Right Idea 7"

I suspect that most people who read this also read other similar blogs, so I figure most of you may have read what Mike wrote a couple of days ago. Which means you've already seen the pics of this record and don't really want to have to read some other moron's pointless thoughts. So I guess I'm going to have to try and keep you interested by posting some slightly different photos and by having a completely different opinion. So here goes...

Here are my Right Idea 7"s. I bought three copies, of which black is the rarest version. It's hand-numbered out of 100, and comes with a little sticker:

I know that the band came up with the idea for the packaging for this, and the idea (which I think isn't exactly obvious) is that this is meant to look like a bootleg of the 12" that came out a few months ago on React! Records. So the cover is supposed to look like a dodgy photocopy of the original:

And the labels are supposed to look exactly like the original, but with the references to React! Records subtly removed:

Seems a couple of people aren't into the artwork on this. But I really like it. I mean, I don't think the idea of making it look like a bootleg really works, because it doesn't look like a bootleg. Most bootlegs either seem to copy the artwork EXACTLY (i.e. leave original record label references on there), or don't have any label details at all. So I don't think that I'd have realised this was meant to look like a boot if I hadn't been told. That said, however, I do like this for a different reason. To me, this is cool because it looks exactly like what it is... which is a 12" scaled down to a 7". So everything is the same except smaller. And obviously to fit the same number of songs on to a 7", the speed has changed from 45rpm to 33rpm. And I like how the changes on the labels are emphasised and made obvious. It would have been easier to make the same changes to the labels "professionally" (i.e. replace 45rpm with 33rpm in the same font and in the same place on the label). But just doing it by hand in a sloppy way kinda makes it more fun and intentionally emphasises the change. So yeah... having a different record label repress a 12" record as a 7" record a few months after it came out is a bit of a strange thing to do, but I like the way that the label have acknowledged this and have dealt with it in a fun way. The only thing I think they should have done differently was issue it on the exact same colours of vinyl as the 12" version. But that's only because I think it would have been cool to be able to photograph the three 12"s and three 7"s together. And then maybe some other label could have come along in a few months and taken it to the next level by repressing it as a 5" :o)

If you want to buy one of these mini 12"s, here's the link you need:

www.myspace.com/bottleduprecords

Right Brigade 7" Pink

Back in October last year I picked up a pink vinyl Right Brigade 7". I was, however, convinced that it was red rather than pink, so then decided to try to pick up a pink one to compare the two. (You can read that entry HERE).

So anyway, in January I did pick up a pink copy on eBay. And today, nearly 7 months later, it finally showed up:

I won't even go into the detail of the delays. But now that I finally have this record, I can place it next to the one I picked up back in October to do the comparison:

Judge for yourself. Is one pink and one red, or are they both different shades of pink?

Dude also threw in an Underdog 'Live From Asbury Lanes' 7". This is a funny one. Has all the look and feel of a bootleg - plain labels, no record label name anywhere, in fact, no information other than song titles. This contains 4 songs. Kind of cool to have... although I'm glad I didn't actually pay for it!

My War Red

I distinctly remember several years ago some dude posting somewhere that his most wanted record was "My War" on colour vinyl. I remember this, because I also recall thinking to myself "You're a fool - it doesn't exist". I think this was either a wants list on the old Revelation trade board, or some old thread probably on the Revelation message board. Wherever, it was a long time ago. Anyway, now it's me that looks like the fool, because it very much does exist.

This was the first Black Flag record I ever bought, inspired by Jordan Richter's part in the classic Blind Skateboards "Video Days". Stoked to now own this on colour.

I know this record also exists on blue vinyl. Apparently "In My Head" comes on pink too. And "Damaged" on clear purple. I think that's all I need now.

Fat Wreck Colour Represses

Even though it's 2009, there's a definite 1994 feeling in the air. A few records from that era seem to be getting the colour vinyl re-press treatment recently. My policy on such things is that I'm on interested if the original version didn't come on colour. Here are two fine examples. Firstly, the Good Riddance "For God And Country" LP, which has been pressed on a similar blue colour to the Wishingwell pressing of "Break Down The Walls":

The second is the Rancid "Radio Radio Radio" 7", pressed on white:

In 1995, me and my friend Rich took Lars Frederiksen shopping in Leeds. He wanted a Birmingham City football shirt, so we had to take him into sketchy sports shops. Pretty funny to see the reaction of the dudes on the counter. I mean, it's not every day that a 6'2" American with full on mohawk, tattoos and studded leather jacket finds his way into JJB Sports. He also dragged us into some whack CD & video retailer and bought a stack of VHS tapes (this was 1995 remember) to watch on the tour bus. The funny thing was that he paid with a gold card. Probably not many East Bay punks carrying one of those about...

Street Trash 12"

My newest record is the self-titled 12" by Street Trash:

This thing came out a few years ago. I don't even know when to be honest. 2005? Earlier? Later? I have no idea. I only picked up on this band because they had a 7" out on My War Records, which was one of those labels that I just trusted. The Street Trash 7" they put out was interesting in a "it's so shit it's good" kinda way. Like, these dudes don't really have any musical talent or ability, and the vocals are pretty terrible too... but they still crank out some fast, obnoxious tunes which almost sound like they could have been recorded in about 1982 or something. The record is a one-sided affair with some stupid crap screened on the b-side:

The only thing I don't like about this is that the screen-printed side seems to have given them an excuse not to make a cover, so it just comes in a crappy clear picture disc sleeve. Maybe they just ran out of money? Who knows?

