To Justin - Tank Fer Buyin' The Record

You may or may not be aware, but Sub Pop recently repressed the three Tad 12"s that they released. I'm trying to avoid represses as far as possible these days, so didn't bother, but it made me realise a couple of things - firstly, that I hadn't ever heard the Tad LPs that came out after they left Sub Pop, and secondly, that I didn't own a copy of the 'Salt Lick' 12". So I set about changing the situation. To start I downloaded the major label LPs that I'd never heard, and right off the bat, they clicked. I then couldn't stop listening to them. Then I started looking for a reasonably priced copy of the 'Salt Lick' EP, which wasn't too much of a challenge.

Surprisingly, for an early Sub Pop release, there was no limited pressing for this record. Just black vinyl. Well, until last month when it finally got pressed on colour wax for the first time.

Well, because I also wanted the major label LPs, which aren't actually that easy to find, I set up a saved search on eBay for 'Tad'. And a couple of weeks ago, that came up with a couple of very interesting finds. I was just about to go to bed when I checked eBay and found a couple of Tad test pressings listed (along with the Dinosaur Jr test that I posted about a few days ago). So that was that. Buy it now mania kicked in.

The first test press was for the 'Loser / Cooking With Gas' 7". This one comes on clear vinyl with a hand written label on one side.

After buying the test I decided I needed a regular copy of this 7". So I looked around eBay and discogs. I used to own a copy of this 7" back in 1992 or so, but sold it probably 20 years ago. It was on pale blue vinyl. Just my luck, that now turns out to be the rare colour of this record, and I couldn't find another one for sale at a good price. But I did manage to grab a green vinyl copy.

When this arrived I was showing my other half, and she noticed something that I had missed - the sleeve is signed on the back. I'm not really fussed about this kind of thing, but I guess it's kinda cool as the seller didn't mention it. Maybe he didn't even know it was there himself?

The second test press I scored from the eBay seller was for the 'Jinx' 7". This one comes on clear red vinyl.

And in a weird twist of fate, at the same time I bought the test press, someone else in the UK was selling a spare sleeve for this record. It was only £0.99, so I figured I'd pick it up as a place to store the record.

So a pretty cool coincidence that worked out well.

And again, after picking up the test, I figured I'd buy the other versions of the record. I mean, if you have a test, you have to have a full set, right? I was able to find all three colours of this one on discogs pretty easily. Two of them came from the seller who had the green 'Loser' 7" above. So I managed to negotiate an even better price.

The first copy is the most common colour, which is a solid yellow vinyl. I used to own this one back in the early 90s. So, it would seem, did someone called Justin who saw fit to get it signed right across the front cover. I can't even read what the writing says. It either says 'Thnx' or possibly 'Tank'. I'm not sure which is the stupider thing to write.

Interestingly, the photo of the band on the back cover of this 7" became the front cover for the band's second album '8 Way Santa' after the original cover was banned. Anyway, next up is a light blue vinyl copy of the same record. This one is tougher to find that the yellow.

And finally, a purple vinyl copy. I also used to own one of these years ago, but I sent it to a friend for his birthday. What I remember is that my friends and I always used to write dumb shit on the envelopes of stuff we'd send each other, and when I sent him this record I wrote 'Do not fucking bend!' on there. Well, the postman didn't take too kindly to that. Apparently he knocked on my friend's door and informed him that if anything similar was written on stuff in future, it would be binned! Haha!

It doesn't end there though. After I bought those tests, I emailed the seller to see if he had anything else that he hadn't got around to listing yet. And wouldn't you know it, there was another Tad test. So I made a deal. This one is for the infamous 'Jack Pepsi' 7":

And again, getting the test meant that I wanted a regular copy of this record. And again, discogs delivered, for only £2 (plus postage). As it turns out, this record was a promotional record issued in a plain white paper sleeve on black vinyl, so it's not overly sought after.

And still there's more. Because when looking on discogs, I also picked up another, later 7". And again, I used to own this one way back in a different lifetime. This is the 'Salem' 7", which came on both blue and black vinyl. There were quite a lot made, so it was also pretty cheap.

So that's that. Kinda funny to think that two weeks ago I only owned two Tad records, being their two LPs on Sub Pop. And in a few days I've added nine 7"s and a 12". It's been a cool journey though as I've been listening to these songs for the first time in years, and watching some old live footage on youtube. Next up I need those major label LPs, and the first two 7"s. You know how it is - always gotta have something to aim for...

Nowhere

It's been a little over two years since I downloaded and started listening to the first Ride LP. I had friends at school in the early 90s who all liked this band, but at the time I didn't. But for some reason, in 2014 I decided to check the record out and found myself enjoying it. I wanted to pick up the record but was holding out for a copy at a fair price with the original sticker still intact. Two and a bit years later, I crossed it off the list.

The sticker says 'This sticker is removeable' underneath the title. Makes me wonder how many people took this as an instruction or advice, or removed it. I've seen a lot of copies in the last couple of years without the sticker, but being anal about these things, this sticker was essential for me, so I'm stoked to have finally found a copy.

