SOIA RSD 7" (Rev 200)

In a previous post two months ago, I wrote about two Shook Ones LPs I had just bought, which I thought took me to owning 199 pieces of Revelation vinyl. I was then wondering what my 200th would be. However, I made a mistake. I checked my collection spreadsheet, and I had 197 INCLUDING the two Shook Ones LPs. So I still only had 197 Revelation records. However, regardless of whether it was previously 197 or 199, I now know what my 200th is. And I am proud to say that it's a good one...

As I am sure everyone who reads this blog knows by now, Revelation Records re-pressed the classic Sick Of It All 7" for Record Store Day 2010. For those who don't know, Record Store Day is an annual event, on which day independent record stores get sent limited edition, specially made records. The whole point of this, presumably, is to encourage people to buy from independent record stores to help keep them alive, although in my mind the whole concept is flawed by the fact that it only happens once a year. I mean, is one day a year of bumper sales significant enough to keep record stores alive? I very much doubt it. Record store day should happen monthly in my opinion.

Anyway, there aren't really any good record stores near me. And I checked the release schedule for Record Store Day 2010, and there was only really a couple of things that I wanted - the Sick Of It All 7" and the Soundgarden 7". And I didn't realistically expect that anywhere in the UK would get these things anyway. So I couldn't even be arsed to go to any stores on the day to try to get anything. I thought it would be a waste of time. Instead, I just figured I would take my chances and see if I could get these things by other means...

That said, admittedly I didn't exactly do a lot. I asked Mike if he would keep an eye out for the SOIA 7" for me. I knew he was going out on a record store day hunt, and I knew he'd be on the lookout for a SOIA 7" for himself. So I figured he'd be the best person to ask. The only risk was that he would find only one copy of the record, or only be allowed to buy one copy, which would mean that I would miss out. But hey, that seemed fair enough to me, given that I had no plan b.

Well, record store day came around, and wouldn't you know it, but I got lucky… twice. First up, I got an email from my good friend Mark. I had just sent him a couple of records in the mail, and he was getting in touch to let me know that he had been out on a Record Store Day hunt and managed to pick up a spare Sick Of It All 7". He was asking if I wanted it. Of course I did! Even though I had asked Mike to get me one, I had to say yes to Mark's offer in case Mike wasn't able to get one for me. But now I had one guaranteed. Cool. Only a couple of hours later though, I got an email from Mike to let me know that he was also able to get me one. This meant that I now had two. Suddenly I felt bad. I mean, I had two records whereas a lot of people didn't even get one. But then I realised that no, I didn't have two records at all. In fact, I didn't have any. What I had was two emails from two people saying that they each had a record for me, which is actually quite different. I mean, just because I tell you I have a million dollars for you, you don't go out and buy yourself ten Chung Kings and a Ferrari. You wait 'til you have the money in your hand or it doesn't count. Similarly, at this point, for all I knew the postal system could fuck me over and I might get nothing. So until that barrier was overcome I didn't actually have anything at all. Still, I remained optimistic, and (assuming that the postal system would not present a problem) it seemed that my 'staying in' gamble had paid off. I was stoked.

However, before I had a chance to receive anything in the mail, the worst happened. I tuned in to the Livewire board and found out that there were 4 different versions of the damn SOIA 7"! A few hours before, I was over the moon knowing that I had managed to get one of these things at all. But all of a sudden, this wasn't enough, especially for a seasoned Revelation collector like me. If there were four, I wanted four, not one. From the photos people were posting, it seemed that the vinyl was a completely new pressing, but the covers and inserts were all just leftovers accumulated over the years from various different pressings. It all seemed a bit random. But, understandably, people started to go mental and copies started to go up on eBay, and were selling for what I considered to be too much money. So I figured that I was probably going to be searching for these things for a long time, until the initial fuss died down and the prices returned to realistic levels. Kinda like that Gorilla Biscuits tour 7" from 2006 or whenever, if you remember that saga, ha!

Here's the pressing info that subsequently surfaced:

7th press : 555 clear vinyl (Record Store Day 2010) These were pressed for Record Store Day 2010 and we used the 45rpm plates from the first pressing's mastering and some old leftover print that we had in the vault. The labels were printed using the original artwork from one of the earlier 45 rpm pressings. Here's the breakdown:
- 293 old fold-over covers with band name in red and old insert
- 150 new glued, non-glossy covers and 1997 insert
- 83 old fold-over covers with band name in black and old insert
- 29 old glued, high-gloss covers and old insert

So anyway, the first copy that arrived in my mailbox was the copy from Mike. This turned out to be one of the second most common (or third rarest) version, being out of 150 copies with a glued sleeve and the revised (smaller) insert from the 1997 reissue:

I am puzzled as to how this one is described by the label as having a 'non-glossy cover'. I would definitely describe the cover as glossy. But never mind.

Next up, I got the one from Mark. I was stoked when it turned out to be a different version to the one Mike sent me. This one has a fold-over sleeve with red lettering on the sleeve. This one turns out to be the most common version of 293 copies with the fold-over sleeve with red lettering and original (large) insert:

By this point, I was happy enough. The version with black lettering was proving to be the most in-demand, and was securing the highest prices on eBay. I'm not sure what the highest price paid for one was, but I watched one copy go for $86, and there was no way on earth I was going to pay that. So I figured two copies was good enough. Cool. Job done.

Except, of course, the story doesn't end there though. A couple of weeks ago, some kind soul posted on the Livewire board to announce that Revelation had some leftover copies in their online store. I knew these would go fast, so I didn't have time to think. In a decision that took all of one second, I decided to take my chances and order one. I placed an order, and took the opportunity to write in the comments section "If there are any left, please can I get one of the 7"s that has the band name in black lettering. THANKS!". As it turned out, I was pretty lucky to get an order in at all, as these things weren't available in Rev's store for more than about fifteen minutes before selling out. But after the order went through, it was just a case of waiting and seeing what I would get. At best, I would get the black lettering. At worst, I would get a spare of one that I already had, which I could probably trade with someone for something else.

As it turned out though, my luck held, and I got the one I wanted - the fold-over cover with black lettering, which is the second rarest out of 83 copies:

So that's that. Three out of four versions acquired without having to hit eBay. There are only 29 copies of the fourth version that I don't have, so realistically I don't plan on ever seeing one of those. But three out of four isn't bad, especially for someone who didn't exactly partake in Record Store Day.

After much consideration, I have decided that I did get very lucky with this one. But also, I'd just like to say a big THANK YOU to Mike & Mark for helping out with this one. Much appreciated, dudes!