Stuff for sale - eBay

I spent a lot of money this month. I bought a bike and went through the annual ordeal of buying car insurance. And I bought a couple of expensive records. So I'm chucking a few bits on eBay to recoup some cash. I listed some on eBay.co.uk and some on eBay.com. I'm probably going to add some more in the next couple of days. Check what I'm selling HERE

Coalesce Ox

Coalesce. I imagine everyone reading this will have heard of them. They've been around for a long time. I actually picked up on them from their 1st 7" all those years ago in about 1994. Over the years that have followed, I've continued to buy their records and listen to them frequently. In my opinion, they are a very, very rare thing within the world of music - a band who just get better and better. Every record seems to be a step up from the one before. In my experience, most bands go the opposite way and get worse and worse to the point where they become an embarrassment. But not Coalesce. And even though Coalesce broke up several years ago, they've never really quite been able to bury the band permanently. There have been a couple of reunion shows over the past few years, and a new 7" that came out a couple of years ago. And now, in 2009, they've just put out a new album entitled "Ox". In light of this, they arranged a short European tour, which (for the first time in a LONG time) got me excited enough to actually leave my house. But that's because, in all the time they have been together, they had never actually played outside of the US. So when I went to see them last week, I was pretty damn excited about the prospect of being able to release 15 years of waiting from under my belt.

Prior to the show, I had held out on buying the new LP via mail order simply because I figured the band might have brought some kind of special tour version on the road with them. Unfortunately though, they didn't. The only version they had for sale was the regular black version. So I just figured what the heck and bought one anyway:

The packaging on this is top notch. I'm actually glad to get the black vinyl, because the overriding theme of this album seems to be black. Everything about the packaging is black, even down to the paper dust sleeve. It doesn't show up too well in the photo above, but here's a close up of the cover to show that it has some embossed pattern all over it:

Strangely, even though everything is black, the reverse of the lyric sheet has a couple of random colour photos of country life.

And because there was no tour pressing of the record, I decided to make my own souvenir, so I did what I never, ever do and got my record signed by the band:

My friend Bez thinks I am gay for getting my record signed. I've never done it before. But they way I see it, getting it signed is not about getting signatures. It's not like meeting a footballer and getting him to put his name on a piece of paper that I can wank over, or that I can sell on eBay in a few years. It's about getting a souvenir of the show, and making my LP personal to me. It makes mine different to every other one out there. The best comment was from the guitarist, Jes, who I chatted to for probably an hour and a half, and who was one of the best dudes I have ever met.

Overall, the show was good... but not great. The band were awesome. I guess it was just a bit weird because of the crowd. Being on Relapse, there were a lot of metal types in attendance who have no idea how to dance or behave. As has happened many times in the past, morons put a slight dampener on things. But the band were incredible. It was refreshing to see a band who enjoy playing as much as the crowd enjoy seeing them play. Several times the singer and guitarist jumped into the crowd. Kinda reminded me of being at shows in the early 90s. Here are a couple of photos that Bez took:

To check out Bez's photography go HERE

The other big highlight of the night was meeting Dan Askew, owner of Second Nature Records, who was on tour with the band. I've bought a lot of the stuff he's put out over the years and I used to read his zine back in the mid 90s. He was a cool guy and had a cool sense of humour. I also spent some time trying to convince him to start getting his records pressed in the States again... haha!

Overall... great record, great band, great night.

Jawbreaker 'Busy' 7" on Red

I've been on quite a Jawbreaker kick lately. After picking up one of my biggest wants recently (the blue vinyl pressing of their first LP - HERE) I have been listening to them again for the first time in a few years. This prompted me to pick up another of their rarest records, which I have had on my want list for a LONG time... the 'Busy' 7" on red vinyl:

This is the first press and rarest version of this record. There were 150 copies on red vinyl which were hand numbered (rather fittingly with a red pen):

The guy selling this on eBay got it straight from the collection of the dude who used to own Shredder Records. This copy is in absolutely mint condition, and it doesn't seem unreasonable to assume that it may never have been played. There can't be many copies in such good condition, especially seeing as this record will be 20 years old next month. All things considered, I'm pretty happy. As Ice Cube would say, "Today was a good day".

Black Flag - Who's Got The 10½ on Pink?

The answer is, of course, me. Stuff like this is why I love record collecting. I only picked this record up on purple a couple of months ago (see HERE). I knew it existed on purple because I used to own it about 17 years ago. But I'd never seen it on any other colour. Then, a couple of weeks after I picked up the purple copy, I saw it for sale on ebay on pink vinyl. However, the starting bid was £25. I figured this too much. So, not being in a hurry, I waited. I guess the record collecting gods must be smiling on me because another one popped up only last week. And being a selfish asshole I knew I had to have it, so I bid and was lucky enough to bag it for only £10, which I consider to be a very fair price.

So now I'm one step closer. And once again I'll say what I always say... if anyone has any idea of exactly what Black Flag color vinyl is out there that I don't own, let me know. The only things I know I don't have are "My War" on blue and also on red, and "Damaged" on clear purple. And the 7"s (which I am far less bothered about). Oh yeah, and I'm not interested in any 10"s. I hate 10"s.Don't talk to me about 10"s. Ever. Let's just pretend like they don't exist, ok?

Pelican 4th Pressing

I've always bought stuff from Hydrahead Records. I used to phone up Aaron Turner back when the label was young circa 1997 and ask him what was coming out & how much money I needed to send. One time he told me there were going to be 6 different versions of the first Cave In 12", so I sent money for six and then he only made two versions... haha. Anyway, I always dug the label and the stuff they put out. So back in 2003 (or maybe 2004) when they put out a Pelican double LP ('Australasia') I thought nothing of ordering it, even though I had never heard of Pelican and had no clue about what they sounded like. When the record arrived, my first observation was that it had weird artwork with no words anywhere. I played the record and it seemed kinda weird. No vocals. Just long instrumental "songs" that were kinda heavy but also kinda not. At first I didn't get it. But I soon got into it. It seemed the perfect soundtrack to driving home from work in the long, light evenings. I then went through a phase where I sought out other bands that didn't have vocals. I kinda got to this point where I had decided that most vocals ruined the music, and decided that vocals were pointless and distracting. Pelican suddenly seemed like the perfect band. Then a year or so later they brought out a new album and they blew up. I saw them live in 2005 and they were amazing.