Even though I was never a fan of this record when it came out and my friends all loved it, I always liked the awesome cover art, which has since become pretty iconic. Less is definitely more.

Better Than Gone

Last week I was in the process of going to bed when I realised that I hadn't checked eBay for a few days, so figured I would have a quick look. Perhaps it was fate, but only a couple of minutes previous someone had listed a couple of test pressings for some old Sub Pop Records releases. My eyes nearly popped out of me head and, even better, these things were being sold by someone in the UK, meaning a less risky shipping process. I couldn't hit the BIN button fast enough.

Although this isn't much to look at, there are some records that I thought I would never own, and this is one. Great band, great record and a great version that I'm sure lots of people would be willing to fight over. Fortunately it didn't come to that. Anyway, you know how it is - the best way to celebrate is of course to take an updated collection photo:

It's funny, but it was almost five years ago to the day that I picked up the purple vinyl copy. There were apparently 10,000 copies on white vinyl but only 200 on purple. Well, that's the official story, although there are also some clear pink copies too. And whilst there are no official numbers on the test press, it doesn't really matter.

More Sub Pop records to come soon...

Deathly Fighter

Issue #143 of Decidel magazine, which came out in September this year, came with a 'free' (if you paid $6 for the magazine) Integrity flexi. It featured one song, a cover of 'Deathly Fighter', which is a song by the Japanese band R.U.G. (Randy Uchida Group). Randy used to play guitar in G.I.S.M. who were a pretty big influence on Integrity, so it all kinda makes sense.

Well, I had pretty much zero intention of buying the magazine as I'm not really a magazine person, so I went about trying to get a copy from somewhere else. As it turns out, I ended up with a test press in hand drawn sleeve. I have to say, as far as flexi discs go, it looks pretty cool.

As well as this, there were 100 copies that came in a sleeve, made for This Is Hardcore 2016. Other than that, the only copies that exist are the magazine freebie copies that come without sleeve.

Seasons

So the third Black Friday release that I picked up a couple of weeks back was this reissue of the 1997 LP from Integrity, 'Seasons In The Size Of Days'. Organized Crime Records have just reissued it on white vinyl. I think there were 700 copies made.

The original LP came in a regular sleeve, but this reissue is a gatefold. However, I haven't opened it as that would involve taking the shrink wrap off, which I didn't really want to do.

So this was a good reminder that a few weeks ago I received a test press of this one. I've somewhat got out of the blog habit this year due to lack of records, so picking up the Black Friday copy was a good reminder to take some photos of the few things I have received recently before the year ends. This test has a sleeve handmade by Dwid:

Here's the test sleeve next to the original 1997 LP cover:

And the back of the sleeve, which features the same art as the insert to the original release:

Digging out the original LP from my collection I found it had a press release sheet inside. I think this was because I did a zine back then and got sent Victory promo CDs. Anyway, I took a photo and figured I would upload it in case anyone was interested:

Life Of Mud

On my weekend trip last weekend I also picked up a couple of used records from a dude who was selling a collection. Dude was selling a bunch of hardcore stuff from the late 80s & early 90s, although most of it I already had, and it was priced to sell on discogs, so not really any bargains to be had.

It's only about a year and a half since I first heard Life Of Agony. In that time I managed to buy an original pressing of their first LP, and see them play live. And now I've managed to pick up an almost mint condition copy of their second LP, 'Ugly' too.

This LP has a printed inner sleeve, which is completely free from rips or tears.

I'm not sure how this LP was received back when it came out. I would guess it wasn't as well received as the first LP due to some of the songs being a little more personal. It took me a little longer to get into, but it's still a great album without a doubt.

The second record I picked up was a Mudhoney 7". Hardly a surprise as I've been on a bit of a Sub Pop trip lately. This copy of the 'You Got It' 7" is on black vinyl, which I wouldn't usually bother with, but this copy comes with the first press sleeve, denoted by the live photo printed on the inside.

I imagine they had a lot of fun the day they caked themselves in mud for the cover shot, although I imagine they also received some funny looks and, probably, some verbal abuse. I mean, that's not exactly a good look for going into town is it?

Black Saturday

I went to see Infest last Saturday in my old stomping ground of Leeds. Whilst there I found myself in an actual record store, and you know how it goes... when you find yourself in a physical store holding actual records, there's a law that you can't walk out without taking some with you. And even though I've grown tired on the Revelation repress game this year, I couldn't help but purchase the two releases that they cranked out in celebration of Black Friday.

The first repress was the third (aka worst) LP by Elliott, 'Song In The Air'. This one comes on a yellow with black swirl color vinyl:

The second repress was a green vinyl pressing of the 'Generations' compilation that came out in 2005. This LP was a solid release when it came out, and features a lot of the best bands of the era, although for some reason is a pretty forgettable record. Still, good to see that they finally had the sense to press it on the most natural choice of colour.

