Gameface 7" Purple

When I posted the story of the Pitchfork 7" a few weeks ago, I posted a copy of my wants list from 1996. One of the items on there was this one:

It's a 7" by the OC pop punk band Gameface. This is their second 7" and was released in 1992. As you can see, it is on purple vinyl. I was after this for many years... but it was never THAT urgent since I did acquire a clear vinyl version several years back. Still, it was on the wants list for far too long. Glad to finally have it.

This 7" came wrapped in the worst condition sleeve that I have ever received. The cover is bent and torn, and the insert seems to have been half eaten or burnt. Check it out:

I now have two different anecdotes about this record, as follows:

1. I only ever saw this on eBay once before. It was about 3 years ago. I watched it for a few days, and (as anyone with half a braincell would do) I saved my bid for the last few seconds on the final day. I think it had been on about $3 or something all the way throughout the auction. I figured that nobody else would be interested. So I decided to bid an amount that I thought would win it comfortably. I bid something like $36... and immediately got outbid! The auction ended and I was left feeling puzzled as to how any other human on the planet would be willing to pay more than me for this record. Even though that's not a lot by rare record standards, it seemed way more than I expected it might go for. I mean, seriously, as if anyone other than me would be interested in Gameface vinyl in 2006/7! Anyway, a few short weeks ago I was cruising eBay and stumbled across this copy with a buy it now price of $8. I guess this shows that, three years later, I am the only person in the world who is bothered about Gameface records.

2. I saw Gameface play in Leeds in (I think) 1996 at The Duchess. After the show I spoke with guitarist Todd Trout about records and asked if he had a spare of this 7" on purple vinyl that he could sell me. As luck had it, he did, but it was back home in CA. So he gave me his address and told me to send him $5 and he would send me the record when he got home. I figured that $5 wasn't much, so I sent $10 in cash to cover the record and shipping. As was often the case in the days before they switched the internet on, I never got the record or heard so much as a word, and I had o real way of getting in touch with the dude. But then, four years later, I saw Gameface play again in Leeds following the release of their 'Every Last Time' LP on Revelation. The show took place at a pub called The Feast & Firkin (which later changed its name to The Library). It was a really good show. I guess because they were on Rev, a lot of people were excited and the place was packed. It was one of those shows that sounds shit on paper, and people now would lie about and pretend they weren't actually there, or they didn't enjoy it... but everyone was there and everyone really loved the band and it was a really good show. Anyway, after the show I spoke to Todd Trout and asked if he got my money four years previous. Predictably, he seemed to have no idea what I was talking about. But to try to make things up to me, he gave me a free CD of their early material that had just come out on Dr.Strange Records. The funny thing is that, even though I was some nobody kid and he was giving me a free CD, I was totally ungrateful. I remember looking at the CD and thinking "what the fuck use is this to me?" and, without seeming stoked, I just kinda looked at it in disgust and asked "don't you have any records instead?". Ha!

To close out, here's a pic of both versions of this 7" (excluding black of course, which clearly doesn't count):