Anyway, I just picked up the fourth (and final) pressing of 'Australasia'. This version comes on silver and gold (or, rather, grey and dirty yellow) vinyl, in a screen-printed gatefold hand numbered sleeve. Its nice. Although what's weird is that I'm not sure what label actually released this. Does anyone know?

A Pair Of Iron Boots

Sometimes I find that I don't consciously collect records. I just somehow end up with them. As stupid as this sounds, there just seem to be some bands whose records I just seem to slowly amass and then suddenly I end up with a few and it seems like I collect them. This seems to have happened with Iron Boots. It's not like I think they're the best band ever. They're alright, like. But not amazing. They released three 7"s in total in their short existence. So how many do I have? Eight. What a dumbass! The latest couple rocked up this week...

First, the gold vinyl repress of the demo 7". This is cool because it has a sleeve with gold lettering to match the vinyl (whereas the black vinyl has black ink... cool huh?):

The second Iron Boots 7" of this week is the final 7" on white. I think there are only 100 of these things.

Now that I have realised I have most of their records, I figure I might as well try to get the ones I haven't got... although, in order to do that, I'd need to get at least 5 more. Christ.

The First Step - What We Know Sessions

A new First Step 7" came out recently. It may be a new release, but it contains old recordings. It was put out by Bottled Up records. Somehow I missed seeing that it was coming out, so only found out when other bloggers put pictures of theirs up online... which meant that the most limited versions were long gone. So I fired off a late order and got two different coloured copies:

My first thought was "man, the cover is crap, what the hell is it supposed to be?". Standing back though, it becomes obvious, and kinda (but not THAT) cool:

I know the rarest version of this one is black, hand-numbered vinyl. No idea what the crack is with these two colours though.

So what's the record like? Well, this contains older recordings of songs that were on the "What We Know" LP. The sound quality isn't as good and the songs are definitely rough versions. Sometimes rough, demo versions of songs are better then the final, released versions. But in my opinion, that's not the case here. The LP, in my opinion, is great. This 7", unfortunately, is not. I'd advise only diehard TFS fans pick this up really... although, that said, they probably already have!

Promises... Kept!

I started ordering from Bridge Nine records back in 2000 or so. When Bane stayed at my house on their first euro tour in 2000, Bedard told me about some band called American Nightmare. Said it was the best hardcore record of the year. So I ordered one direct. Bridge Nine was a young and fresh label with some interesting records coming out. I quickly realised this and, from that point on, started ordering everything that B9 released. This went on until 2004, when two incidents put me off the label. First up was the Terror pre-order. I can't remember the time-frame exactly, but I remember placing an order and waiting MONTHS before the record turned up. It seemed to me that this was a sketchy practice. The second incident was when I ordered the Champion LP. I ordered two copies, and received one. Nevermind, I thought. Mistakes happen. I'll just get in touch with the label and sort it out. And this is where it went wrong. I think I sent three or four emails over a few weeks to ask the label to fix their mistake, but I got no response to any of them. Not a word. So I decided that they couldn't be trusted, and I decided that I would never order from Bridge Nine again. And to this day, I haven't.

I guess that this decision has cost me over the years. I mean, I have still bought some (not all) Bridge Nine releases, but I have bought them from distros, which of course means that I never get the most limited versions. But the way I saw it, better to get some regular version rather than risk getting ripped off and not receiving anything.

So anyway, imagine my surprise when, last week, I got an email from Chris Wrenn (owner of Bridge Nine) completely out of the blue asking what the problem was that I experienced five years ago with his label. Turns out he had been reading my blog, and had read THIS POST which makes some pretty strong accusations about his label. Thankfully, he wasn't aggressive or abusive. Just genuinely curious as to what exactly had happened, and wondering if he could put it right. We exchanged a couple of emails. I explained what had happened. He agreed that the B9 mailorder department wasn't exactly efficient five years ago, but also wanted to assure me that things have improved and mailorder is now efficient, and that also customer service has made significant leaps forward. He was also pretty insistent on making up for the mistake in 2004. So at his request, I sent him my want list. And today, a package turned up. I had no idea what was going to be inside. I opened it & found this note:

Then, when I moved the note, I found one of my most wanted records laying underneath:

Yup, it's the most limited pressing of the Champion "Promises Kept" LP. There were 150 of these on white with this special record release cover:

It also has this 'special' lyric sheet explaining how this version of the LP came to be:

I've bid on this a few times on eBay over the years since it came out, so I know how much this is worth. Which makes this seem like an extremely generous way of making up for what was probably a $15 mistake.

As I told Chris, I now feel slightly bad about what I wrote. I guess I need to learn to give people second chances. Basing my opinion of a mailorder service on one experience 5 years ago is probably a bit unfair. The fact that the guy who owns the label got in touch personally to try to rectify a small mistake that happened long ago probably says it all. He could have easily done nothing, since the opinion of one insignificant moron in the UK probably doesn't make the slightest difference to anything. But he went out of his way to apologise and restore my faith in his label... which I have to admit, he has done. It's things like this that set B9 apart from labels like, say, Victory :o)

Believe me, Chris, I am extremely grateful for this. THANKS!

F Bargains

Picked up a cheap Fastbreak 7" recently. Grabbed this for $3. No idea on the pressing info of this to be honest. I have one on red and one on clear, but they both have different colour sleeves. This one looks better if you ask me. Anyone know the pressing info for this record?

