Another It's Alive Records release that I picked up recently, and this is a great example of buying a record because of the record label rather than the band. Everything that the label puts out is gold, and the quality of the packaging is second to none.

This is a reissue of the first RKL 7" 'It's A Beautiful Feeling'. This record was originally released by Superseven Records in 1984. Looking at discogs, there were lots of different versions of this thing pressed through the 1980s, several of which were on colour vinyl, and these days most sell for a reasonable amount.

Fred pressed up 500 of these on yellow vinyl in 2021, and then another 500 on purple a couple of years later. I missed the yellow, but am happy to have the purple looks great.

I actually have a spare of this if anyone is interested. Get in touch if you are.

I was never really into this band, although I did see them play once (in Leeds, UK) in about 1994. I wasn't that into them but just went along because they were touring their latest LP, which was on Epitaph, and I figured they were worth checking out. My only memory is seeing the singer projectile vomitting from the stage right at the end. Thank fuck I wasn't stood anywhere near him.

Big Laughs

Last year I posted about the Big Laugh 'Manic Revision' 7" that Revelation put out (reissued). I picked up way too many copies. Rev pressed this on three colours of vinyl - black, 'blue and red marble' (basically grey) and orange. But then there were a small number of red copies too. And I managed to get a copy that was almost yellow. And then this year at RevHQ I managed to find another quirky copy, with this one being on green vinyl.

Officially this does not exist, but I am assuming that it was just some transition type copy, although this theory doesn't really make sense as green comes from yellow and blue being mixed, and there were no yellow or blue of this record. Anyway, regardless of how this may have come to be, it exists... even though officially it doesn't.

As I mentioned, the Revelation pressing of this was actually a reissue. The record was originally released by a label called 11PM Records back in 2002. They pressed it on 3 different colours of vinyl, and I picked up one of these a couple of months ago with a little help from a friend.

This blue vinyl copy is a second press copy out of 200 copies. It goes pretty well with the front cover. I actually think the blue cover looks better than the red that Rev used, although it's nice that Rev changed it.

This band has a new record this year which I didn't get around to picking up, but which I have listened to online and its a real banger, switching up their sound so that they almost sound like Deadguy. I'm hoping to get one of those at some point.

No Motiv

Earlier this year I picked up an LP No Motiv which I found languishing in a record store in California, which was cool as I had wanted the record for three years or so. The band were from Oxnard and active around the time that The Get Up Kids and Saves The Day blew up. They were also on the same record label, but didn't quite reach the same level of popularity. Well, all these years later and I'm really digging them, and as such I sought out some of their 7"s, all of which were pretty damn cheap.

First up is their debut release, a self-titled 7". There were a few pressings of this one, and this is an old pressing, on purple vinyl. It sounds pretty raw and much less polished than the later LP that I have.

This was released by It's Alive Records in 1996. Discogs lists four different versions, but it is not clear whether they were all at the same time, or spread over a number of years. But then, twenty five years after its initial release, the same label repressed 100 hand numbered copies on clear red vinyl.

As with all the semi recent represses from It's Alive Records, this one comes with a bunch of extra stuff:

I also picked up this 7" on blue. This only contains two songs, which were originally released on a split 7" with a band called The Choice. I'm not sure why the other band was left off of this repressing. This one is also numbered out of 100 copies on the inside of the sleeve, and has some extra bits and bobs.

These 7"s are really nice and collectible, although musically they do sound quite rough and primitive compared to the album I bought, which is only from three years later. But I would say that if you have never heard this band are may be slightly interested, these records are probably not the best place to start.

Tooth And Nail

A couple of years ago I picked up a couple of Chokehold 7"s, thinking that this could be the start of a new collection. And here I am now with semi recent pick ups of two other copies to build the collection.

Last time I posted, Geoff commented to tell me about how tough it was to track down the rarest colour back when it came out. I guess I got lucky as I managed to pick up one from a friend who had got it directly from the label when it came out. It's a split pink and orange vinyl and hand numbered out of 50 on the back cover. I absolutely love it.

