Just As Strong

It was three years ago that Stick Together dropped their 'Surviving The Times' 7", which itself was two years after their debut 7". It would seem fair to say, therefore, that these dudes are not exactly fast workers. This may be due to the fact that the dudes in this band have other stuff going on, such as some band called Title Fight for example. Anyway, here we are in 2015 and they have just released their debut LP on Triple B Records.

Triple B put this out on three colours of vinyl - clear, blue and black. I decided to pick up only one, as I'm starting to get annoyed with myself for always buying all available colours of all new releases. So I simply picked the most limited, which was clear (out of 200).

I've enjoyed this LP a lot recently. Just like the last 7", this has been a bit of a slow burner. It doesn't hit straight away, and it isn't exactly HARDcore, but it has subtle hooks which sink in and start tugging a little more with each listen. This is a really good record, but I really hope we don't have to wait 2-3 years for the next one.

Nobody's Fool

Sometimes I don't set out to collect different copies of a record, but it just kinda happens. Such is the case with the Clear 7". I was initially happy with just one copy (on clear) which I picked up for cheap. But then I picked up another copy for cheap, and then another... which left me with only one other colour to find. So of course, I kept my eyes open, and eventually one popped up.

The pink (which, incidentally, is the best colour for any record, not just this one) was the more limited colour of the second pressing. There were only 100, so it took a little time for one to surface. But when it did, it was pretty cheap.

This meant that I suddenly had a complete colour vinyl collection of this 7". I took a photo, but then realised that I had put them in a random order like some kind of idiot.

Shown in the wrong order are; 1st Press on Clear (300), 1st Press on Clear Blue (600), 2nd Press on Pink (100), 2nd Press on Clear Yellow (400). Not shown at all are the This Is Hardcore 2012 press and the test press. But given that this is already three steps further than I planned coming originally, let's not rule them out from making an appearance in the future...

Second Chances

I placed an order with Triple B Records a while ago. It was one of those times when I only really wanted one record, but then started to look around the store and couldn't help but add a few more bits and pieces. You know how it goes sometimes.

The record I wanted was the Stick Together 'No More Second Chances' 12". This record compiles both of the bands 7"s on to one handy 12" platter. Given that I have the two 7"s, I'm not exactly sure why I felt that I needed this 12", but that's just how this game works I guess. This is the 'Green/Red/White Spearmint Swirl' (out of 300) vinyl.

I also added the second press yellow vinyl version of the Clear 7".

... which made me realise that I also needed a blue copy, so I ventured to discogs to pick one up.

I also grabbed a blue vinyl copy of the Demolition 'World Gone Mad' 7". I picked this up because everyone seemed to be saying good things about it. I can see why. The band is from Canada, but if you had to guess you'd probably think New York.

Finally, the Power Trip 'The Armageddon Blues Sessions' 12". This is basically their 'Armageddon Blues' 7" from 2009 repressed as a 12" with two extra songs added that were recorded at the same time as the four songs that originally featured on the 7".

This is a single sided 12". The flipside is laser etched with the band's logo, which looks pretty cool if you ask me.

Triple B is probably the most consistent and reliable label there is right now. Their back catalogue is pretty solid, as is the current line up of future releases. Anyone think differently?

Clear Clear

As I'm pretty out of touch, I seem to be late to the party with most new bands. I miss the early buzz most of the time, and when I catch on the records are sold out. Such was the case with Clear. I still know nothing about them other than they are a straight edge band fronted by ex Have Heart vocalist Pat Flynn. Anyhow, I found a clear vinyl (most limited version out of 100) copy on eBay uk recently, and won it for probably a lot cheaper than it would have cost to buy one from the States. So here it is - Clear on clear.

This 7" is pretty much the text book hardcore record. Six songs in about five minutes. No frills straight edge hardcore. It doesn't even bother with artwork for god's sake.

The same seller also had the second Stick Together 7" on (dirty) clear too. I missed ordering this 7" when it came out for some dumbass reason, even though I had the first 7" at the time and liked it. I decided to bid and got it for pretty cheap.

This second 7" is kinda different to the first. The band have slowed down a little, and sound less aggressive. The first couple of times I played this I thought it sounded dull. But then I started to get hooked on the title track, and now I'm really digging this. I also love the layouts on this 7". Ok, so it's hardly going to win any prizes for originality, but sometimes a generic straight edge 7" (or two!) is exactly what you need.

America's Hardcore Volume 2

Did someone say Bane? Did someone say Supertouch? Well count me in! This is the new compilation from Triple B Records 'America's Hardcore Volume 2'. I didn't even per-order this or really know about it until someone offered me this little set of four records. But needless to say I bit their arm off (not literally).

There are three colours of this thing. The most limited is purple out of 333. I think this was supposed to be red, white and blue swirl. But I guess when you put red, white and blue into a record making machine this is what comes out. Purple.

There are 16 bands on here. Mainly current or new bands, most of which I have never listened to. Clearly I need to do some catching up though as most bands on here are great. Red vinyl is out of 765.

The third colour is clear blue, which is 'limited' to a huge 1,015 copies. In my mind this is the best looking colour of the lot. This photo also shows the glossy booklet that accompanies the record. Just like comps of old, each band gets a page.

I also picked up a test press. The picture also shows the front of the glossy booklet, although the test just comes in a plain white paper sleeve. There are quite a few of these. 35 in total. No doubt the high number made is so the band members could get copies, but with 16 bands on the record, you know there's no way each person playing on the comp got one.

And to finish, the obligatory 'collection' shot, aka the money shot:

The funniest thing though was that on first play, one song jumped out and I was like 'wow, who's this?'. It was Ringworm. I hadn't even noticed that Ringworm was on this thing. Is it me or do they seem out of place?

There are some really good songs on here and I just know this is going to be a gateway to buying more records for me. But I probably need to haul myself into the 21st century a bit more. Notable mention goes to the Boston Mayhem song (which is some modern day hardcore supergroup) which I thought was awful at first, but which is now pretty much my favourite. Weird how that happens sometimes isn't it?

Give Me Seven Inches

Seems we're all collecting Give records these days. Mike, Doug and I are now potentially all chasing the same stuff. At some point, I'm sure it's gonna get messy. For now though, things seem to be ok. We've each got pretty good collections and are each missing different items.

Just like Mike, I now have 19 pieces of Give vinyl in my collection, although a different 19. The 19th is the limited cover version of the 'I Am Love' 7" on Triple B records.

This now completes my mini-collection of the three 2012 released 7"s with limited covers, each featuring a 'part time' member of the band. This one features Austin Stemper. I think that these 'part time' dudes just fill in for shows or tours when the other members are unable to play out. A pretty cool set up if you ask me.