Converge 7"

(((I completely forgot about this post. I had it saved in draft for weeks and somehow failed to realise I hadn't posted it for real. Whoops.)))

I used to like Converge a lot. I was listening to them from about 1995 when i read about their 'Unloved & Weeded Out' 7" in some paper publication - it was either the Very catalogue or maybe an issue of HeartattaCk zine. Whichever. But I do remember that I mail-ordered a copy of the 7" from Very and then a couple of months later I picked up the first LP. And as the years rolled on, the band got bigger and bigger and I carried on buying their records. Fortunately, because I am old and bit of a twat, I got all their records all as they were released on the limited colours of vinyl, so I have a pretty good collection that didn't cost too much, although I missed the limited pressings of the albums after 'Jane Doe' because the band were so popular by that point that the records sold out too quick. I'm not too fussed though, as I haven't been too excited by anything after 'Jane Doe' anyway. Sorry. I also haven't even heard the latest album at all yet. I do want one - specifically I want the one that has 'shards' in it. But seeing as I would probably need a second mortgage for that, I'm pretty sure that I'll probably never get one.

Anyway, enough claptrap. I'm telling you this because a funny thing happened a few weeks ago. I decided to go see Rot In Hell play in London, and by some coincidence it turned out that Converge were supporting. I managed to miss Converge because I generally always arrive so late that I miss the support bands, but I can report that Rot In Hell were slightly above average for this time of year. Anyway, I digress. Whilst waiting for the singer of Rot In Hell to finish signing girls' boobs so I could ask him for the test press that he had forgotten to bring me, I noticed that Converge had a new 7" for sale. I didn't really want one because they cost £5, and I could have used that money to buy myself a pizza... but then I figured that if I bought a record then some of the money might go to Deathwish and it might help to finance the lavish packaging required for the upcoming (for the last two years) Rot In Hell LP. So I did my bit to help out and I bought a 7". I also then went to the ATM & got some more money & bought a pizza anyway. And surprisingly, it turns out that the record is not half bad (apart from being pressed on euro vinyl of course, which I know that Tre hates even though he always pretends that he loves the efficiency).

The funny thing about this one is that I was talking to a friend about records at the show, and specifically how I sometimes buy doubles of records that turn out to be worth nothing, whereas the things that I could have bought doubles of, but didn't, always turn out to be worth good money. Well, the irony of the conversation became clear a few days later when I realised that this thing was selling on ebay for about $40. And like a clown I only bought one copy. Clearly I should have bought about five. Then I could have retired and spent the rest of my life sleeping on the deck of my yacht listening to an advance tape of the Rot In Hell LP.