Scraps

I haven't added to my Dead By 23 collection for a while, but when I found a couple of copies of The Heist / Scraps And Heart Attacks 7" that I didn't have, it was an easy choice to grab them. I mean, let's be honest, why would you want to settle for five copies of the same record when you can have seven?

I was never really sure what the score was with this 7". Some copies (like this one) have a cover where the band appears to be called The Heist, and the 7" called 'Scraps And Heart Attacks'.

And then the copies in the more glossy, full colour sleeve don't feature the name 'The Heist' at all. I read somewhere recently that the band was originally called The Heist but they had to change their name as some rap group already had that name, but this was after the records had been pressed. So the records and labels are the same on all copies, but the later covers go under the new band name.

So as I said, these mean that I now have seven copies of this record. Three white, two red, one clear and one test.

I know of at least two other versions out there that I don't have. I know they exist because I saw them sell on eBay a couple of weeks ago, but unfortunately they sold for stupid amounts of money. God only knows how long it may be until more copies surface for sale.

Sub Pop Dreams From The Hill

I got excited by some old Sub Pop releases on eBay UK last week. Some guy who has been collecting Sub Pop releases for years had decided to offload his LPs. There was an entire Mudhoney collection which went up and blew my mind, but it all sold immediately. So when the next round of stuff went up, I figured it would go, so got in quick.

Firstly, and most importantly, was one that I never thought I would own. Never. But when it appeared for sale within the UK, I just couldn't resist it. But before I show what it is, I need to give you a warning:

Kinda funny that in real life this warning sticker is next to the thing it is warning you about. It's an iconic LP, and one of my all time favourites. The Dwarves 'Blood, Guts And Pussy' LP on grey vinyl. Apparently there are only 112 of these things.

This LP also exists on pink vinyl, but that's even rarer still. I also never thought I'd own one of those, but hey... anything is possible I guess. Maybe one day...

Next is a a copy of Nirvana's 'Bleach' LP. This is some second or possibly third press copy on green marble vinyl. I've never owned a Sub Pop copy of this, and I've never been overly fussed, but this was one of those times where the colour of the vinyl itself just pulled me in. It's a pretty unique colour, and I found myself staring at it for a few days, which made me realise that I wanted it.

It's pretty scary how many different versions of 'Bleach' exist. Go to discogs and have a look. Compared to your average hardcore record (even including Turnstile!), it's insane.

The third record was significantly cheaper than the other two. This was the first 12" from Soundgarden, called 'Screaming Life EP'. I bought one of these last year but it arrived warped so I had to send it back. Cool to finally get another.

And finally, yet another copy of 'Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge' by Mudhoney. This is a kinda lame picture disc. The seller gave me this for free as I bought a few items from him. Even though I wouldn't have been too fussed about picking this up, it brings back fond memories for me. I used to own one of these years ago. It was one of the first 20 records I bought (from HMV in Southend on Sea!), although I sold my original copy years ago.

It's funny, but even though I sold a lot of my Sup Pop records years ago, I've been listening to a lot of the music from their early days again recently, and have a yearning to pick up some more records. Watch this space...

Free Be World Be Free

I've had this record for a few weeks now, and really should have posted it sooner, but taking decent pictures has proven problematic. I guess I just need to lower my standards a little and get on with it.

At the start of this year Revelation released the debut LP by World Be Free. I've posted pictures of the first press colours (green vinyl and orange vinyl) previously. But the version that everybody was (and most still are) after was the tour press, which was sold back in February on some tour they did where they sold about ten copies per show. It came in a special sleeve, inspired by the Chung King LP:

It seems that somebody forgot that the Chung King LP came on white vinyl. Unfortunately, the orange vinyl doesn't look quite as nice. However, it really doesn't matter. This thing is all about the sleeve.

I was real lucky to have someone pick one of these up for me from one of the shows back in February. However, I then got hit by the worst luck in the world as the parcel it was sent to me in went MIA. I had a lot of good records in that missing box, but for some reason this World Be Free tour press was one of the three records I was most looking forward to receiving. I just loved the look of the front cover. So I was devastated when it was lost and vanished into the ether. I knew that I would really struggle to find another, especially at a good price.

So imagine how stoked I was then when someone GAVE me this copy here. I wasn't even expecting it. When I opened the mailer, it simultaneously put a smile on my face and brought a tear to my eye that someone could be so kind, thoughtful and selfless. If my parcel going missing back in April was the low point of my year, then this was probably the high point. THANK YOU!