In Mass Mind

There are some bands that I have never been remotely interested in checking out for various reasons. One of them is The Make-Up. Yeah, I know that they are ex Nation Of Ulysees, which is a band that I think is pretty cool, but I always thought the name was lame, and either the photos of the band or artwork on whatever records I saw made me think that they were too 'artsy' and probably not for me. So why the hell did I just buy one of their records?

This record is the band's fourth LP, 'In Mass Mind', which was originally released in 1998. This pink vinyl version is a repress from 2023.

I bought this because someone who reads this blog regularly offered it to me for a very reasonably price. No doubt he figured that the Dischord Records and pink vinyl combination would be too much for me to resist. I wasn't overly keen on buiyng a Make-Up record, but it felt rude to say no. Plus, I figured that I would easily be able to sell it on for the price I paid if I hated it. So I took it home.

Given I had paid money for this and brought it into my house, I thought it only fair to give it a shot. So I cued it up and pretty much straight away found myself thinking that this was ok. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as I had prepared myself for. It kinda reminds me of when I first heard Shudder To Think somewhere around 1994. Visually and musically they were not really what I was into at the time, but there was something alluring to them, and I had to admit that they were very cool. It's similar here, although the main difference is that I'm about twenty years late this time around. But yeah, this is a really cool record. I'm glad that I gave it a chance.

The Clear Traversal of Route 7

My Dischord Records collection is all over the place. Some bands I still have never heard, and some of the records I do have I only have represses of rather than original pressings. I have no real focus or plan, although this year I have definitely been focused on triyng to check out more of the early catalogue that has passed me by.But one record I have had in my life for over thirty years now (!) is the Hoover LP. 'The Lurid Traversal Of Route 7' was released in 1994, and I bought it when it came out based on a friend's recommendation. I always liked it, and this is a great example of a record where the artwork really adds to my appreciation. I love the black and dark green colourscheme and the weird photo of a old sign. The whole thing is very early 90s emo.

I was recently surprised that Dischord professional collector Nico didn't have this LP, and reminded him that he should grab one. Around the same time, I realised that the record got repressed on clear vinyl in 2013. I'm not sure if I knew this and had forgotten, or whether I never actually knew. But when I saw it, I knew that I wanted one, so I added it to my discogs want list... and then, pretty damn quickly, one popped up for sale. The price was very reasonable, so I quickly paid up.

Given that this is my third copy of this record, I figured I would pull the other two out for a group photo. As a set of three, they do look pretty good together I think.

The black vinyl is a first pressing from 1994, the green is a repress from 2010, and the clear was apparently from 2013. It looks like there have been a couple of black vinyl pressings since, but no other colour pressings. I'm actually surprised by this. But it wouldn't surprise me if another pressing appears at some point in the next year or two.

I'd almost forgotten, but I once saw this band play live. According to my spreadsheet, it was on the 11th of December 2004 at Josephs Well in Leeds. I remember going, standing on my own and not saying a word to anyone all night, then going home. Pretty cool though to have actually seen them play live, right?

Holy Rollers

Towards the end of last year and the start of this one, I was getting into some Dischord (and related) stuff that I hadn't really been too into previously. This led me to looking through the label's catalogue and seeing if there were any other bands that I had never checked out, and I ended up listening to Holy Rollers for the first time in my life. They started out as a trio in the late 80s and ended a few years later in the early 90s as a four piece. I was quite into what I heard, so decided to look for records, and discovered that everything that they had done was super cheap. So I bought three LPs...

The first LP, 'As Is', was released as Dischord 42 in 1990. Bits of this really remind me of one of my other favourite Dischord bands, Jawbox.

The second LP, 'Fabuley', was released in 1991 as Dischord 58. The cover is, in my opinion, awful. But nevermind. Beyond the art, the record is great. It still reminds me a lot of Jawbox, but the guitar on a couple of the songs reminds me of Helmet.

I also got a test press / promo copy of this one too. It was super cheap. Nico tells me this is one of the most common of these Dischord promo releases. But still, the price that I got this for was a steal, being just a little more than a new release 7" costs these days.

This copy comes with a promo poster and press kit.

The third and final self titled LP, released as Dischord 86 in 1993. At this point one of the original members had left, and the band had expanded to being four humans rather than three, with a second guitarist added. You can tell that the sound shifted as a result.

This record sounds quite different to the other two, but I have to say, I think this is their best. Also, the last song on here ('Pure') is outstanding. If the rest of the record sounded like that then this would be fighting for a place in the list of top 10 Dischord releases ever. Yes, that's a strong statement, but listen to the song and tell me I'm wrong.

