Blut & Schweiß

The life of a Revelation collector is never easy. Right now there's a new release (or repress) every single week, plus there are new releases coming out with several versions of each. But every now and again they make it really hard to keep up.

A few months ago there was a special version of the Sick Of It All 7" to accompany a book about the Koller brothers. Both Coretex and Generation Records got copies, with 100 of each made and hand numbered. Each version sold out lightning fast, and I saw a lot of people who had wanted one but missed out complaining online. Well, a few weeks ago the same thing happened again, but this time the Rev record collecting community was also caught sleeping and missed out. The latest version was a special edition sold by Coretex Records (again) to accompany a German version of the book. Only 100 copies of the 7" were made on this new colour of vinyl with the limited labels showing the Koller brothers as kids. There was no announcement on this one, and nobody I know had a clue it was coming. It was announecd in an email from Coretex, and it sold out instantly.

Like everyone else, I missed out, but I got an opportunity to pick one up on the 'after sales market'.

I also got the German version of the book that it came with. I'm happy about this because without the book it would have felt incomplete, even though I won't ever read it. The 7" itself is on 'bone' colour vinyl, which is very slightly off white colour.

And as ever with these Coretex versions, this is numbered out of 100 via a sticker that has been slapped onto the sleeve.

One thing that was instantly noticeable is that the German version of the book is smaller than the English version. It's shorter and also thinner too. At first I thought that maybe the German language is just more efficient with the number of letters in it's words, but then I realised that it was simply that it was printed with a smaller font.

To end the post I thought I'd just put the two different 7"s and books together for pic.

It'll be interesting to see what happens with these in the future. Will they become highly sought after, or will nobody care as there are about 50 other versions of thie 7" to collect? Personally I now think that there are too many versions of this record and that it has / will put people off collecting it. But right now I'm pretty happy to have both of these in my collection as I doubt that any of these will surface for sale at a good price in the near future.

Out Of Touch

I bought a record from the singer of Sinking Ships on discogs a while back, and took the opportunity to ask if he had any spare records of his band left at all. I have a few Sinking Ships records, and I know that there are still loads of versions of the various records that I am missing. I figured they are one of many bands who are now less well remembered, so the records should be a lot cheaper than they were back at their peak circa 2007/8. It turned out that he only had a couple of spare records, but I didn't have either, which worked out quite well.

First up is the 'Safe / Revenge' 7". This one was self released by the band back in 2007. It was their first release after 'leaving' Revelation Records. Unlike all of their previous releases, there was no colour vinyl and no limited sleeves. ALl of these were just pressed on black vinyl

I do quite like how the whole package is so minimal. Kinda reminds me of some of the screamo records of the mid 90s.

I also picked up the gold vinyl version of the final 7". I remember when this came out back in 2008. It felt that it wasn't 'properly' released, but copies just started appearing. According to the info on discogs, there were 250 blue vinyl copies sold at Sound & Fury festival, and 250 gold vinyl copies sold via mailorder.

This is what record collecting is about to me. Just waiting to pick something up until the price is right... even if that does happen to be 12 years later. Judging by the speed I am acquiring Sinking Ships records, I should be on track to have a complete collection just in time for my 90th birthday.

I Look, We Look

It's been a while since I added anything to my Bane collection. And this 7" was never particularly high on the want list. But I bought a few 7"s recently, and the seller also had this for the price of a bar of chocolate, so I decided to grab it.

This is a compilation 7" featuring Bane and 3 other bands (Capgun, Driven, The Rolemodels). It was released in 1997, which would have been before Bane got signed to EVR. But they were still 'big' enough to make the front cover.

So the main reason I picked up this 7" was because it is different to the one other version I have. And until I placed them next to each other, I never really appreciated the difference between them. It'a almost like a game of 'spot the difference' but in 7" record format.

For a start, the layout has changed completely. But the weirdest thing of all is that the title of the record has changed on the cover. The black vinyl version that I have just picked up is called 'As WE Look To The Future', whereas the blue vinyl copy is called 'As I Look To The Future'. But the labels on both records have the 'We' version, which suggests that the 'I' version is wrong. But does this mean that the blue vinyl 'I' version this was the first press and nobody spotted the error initially, and it was then corrected with the next version. Or does it mean that the black 'We' version was first, and then when they changed the layout on the second pressing they made a mistake? If anyone knows, please comment.

