About three and a half years ago someone asked me what my most wanted record was, and I replied 'the first 97A 7" on red vinyl'. The person who asked me then asked 'Why? It's shit' which made me laugh. Ok, so it's not exactly my favourite record of all time, but this was one of those records that had reached mythical status because it was so impossible to find. The record was released in 1996/7 and I got a copy on black vinyl not too long after. At some point I found out that there were 25 copies pressed on red vinyl with a limited sleeve. I added it to my want list and waited. Then 25 or so years went by.
I know someone in London who got one of these from the label when it came out. Other than that, I saw one for sale on eBay ONCE (back in 2010) which I remember clearly as I bid on it and didn't win. There hasn't been another sell on eBay since, and neither has one ever sold on discogs. Basically, it's nigh on impossible to find.
The inside of the sleeve is stamped with a number. Mine is stamped 25. In theory, this is the last copy. Twenty five of twenty five.
The front and back cover feature pictures of ex-professional skateboarder Mark 'Gator' Rogowski. He was featured in the first skateboard video that I ever saw, but is best known for raping and murdering his girlfriend back in 1991... a crime for which he is still in jail to this day. This record features a small written explanation of why he did it, in which he appears to blame drink, drugs and pornography and also express remorse. Sadly, the parole board aren't buying it even all of these years later.
After chasing this record for half my life, I finally got this a couple of weeks ago from a friend / collector in Europe. He had owned this for a long time but reached a point where he was ready to let it go. I spotted it in a pile of stuff he put for sale on instagram, and immediately reached out. I was very, very happy to finally receive it and finally cross it off the want list.
In celebration, I pulled out my other copies for a group photo:
I'm not sure too many people are still listening to 97A in 2025, but this is possibly my favourite pick up of the year. It's just a shame that the website that used to list all of the owners no longer exists so I don't get to see my name added, haha.
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