All of these records put together cost me a fraction more than the current price of one new release LP. For whatever reason, it seems that nobody cares about this band these days. But this is exactly what I am enjoying these last couple of years - exploring the lesser known bands/records from certain labels' back catalogues. I probably wouldn't have been into this sound when the band were actually around as my attention would have been absorbed by other bands back then, but all these years later this sounds really good to me.

Unanimous Necrophones

It was about three and a half years ago that I started to pick up the Lungfish represses that Dischord started putting out. I'd never listened to the band before, but got sucked in by the cover art of one of the records, and then I got slightly addicted and ended up buying 4 colour vinyl represses of their LPs in 2022 ('Love Is Love', 'Rainbows From Atoms', 'Pass And Stow' and 'Sound In Time'). Then in 2023 I picked up 3 more ('A.C.R. 1999', 'Talking Songs For Walking' and 'Indivisable'). After that things seemed to slow down, with nothing appearing in 2024, and then last year a couple more followed ('Feral Hymns' and also the '10 East' 7").

Well, here we are at the start of 2026 and I've just got around to grabbing the latest two in the series. The first is 'Necrophones', which was released as Dischord 119 back in the year 2000. This is / was their 9th full length, and this white vinyl repress came out at some point last year but I only just got around to buying one.

I'm not sure whether this next one technically came out right at the very end of 2025, oo right at the very start of 2026, but it's definitely 'hot off the press'. This is a nice looking clear green vinyl repress of the 1999 LP 'Unanimous Hour'.

This now meanns that I have 10 Lungfish LPs, which seems insane. And the game still isn't over. By my calculation there are now only two more Lungfish LPs that have not been repressed... the 7th LP 'Artificial Horizon', and the the first LP 'Necklace Of Heads'. I'm going to guess that both will be repressed by the end of the year, so let's see what 2026 has in store...

Banging The Drum

Another day, another Dischord release...

Despite having been a fan of Scream for quite a few years, I never really felt overly interested in their third LP, 'Banging The Drum'. I'm not sure why this is the case. I think somehow I had tis idea that this was widely regarded as their worst LP, although not sure where I would have got this idea from. Also, I think that I previously thought that the cover art, which incorporates a different font for the band name, signalled a change in style, like a lot of hardcore bands went through in the late 80s as some kind of attempt to find wider commercial success. Whatever. The point is that I was never really bothered about this record, but my recent increased interest in Dischord stuff made me disregard all previous thoughts when I noticed a copy of this come up for sale in the UK recently.

What was immediately interesting was that, despite me partly rejecting this previously based on the front cover, a few years later and I look at it and think that it's fantastic. Ok, the band name doesn't look good in this font, but the artwork and the colour used for the band name looks great.

Musically, this (unsurprisingly) sits between 'This Side Up' and 'Fumble'. It's not really significantly different to either, and just marks in step in their evolution. So god only knows where I got my idea from that this record sucked. It's really good. Well, apart from the opening 57 second song 'Banging The Drum' which I find irritating and can't wait to finish. But yeah, this record is great and I am annoyed at myself for ignoring it for so long. Oh well, can't listen to everything I guess.

Beefeater

Lately I've been getting more interested in earlier Dischord stuff that I haven't really given much of a chance to before, and the next step in my journey is Beefeater, a band active from 1984 to 1986. I once listened to one of their records around the turn of the century, and back then my thoughts were simply 'what the hell is this?'. The band's description on discogs refers to them as a 'punk/post-hardcore band whose music included elements of funk & jazz', which is not a mix usually associated with records that are considered good. And that was firmly my view in the early 2000s. But recently I gave them a chance and I was blown away at how good they are. Next step was to look to see if their records were available to buy for a reasonable price, and the answer was a big 'yes'... so I grabbed two of them.

The debut LP 'Plays For Lovers' was released in 1985 as Dischord 17. I don't really understand the picture on the front cover, but as I am starting to realise, this is a band that basically just did whatever they wanted without worrying what people might think.

The second LP, 'House Burning Down' was released in 1987 as Dichord 23. When you drop the needle, the first thing you hear is some chap talking.

Hi, this is Ian Mackaye of Dischord Records. I'd just like to thank you for choosing this hardcore product.

Then it launches straight into some hardcore funk fusion type song, which on paper sounds terrible, but is actually really good.

I don't usually listen to two records by one band at the same time, but for some reason at the moment I'm finding this band really addictive. I listen to one, it ends, so I put the other one on. Another great example of my tastes changing over time to the point where I almost feel annoyed at myself for dismissing this so quickly 20+ years ago. But hey, at least I'm learning.

Instrument

Despite Fugazi not being active in over twenty years, you'd be excused for thinking that they were a current band given the number of times they've appeared on record blogs this year. Between me, Mike, and Ralf there was a bit of love for Fugazi this year, thanks in part to colour vinyl represses.