I also picked up one of the clear vinyl European tour copies. This one doesn't look quite as cool, although this version comes in a different sleeve with the logo changed into a Burn ripoff.

Here's the collection so far. There's no denying that this is now an official work in progress. Two more to go and in theory I could go buy them tomorrow on discogs... although I figure it will be more fun to leave it a while, wait for them to sell out, and then buy the next copy thst comes along five years later for three times the price. That's generally how I operate these days.

Anger Management

The next installment in my 'catching up on 7" posts' series, and this is a compilation from the early 00s that I am convinced that there is zero interest in these days.

'Anger Management Session 1' was released by Martyr Records back in 2003. Back then I had been a little out of touch with hardcore for a couple of years due to life, and when I came back I was discovering all manner of new bands and labels. It felt like I had been gone for ten years as the landscape had changed a lot, so compilations were a really useful way to help me catch up. This comp contains 6 'B-list' bands from the era, namely Kill Your Idols, Holding On, Close Call, My Luck, Diehard Youth, and What Feeds The Fire.

The early 00s was also the era that spawned an increase in the numbers of different versions of each record, but this record was released on 'only' three different colours of vinyl. This copy completes the trilogy for me of red vinyl (110), blue vinyl (330) and green (not sure, but the most common colour).

I really love hardcore from this era, and for some reason I associate it with cold, dark winter nights, so this one seems perfect to get reaquainted with at this time of year. The strange thing is that the best song on here is by Diehard Youth, but I never got around to picking up any of their other records. And somehow even now they don't seem easy or cheap to acquire. So if anyone wants to sell me some Diehard Youth 7"s that would be appreciated.

Seasons Change

It seems that 7"s are growing increasingly rare these days. They're also increasingly difficult for me to keep track of. It's been a wet weekend here, so I spent some time indoors tidying things and I came across a small pile of 7"s that I had left in a weird place. I got these over a year ago and my record room was a mess at the time, and I ended up putting these into a box along with things for sale. So I just discovered them and realised that I never got them up here. So I figured I'd spend the next few posts trying to catch up on some 7"s.

I'm starting off with a(nother) copy of the Locked Inside 'Your Thoughts Your Own' 7". This gold vinyl version was exclusive to RevHQ and limited to 145 copies.

This is the 10th copy of this record that I own, which is kinda funny as I missed out on every single version when it first came out back in 2020. I took a photo of the 9 'regular' versions that I have. The tenth is a second press test press, which has a different cover, so I decided to leave it out of this pic.

Five years since this came out, and I have no idea if the band is still going. There's not been any activity on their instagram or bandcamp pages for a long time, so I'm guessing they are no longer active. But I'm sure that I read a couple of years ago that their LP was coming out soon. Hopefully I'm wrong and that will end up coming out pretty soon.

Sliver 1st Press

A couple of years ago I picked up a copy of the Nirvana 'Sliver / Dive' 7" and it started an obsession. I was checking eBay for copies almost daily, and over the course of the next year and a half I picked up 10 different copies of the thing. There are still a few I don't have, but those copies are much more expensive generally. The last 'affordable' copy out there is the first pressing, and after over a year of not picking up a copy of this record, one appeared in the UK for a good price.

The way to tell a first press from the many represses that followed is that it comes in a foldered paper sleeve, rather than a glued card sleeve. And of course, if you're going to go after a first press, you want to make sure that it comes with the Sub Pop Singles Club coupon still attached.

I acquired a copy last year which was a first press record in a second press sleeve. I pulled it out to show the two first press copies together. I think this latest copy is a much prettier and more interesting colour.

There are at least another four or five copies that I am missing - white, clear, red, hot pink, and peach. Despite the impressive speed with which I have picked up the ones I have so far, these other copies are going to take years. But that's fine by me. I've always been good at being patient.

Can't Wait Three Minutes

I picked this one up for dirt cheap semi recently. It's crazy to think that I have never owned this before, and that this year marks 30 years since it came out. This is a promo 12" for the CIV song 'Can't Wait One Minute More'.

This features three versions of the same song. The album version, an extended version, and an instrumental version.

I love records that use this look... a DJ sleeve and a sticker. And even though this isn't one that will ever need to be played more than once to hear those extra versions of the song, it's still a cool thing to own.

Souvenirs & Evidence

Sometimes I am pretty late to the party, and here is yet further proof. Back in 2008 when this blog was six months old, I picked up a 7" on Livewire Records by a band called Cheap Tragedies. And here we are seventeen years later and I finally got around to picking up their LP, 'Volume 1: Souvenirs & Evidence'.

The band was from Cleveland, which explains why they used this famous mugshot of Jane Fonda holding a CLeveland sign. The story behind it is that she was arrested at the airport charged with smuggling pills, but it is felt that it was really just an excuse as she was at an anti Vietnam war activist and the authorities had her marked as 'trouble'. ANyway, she was released without charge, but the mugshot will live on in popular culture forever.

I remember when the LP came out in 2009 that I was wanting one of the clear vinyl copies. It wasn't a high priority at the time, and a few times I have seen black vinyl copies for sale over the years for cheap, but it's taken this long for a fair priced clear copy to fall in front of me.

Sometimes timing is everything, and even though the 7" didn't make a huge impact on me when it came out, in 2025 this LP sounds great. Fast and dirty hardcore punk rock and just right for Autumn/Fall and Winter. It's just a shame that Volume 2 never came out.

All Talk

I recently bought something from somewhere and pulled that old move where you look around to see what else the seller is selling to make the postage cost seem better value. One of the things I then found was a cheap clear vinyl copy of the Struck Nerve 'Rattle The Cage' LP that Youngblood Records put out about 4 years ago. Sold.

The clear vinyl looks great as it really shows off the huge amount of dead wax in the centre of the record, which is a look that always excites me. Blame 'Break Down The Walls' and Wishingwell.

This is now the third copy of this record that I have bought, which seems amusing considering I wrote this three years ago when I bought my first copy:

My Youngblood collection is pretty complete, and I have multiple copies of most releases, but when the preorder for this when live I didn't fancy spending money on three copies of the same record. So I just ordered one copy of the most limited colour.

Bets are now being taken for when I will find an excuse to buy copy number four.

Just Accept It

At some point last year Revelation pressed a No Escape discography onto vinyl. I was pretty happy about this on paper because their only full length, 'Just Accept It', came out as a CD only release. It was one of the earliest hardcore records that I heard / bought, as it came out around the time that I was first getting into hardcore and straight edge. I got the Turning Point / No Escape split 7" and it was a natural next step to pick up the No Escape album, despite it being on a CD. However, as much as I love those songs, I always thought that it sounded awful. So all these years later, it's cool that it has come out on vinyl and also been remastered so that it sounds much bigger.

This contains all of their studio recorded output, which includes the full length, the two songs from the split 7" with Turning Point, the demo, and the song from the 'Rebuilding' comp. In total there are 15 songs here.

This also comes with a huge booklet. However, this feels like a little bit of a disappointment. It has a brief intro by Tim Singer, but other than that it's just basically a big lyric sheet. The booklet contains a bunch of photos and then the lyrics to the songs. But there are no other writings by anyone other than Tim's intro. So all in all it provided about 5 minutes of entertainment.

There were three different versions made, so of course I had to pick up all of them.

Shown in the photo above are:
Blue (RevHQ Exclusive /200)
'Coke Bottle Clear' /250)
Green (Retail Store Exclusive /250)

Overall a really great summary of this band's output that sounds great, but where I feel slightly puzzled is to the fact that they got back together to record new songs which were released as a 6 song 12" in 2021. There is no mention of this in the piece Tim wrote in the booklet, which makes me wonder - did he forget, or did I imagine the whole thing?