A clear night for a Knife Fight

I remember ordering the first Knife Fight 7" direct from My War records back when it came out. I also remember how disappointed I was that there was no colour vinyl. The label is long since dead and the website & discography are gone, but I am sure that the only limited version was one with a printed inner sleeve. If my memory serves me correctly, I think the first 50 or so had a picture printed on the reverse side of the sleeve. I didn't get one though, despite pre-ordering it right away. Typical.

Anyway, a couple of years ago, I was surfing eBay and came across a clear vinyl copy. I was puzzled. I mean, this was way after after the label had folded, so it didn't seem possible that it could be a newish repress. So I assumed that either it was a 'friends' press type deal from the original first press from 2003, or a very limited repress from maybe a year after the record came out. But I had no idea & am just speculating. I didn't win the one a couple of years ago, but I did finally track one down a couple of weeks ago:

The sleeve of this one also features a nice touch which makes it different to my black vinyl copy. The teeth on the animal (which I now think is a dog, although until about two weeks ago I was under the impression that it was a bear) are coloured in red:

I regard this 7" as pretty much flawless. A great hardcore 7". Ten songs in about seven minutes, and they all rip. I missed the chance to see them play in the UK in about 2004 because my brother was staying with me for the weekend, he doesn't like hardcore, and I thought it unfair to make him go to the 1in12 Club in Bradford and watch bands he would hate for a few hours. Despite saying that though, I now wish I had made him go. Balls.

Well anyway, when I searched for 'Knife Fight' on eBay in search of this 7" that I subsequently won, I also found someone selling a copy of the LP on clear. At least, I think it's an LP, although it may technically be an EP. I don't know. I'm also not sure it really matters. But I never owned this before and I don't know anything about it. I did see one of these on eBay once but it sold for about $40, so I was pretty happy to win this one for only $12.50.

I never heard this before, but so far I am a bit disappointed by it. It sounds like a different band to the first 7", but not in a good way. I can only hope that this one will grow on me in time, because I really want to like it. I also really want the mp3's, as I'd like to listen to it as I ride my bike to work. If someone could help me out there, it would be appreciated.

Oh yeah... and if anyone knows anything about the pressing info on either of these things, please let me know. I'm curious.

Sinking Ships 7"... again

When I ordered the Sick Of It All 7" from Revelation a few weeks back, I looked around to see what else I could get thrown in to the parcel. It just didn't seem right placing an order with Rev for one 7". I decided to pick up the latest piece of Rev colour wax that my collection was missing... the Sinking Ships 'Ten' 7" on yellow. This is the third pressing out of 328 copies:

A day or two before this showed up, another copy of the same record has also landed on my doormat that I had procured via eBay for a very cheap buy it now price:

The black vinyl is actually the rarest colour of this 7", and is limited to a Chung King-esque 110 copies. My copy has no insert, which has seriously annoyed me. Well, maybe not seriously. More like slightly.

Somehow I now own six copies of this thing. SIX! Sometimes I wonder just how many versions of a record Revelation could put out before I would stop. (Note - if anyone from Revelation is reading, please do not decide to test this)

Let Down 7" = Annoying

When Six Feet Under Records put a whole host of stuff up on eBay recently, I ended up watching about thirty things. But in the end, most were going for more than I wanted to pay, so I ended up bidding on (and winning) only one item... a variant of the Let Down 7" on Dead By 23 Records that I didn't previously have. According to the auction, this is "one of 50 gold ink screened covers sent out to preorder customers":

As you can see, the 7" itself comes in a black envelope with the Dead By 23 logo printed on in gold ink. It looks nice. Also, for those of you who haven't seen this 7" before, the cover unfolds into a cool picture, as shown here:

As much as I like collecting records, and cool packaging, this one annoys me. Why? Because the record is sealed in the envelope!

I have no intention of opening this. It's stuck down firmly and the only way to open the envelope would be to tear it, which would clearly ruin it, and which clearly wouldn't be right. But at the same time, not being able to play a record is also clearly not right. How goddamn annoying!

Iron Age LP Test

I was tidying up the other day and realised that I had completely forgotten about something I picked up a few weeks ago. But you know what they say - better late than never.

