All Talk

I recently bought something from somewhere and pulled that old move where you look around to see what else the seller is selling to make the postage cost seem better value. One of the things I then found was a cheap clear vinyl copy of the Struck Nerve 'Rattle The Cage' LP that Youngblood Records put out about 4 years ago. Sold.

The clear vinyl looks great as it really shows off the huge amount of dead wax in the centre of the record, which is a look that always excites me. Blame 'Break Down The Walls' and Wishingwell.

This is now the third copy of this record that I have bought, which seems amusing considering I wrote this three years ago when I bought my first copy:

My Youngblood collection is pretty complete, and I have multiple copies of most releases, but when the preorder for this when live I didn't fancy spending money on three copies of the same record. So I just ordered one copy of the most limited colour.

Bets are now being taken for when I will find an excuse to buy copy number four.

Overload Overload

Part 2 in my series of posts of stuff I picked up from a friend who was selling his collection last year, and another early 00s record I was pretty keen to get hold of was this test press for the Lights Out 'Overload' LP. Apparently this record came out back in 2005, which is somehow now 19 years ago. It's a few days over ten years since I first this record on Mike's blog, and I thought it looked rad, so I'm pretty stoked to now have one of my own.

Back in 2005 Youngblood Records was absolutely on fire. They had some great bands and some really collectible records. On average there were probably 6 versions of every record. This LP was no exception, although I 'only' have five copies as I don't believe in black vinyl unless it's a test press or comes in a limited sleeve.

Listening to this record in 2024, I can confirm that still rips after all of these years. Around the time it came out I saw Lights Out play in the UK on their Euro tour. They were really good live, but I don't think we ever heard from them again. Like a lot of good hardcore bands, after one 7", one LP and one euro tour, they called it quits.

End Of The Line

So here's a post that really does show how time is flying. There was a 'final' pressing of the No Tolerance 7" on Youngblood that came out in 2018. I decided to buy one because I used to really like the band and I wanted to keep the collection complete. So three and a half years later, here it is.

Technically this is a third pressing of this record. It comes in the sleeve with silver ink, which is the same as the second press, but it has plain red labels which simply have the name of the record ('No Remorse, No Tolerance) stamped on top.

So the crazy thing to think about here is the time since this came out. This record was initially released right at the end of 2011. So as I type this, this record is somehow now a month short of being ten years old. Yes, TEN. Yet at the same time, it still feels like a relatively recent record to me. Yet if I think back to other ten year time periods, it feels like they were way longer. I mean, talking about this record today is like talking about the Warzone 'LESC' 7" in 1997, but back then the Warzone 7" felt ancient, almost as if it was from a completely different century. It certainly did not feel relatively recent. So why does this No Tolerance 7" feel more recent today than Warzone did in 97? Is it just because I remember this one coming out, whereas the Warzone 7" was before my time? I'm not sure. Maybe.

Anyway, here's the updated collection photo:

The other funny thing about this band is that, whilst I really love the two 7"s, I had completely forgotten that they also put out a full length. For some reason it just didn't seem to grab me like the 7"s did. But I'm looking forward to giving it another go in the next couple of days. Perhaps it'll make more of an impact in 2021...

Testcapades

Early last year, Youngblood had a 50% off sale in their webstore. I can't remember what the occassion was, but as soon as I saw the sale was on I headed to the store as I figured that there would be some test pressings for sale. I knew that Youngblood often put test pressings up for sale, although I've never really wanted to pay the prices that they are listed at. But with a potential 50% off, I figured that there could probably be a bargain to be had. So I went straight to the vinyl section to see what was available, and immediately a test press for the second Justice LP 'Escapades' jumped out at me. I couldn't resist it. And given that there was nothing else that I wanted, I checked out fast... although a couple of months later I found out that there was also a Worn Thin LP test press that I somehow missed. Damnit.

Originally released in 2007, 'Escapades' was a big change of sound for Justice. Their early records were straight up hardcore, but this LP just sounded like they had decided that they wanted to be Supertouch. For me, this was a good move. The record sounded great and I was really into it, although I'm not so sure that the rest of the world agreed. With hindsight it was probably the beginning of the end of the band, but for me it's their best record.