I thought that I had all of the Fugazi records that I needed, until a couple of weeks ago when I stumbled across a burgundy vinyl copy of the 'Instrument Soundtrack' in a Texas record store. For $11, I couldn't pass it up.

The burgundy pressing is from last year (2024) and is sold out by the label, but there are still copies out there in stores if you look.

The record is the soundtrack to the film 'Instrument', which is a 1999 documentary about Fugazi. I watched it once and thought it was ok, although I would have preferred a different format with more of an interview type format. The soundtrack contains 18 songs which are very different to their previous records, with most songs being laid back instrumental affairs. I'd never listened to this before, and whilst it isn't going to make it into the top 5 Fugazi records, it does tick the box for 'good background music while you work'.

Complete Services

As I said a couple of posts ago when I posted about the After Words LP, I seem to be increasingly drawn toward DC hardcore as time passes. The guy who sold that LP also had some Ignition 12"s for sale at a very fair price, so I decided to scoop up all three at the same time. Rarely have I been so excited to pick up a pile of black vinyl records. Anyway, let's get down to it in chronological order...

The first 12" compiles the band's two 7"s which were self released (although the second was also part released by Dischord). This 12" was released by the band, which I don't think I ever knew until this arrived. I always thoguht it was on Dischord.

'Machination' is the band's debut 12 song LP. This was released as Dischord Recprds 31 and Ignition Records 4 back in 1988.

And finally, 'The Orafying Mysticle Of...' from 1989. Whilst this is described as an LP, it only contains 6 songs, so in my mind it's more of an EP. But Dischord definitely refer to it as a full length LP.

I tried to get into Ignition many years ago and it didn't really click with me for whatever reason. But as I have thought and said before, sometimes a record will only grab you at a specific time. Just because you've checked something out and it didn't grab you doesn't mean you shouldn't try again at some point. As we reach the end of 2025, Ignition is everything I want.

Give Me Stabb Or Give Me Death

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.

Self Inflicted

This is the final in my series of Dischord related posts, and this one I got absolutely agews ao but never got around to putting up on here. It got stuck in a pile of 7"s that was in a weird place, and I recenrly unearthed it when I was tidying the record room.

This is a 'mixed colour vinyl' pressing of the Hammered Hulls 7". I got a copy of this on black vinyl back in 2020 but of course I'd rather have a colour copy of any record if possible, so when this repress was announced I had to get one.

Most of these appear to have been pressed on either a very dark grey or a very dark purple vinyl, which is slightly disappointing. A nice clear, white or light grey would have felt more suitable and interesting.

I still play their LP regularly, and if you like that one then this is still pretty essential as it contains two extra songs. And if anyone wants one I have a black copy going spare.

Still Screaming

A couple of years ago I finally got around to listening to the fifth (I think) LP from Scream, 'Fumble'. This record came out in 1993, which was ten years after their first LP, and featured their new drummer, a certain Dave Grohl. I mainly bought it because it was one of the latest round of Dischord colour vinyl repressings, and the price was really good. I loved the record and even thought I was stoked with the yellow vinyl, I felt slightly miffed when I went to discogs to add it to my collection to find that there had already been a colour vinyl pressing of this record seven years previous, in 2016. So of course, I did what I always do and I added it to my want list. Semi recently one showed up for sale in the UK at a great price, so I bought it.

When I bought this my plan was to keep the clear and sell the yellow. But when the clear one arrived, the sleeve was not in top condition. I thought about swapping the sleeves over but the yellow one comes in a sleeve with a sticker on the shrink, so it doesn't feel right. So for now I'll have to keep both.

10 Feral Hymns East

The final couple of records that I bought from Dischord recently were two more colour vinyl Lungfish represses. I got sucked into buying these in 2022 having never previously listened to the band before, but I loved every second of every record and knew that this was going to be a long and fun journey. I then picked up three more of their LPs in 2023, but it has been two years since then and the flow of these reissues seems to have slowed somewhat. So when I realised that a couple more had appeared this year, I was keen to grab them.

First up is the band's 11th LP, first released twenty years ago in 2005 as DIS147. It was semi recently repressed on blue vinyl.

I also grabbed this red vinyl repress of the '10 East' 7", which first came out in 1995 as DIC99.5. All the original copies were on gold vinyl, and those now seem to sell for a decent chunk of change. So for a late to the party chump like me, this red repress will have to do.

Of course, about two days after my order shipped, another Lungfish colour vinyl LP was announced on the scene (their 9th LP, 'Necrophones') and I will get one of those eventually. But the totally random order in which these records are being repressed is still baffling to me. By my quick count there are still three more to go before the complete set has been reissued, and it's anyone's guess as to which will appear next.