This is a test press of the Iron Age 'The Sleeping Eye' LP. This is a test press of the UK version, released by Full Tilt World records, numbered out of ten:

As you can see, there's no sleeve for this one - it just comes in the paper dust sleeve. However, I picked this up when I picked up a batch of the clear vinyl ones, and one of those clear ones was wrecked - the package had been dropped (not by me) and one of them had been scuffed on the floor, as you can see here:

It's a shame, but this can't be salvaged. I'm going to have to bin it. But in a way it helped, because it left me with a spare sleeve, which I decided to use to house the test:

Ok, so it may not be technically correct to keep the test in a sleeve that it didn't come in, but I'd rather put it in something.

At the same time, I also picked up two copies of the UK pressing on black vinyl:

This one features slightly different artwork to the US pressings. The back of the sleeve is different, being more zoomed in on the rocks and showing less sky. It also features song titles, which the other versions do not:

Here's the back of the original US pressing as a comparison so you can see what I am talking about:

The first fifty UK black copies also came with the poster, but one that is printed on thin, glossy paper. These posters are numbered out of 50. I think these were for pre-orders.

I have a spare black vinyl copy if anyone wants it. I also still have one spare of the clear vinyl too numbered out of 100 (see HERE). Get in touch if interested.

Test Press Stress

I've had these two records for a few weeks now. I figure I should get round to posting them, even though I don't have too much to say.

First up, a test press of Quarterstick Records number 1:

For those who don't instantly know record label catalog numbers, this is a test of the Pegboy 'Three Chord Monte' 12" EP. Here it is shown with the regular version:

The dude who I got this from has been selling loads of these one after the other. They mainly sold for somewhere in the region of $50-80. However, this one I won for $20. I guess there were only about 8 people in the world who wanted this, and the other 7 all wanted it much more than I did, but once they all managed to get one there was only me left to grab this one. Worked out well.

Next, a test press of Quarterstick Records number 7:

This is a test of what is (in my opinion) the best Pegboy record, the 'Strong Reaction' LP. Here it is with the regular version:

Now, some nerdery. Notice how the two tests have completely different labels. One has blank labels, the other has Rainbo Records labels:

Well, this pissed me off. Firstly, the 'Strong Reaction' test was obviously pressed in the States, since it has the Rainbo Records labels. However, my regular version of this LP has a completely different matrix to the test. So my conclusion is that my regular version of the record is some crappy euro pressing. This theory is reaffirmed by the fact that it has a London address and the words 'Made In France' written on the back of the sleeve:

Thus, problem number one is that I want a US pressing of this LP now, so that I have a test press and regular pressing that match. I don't want this stupid french bootleg crap. Can anyone in the States tell me whether the back of the sleeve of their record even has the London address at all?

Next up, the 'Three Chord Monte' test is a perfect match for the regular pressing of the record that I have. The matrix matches and everything. However, my regular record also has a UK address on the back. So this kinda suggests that I have a test of the euro pressing rather than the US pressing (although I admit that I am assuming that there are two different pressings at all). Can anyone in the States tell me if their version of the record has the London address on the back of the sleeve? Anyway, problem number two is that I suspect that I have a test press of a crappy euro bootleg version and also a regular version of the crappy euro bootleg to match, neither of which I want. I want the proper US versions.

Fuck, why is it that buying records seems only to cause stress these days? I buy two records and the only affect is that it pisses me off because it makes me want to buy three more. Urgh. Never satisfied.

Dead & Gone Records R.I.P.

As you may or may not know, Dead & Gone Records is being wound down after about ten years of trading, so Ian took the opportunity to book a final show with some of the bands that D&G have released. Ironclad, Cold Snap, Deal With It, Down & Outs, Death Is Not Glamorous, Justice, and Dirty Money played. This show was also the final appearance of Dirty Money, who seem to have achieved quite a lot (for a UK band) in their relatively short lifetime.

Inevitably there was going to be limited records available at the show, and it seemed quite likely that I was going to pick them up. At first I was a bit disappointed, because I already owned most of the records on sale, and I didn't particularly want to buy them again. However, I got a good deal of £15 for four records (two LPs and two 7"s), so it didn't really matter too much that I was being suckered into buying stuff again that I already had. Plus, if I hadn't have bought records the money would have most likely just gone on a burger or something.

