I've Been Around And I've Seen Enough

There are some records that I never even dreamed I would own, and this is one. Judge 'Bringin' It Down' LP test press. This is one of the original test pressings from the first press from 1989. Apparently only 8 were made. This one came to me in one of the first press sleeves, with the 'printed in Canada' text on the spine. Always nice when a test press comes in something other than just a white paper sleeve.

You can tell this one is old from the labels, as the top part of the label is filled in black. That's an old design. Based on other test presses I have seen, the design must have changed not too long after this one, at some point in the early 1990s. There is also a later test press of this record from 2001 (the so called 'final press') which was pressed at Erika Records and has yellow labels, so it is easy to tell the two apart. There were only 8 of those as well, although somehow that one feels like it is slightly more common as I feel I have seen more people post photos of it.

There's not really too much I can say about this one. It's a classic / iconic straight edge hardcore record that everyone knows if they are reading this. There's not even a great story attached really. I had the chance to buy it and I paid up. The end.

What I will say is that this record has evoked some strong and strange feelings in me the past few weeks. It's a hard one to describe, but for some reason I feel that I don't really deserve to own this. With 8 made around 33 years ago, this feels a bit like a fantasy item and not one the kind of thing that should be sitting in my collection. Whilst I do love this record, and it was a very important one for me when I did first hear it back around 1993. But I wasn't around and eagerly anticipating its release when it came out in 1989 and I can't even say that Judge is my favourite band. In many ways, the same logic applies to many other records that I own, but for some reason this one in particular feels like one that I have no business owning. It is a strange feeling indeed. But whilst I continue to wrestle with these feelings, I can confidently say that this is hands down my single favourite record that I picked up in 2022.