7" PVC Covers - Goodbye!

Today I am breaking my own rules. I am writing about something that is not a record I received in the mail. Rather, something I did today.

7" storage solutions. Everyone has their own. Mine has been the same for many years... put the 7" in a poly bag (which most come in) and then put them both into a PVC sleeve. Then put the record in a box. I used to like this method because it kept the record completely air tight.

Two years ago I found a few 7"s that had sleeve damage. All are/were sleeves that were made on photocopiers. You may have some yourself. Damage can occur where the ink on the sleeve sticks to the poly sleeve that it's in. I'm not sure what causes this damage. I think it is partly heat, and partly pressure (caused by the weight of other records leaning on the sleeve). But recently I have found more 7"s with sleeve damage, and I now hold PVC sleeves partly responsible. In short, I don't think keeping records airtight is a good thing.

Today I had a day off work. I decided to remove the PVC covers from all my 7"s. Here's the fruit of my hours of hard (pointless) work:

The PVC sleeves are arranged in piles of 25. To save you having to count, there are 34 piles. In total, that's 850 PVC covers. Hopefully I can shift them on eBay, like I did my 12" PVC covers a year ago.

Black Flag Family Man

Back in about 1992-93 I bought a few Black Flag records. I was new to collecting back then & didn't have a clue what was what, and just liked colour vinyl. I picked up a few Black Flag records on colour vinyl. Then someone told me that they were millionth press reissues, and I suddenly looked at them in a different way. They just weren't good enough anymore. I was almost embarrassed to own them because they were common as muck. So I sold them.

Fast forward to 2006. I sold an old friend's record collection for him. In the box were a couple of Black Flag LPs on colour. I was stoked to find them and kept them for myself. I also realised that it didn't matter whether these things aren't original pressings. They're still cool. So I decided to try to collect Black Flag LPs on colour vinyl. Two years later and I'm still miles away from having them all. But I'm one closer now.

"Family Man" on yellow. I never owned this record before. I disticntly remember looking at it in a shop in Camden in 1992/93. It had a sticker on the front that said "yellow vinyl". I think it was priced at about £7. For some reason I didn't want it. Probably to do with the text on the cover that says "A Spoken Word / Instrumental Record".

Picked up on eBay. Mint condition. Stoked. Distinctly unstoked about the charge from the post office though:

Six Feet Under Pre-Order Arrives

Today I received my pre-order from Six Feet Under Records that I had pretty much forgotten all about. And let it be said - never have I been so underwhelmed by a parcel of records.

First up, the final release from Justice - a 12" EP entitled "Live And Learn":

I've listened to this twice now, and in my opinion this is the best Justice release of all. Most people who used to like them probably won't like this because it carries on where the last LP left off... except the vocals don't sound so slow. It's a really good record, let down slightly by being pressed on crappy GZ vinyl and suffering from poor artwork. I mean, what the hell is that font on the cover? It looks like it was drawn by a six year old.

The next let down (literally) is the debut LP by Let Down. I've liked their previous 7"s, but an LP is almost too much to take. I played it & it bored me. It all sounds the same. Even worse, the package itself looks horrible. The cover is basically nothing. It's plain black (or maybe dark brown) with a few brown lines thrown in to jazz it up. Pretty much the poorest excuse for cover art I have ever seen. To make it worse it looks like the record itself came pre-dipped in shit:

And for some reason, someone decided that the nothingness artwork warranted a gatefold sleeve. Why the hell does every other record come in a gatefold sleeve these days? I thought gatefold sleeves were supposed to be used when you have some really cool artwork. Why use one when you don't actually have any art work? Is it because GZ offer a discount if you buy gatefolds or something? Seriously - what is the point?

I would find it hard to think of another record that looks & sounds as bland as this. Overall, a big disappointment.