The first disc is the Justice 'Breakout Demo' 7". This is a new release in the D&G catalog (being D&G 40), although (obviously) it's not a new recording. There are only 325 copies of this thing:

There were also three releases from the D&G catalogue being sold with limited "D&G R.I.P." covers. These were limited to 65 copies each. Each one comes with a new overlay sleeve featuring the artwork of Michiel Walrave. First up, the Death Is Not Glamorous 'Soft Clicks' LP. I didn't previously own this, as the band don't really excite me. But given that it was part of the set of three last show covers, I couldn't exactly leave it. You know what it's like - got to have the set.

Next up is the Deal With It 'End Time Prophecies' LP. Good idea to hide the original artwork for this thing, seeing as it's pretty much the worst record cover of all time.

And finally, the Iron Age 'The Way Is Narrow' 7". I only own the Painkiller version of this, and didn't have a D&G version. So this is a nice one to have. I was also pretty lucky with this one and got a cool number:

Justice were also selling a numbered record and, like a fool, I got sucked in. I knew I would end up buying it even though I didn't really want to, and now I have it I wish I hadn't bought it. This is a weird one. This "release" is two records put inside a gatefold sleeve - a 12" black vinyl copy of the self-titled (aka 'Elephant Skin') LP, and a black vinyl copy of the 'Look Alive' 7". I'm slightly annoyed with myself for buying this one as it seems like one of the most blatant piss-takes of all time. I'm guessing that they had a bunch of LPs and 7"s left over and decided to make up a new gatefold sleeve to put them in so that fools like me would buy them. And you know what? Their idiotic plan worked. But goddamnit, I am not happy with myself for doing so. I feel conned. I guess I need to start asking myself what the fuck I am doing buying some of this crap.

Finally, here's a clip of the first two songs from the Dirty Money set. I shot it with my crappy point & click camera. It's not the greatest quality, partly due to me getting shoved about at the start, but hopefully this captures the energy present at the show. I don't think I have ever seen a UK band get a reception like this in all my years. Impressive stuff.

SOIA RSD 7" (Rev 200)

In a previous post two months ago, I wrote about two Shook Ones LPs I had just bought, which I thought took me to owning 199 pieces of Revelation vinyl. I was then wondering what my 200th would be. However, I made a mistake. I checked my collection spreadsheet, and I had 197 INCLUDING the two Shook Ones LPs. So I still only had 197 Revelation records. However, regardless of whether it was previously 197 or 199, I now know what my 200th is. And I am proud to say that it's a good one...

As I am sure everyone who reads this blog knows by now, Revelation Records re-pressed the classic Sick Of It All 7" for Record Store Day 2010. For those who don't know, Record Store Day is an annual event, on which day independent record stores get sent limited edition, specially made records. The whole point of this, presumably, is to encourage people to buy from independent record stores to help keep them alive, although in my mind the whole concept is flawed by the fact that it only happens once a year. I mean, is one day a year of bumper sales significant enough to keep record stores alive? I very much doubt it. Record store day should happen monthly in my opinion.

Anyway, there aren't really any good record stores near me. And I checked the release schedule for Record Store Day 2010, and there was only really a couple of things that I wanted - the Sick Of It All 7" and the Soundgarden 7". And I didn't realistically expect that anywhere in the UK would get these things anyway. So I couldn't even be arsed to go to any stores on the day to try to get anything. I thought it would be a waste of time. Instead, I just figured I would take my chances and see if I could get these things by other means...

That said, admittedly I didn't exactly do a lot. I asked Mike if he would keep an eye out for the SOIA 7" for me. I knew he was going out on a record store day hunt, and I knew he'd be on the lookout for a SOIA 7" for himself. So I figured he'd be the best person to ask. The only risk was that he would find only one copy of the record, or only be allowed to buy one copy, which would mean that I would miss out. But hey, that seemed fair enough to me, given that I had no plan b.