It's Only Fun Till Someone Gets Hurt!

Another in my series of It's Alive Records limited colour vinyl represses, and this one was (I think) the first in the series. This is a split release between Good Riddance and Ill Repute. The record was first released back in 1997, but I had literally no idea that the record existed at all until this repress appeared. And also, I can honestly saw that until I picked this up I had never heard Ill Repute in my life.

I guess with this being the first repress in the series, Fred was finding his feet with what he could do with the packaging. This one doesn't quite have as much included as the other couple of represses that I have already featured, but it's still got some cool little features. It starts off with a stamped and hand numbered paper inner sleeve:

The record itself is on brown vinyl. Oh yeah, and the cover art is completely different to the 1997 pressing.

The inside of the sleeve has some cool It's Alive stamps, and there are a couple of inserts. But compared to the other releases on the label, this one seems pretty minimal and tame.

The best thing about this record for me is the Ill Repute side. I'd never been interested in the band before as I just perceived them to be some old punk band, but I have really enjoyed these songs enough to make me want to listen to more.

Roses For Me

Another limited colour repress from It's Alive Records. This one is the Unity 'Blood Days' 7". This is a slightly weird release. It came out in 2012, and contains 6 songs from the 'Blood Days' LP that was released back in 1989. I never really understood why this 7" was pressed. When it came out I assumed it was a different recording, like demo versions or possibly a remix or something. But the songs sound exactly the same as those on the 12". So I asked the label owner Fred, who told me that he just wanted to release the extra songs from the 12" on a 7". This basically means that you can own all of the songs from the Unity LP on 7" format.

As with other It's Alive represses, this one comes in some great packaging. Just like the Rain On The Parade 7" from my last post, this comes in a paper inner sleeve that has been printed (or possibly stamped) on both sides. The record itself is on white vinyl.

There are also a few extra bits and bobs. An extra insert, a couple of stickers and an extra label.

I hadn't listened to Unity for a while, so this was a good excuse to revisit. These are really classic songs. It's such a difficult decision trying to choose between Unity and Uniform Choice. Generally I think that UC get a lot more attention, but there's very little in it for me. I think UC get the attention because their record came out on Wishwingwell and features an iconic cover. But Unity certainly have the songs. And the cowboy boots.

Body Bag In A Bag

Today's post is another limited repress from It's Alive Records. The label had been quiet for many years until a year or two ago when it started repressing it's releases on colour vinyl runs of 100 copies. I think (but not 100% sure) that this was partly brought on by the closure of Californian pressing plant Rainbo Records and Fred retrieving the metal stampers from them before they closed their doors permanently.

The 'Body Bag EP' was released by Philadelphia band Rain On The Parade back in 1996. It was initially put out by a label called Contention Records (owned by the guitarist) and was later repressed by It's Alive Records. And here we are, twenty something years later, with another 100 copies pressed for (probably) the final time. I actually picked up this record before Xmas, but I only just got around to opening it this past weekend. It came in the most annoying packaging of all time, and I knew I would need a chunk of time to sit down and try to open it without damaging anything. So five or so months later I finally got around to it.

The first layer of packaging is this oversized envelope in a poly bag:

The 7" was sealed inside the envelope. It's basically a regular envelope with a screened print on the front, but the tab was sealed at the back. So I sat there and very slowly just prised open the seal. I was basically pulling the flap very slowly, so that it lifted away from the glue on the back of the envelope. I was actually surprised that I managed to pull it all the way open without a single tear. After opening the flap I then had to pick the glue off so that I could freely open and close the flap in future. All in it took the best part of an hour do to this. Inside was a 7" sealed inside another poly bag.