I had a member of Fastbreak stay at my house once. Luke Garro. He was in Piebald at the time. Nice guy. Shame the rest of them were miserable humourless bastards.. well, except the one who likes like Adam from Cave In, but he slept in the van.

I also grabbed an LP from the same seller that was going cheap from another band whose name begins with an "F"... Fall Silent. This is their first LP (I think) called "Superstructure". I have a couple of 7"s by this band that I picked up about '97 that I like, but I never got around to listening to anything else. Given that this was only $6 I figured I would give it a chance. It comes with one of the worst covers of all time:

Not sure I ever realised, but this band ended up on Revelation. Weird. I guess they probably got signed when Converge were blowing up, seeing as they have that kinda sound. I don't listen to stuff like this these days. Although, that said, I found myself enjoying this. Shame the cover's so awful. I can't wait to file this one away.

Paranoid Delusions

I was going to pre-order the new Pulling Teeth LP a few weeks ago when the pre-orders were announced. But as usual, the things I don't order right away are the things that sell out the fastest, and after about two days it was gone. Crap. Then once it had actually come out, I saw a post on the internet somewhere that Deathwish had an exclusive vinyl colour in their store. So I headed over there... to find that too had sold out. Double crap. However, a couple of weeks later I randomly checked the A389 Records store and found that, as if by magic, they magically had the special pre-order version (with hologram sleeve) back in stock. And then I checked Deathwish and somehow they had some of their exclusive colour back in stock too. So I hit the "order" button and sat back happy that I had been fortunate once more and wasn't going to have to play the eBay game that I so hate.

Anyway, the Deathwish exclusive colour version just came in. This is referred to as "blue multi splatter" and is limited to 150 copies, with regular gatefold sleeve:

The only thing I don't like about this is that the sleeve seems to be printed the wrong way. If I lay or stand it so that the spine is on the left and the gatefold sleeve opens the usual way, then this is what the cover looks like:

In other words, the cover art is printed sideways! I'm not entirely sure yet, but this might prove to be even more annoying than the Ressurection LP that has the spine on the wrong side...

The Uns (broken & dertow)

Unless you live under a rock (or unless you have stumbled across this blog accidentally & have no idea what hardcore or records even are) then you will know that Unbroken reunited to play a couple of shows recently. Indecision Records made a special triple LP for these shows. The triple LP includes everything that the band ever recorded, which has been released in the past as three LPs (one of which compiles all the 7"s on to a handy single LP). The triple LP packages all three LPs together and adds new artwork and a previously unreleased song. Since I didn't actually attend any of the shows, I count myself extremely lucky that I was able to get one of these things without paying eBay prices. I paid $30, and I have seen the eBay price fluctuate between $80 and $120. Visually, its an interesting record. The band are big fans of Morrissey & The Smiths, and there's a definite British 80s vibe to the visuals here. And, even though I don't generally like vinyl that has been pressed at that plant in Europe, this one just about scrapes in as acceptable. One record is grey, one creamy white, and one half of each. The whole thing seems to have been carefully thought out, which is cool in my book.

When I first unfolded the gatefold sleeve, I couldn't make out what the inside was supposed to be. It just looked like a load of dots. But then I got the camera out and took this photo, and then, as if by magic, I could see it!

Text inside one of the fold out sections from (debatably) their best song:

A cool record which I am very stoked to own. I especially like the super fat spine and how it stands out in my LP rack:

Now, by some strange coincidence, one of my other favourite bands from the early 90s with a name starting with the letters "U" and "N" also reformed for the same shows. And coincidentally, this band's entire recorded output got reissued on vinyl by the same record label, Indecision Records. Man, that's a lot of coincidences. This discography was previously released as a CD a few short years ago, so technically this release represents the label "catching up" and putting it out on vinyl, rather than a special project for the reunion. What's funny about this is that I took one of the LPs out of the sleeve and was disappointed it was black vinyl. I was hoping for some nice colour to coincide with the artwork. Then I took the second record out and found it was blue... and then it occurred to me that black & blue matches the cover perfectly. Cool. The layouts are good on this. Big photos that work in LP size, especially the inside of the gatefold sleeve. I'm also really stoked that the vinyl was pressed at a US plant rather than that crappy Euro one.

The vinyl colour choice is also cool because the limited version of the original pressing the Undertow LP on Excursion Records was blue. Here's the old & new side by side:

Here's to hoping that Indecision decide to catch up and put more of their discography CDs out on the gatefold multi LP format. Outspoken, Insted, Mean Season... they'd all look nice I am sure.

Oh yeah, and finally... Big thanks to Dave for these two. Appreciated, man.

Power Of The Lion

Iceburn. One of the weirdest bands ever to make it onto both Victory Records and Revelation Records. Fact - I would never have listened to them if they had been on any other label. But back then Victory & Revelation were labels you could trust, and I would buy anything & everything they put out. Iceburn were different, but they kinda rocked. The first LP, "Firon" was great. I listened to that a lot. The second LP, "Hephaestus", was also great. The third LP, "Poetry Of Fire" I also managed to get into, although it took more perseverance (by this time they were getting more jazz influenced and just a little too weird). The fourth LP was weirder still, as they changed name to "The Iceburn Collective" and morphed into some experimental band whose material was improvised, and less guitar focused. I wasn't into it. Then they had a final album, "The Power Of The Lion" which was self-released and on CD only, and which I never heard. I wasn't interested. This was 1998. And now, eleven years later, Southern Lord have put this out on vinyl. Being on Southern Lord, I figured that I must have missed a trick all those years ago, and the final album must have been dark and heavy. So I decided to pick it up. It's a double LP, and (as with all Southern Lord releases) the packaging is top notch:

This is the first time I have ever seen printing INSIDE the sleeve. Nice touch.