Well, record store day came around, and wouldn't you know it, but I got lucky… twice. First up, I got an email from my good friend Mark. I had just sent him a couple of records in the mail, and he was getting in touch to let me know that he had been out on a Record Store Day hunt and managed to pick up a spare Sick Of It All 7". He was asking if I wanted it. Of course I did! Even though I had asked Mike to get me one, I had to say yes to Mark's offer in case Mike wasn't able to get one for me. But now I had one guaranteed. Cool. Only a couple of hours later though, I got an email from Mike to let me know that he was also able to get me one. This meant that I now had two. Suddenly I felt bad. I mean, I had two records whereas a lot of people didn't even get one. But then I realised that no, I didn't have two records at all. In fact, I didn't have any. What I had was two emails from two people saying that they each had a record for me, which is actually quite different. I mean, just because I tell you I have a million dollars for you, you don't go out and buy yourself ten Chung Kings and a Ferrari. You wait 'til you have the money in your hand or it doesn't count. Similarly, at this point, for all I knew the postal system could fuck me over and I might get nothing. So until that barrier was overcome I didn't actually have anything at all. Still, I remained optimistic, and (assuming that the postal system would not present a problem) it seemed that my 'staying in' gamble had paid off. I was stoked.

However, before I had a chance to receive anything in the mail, the worst happened. I tuned in to the Livewire board and found out that there were 4 different versions of the damn SOIA 7"! A few hours before, I was over the moon knowing that I had managed to get one of these things at all. But all of a sudden, this wasn't enough, especially for a seasoned Revelation collector like me. If there were four, I wanted four, not one. From the photos people were posting, it seemed that the vinyl was a completely new pressing, but the covers and inserts were all just leftovers accumulated over the years from various different pressings. It all seemed a bit random. But, understandably, people started to go mental and copies started to go up on eBay, and were selling for what I considered to be too much money. So I figured that I was probably going to be searching for these things for a long time, until the initial fuss died down and the prices returned to realistic levels. Kinda like that Gorilla Biscuits tour 7" from 2006 or whenever, if you remember that saga, ha!

Here's the pressing info that subsequently surfaced:

7th press : 555 clear vinyl (Record Store Day 2010) These were pressed for Record Store Day 2010 and we used the 45rpm plates from the first pressing's mastering and some old leftover print that we had in the vault. The labels were printed using the original artwork from one of the earlier 45 rpm pressings. Here's the breakdown:
- 293 old fold-over covers with band name in red and old insert
- 150 new glued, non-glossy covers and 1997 insert
- 83 old fold-over covers with band name in black and old insert
- 29 old glued, high-gloss covers and old insert

So anyway, the first copy that arrived in my mailbox was the copy from Mike. This turned out to be one of the second most common (or third rarest) version, being out of 150 copies with a glued sleeve and the revised (smaller) insert from the 1997 reissue:

I am puzzled as to how this one is described by the label as having a 'non-glossy cover'. I would definitely describe the cover as glossy. But never mind.

Next up, I got the one from Mark. I was stoked when it turned out to be a different version to the one Mike sent me. This one has a fold-over sleeve with red lettering on the sleeve. This one turns out to be the most common version of 293 copies with the fold-over sleeve with red lettering and original (large) insert:

By this point, I was happy enough. The version with black lettering was proving to be the most in-demand, and was securing the highest prices on eBay. I'm not sure what the highest price paid for one was, but I watched one copy go for $86, and there was no way on earth I was going to pay that. So I figured two copies was good enough. Cool. Job done.

Except, of course, the story doesn't end there though. A couple of weeks ago, some kind soul posted on the Livewire board to announce that Revelation had some leftover copies in their online store. I knew these would go fast, so I didn't have time to think. In a decision that took all of one second, I decided to take my chances and order one. I placed an order, and took the opportunity to write in the comments section "If there are any left, please can I get one of the 7"s that has the band name in black lettering. THANKS!". As it turned out, I was pretty lucky to get an order in at all, as these things weren't available in Rev's store for more than about fifteen minutes before selling out. But after the order went through, it was just a case of waiting and seeing what I would get. At best, I would get the black lettering. At worst, I would get a spare of one that I already had, which I could probably trade with someone for something else.

As it turned out though, my luck held, and I got the one I wanted - the fold-over cover with black lettering, which is the second rarest out of 83 copies:

So that's that. Three out of four versions acquired without having to hit eBay. There are only 29 copies of the fourth version that I don't have, so realistically I don't plan on ever seeing one of those. But three out of four isn't bad, especially for someone who didn't exactly partake in Record Store Day.

After much consideration, I have decided that I did get very lucky with this one. But also, I'd just like to say a big THANK YOU to Mike & Mark for helping out with this one. Much appreciated, dudes!