New Breed Compilation double LP

Today's entry is an old New York hardcore compilation which (for those of you who don't know) was originally released way back in 1989 when Chaka Malik (singer of BURN) and some other dude released a TAPE compilation of some up & coming New York hardcore bands. The comp was called 'The New Breed', a name that was to hint that these bands represented a new generation of kids set to take over the scene. Apparently 700 of thee tapes were sold, and ever since this comp has always been regarded as a classic, even despite having never been released on a 'proper' format (at least that's how I see it - tapes just don't count in my book). Well anyway, fast forward 22 years and these dudes have decided to finally release it on a proper format. Oh yeah, and they've also put it out on CD too for some weird reason.

I got my order in pretty quickly when this was announced back at the start of November. This meant that I was lucky enough to get one of the first 200 copies which come in a screen printed cover, and which are on colour vinyl. The regular black vinyl pressing has been available for a few weeks now, but the special covers were slightly delayed. Mine finally turned up yesterday. First thing to say is that this was worth the wait. This thing looks great. Straight away I'm loving the front cover, which is a red & yellow New Breed logo on top of a light blue background. Very simple design, but very striking:

The back cover has the track listing glued on the back and is numbered in the bottom right corner.

The cool move here is that this also includes a copy of the original zine that came with the tape. I guess this has simply been photocopied, just the original zine probably was way back when.

There is also another insert - a single glossy sheet that has a full colour photo collage on one side, and a written piece about the history of the comp, the social backdrop against which it was created, and it's relevance today on the reverse:

The vinyl itself is nice looking. It is pressed on clear blue vinyl. I'm not sure if this is intentional, or if other copies are like this, but my two records are slightly different. One is pure clear blue, whilst the other is clear blue with some black streaks in it. The two do look quite different when laid side by side, although I'm not sure that this picture really shows it that well:

I also got a little hand written apology for the delay. I particularly like the wording about the spirit of '89.

It's clear that putting this comp to vinyl was a real labour of love. The quality and the passion really shines through. I'm stoked to have got this special pressing, and it's great to see this thing finally put to vinyl. I have to wonder though how many of the original band members are aware of this and/or have been sent copies. Anyone know?

For now I'll leave you with the first paragraph & final sentence of the liner notes:

At its best, music can perfectly capture a moment in time, a location, or the life and surroundings of its creators. In this way, the New Breed tape compilation was completely successful. Like many classic recordings before it which captured the essence of their time, place, and the feeling of the conditions under which they were created, the New Breed compilation captured the New York City of the late 1980s.

More than two decades later, the New Breed still resonates with all the power and energy of its time, and all that NYC was, is, and will be.

(If you want to read the rest, go HERE)