Raise Demos

Back in 2021 I bought a Swervedriver record. It was an early recording of an EP, which is (to this point) the only Swervedriver record that I owned. Enjoying that record five years ago, I also got into their debut LP 'Raise' and figured that at some point I would pick up a copy on vinyl. Well, five years later and I still don't have one. There are a lot of copies out there and it isn't really tough to find, but it does seem difficult to get one in good condition and for a reasonable price. So the hunt continues.

Anyway, a couple of months ago I was working away and I got an email notifying me that Outer Battery Records were releasing a demo version of the LP on limited colour vinyl. I figured that this would be a great way to own the songs on vinyl until I find a good condition original pressing, so I put an order in quicksmart.

There were 400 copies on red vinyl, which sold out pretty fast. The remaining copies are on silver vinyl. I'm sure it will also get repressed after those sell out too.

The original album, 'Raise', is a really great record. And even though these songs sound like slightly rougher versions, they're not hugely different. The thing that irritates me about this record, however, is that it's the same songs as the final LP, but on here they are in a completely different order. It just doesn't feel quite right. But maybe that's just me.

I also bought a test press. Mainly just because the price seemed pretty reasonable. I figured that if I regretted the decision later I could probably easily get my money back. It comes with a custom cover, which is a nice touch.