P&T

I mentioned in my post yesterday that I picked up a couple of items from the Youngblood 50% off sale, and the second one is vaguely related to the first.

Police & Thieves was a band from DC formed after the demise of Worn Thin by singer Carlos and some other dude. They ended up having a similar run to Worn Thin, releasing two 7"s and a 12", and also a split 7" (with Remission). They split up circa 2011 or 2012. Like Worn Thin, each release showed good progression since the previous.

This is a test press for the 'Amor Y Guerra' 7" that Youngblood put out back in 2008. It comes in a red paper sleeve with a silver 'P&T' in the corner.

As you can see, I got number 21. Presumably this is 21 out of 24 copies made.

I almost got one of these from Carlos a few years ago, but in the end he sold it to my rival instead. So it's good to finally find another, albeit 6 or 7 years later.

So of course I decided to dig out my other copies of this one for a group photo:

Just like the Worn Thin 7", I am missing one version of this one, being the regular black vinyl copy. But, just like with the Worn Thin 7", I'm not to fussed. I'm happy with this little collection as it is.

What Could Have Been

A couple of months ago, Youngblood Records had a sale with 50% off of everything in the store. I bought something, but that will feature on here at some point in the future. But this was not the first time that Youngblood had run a 50% off sale. There was also one last year, and I bought two records which seemed like a good deal with half off.

Worn Thin was a DC band that existed circa 2000-2005. They released two 7"s and a full length before calling it quits. They were always one of my favourite Youngblood bands and I always felt that they were underrated compared to other bands of the time. Well anyway, I picked up a test press of their second 7", 'Remnants Of What Could Have Been'. It comes in a great Teen Idles rip off sleeve:

I got number 9/24. For some reason it seems that there are 24 copies of most Youngblood tests, and to this day I have no idea why. I'm curious as to whether the number contains any kind of significance.

I'd been putting off posting this one as I wanted to take a collection photo, but those things always take a bit of time, so I had put it off for a while. In the end it didn't actually take that long as I only had 4 other copies. So here it is:

In the photo is the test & the record release version on the top row, and the white vinyl tour press and regular red vinyl and clear vinyl copies on the second row. When I pulled these out, I realised I am missing the white vinyl non-tour press version, but since the only difference to the one I have is the lack of stamp on the paper inner sleeve, I figure I'll live without it. So this collection is now considered complete. Only took 17 years too.

Stand Off

In my last post I talked about being up to date. And here's yet more proof, as if it were needed. This is the debut vinyl release from a band called Stand Off. Not to be confused with the UK band from the early 90s who had a 7" released by Crucial Response Records, this band come from Washington DC. This 7" is actually the band's 2014 demo put to vinyl, and this particular version was a pre-release version sold at Damaged City Fest... back in April 2016.

This was put out by Youngblood Records twelve months ago, and a few months later it got a proper release... although obviously I don't have that, because that would require me to be up to date. Gimme a few months and maybe we'll talk about it.

The funny thing about this is that Damaged City happened again this year a couple of weeks ago, Stand Off played it as their last show. Yup, that's right - just after the band broke up, I managed to get their pre-release 7". Just how late can a dude be to his favourite new band? Stay tuned for more releases from your past to find out...

Houston, We Have A Problem

One of the coolest thing about record collecting is when you find out about a record that you've never seen before and had no idea even existed. It's even more satisfying when you manage to find out about such things via picking them up. Case in point, this My Luck 'Cleaver' 7" in a limited sleeve:

This sleeve appears to have been made for a Youngblood showcase that took place in Houston, Texas back in 2004. There were only 25 made, and I appear to have bagged the last one. Not much else to say really.

Number-rology Tour Press Version 2.0

Back in early 2010, Youngblood Records released the Lion Of Judah 'Number-rology' 7". A year later I managed to track down one of the hard to find tour pressings in a plain white dust sleeve. I was happy. but then only a few weeks later, Sean from the label told me that the band had actually made sleeves for some copies. Aaaarrrggghhh! It had proved tough enough to find a tour copy, now I had to find a second variant. How annoying!

Well anyway, three years later and one fell in front of me. It was pretty cheap so I couldn't resist.

I'm not exactly sure what happened to this band. I think they just went quiet. Pretty sure that one of them is now in Give, but not sure what happened to the others or if they did actually formerly break up. I'm guessing they did as I have heard nothing of them since this 7" came out. Shame.

No More Games

Back in June last year, Chris posted a new version of the Striking Distance 'March To Your Grave' LP that I hadn't seen before. It was made for something called Damaged City Fest that took place last year for which the band reformed to play a set. This album was originally released by Thorp Records on CD and by Youngblood on LP. I remember opening the package containing my green vinyl copy like it was yesterday, except it was about 13 years ago now, which seems insane. Well anyway, I love this LP, so when I realised that there was a new version available, I wanted in on the action. So here we are:

This new pressing is on black vinyl and comes with a new insert. The sleeve is screen printed on black card and looks pretty awesome. It also has different labels than the original pressings.

This version also has the Grave Mistake Records logo on it. I'm not sure exactly what Grave Mistake have to do with this pressing exactly. Did they make the covers, or pay for the pressing? Anyone know?

Well, after picking this up and taking the photos, I thought I would get my other copies out and take a group shot.

Shown in the photo are:

Damaged City Fest 2013 pressing /200, Yellow vinyl Posi numbers 2003 pressing /100
Green vinyl, Winter Tour 2002 pressing /100, Green vinyl with regular cover /375
Test press (orange cover) /24, Pre-release (red cover) black vinyl /126

No Frills

There is pretty much nothing to say about this one. The No Tolerance 'No Remorse, No Tolerance' 7" on Youngblood on black vinyl. I think this is the second press black vinyl as it comes in the sleeve with silver ink on the front.

I don't usually bother with black vinyl unless it's a band for which I am trying to collect every variant of every record. I don't really like black vinyl. But wouldn't you know it, there are two different black pressings of this, and I don't have the other, so that's another one I still need. Yes, that's right, need. Not want.

True Miracle

Yes, it's a true miracle - I managed to finally get my last Youngblood order. The main item ordered was the 'regular' versions of the True Head 12", as I picked up the test and release show versions back in April this year.

I do love the packaging for this. The artwork is very suited to the music, which is a departure from the usual Youngblood hardcore sound. Overall this is a great release for Youngblood and is one of those records that gets more interesting with time.

I picked up all three versions available - black (200), pink (100) and clear (150). Good colour choices that go well with the artwork.

So of course, on receiving these and taking photos, I had to get the other two copies out to take a collection shot:

Test press is the one in the top left, with the record release version in the top right. I think I'm supposed to get a cover for the test at some point. If you want to see it, maybe come back here circa 2017.

Get Out

It's been quite a long time since I listened to Lights Out. I saw them live back in about 2005 and all I remember about it was thinking how young they all looked. But back in 2004-05 they were one of the bands I listened to most. I don't really know why I don't listen to them anymore. I guess it's mainly just a case of forgetting about them. But what better way to get re-acquainted with a band you haven't listened to in a while than to grab a test press? This is a test of their 'Get Out' 7" on Youngblood Records, numbered 19 of 24.

This test just comes in a plain yellow paper dust sleeve with a glossy Lights Out sticker in the top corner. It's minimal, but at the same time I like it because it's a little different to the usual plain white dust sleeve or alternative, photocopied cover.

Test count is now 47.

Gimme Gimme Gimme... Gimme Some More

I figured that I didn't have enough Give records recently. I mean, as usual, I took the time to collect all of the coloured versions, but never bothered with the black. And recently I just figured that, at $5 a pop, I might as well grab the ones I was missing before they vanished and I would have to resort to eBay.

Actually, having said that I needed the black vinyl, I also realised that I never picked up the second press of the React! 7" on white because... well, because by the time that came out, React! was being distributed by Hellfish, and I didn't want to go there.

I also picked up the same React! 7" on black, along with the Deranged and Youngblood 7"s also on black.

Obviously these are not exactly exciting, but essential in order to build that complete Give collection... which I'm still a long way away from owning. I'm not in a hurry though. They will come eventually.

Version Number Fives

Picked up a couple of records through a message board private sale recently. One LP and one 7", one old and one new(ish), and both of which were the fifth copies of each record. I still don't have complete collections of either, but I'm slowly getting there.

First up is the grey vinyl Bridge Nine pressing of the Champion 'Promises Kept' LP. I had such an ordeal when this LP originally came out. I pre-ordered two copies and got sent only one, the dark red copy. Over time I picked up the other colours, but the grey always eluded me. I've watched several over the years and they've always gone beyond what I wanted to pay. So it's good to finally bag one.

Excluding the Dead And Gone pressing of this, I now have 5 Bridge Nine copies. I have zero interest in the reissue from last year, I'm also not really interested in the Warehouse versions, and I don't want to shell out for the tests. So I guess all I really need is the regular black vinyl pressing to 'complete' this one.

The second item I snagged was the red vinyl pressing of the second No Tolerance 7". I got all previous versions direct from the label, but somehow Sean had no red copies left. Seems weird as all the other pressings are rarer.

This now marks my fifth copy of this 7" and, just like the Champion LP, all I now need for this one to be complete is the regular black vinyl.

Kinda funny how I have never had any interest in regular black vinyl copies, but these days there are loads I 'need' to complete collections. I should probably make a list of all the black vinyl records I need and start trying to cross them off. I imagine a lot of them will be pretty cheap.

True Head

Something that is increasingly rare these days is me picking up on a new band before most other people. It used to happen all the time in the 90s when I bought every new release that came out. But now I pretty much never buy anything new unless there's a lot of hype. So it's nice when, for once, I am at the front of the queue to check out a new band. It almost makes me feel young and hip.

So here's a new band for you. True Head. One of the strangest band names I've heard in a long time. At first I thought the name was stupid, but now I'm used to it I find it kinda cool. Anyway, the reason I've heard them is that they are on Youngblood Records, which is pretty much the only label that I buy religiously. However, I have to say, this is not your typical Youngblood band. They sound nothing like any other band on the label, and if I had to guess based on their sound, I would have probably said that this was in fact an early 90s Dischord band. Coincidentally, they do hail from DC, and contain a dude from Lion Of Judah and a dude from The First Step, but if anything those names are going to prove misleading as this band sounds nothing like either. True Head does remind me of some band or other, but I can't quite put my finger on who. I want to say Jawbox, but it isn't. But perhaps that's not a bad guide to the ballpark that this band plays in.

The record hasn't been 'officially' released yet, but I managed to score a couple of 'advance' copies. The first is the 'pre-release' version that was sold at the Youngblood Showcase in late November 2012. Just like the band's name, the cover of this is quite interesting.

Numbered out of 54 copies, I scored number 3. Not bad considering I didn't even go.

I do like how the blank purple labels match (or nearly match) the sleeve.

I also got a test press for this one which, as yet, has no cover, and which is therefore not much to look at.

This now marks 20 tests for the year so far.

I wasn't sure about this record at first, but I have to say that after a few listens it has me hooked. I look forward to seeing the proper version of this, and also I'll be interested to see how this band progresses. Wouldn't surprise me if they ended up on Dischord.

Youngblood Test Covers

Today's post is not about records. It's about covers, sleeves or jackets (depending on which word you like to use). Back in November 2012 I picked up some Youngblood tests, none of which came in sleeves. But now, three months later, Sean sent me the sleeves. And as you would expect, they're all top quality.

First up I'm posting my favourite. The No Tolerance 7". This one has a foldover card sleeve which has the same artwork as the regular version of the record, except for the fact that this one is printed in gold ink. Also, the inner paper sleeve is red paper and has 'Youngblood Records test press' stamped on it. As you can see, it looks great.

The next one is a sleeve for the Give 'Flowerhead' 7". This one comes printed on thin orange paper. It looks cool, and is a great twist on the Youngblood logo, although I am slightly concerned that it's just photocopied and therefore at risk of damage over time. On the positive side though, unlike the No Tolerance, this one is numbered, which is always a nice touch.

And finally, the Police And Thieves 'Fracturing' 12" cover, which is made from a nice thick card. This one is pretty much identical to the release show sleeve, but printed on green rather than white card.

At some point I hope to get a cover for the Face Reality test too. Tests with covers are so much nicer than those without.