The lost New Age records

Sometime in February this year I ordered some records from New Age Records. Until that point, I hadn't realised that the label was still going really. I just figured that it had fizzled out about ten years ago. But no, it's still going, and still releasing new bands... although I haven't heard of any of them and am not really interested in any of them because, clearly, none of them are going to be anywhere near the quality of the bands that the label released in the mid 90s.

Back in the mid 90s I ordered from New Age a few times, and (unlike most people) always got my stuff in good time. Really good time in fact. Like, about three weeks to a month, from the point I sent off the cash in an envelope. But I guess my luck had to run out sometime... even if it was about fifteen years later.

So like I said, I ordered in early February and the package finally rolled up at the end of May. So even though payment technology has improved to the point where cash is received in seconds, it seems that order processing technology at New Age Records hasn't improved at all over the last decade and a half. Oh well. At least it was only me that was surprised.

Well anyway, the whole point of the order was a repress of the Outspoken 'Survival' 7". This was one of the first straight edge hardcore 7"s that I bought back before most of you were even born. And since it never came on colour vinyl previously, a 2010 repress got me excited. Even better, this one was packaged in an alternate sleeve:

This also has the 'Walk Proud labels' (NOTE - this label was originally used on the b-side of the 2nd pressing of the Walk Proud 7", which was the first release from New Age. This label was subsequently used on the super rare pressing (77 made) of the Unbroken final 7", which you probably haven't seen).

And just like the Unbroken 7", there are only 77 copies of this thing:

Cool record, cool pressing. But you know me, no point in paying for one record since the shipping is high. Might as well add some more stuff to the basket to make it seem worthwhile (even though adding more stuff to the basket just adds more to the shipping costs!). So I also picked up a new version of the Mean Season 7". This one, however, is not a new pressing. This is clearly just a new (cheap & crap) photocopied sleeve whacked on to some leftover 7"s from way back when.

This is numbered out of 47, which seems like a weird number. I'm guessing the reason is that they found 47 records laying around that needed to be shifted.

I now have three versions of the Mean Season 7". I would rank this one as the third coolest. Ha!

Finally, to make the order even more worthwhile, I picked up two new versions of the first Amendment Eighteen LP, 'All My Heroes Are Dead':

I'm not going to pretend that this is my favourite New Age release. It's way down the list. But I picked these up because I am an idiot and that's just what I do.

The first copy is a new pressing. This is on glow in the dark vinyl, has black labels, and comes in a regular sleeve. There were 55 of these.

I'd love to include a picture of this glowing in the dark, but alas that is impossible, since it doesn't generate enough glow for the camera to pick it up in a dark room. You'll just have to take my word for it. It glows in the dark.

The second version is described as the ten year anniversary edition. This is limited to 48 copies. It contains a green vinyl record leftover from the first pressing, put into a 'special' (aka cheap, crap) sleeve:

Mine also came with a limited bent to fuck sleeve, due to completely inadequate packaging. Normally I would raise this as an issue with the seller, but in this case I don't see the point, seeing as just getting the records at all seemed like a major achievement after 4 months of waiting.

The worst thing about this episode is that the label has now put up yet another different version of the Outspoken 7" in their store, which I want. So in theory I have to place another order and endure another long-ass wait spent wondering how bent up the sleeves might be and, in fact, whether the stuff will come at all. Brilliant!