And nothing to do with Black Friday, but there was a sale section of the shop, and I found this purple vinyl copy of the Ignite 'Past Our Means' 12" in there. This one was pressed with an additional song on the end (the Bad Brains cover from the split 7" with Good Riddance that Rev also released).

I have mixed thoughts on these things. In the store they somehow stood out as records that I wanted, but then as soon as I got home I felt like I got suckered (again) into wasting more money on three records that I already own. And even though I have said this before, this time I mean it - I'm not sure I can play this game any more.

Scraps

I haven't added to my Dead By 23 collection for a while, but when I found a couple of copies of The Heist / Scraps And Heart Attacks 7" that I didn't have, it was an easy choice to grab them. I mean, let's be honest, why would you want to settle for five copies of the same record when you can have seven?

I was never really sure what the score was with this 7". Some copies (like this one) have a cover where the band appears to be called The Heist, and the 7" called 'Scraps And Heart Attacks'.

And then the copies in the more glossy, full colour sleeve don't feature the name 'The Heist' at all. I read somewhere recently that the band was originally called The Heist but they had to change their name as some rap group already had that name, but this was after the records had been pressed. So the records and labels are the same on all copies, but the later covers go under the new band name.

So as I said, these mean that I now have seven copies of this record. Three white, two red, one clear and one test.

I know of at least two other versions out there that I don't have. I know they exist because I saw them sell on eBay a couple of weeks ago, but unfortunately they sold for stupid amounts of money. God only knows how long it may be until more copies surface for sale.

Sub Pop Dreams From The Hill

I got excited by some old Sub Pop releases on eBay UK last week. Some guy who has been collecting Sub Pop releases for years had decided to offload his LPs. There was an entire Mudhoney collection which went up and blew my mind, but it all sold immediately. So when the next round of stuff went up, I figured it would go, so got in quick.

Firstly, and most importantly, was one that I never thought I would own. Never. But when it appeared for sale within the UK, I just couldn't resist it. But before I show what it is, I need to give you a warning:

Kinda funny that in real life this warning sticker is next to the thing it is warning you about. It's an iconic LP, and one of my all time favourites. The Dwarves 'Blood, Guts And Pussy' LP on grey vinyl. Apparently there are only 112 of these things.

This LP also exists on pink vinyl, but that's even rarer still. I also never thought I'd own one of those, but hey... anything is possible I guess. Maybe one day...

Next is a a copy of Nirvana's 'Bleach' LP. This is some second or possibly third press copy on green marble vinyl. I've never owned a Sub Pop copy of this, and I've never been overly fussed, but this was one of those times where the colour of the vinyl itself just pulled me in. It's a pretty unique colour, and I found myself staring at it for a few days, which made me realise that I wanted it.

It's pretty scary how many different versions of 'Bleach' exist. Go to discogs and have a look. Compared to your average hardcore record (even including Turnstile!), it's insane.

The third record was significantly cheaper than the other two. This was the first 12" from Soundgarden, called 'Screaming Life EP'. I bought one of these last year but it arrived warped so I had to send it back. Cool to finally get another.

And finally, yet another copy of 'Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge' by Mudhoney. This is a kinda lame picture disc. The seller gave me this for free as I bought a few items from him. Even though I wouldn't have been too fussed about picking this up, it brings back fond memories for me. I used to own one of these years ago. It was one of the first 20 records I bought (from HMV in Southend on Sea!), although I sold my original copy years ago.

It's funny, but even though I sold a lot of my Sup Pop records years ago, I've been listening to a lot of the music from their early days again recently, and have a yearning to pick up some more records. Watch this space...

Free Be World Be Free

I've had this record for a few weeks now, and really should have posted it sooner, but taking decent pictures has proven problematic. I guess I just need to lower my standards a little and get on with it.

At the start of this year Revelation released the debut LP by World Be Free. I've posted pictures of the first press colours (green vinyl and orange vinyl) previously. But the version that everybody was (and most still are) after was the tour press, which was sold back in February on some tour they did where they sold about ten copies per show. It came in a special sleeve, inspired by the Chung King LP:

It seems that somebody forgot that the Chung King LP came on white vinyl. Unfortunately, the orange vinyl doesn't look quite as nice. However, it really doesn't matter. This thing is all about the sleeve.

I was real lucky to have someone pick one of these up for me from one of the shows back in February. However, I then got hit by the worst luck in the world as the parcel it was sent to me in went MIA. I had a lot of good records in that missing box, but for some reason this World Be Free tour press was one of the three records I was most looking forward to receiving. I just loved the look of the front cover. So I was devastated when it was lost and vanished into the ether. I knew that I would really struggle to find another, especially at a good price.

So imagine how stoked I was then when someone GAVE me this copy here. I wasn't even expecting it. When I opened the mailer, it simultaneously put a smile on my face and brought a tear to my eye that someone could be so kind, thoughtful and selfless. If my parcel going missing back in April was the low point of my year, then this was probably the high point. THANK YOU!