Brown vinyl is for mailorder only. I don't think I've seen this colour before. Looks nice:

Turns out the album is probably the most experimental thing they've done. I'm not into it. I guess I should have figured that out before spending my money. Oh well. At least it LOOKS nice.

Mind Eraser Conscious Unconscious

So I was saying a couple of days ago that I can't get enough Mind Eraser. Today I got some more. The latest album... "Conscious Unconscious". This came out a couple of months back, but the first pressing sold out in about five minutes and I didn't get one. So I just picked up the second press, of which there are 500 copies on white vinyl. First thing to say is that I love the cover art on this:

I was really unsure about this before I played it. The last Mind Eraser record was a 7" with ten songs on it, whereas this is a full length album but only has two songs. Backwards huh? So before I played it, I couldn't see how a band who rip through songs in about a minute and a half could come out with two songs that are about ten minutes each. However, after playing it a couple of times, I can safely report that it's an interesting listen. The songs are slower and more drawn out than previous efforts. I can tell it's going to take me a few more plays to "get it" properly. But I like that. I like records that aren't instant hits and command a little work and attention.

Also, I laughed when I saw the lyric sheet, because it's in the same font that I complained about in my post about the 7". I mean, come on, can anyone read this?

Let the Backlash begin...

Not the most exciting of posts this one, for either me or you. I picked up two Backlash 7"s on eBay. I bought them to replace mine, which both have dodgy condition covers. I haven't listened to this band in probably half a lifetime, but my memory tells me these records are nothing special. The first is "The Lost New Start Record", so-called because it was supposed to come out on New Start Records, but the label dicked the band about and never got around to putting it out, so the band put it out themselves.

The second 7" is the Backlash "Once Ago" 7". This one was jointly put out by no fewer than 4 record labels - 1124 Records, Chapter Records, Tease Records (who the hell?) and Conquer The World Records. This copy is on blue, although my previous copy is red.

I now have spares of both of these, although I can't imagine anyone will want them. Demand for these records probably isn't that high, seeing as the combined price of these two 7"s on eBay was £1.70 ($2.64). If anyone does want them, however, get in touch.

Fetch Me Some Painkillers

Just picked up a couple of recent re-pressings on Painkiller Records, both on clear vinyl. And even though they are clear, the vinyl is a kind of dirty clear (if you look at the 1st pic you will see what I mean) which is interesting.

First up is the Mind Eraser "Glacial Reign" LP. This is the third pressing of this album, out of 550 copies:

I'm loving Mind Eraser right now. I can't get enough. I hope they tour the UK. Can anyone confirm if this is happening?

The second record is the Iron Age "The Way Is Narrow" 7". I hadn't got this before, or heard it, but it kills. A really good HARDcore record. Clear is the second press of 520 copies:

People have been complaining about the price of the new Iron Age LP. I think it was $35 postpaid. I didn't get around to ordering it yet, but unfortunately it has sold out. So it seems like everyone who bitched about the price bought one anyway. Damn whingers.

Bad Religion Reissue 7"

This is probably old news now, but the first Bad Religion record was reissued recently to coincide with World Record Store Day, which is some kind of national celebration of independent record stores held once a year. Seems like a pretty stupid idea to me. I mean, if independent record stores need help to survive, then surely they need it more than once a year?

Anyway, I live in a part of the country without any independent record stores, so I couldn't buy the Bad Religion 7". So instead, I managed to pick it up using the future of record shopping - the internet. And being an idiot with more money than sense, I figured I would buy more than one, so I grabbed a red one and a white one:

It comes in a fold-out sleeve. Not sure if this is a complete replica of the original 7" because I have never seen one.

This 7" has caused me listen to Bad Religion again for the first time in a long time. I used to listen to this band constantly back in 92-93 era. Shame on me for forgetting how good they are.

Norman Bates & The Showerheads LP

There's a band on the "New York Hardcore: Where The Wild Things Are" compilation LP called NORMAN BATES AND THE SHOWERHEADS. I always liked the name, even though I knew nothing about the band. The band always kinda stood out to me on that LP for being the least known entity. I often wondered how they ended up on that LP, alongside such acts as Outburst, Sheer Terror, Killing Time, Breakdown... they just didn't seem to fit. But I liked them because of that. Because they were a bit different. And because their name was kinda humorous. It was a few years before I even knew that they had an album, but once I found out that they did I wanted to hear it.

I've seen this record a few times on eBay, but never really got serious about buying it. But recently I got serious and I got lucky at the same time. I was the only bidder on a sealed copy of this LP, and I got it for $10, which I consider to be a bargain price, especially seeing as it came out in 1989. Stoked.

I also picked up another item from my want list from the same seller. Another one that lots of people ordered but never seemed to receive - the first Cold World 7".

Two wants firmly crossed off the list. Good day.

Jawbreaker 'Unfun' LP

This record has been on my want list for at least 13 years at this point. Jawbreaker 'Unfun' LP on blue vinyl. I recently found one on eBay that I felt was listed poorly - there was only a photo of the sleeve and not the actual vinyl. I decided that this would be my best chance to pick it up for a good price. I paid a lot for it, but looking at popsike I got it way lower than it would usually go for, so its all good.

I now have a black vinyl first press going spare. I might eBay it to recover some of my money. Unless anyone wants to trade it or offer me some money outside of eBay. Get in touch if interested...