Finally, a 12" by Reign Supreme. I only bought this because it's on Dead By 23 Records, who have previously had decent output and made some cool, collectable records. But on this occasion there's no art, the record comes in a disco bag, and it's pressed on crappy GZ vinyl. I played it & it sounds about as interesting as it looks.

Hopefully soon I'll get something that's actually worth getting my camera out for.

Dalek vs Blacklisted... Part II

Last week I received the Dalek vs Blacklisted picture disc, and was disappointed that there was no information included, like what songs are on the thing. Turned out that there was supposed to be a sticker on the poly sleeve which gave this information, but mine didn't have it.

Knowing that this would annoy me for the rest of my life, I emailed the dude that released it and asked if he could send me stickers. He agreed. I thought this would be something that I would never receive and have to chase multiple times. However, 5 days later (one of those being a Sunday), I get an envelope from Philadelphia (approximatly 3525 miles away) through my door. What fantastic service!

So that's one less thing in life to worry about then. Cool.

Green Bane 7"

In 1997 Bane released the "Free To Think, Free To Be" 7" on Life Records. This came on black vinyl, and on yellow vinyl. It was then re-pressed in 2002/3 on clear green vinyl.

Today I received a previously unheard of (by me) variation of the green vinyl repress. It is on an opaque green rather than a clear green:

I wouldn't usually post pictures of things I didn't receive in the mail, but today is an exception, since it I need to show the variation between this record and the regular, clear green version:

So how many of these exist? Is this a known variation, or does the label not even know about it? Hopefully Dalbec can shed some light on this one...

Random 7" Day

Today I received an eBay purchase from some dude containing:

Lament 7" (Inner Journey Records) - Blue vinyl
Let Down 1st 7" (Doppelganger Records) - Grey vinyl
Purpose 7" (Special Forces Records) - Blue vinyl

I've photographed and listed them alphabetically, but that also appears the order of how good they are too. Lament is easily the best & most interesting of the three. A really good NYHC record from 1991. It probably somehow sounds better today than it did when it came out. I haven't listened to the Purpose 7" in a long long time, and it sounds worse than I remember it. Pretty dull stuff really. The Let Down 7" is kinda middle of the road. Not as good as their DB23 7". So Lament wins. But remember - life is not a competition.

Yeah, right...

Down To Nothing

In my continued quest to own every piece of Revelation Records colour vinyl, I picked up a couple of versions of one of the latest releases... the Down To Nothing "Unbreakable" LP:

Good to see that Revelation have once again continued to not use GZ or Pirates Press or whatever that crap pressing plant is. It's also good that the vinyl colours are kind of in keeping with the art work, implying that someone actually gave it some thought. I wonder if I'll ever actually play either of these records? In fact, I know the answer to that already. Of course I won't. What would be the point?

Even After 13 Years He's Still Not Coming Back

I lived in Leeds from 1993 to 2006. That's thirteen years. Somehow Piebald seemed to know that this was going to happen way back in 1997, and they wrote a record about it. "Even After Thirteen Years He's Still Not Coming Back". Third pressing (I think) on clear blue vinyl, although if I could make the Hydrahead website work I'd know for sure:

I got this from some dude called Brian Murphy. There was a note inside the package that simply said "HYE?". Well, Brian, since you asked, it's pretty damn good, thank you. It's also 13 years old now. Yep... another reference to 13 years. Somehow this record seems to be the soundtrack to my life. Crazy.

Saves The Day

It only just occurred to me how gay it is to admit that I still like Saves The Day in 2008, let alone that I still have an interest in buying their records. Fuck. Anyway, I just picked up the latest album. There are a few different colour vinyl variations floating around on ebay. I managed to get the second rarest one, the opaque purple pressing:


It's numbered out of 50 on the plastic sleeve (seems like a stupid place to number it if you ask me):

Dalek vs Blacklisted

Weird one this. No idea what's going on. Dalek vs Blacklisted. Dalek is (apparently) "New York's famed artist and illustrator". I never heard of him... but then again, I don't live in New York, and I don't really have an interest in the art of space monkeys or whatever this dude does. But someone somewhere decided to make a record which has 4 Blacklisted songs on it, and then plaster Dalek's artwork all over it:

The weird thing is that there is no text whatsoever on this record. Not a single word of printed or written word anywhere. So quite how anyone is supposed to know this is a Blacklisted record I don't know. Or even what songs are on it.