The second poly bag was also sealed shut with a sticker on the back, but this was just a plain white rectangular sticker. I managed to pull it off in one piece and because it was just a plain white sticker with nothing printed on it, I binned it. I don't really see that it was needed at all, but it feels like it was just added to piss people even more off by making the record even more inaccessible. But once the record was out of the poly bag, the beauty of this item started to become apparent, starting off with the printed inner paper sleeve:

I also like that the cover is printed on glossy paper. It's a better quality job than the original pressing that this label put out, which was photocopied. I hate photocopied sleeves as a general rule as the ink is always at risk of coming away if stored badly.

As usual with these It's Alive represses, there's a lot of work gone into this and there's a few extra bits and bobs included. There's an insert and stickers, and it's all hand numbered. I can't fault the quality of this at all.

Normally after picking up another record from a band I collect I'd be trying to take an updated collection photo, but with Rain On The Parade I can't be bothered as it would be too big a job. I'll do it one day I'm sure. This was actually one of the first bands that I got ito collecting multiple versions of, because I loved the aesthetics of their records and I found them to be musically more interesting than other bands of the same era. Getting this 7" made me listen to them for the first time in a while too, and I think it still holds up.

The only issue left to resolve is where I'm going to keep this thing. I hate oversized sleeves with a passion as they don't fit into regular 7" sized boxes. These are the kinds of things that keep record nersds awake at night...

Another Scrap

I'm not sure how many people out there are still collecting Dead By 23 releases in 2021, but I'm sure I can't be the only one. There are a small number of releases, but an endless number of versions of each. Like a lot of things that I collect, I don't actively go out there and try to find them, but I'm happy to pick them up if they appear. The last time I picked up a Scraps & Heart Attacks 7" was in November 2016, and I ended my post with these words:

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.

Well, the answer to the question appears to be 'about four and a half years'. A couple of weeks ago I found a 7" on discogs that I wanted so (as usual) decided to check out what else the seller had up for grabs to make the shipping cost worthwhile, and I noticed he had one of the copies of this 7" that I was missing. I even bought it without asking for a photo, which after I had paid and it was in transit, I suddenly realised could have been a major mistake. Fortunately it worked out ok.

I have no idea what the pressing info is on this 7", but discogs suggests that there were 38 copies of this one, and it was a pre-order version. It has the exact same artwork as the test press, and he cover is printed with gold ink that looks great. I think all in, this is the best looking version of this record that I own.

So of course, the it's time for an updated photo of all the versions of this one. I now own 8 copies. I think there's only really one more that I could hope to get, other than that there are some one offs but they don't really count.

This 7" was released in 2003, so on average I have picked up one every two years and a quarter years. But what's even funnier is that I have literally just found out today that they actually released a full length that was CD only, on Triple Crown Records. Makes me wonder how many other CD only releases from this period that I may have completely missed out on. Soulseek to the rescue...

Sweep It Into Space

A new Dinosaur Jr album is always something I get excited by. I've been listening to the band since I first heard them on an old skate video in 1990. Sure, they broke up at some point towards the end of the 90s for ten years or so, but then they got back together in 2007 and every record since has been great. This latest one is called 'Sweep It Into Space'. It came out last month and it's pretty much all that I have played for the last 3 weeks.

Because I am generally out of touch, I didn't even know that this was coming out. I actually saw a post of the record that someone made, thought to myself 'what the hell is this? and then did some research. Turns out it had been up for preorder for some time (no idea how long) and pretty much all of the colour vinyl versions had sold out before it had even hit the streets. So I did nothing. But when pictures of the records started to surface on the many colours of vinyl, there was one in particular that caught my eye. So I went straight to discogs and bought one.

I have no idea how many colours exist of this record, but as far as I can tell this one is the most limited. This colour is exclusive to some 'record club' type thing called Secretly Society. I think you pay a subscription and get sent a record every month. I'm not really sure how these types of things manage to get exclusive colours made just for them, but whatever. It's a cool colour.

