So a couple of months ago I spotted a colour vinyl Government Issue LP on eBay UK for what looked like a good price. Truth be told, this is not a band that I have ever really paid attention to or been particularly interested in. I'm not sure why. I think this just goes back years to pre-internet days when I would make judgements about bands based on band name, cover art or what the band members looked like which, over time, turned out to be mistakes. I think in this case it was the word 'Government' in the name that somehow made the band sound boring, which clearly makes little sense. But that's me sometimes I guess.
Well anyway, I checked the value of the record on discogs to find that it was a very good price, so I bought it. And wouldn't you know it, I instantly loved it. And then the seller listed another couple of GI records, so I bought those too. And then I messaged and asked if he had any more, and did a deal to buy a couple more. All of a sudden I had a small GI collection out of nothing.
First up is the band's first 12" record, 'Boycott Stabb', which was a split release between Fountain Of Youth Records and Dischord Records in 1983. I don't think that this pink vinyl copy is a first press copy, but it's a fairly early pressing. Sadly this copy is missing an insert, but this seems to be quite common. I'm guessing that not all copies actually came with one originally.
Next up is the 2nd LP 'Joy Ride' from 1984 on Fountain Of Youth Records. According to discogs (which is not completely reliable) this blue vinyl version is a second pressing from 1987, and it wasn't repressed again until Dr. Strange Records stepped up in 2010.
The 3rd LP from 1985, 'The Fun Just Never Ends' also on Fountain Of Youth Records. This yellow vinyl version appears to be part of the first pressing. This one was also repressed by Dr. Strange in 2010 and 2022.
Next up is a 12" 'mini album' titled 'Give Us Stabb Or Give Us Death', released by Mystic Records in 1985. This was also issued as a 7" with the same title. Oh, and there is also another 12" version which includes a bonus 7". I'm not sure which came first, but trying to figure this out in 2025 seems harder than it should be.
There were a couple more LPs sold that I bid on and didn't win, so I have a bit of a gap here. The next one I bought is the band's 7th LP 'Crash' from 1984 on Giant Records, and this clear vinyl version looks like a first press copy. This one has been repressed by Dr. Strange and also a UK label called Audio Platter. I think this is my favourite of the bunch, so far at least. It's very melodic and reminds me of Dag Nasty.
And finally, a live 2x12" titled 'Finale'. This was released by everyone's favourite european record label, Lost and Found Records, back in 1989. There seems to be a whole range of different colour combinations out there.
Truth be told, I don't like getting several records by a band at one go. I prefer working through them one at a time in chronological order, getting to know each one properly before moving on to the next. When I immediately have 6 new (to me) records by one band then if I don't pace myself it is more likely that I'll skip over one or two without giving them adequate time. So even though I have had these records for a few months, I have only managed to get through listening to half of them.