Having said that, if you go to the website of the place that put it out (http://www.smyrskicreative.com/dvb/dalekvsblacklisted.htm), it seems it is supposed to have some kind of sticker on the front giving this information. Pity mine doesn't have it. It's probably going to piss me off for the rest of my life.

Rot In Hell... again

Nearly forgot this one... the ROT IN HELL demo 7" with the limited sleeve. I picked this one up on Friday in London at the Integrity show. Not sure how many exist. I think Mike said 35, or maybe 55. Whatever.

Brotherhood

I know someone who claimed to own it, but I'd never seen it - a Brotherhood 7" with an acetate sleeve. I made offers for it before & he turned them down. But everyone breaks over time. So I tried again & he accepted, and now it's mine.The sleeve is a little tatty at the top, but I can overlook that.

Here's the cover with the acetate on top:

And here's the acetate next to the cover:

And finally, a shot with the record thrown in:

I don't know anyone else who has this, or who has even seen this before. If anyone knows anything please let me know.

Rot In Hell

Pretty much the only current UK band that I am half-arsed about right now is ROT IN HELL. Heavily influenced by Integrity, who have been one of my favourite bands for about 15 years now, they've just had two 7"s come out. I just got both in the mail.

First, a split with Brain Dead:

I have another Brain Dead 7" and I like them. First time I saw them live, I asked the dude next to me what they were called, and I thought he said "GRIND EGG". I still think that would be a better name, but nevermind. Anyway, the 7" is good. The Rot In Hell songs win it for me hands down. They sound like Integrity circa 'Systems Overload'. The only thing wrong with this record is the picture of Ian Brown on the label. I never liked The Stone Roses or Ian Brown... although I did see him in London one day when I was specifically shopping for Stone Roses records to trade with a guy from IN MY EYES. But that's a different story...

Next, the "Sins Of Malice" 7", which is (I think) the demo plus an extra song. The packaging for this one is amazing. Someone's really put a lot of time into making these...

Front cover:

Back cover:

Record in dust sleeve:

Record b-side:

Numbered dust sleeve:

Check the band's myspace page:

http://www.myspace.com/mintlikeboardy

Thanks Bez!

My friend Bez decided to sell his entire collection a couple of weeks ago in order to fund a trip to the States, Europe and some other places. I picked up a couple of bits & bobs...

A couple of 7"s from the 1999 Hydrahead era (although neither are actually on Hydrahead):

Dillinger Escape Plan 1st 7" on Relapse, on gold vinyl - I also have this on a dirty purple colour that I think I got from Tre McCarthy or Aaron Dalbec circa 7 years ago not long after I first met them. This band is so utterly shit nowadays that I can't believe it, but the first 7" and LP still blow my mind. Looking at the back cover of this record though, this appears to be a 2004 repress. Balls.

Cave In / Children 7" on white - This was pressed by some French label. I never bought it when it came out because the Cave In song is on an LP, and also because the band Children are French and I wasn't interested in hearing them. Nine years later, I'm still not interested in hearing them. Their name is way to crap to warrant two minutes of my time. The cover of this record is pretty rad though. Silver foil Cave In logo looks good.

Next up, a couple of LPs that I already have in one form or another:

Paint It Black "Paradise" LP on green vinyl - I already have this, but my copy came in the mail with a bent up sleeve. So I'll either trade that one away or sell it on eBay at some point. But I like how the one I got today has some black marks in the vinyl. Cool.