This is definitely a great record. I was a really big fan of the last album that came out in 2016, and this one is in a very similar vein. I feel half tempted to pick up a couple of other colours, but it feels there are too many and getting sucked in could be too much of a risk. So right now I'm happy to stick with just the one copy of this one

Oblivion Songs

Another Rot In Hell record that I had missed for whatever reason, 'Oblivion Songs' was originally released as a very limited cassette back in 2018. Then in 2019 it got pressed onto vinyl, on the format everyone loves to hate, the ten inch. But despite the inferior format choice, the packaging on this one is really great. So straight away, there's a kind of obi strip:

The highlight of this record is the label, above. It features a photo of Atko with Les Battersby from 'Coronation Street'. If there are any Americans reading this, I wouldn't know where to start on this. But it's brilliant.

There are only 3 songs on here which feels like not much, but the third 'song' is almost 8 minutes long.

I'm not sure of the pressing info on this, but as well as the orange vinyl there is also a black vinyl version, which for some reason is missing from discogs. In the picture I have included the other bits from the package, being an insert and sticker, both drawn by the same artist that did the cover... which I believe also plays bass in the band these days.

I also picked up a test press of this release. It's an interesting one. It comes with a special cover, which and the record itself sits within a vintage record sleeve with the RIH logo sprayed across it. I'm not sure where the old sleeve came from and how old it is, but it smells awful. I feel the need to leave it outside to air for a few days in the hope of eliminating the stench.

The inside of the cover has a hand painted skull design, which I think looks great. It's just a shame that the paint used has made the paper go a little bit wrinkled.

The test contains the same insert and sticker as the regular pressing, but there are also some additional items thrown in - a badge / pin, a Grot sticker and a sealed envelope which according to discogs contains some incense sticks.

What I have failed to mention to this point is that this release sees Rot In Hell playing their original holy terror style sound. I always think that I prefer the acoustic songs these days, although when I listed to this version of the band I change my mind. It's a tough call. But good that they're still cranking out this stuff after all these years.

The Way To Light

The next installment of my catch up of Rot In Hell releases brings me to a split 12" with an act called The Way To Light that was apparently released in 2016. I say 'apparently' because I can't believe that it was that long ago that I fell behind in picking up Rot In Hell records... although I know it wasn't, as I did pick up their 2017 full length. So basically I have no idea how I missed this one originally.

The Rot In Hell side features only one song, which is a cover by Scorpion Wind. I don't know about any of these Boyd Rice related bands really, but this stuff is classed as 'neofolk'.

As usual, the packaging is top quality. And the grey vinyl version is really great quality vinyl... almost as if it were pressed at a good quality pressing plant in the States.

The flipside of this split features 3 songs by The Way To Light. This is very interesting stuff. Their bandcamp page describes this as Heavily atmospheric dark folk played in the forgotten corners of the earth. Doesn't seem like a bad description to me. If I were to try to describe these songs, I'd just say that it's the kind of thing to be playing late at night with the lights dimmed, especially if you're looking to chill out. Anyway, I also picked up a black vinyl copy, although I have no idea how many were made of each colour.

What's great about Rot In Hell reocrds is the attention to detail. Notice how the inserts on this copy are white, whereas they are black for the grey vinyl copy above.

In addition to the grey and black vinyl copies, I also picked up a test press. As tests go, this one is pretty nice. It comes in a handmade sleeve, and is numbered out of 20 copies.

Of Sorrow Black And Deep

Back in February I picked up two Rot In Hell 7" test presses, and it made me want to catch up on some of their releases that I had missed. There were 3 releases that I had missed, and I have decided to break them into separate posts, otherwise one post would be too long.

I'm starting with a 12" titled 'Of Sorrow Black And Deep'. I believe that this was originally released as a cassette back in 2015, and it was then pressed onto vinyl in 2018. I think that all copies were on white vinyl, although not sure exactly how many copies were made.

This release is a live record and features 8 songs, of which 3 songs had been previously released on the split 12" with Psywarfare that came out back in 2013, 2 songs were released on the split 7" with Horders from 2011, and 3 songs were later released on the 'A Thick Rope And A Strong Branch' LP. So it's almost a 'best of' this acoustic, folk side of the band. And even though it is a live record, the sound quality is top notch.

I have always loved this side of the band. I have undoubtedly listened to the acoustic songs more than the hardcore songs. But I still think that they should have recorded and released this stuff under a different name. It's basically two bands for the price of one, but no doubt confusing for some listeners.