I Hate You

I used to hate Dead By 23 Records. As a record collector, I thought that DB23 was going completely over the top by making so many variations of each release. A few years ago I would buy one copy of each record and leave it there. But then I got the bug to own multiple copies and variations of everything. I think this bug coincided with an increase in my pay. Anyway, I have 8 different 7"s on this label, and I have 46 7"s in total. Insanity. But fun. I mainly picked them up because, a couple of years after the DB23 collecting bug died down, they prices dropped significantly. Still, there was one release I struggled to get hold of... until now. The I HATE YOU discography LP. It looks nice. It has a screen-printed, glow in the dark cover:

It also has this printed inside the sleeve:

I don't know too much about the history of this LP. All I know is that a lot of people who ordered it never received it. This is what the seller from whom I bought it wrote in the auction:

Here's the infamous I Hate You 12" put out on dead by 23, or should i say never really put out. For those who don't know, this was advertised on the revelation message board years ago. Only 138 were supposed to be pressed. DB23 head honcho and all around swell guy Mr Redcheecks took the cash by paypal (about $18 x 138 copies = $2400+!!! thats a spicy meatball!) and never sent a single person a record. Then years later he made this limited screened cover edition to sell at posi numbers in wilkes bare PA and didn't even send the fine chaps who ordered copies any. What a pair that guy has eh? Less than 100 were made for this show. Anyway here's a copy, near mint condition.

GB Toy Second Press

A few months ago I was lucky enough to acquire the Gorilla Biscuits toy made for the Japan & Australia tour 2008 (you can see it HERE if you so wish). I was stoked at being able to get one, although at the same time I was slightly annoyed with myself for spending so much money on it. I mean, even though my friend only charged me cost price, it still worked out being more than I was comfortable with. But since I had asked a fried to buy one for me, I didn't have the option to not pay.

So anyway, a couple of weeks ago the folks over at Super 7 brought out a second pressing of this thing, and once again I was suckered into buying one. In my opinion, this one looks better than the first. The colour scheme matches that of the second pressing of the 7". It's well thought out. And even though its useless, it looks cool and I like it:

I'm wondering if there's enough mileage in this to do a third press. It'd be interesting to see a dirty green gorilla with a red sweater... although not sure my wallet could take it to be honest!

Road Trip! Part III (Doubles)

Part 3 of the road trip entry concludes with the items I picked up that I already own. Things that I picked up for two reasons - either because the sleeves were in better condition than mine, or because I thought I could use them to trade with other people for things that I want. So, if you see anything on here that you want, get in touch & let's see if we can work out a deal. I may also consider cash offers, since I've spent WAY too much on records the last few weeks. Thanks!

Absolution 7" on red:

Apartment 213 7" on grey:

Botch 7" on blue:

Canon 7" on blue:

Some Chokehold records & a Conviction 7" (for someone specific that I owe)

Chorus 7" on purple:

Falling Forward / Metroschifter split on pinky red:

Grip 7" on gold:

Integrity / Kids of Widney High with Bloodbook zine:

First Lifetime 7" on New age:

New Day Rising double 7" (for someone specific):

No Use For A Name 1st 7" on purpley pink:

Outburst 7" on blue:

Release 7" on red:

Ressurection 2nd 7" on blue:

Roosevelt's Inaugural Parade 7" on red on Initial Records:

Rain On The Parade 7" on red:

Strain 7" on yellow:

Undertow / Struggle split 7":

Walk Proud 1st 7" on New Age:

Zero Tolerance 7" on Hi Impact Records:

'In These Black Days Volume 3' 7" (Coalesce / Today Is The Day split 7" of Black Sabbath covers) on beige:

Clutch 'Passive Restraints' 12" on Earache:

Face Value 'Coming Of Age' LP on 'cow hide':

Into Another 1st LP on purple:

Quicksand 'Slip' LP:

Strife first LP:

Undertow LP on blue:

Road Trip! Part II (The LPs)

My last post was about my road trip to the south coast. I picked up a lot of stuff and spent a lot of money. So to continue with that theme, here are the LPs I came away with...

First up, an LP by Abhinanda. I never liked this band on principle. I saw them play with 108 in 1995 and they interrupted 108's set to hold a pillow fight. That would usually be alright in the context of rock n roll, but in this instance I found it annoying because the venue only had about ten people there and it pretty much caused 108 to abandon playing. Disrespectful in my opinion. So I never listened to Abhinanda after this. But a couple of years ago I asked Pete from Bane what he had been listening to, and he surprised me by saying Abhinanda. So I figured I would trust his judgement and maybe give them a chance.

The next one I bought just for the vinyl itself. The Acrid / Left For Dead saw-shaped thing. Like some kind of retard, I never actually heard this before, but I know it's gonna rock hard... but even if it doesn't, I'm gonna want to keep this just because it looks cool:

This may sound funny to the me of 1994, but I was totally stoked to pick up the second Bob Tilton LP. I didn't like this band when they were about, but after they broke up I got into them. Never heard the second LP though, and this copy is in mint condition:

Next, a Cro-mags LP. Not in great condition, but it was cheap.

As I mentioned in the previous post about 7"s, I decided to check out Econochrist for the first time. Here's another record of theirs I grabbed:

This next one is an album that I remember flicking past & not being interested in many times in the early 90s - the second Face Value LP. I passed on it simply because I thought the cover sucked. I figure its now time to give it a chance.

This next one is interesting. A Fire Party LP. I never heard Fire Party, but I would say that on the whole I have been a latecomer to some of the later Dischord releases, so figured I would give this band a chance.

Dude also had a test press of the same Fire Party LP, so I figured I might as well pick that up too:

Next is the first Lifetime LP. This is one of the only New Age releases from the 90s that I never owned, which was mainly due to the fact that it was never pressed on colour vinyl. I just figured I needed to pick it up to fill a whole in my New Age collection.

I used to love The Metroschifter. I own all their records. I own two versions of their first LP. In fact, that's not true - I now own three versions. This is the Conversion Records re-press that came out in the mid-late 90s. Again, one that I passed on when it came out, but I would now like to add it to the collection for the sake of completeness.

Here's an interesting one. The Starkweather 'Into The Wire' LP on pink. I have to say, I like pink records. Not sure what that says about me to be honest. Anyway, pink is second press. First press was purple, which I got from the label back when it came out. I added this album to my ipod recently and enjoyed listening to it again for the first time in a long time.

I also picked up a copy of the Supertouch LP. Previously, the only version I had of this was a test press. So I thought it was only right that I also add a regular version to my collection. I would also like to point out that this was the most difficult record to photograph of any record ever, because of the black and super glossy cover.

Next, a white vinyl copy of the Up Front 'Spirit' LP. I used to own this years ago but traded it away. It's cool to get it back, although I am disappointed that the inner sleeve on this copy has been repaired using sticky tape. Damnit. Oh well, it was cheap I suppose...

At this point I would just like to make a statement - I don't like Warzone. Or War Zone (I have never been sure which is most correct - does it have a space or not? Juding from the records, the band themselves could never make their mind up). I maybe like two songs, the rest I'm just not into. I did, however, always WANT to like Warzone. Something about them tells me I should like them even though I don't. Anyway, considering I don't like them, its funny that I bought three of their albums. The first one:

The second one:

And some sketchy one on Victory where they do covers of Antidote and Youth Of Today:

And finally, a record that I chose to not buy when it came out because I thought it was pointless - the Anti Matter comp:

Clearly I was an idiot to never buy this. It contains the best Supertouch song of all time.

Well there you go. That's Part 2 done with. Next up is (surprisingly) Part 3, which is the items that I picked up that I already own...

Road Trip! Part I (The 7"s)

A couple of weeks ago I won two 7"s from a UK seller on eBay. Nothing too exciting, just a couple of things that were going cheap. But when trying to sort out payment, the seller let slip that he had about 700 other records to sell, and asked if I had a want list I could send over. So I sent the want list. A few minutes later I got a reply to say he had about 10 things. A few emails then flew back and forth. Turns out this guy knows someone I know and used to buy a lot of stuff back in the mid 90s. I figured he must have some interesting bits in his collection, but unfortunately he didn't have a list and wasn't about to make one just for me. So I asked if I could go round to his house to look through the collection. He agreed, and we set it up for weekend. I have to admit, I was pretty excited in the preceding couple of days. I mean, its been a LONG time since I've been round to someone's house to check out (and raid) their collection. But I figured it would make a nice change to flick through a pile of records rather than look down a list of text on the computer. So when Saturday came I drove about 75 miles to a small town on the south coast of England, then spent a couple of hours going through this dude's collection. I came home with quite a lot of records, but without a big pile of money that I unfortunately had to leave behind. I'm going to cover this by making 3 separate entries in the blog, since it would be too much to detail all in one go. Today, the 7"s that I bought for myself...

First up, the two 7"s that I won on eBay. A green Down By Law 7" (since I've been listening to them again recently after a break of several years), and a boot of the Last Rights 7" (since the original is kinda expensive these days, so I figure this is a cool enough substitute for now):

Next, a 7 Seconds 7" on Positive Force records on clear, which is actually my first 7 Seconds record:

Next, the Alone In A Crowd 7" second press. I have the first press. I don't think I've ever seen this second press before. The cover is crap and made of thin paper, the labels are rubbish and the insert is whack. God knows why everything was changed for the second press. What were they thinking?

Next up, a couple of Apartment 213 split 7"s that are probably crap (I can't remember what Apartment 213 sounds like to be honest, I haven't listened to their 7" for probably ten years now):

A couple of common, easy to get pressings here from the 97 era. Nothing exciting. Just versions I don't already have of records that I do already have.

I was excited about these next two, even though they are nothing to look at... the Avail 7"s. I used to own these bu t traded them away years ago:

I was also excited about this one - the Brotherhood 7" with the red cover. I have three other versions of this one. This was the one I was missing that has proved the hardest to come by:

Also, I picked up a weird version of the second Chain Of Strength 7". This one has a photocopied sleeve and small, photocopied insert. No idea what the crack is with this one, but this marks the 8th different version I now own of this record.

A couple of Chamberlain 7"s. After not having listened to this band in ages, I span their second LP last week, inspired by the impending Burning Fight show. It reminded me that I like this band, even in the later country rock years. These 7"s are on some pseudo major label:

Next, a variation of an early Hydrahead 7" that I used to have but sold, the Corrin 7" on clear. Also pictured is the Deathwish Kids demo 7" with screened print on the back of the one sided record:

Next, a pair of Econochrist 7"s. I never listened to this band in my life before. But something made me think I should check them out about 17 years after I first heard of them:

I'm stoked to get this one back... The first Four Walls Falling 7". Again, I used to have this but traded it away ten or eleven years ago for god knows what. I thought they all had a numbered dust sleeve though, which this one lacks. Next to it is a Get Up Kids & Braid split tour 7" which I also never owned despite the fact that I used to like the Get Up Kids when this came out & that I went to see them on this tour:

These next ones I'm not stoked on, but I just thought that I should own. A pair of Gorilla Biscuits boots... although the Flex one isn't technically a boot. I've never heard either of these before. I'm not overly arsed. Just picked them up because they were cheap really.

The first Grade 7". I used to rock this band a lot back in 97-99 era, but I never owned this before.

Another one I used to own but sold or traded away - The Icemen 7". This one is on red. I used to own it on black so this is a nice upgrade. I must say, The Icemen 7" annoys me for its lack of insert. Next to it is a yellow vinyl Infest 7". This is just some reissue, but I don't fancy paying hundreds of dollars for a colour first press, so this is good enough for me.

Next, the Insted 7" on red (which I never owned before, I have gold), next to a Jazz June 7". Probably the first time Insted & The Jazz June have been seen together I imagine.

The original first press of the Life's Blood 7" on Combined Effort, which has been on my want list for ages, next to some Sheer Terror 7" with a crap cover:

A pair of Overcast 7"s that aren't particularly interesting, but I was listening to their LP a few weeks ago & I kinda like it:

I'm stoked on this next pair.. Rancor first 7" on green, but with a red cover (the green is supposed to come with a green cover). And next to it, my favourite 7"s of the haul, the Sub Zero 7" on blue. This one has been on my want list since 1996 or maybe even before, so I'm stoked to finally have it:

Next up, the most expensive 7" of the lot, the Unity 7" on Wishingwell Records. Never owned this one before. I'm slightly disappointed though that this copy doesn't have an insert. I'm not sure if its supposed to have an insert or not, but I'm assuming it is. I'd be grateful if anyone out there who has one could do me a photocopy of theirs. Get in touch. Also pictured is the original pressing of the Youth Defense League 'American Pride' 7" on blue. I only wanted this because they were on the 'NY Hardcore The Way It Is' LP. Been after it for years. I'm sure its crap though.

Finally, some 7" comps. The Rebuilding 7" with purple & grey sleeve (again, used to own it but got rid of it), and the 'Lacking Mindset' 7", which I mainly wanted because it features Unbroken.

And finally, the Super J Records double live 7". This features some Doghouse bands (Endpoint, Transcend, Majority Of One etc.) from about 1991. Its not the best comp in the world, but I picked this up because its on clear and I only have it on black:

So there you go. Not a bad haul for a Saturday afternoon eh? Coming next time, the LPs...

The Prodigal Son Brings Death

The latest release from Youngblood Records is a 7" by Mind Eraser entitled 'The Prodigal Son Brings Death' 7". The pre-orders went up for this in early December, and the demand was so high that the Youngblood online store got taken down later the same day. Unfortunately, I missed out on the first press colours. Given that I have nearly every version of every YB release, I was pretty disappointed. Oh well. It's just a matter of time before I pick them up on eBay I guess. Anyway, last week I discovered that the second press is now available, so I bagged myself one. 354 on red vinyl:

There are 10 songs on this 7". There's also the most useless lyric sheet in the world. Well, I assume it's a lyric sheet. I can't actually tell, since it's pretty much illegible. Check it:

This band destroys. I heard they were touring Europe his summer. I can't find anything about it on the internet, but I hope its true.

Never Give In!

Recently it has seemed like there have been a lot of opportunities to pick things up that I have been after for a long time. For the most part, this is cool, although there is a downside - which is that, unfortunately, these things aren't free. Every time I find some cool records, even if they are going at a reasonable price, I still have to pay for them. And whilst I love records, I hate spending money. So when Dave Byrd posted up his whole trade list for sale recently, I saw a great opportunity to pick up some things that have been on my want list for way too long... although I did worry that I was probably going to miss my monthly savings target. Oh well... there's always next month!

Avail are a band that I always liked, but whose records I never bought (well, that's not strictly true, I used to have their 7"s and the live 10", but I traded them away in the years of the Revelation trade board and I never got around to getting them back). Recently, as part of my "get everything I have on vinyl onto my ipod" challenge, I downloaded the first Avail LP and have been listening to it a lot for the first time in a LONG time. And it made me want to get the other records too. So I was took the opportunity to pick up most of their output in one go:

Next, another goddamn copy of that Blacklisted record. I think that clear vinyl is my favourite colour though, all things considered.

This next one is my favourite of the lot. American Nightmare 'The Sun Isn't Getting Any Brighter' 7" on orange:

There were only 100 of these made, back in (I think) 2001, and it has been on my want list ever since. I have missed out on this on eBay several times, mainly due to the price continually going up and me never quite being prepared to pay what it would take. I figured it was time to put that right.

Next, the A-Team 'Clusterfuck' 7" on orange. Not a lot to say about this one.

Crippled Youth 7" on clear. Again, it's been on the wants list for a long time. Too long.Four Walls Falling 7" on mint green. I have it on clear green. I didn't know the mint green existed until I saw it in a friend's collection in 2005. It's been on the want list since. No more.

My Luck 'Is Frozen' 7" on purple. I ordered this record when it came out & got sent orange. Purple is the rarest colour, which I have had on my want list for years.

Time Flies first 7" on clear. This is the first press on InVAsion Records. Again, this has been on my want list forever. Probably for about 9 or 10 years. Another one that I have missed several times on eBay.

I really like this next one. Wheelbite 7" on Malfunction Records. This is a limited version with the 'Wheeljungen' cover:

The back cover says that there are 46 copies. And it's numbered in the top right cover. Interestingly, the number is stamped using a stamp with 6 digits. My guess is that they set the first three digits to 666 and then numbered from 1 to 46 using the last two digits. If this assumption is correct then it looks like I have number 001. Can anyone confirm this?

I've seen this on eBay before, but never knew that the cover is printed on the flip side of a Barfight 7" sleeve:

There's also a cool insert explaining the cover:

Finally, Dave was kind enough to throw in something extra, which was a nice surprise. The Set To Explode 7", on red vinyl with silver labels. There were only 50 with silver labels (the rest of the press had red labels).

There was also a cool personal message on the dust sleeve:

And inside were some lyrics penned on a piece of note paper. I asked what this was, and it turns out to be the sheet that Dave used to sing from when the 7" was recorded, so a nice little piece of history related to this record.

Overall I'm stoked with this stuff, and glad to reduce my wants list for a change. Not often that happens these days.