Piebald "If It Weren't For Venetian Blinds It Would Be Curtains For Us All" LP on blue - I got this when it came out on white, and I then picked up a cheap one on clear. But I never got the blue one. Recently I decided I needed to fill the holes in my Piebald collection, and this was an obvious omission. I like this album a lot, although not as much as their first LP, which ranks up there as one of my all time favourites. I met these guys when they toured back in 2001, and they were super nice. I met them again just over a year later when they supported Movielife and they were dicks. Although, having said that, Luke Garro was in them at that point, and he was stoked to look through my record collection. Shame I didn't actually know he used to be in Fastbreak & In My Eyes until about two years later. If I'd have known at the time I would have made sure he sent me some good records in the mail.

Street Trash

Street Trash "Into The Wasteland" LP:

I enjoyed the 7" on My War Records a few years ago. But this LP is difficult to like. Musically I'm into it. But the record itself is a great example of why getting vinyl pressed at GZ is a bad move. The vinyl is the standard crappy splatter that GZ specialise in, so that your record looks like something a five year old would come up with if given two pots of paint. The sleeve is super thin, flimsy card that goes all limp in your hand. Even worse, it's bright pink. Oh yeah, and the insert was made on a photocopier, which I also hate, since it means its likely to stick to the sleeve at some point in the future. All in all, this thing sounds alright, but looks about as attractive as a dog that just got run over by an eighteen wheeler.

Blind Spot

Blind Spot "All This Hate" 7" on Conversion Records. I've owned this record for about fifteen years, and probably haven't listened to it since the day I bought it. My memory of it was that it was crappy. But I stumbled on this red vinyl pressing on eBay recently (my other one is blue), put in a low bid and won. I played it and it's probably worse than I remember. The drums are too high in the mix, the guitars too low, and the vocals are terrible. I will probably never listen to this again.

Youth Of Togay

I picked up the Youth Of Togay "Tossed Salad Days" LP:
Funnily enough, it was actually put out by a UK label. The vinyl is of medium quality. Better looking than the GZ product, but is a little rought around the edges (literally!).
The album itself is pretty interesting. A mix of original songs and gay parodies of several other well known hardcore songs. So we get "Banned in Tennessee" (Bad Brains), and "Get Gay!" (Get Real), as well as homosexual versions of songs by Righteous Jams, Youth Of Today, Slapshot, Champion, Project X and Mental.
The thing this has in its favour is that these dudes really are gay and are not just homophobic idiots making a joke record. Although, whether it's supposed to be a joke record or a serious record I'm not sure. Regardless, it held my attention for more than 5 minutes, which a lot of bands fail to do these days.

3 Parcels

Today I got three parcels. The first was an order from Dead & Gone Records distro where I picked up some new(ish) releases:

I'm pleased that Revelation seem to have stopped getting their records pressed by GZ. Hopefully more labels will follow their lead.

The other two parcels were eBay wins:

The Unbroken 7" is a repress. There was no lyric sheet included, which annoyed me.

Lights Out, RZL DZL, Tarpit

Today I got three 7"s that I won from some dude on eBay a couple of weeks ago:

Lights Out 7" on Youngblood, with the Posi Numbers 2004 sleeve (#65/170)

RZL DZL 'Demo Revisited' 7" on Lockin' Out on gold vinyl
Tarpit 'Wake Up' 7" on Collapse Records, with a California Tour sleeve (out of 60, apparently)

Man, Tarpit are so good. I need to go put this stuff on my ipod...

Cross My Heart

I've had this LP for a few years now. The band is an emo rock kinda band, and the record came out in about 1999 on the Dim Mak label (owned by some dude called Steve Aoki, who is now some kind of millionaire DJ fashion type). I noticed the blue vinyl one on ebay a couple of weeks ago, put in a low bid, and won. Then the seller emailed me and asked if I would be interested in the clear vinyl one too. It was pretty cheap so I took it.

Here's some close ups that show the numbering: