OUTSPOKEN - SURVIVAL EP REPRESS

So here we have a repress of the Outspoken "Survival" ep that was first issued way back in 90's when wearing new era caps meant bending the peak and also baggy shorts, pants and striped tees/sweats were all the rage! Well fast fwd to 2010 and Mr Hartsfield has reissued this rather classic 90s ep on bubble-gum pink wax. It's limited to only 77 and after having first thought I'd missed out on a copy someone posted a link to extras that were gonna be made available. I eagerly paid for the record and waited...and waited.....and waited.....and emailed....and waited.....and finally today the little fucker arrived approximately 3 months since I placed the order. Now I know New Age in the 90's had a rep for sending stuff out slowly but c'mon man it's 2010! It's not like had to wait for it to come from the pressing plant, they were already in stock!! Right, now onto the record itself...basic photocopied sleeve,nice looking wax and double sided old Walk Proud labels make this an interesting if not somewhat underwhelming reissue. As can be seen in the pics above it does say that there are only 77 copies, however I feel kinda short changed with this one as it feels like it was quickly put together at the last minute, when with a little bit of extra work it could have looked amazing, oh well just my point of view. I love Outspoken and I loved Survival when it first came out, sure it didn't invent the wheel lyrically but it was a heartfelt, sincere, powerful and a record that I will always hold in high esteem.

HANDS TIED - SELF TITLED EP

Hands Tied have reformed. I for one are happy to see one of the 90's premier youth crew revival bands back in the fold and eagerly anticipate their new ep on Livewire Records. HT are better known as Tim McMahon's first post Mouthpiece band and whereas Mouthpiece had obvious Chain/West Coast straight edge influenced jams HT are more in line with what the NY youth crew was creating. Great great record and this here version is the limited Euro tour press out of 300. I lucked out with numero 78! My one abiding HT memory was moshing it up to them at the Sheffield Corporation whilst they played a cover of Project x's Straight Edge Revenge only for me to break the strap on my highly expensive original x swatch! Luckily I was reacquainted with said watch at the end of the show and spent a bit on repair work!

TURNING POINT DISCOGRAPHY x 2 LP, CLEAR

Another youth crew reissue that basically puts the Jade Tree Records cd discography onto vinyl courtesy of Think Fast Records out of Florida. This captures every recorded output that the band did, demo, ep, lp, comp tracks and some live material added on the end of the discog. I love TP and have done for years, they aped Youth Of Today to start with then developed their own more melodic offerings in the later part of their existence. Such a shame that Skip (vox) is no longer with us and this release is a testimony to how great both he and TP were as a band. Interestingly my record is from the first press and is ltd to 200 copies only. For collector nerds like myself the rest of the press looks something like this :-
1st press:
- 14 rejected test presses
- 14 approved test presses
- 2 rejected clear
- 2 rejected white
- 2 rejected black
- 200 clear
- 300 white
- 525 black
2nd press:
- 5 test presses
- 500 orange

YOUTH OF TODAY - WE'RE NOT IN THIS ALONE LP, CLEAR PURPLE

Another classic YOT release that again was reissued and also remixed. This reissue was also in 97 and again aesthetically looks totally different to the original. The remix from the second Caroline Recs press of this is used on this version and in my eyes is the best mix. I was so stoked to hear this record when it came out back in 88 and not only did it push the sxe scene back into the limelight, it also was my first taste (pardon the pun) of vegetarianism. Thought provoking lyrics, powerful music and the incredible opening seconds of this record (weeee'rrrrrrrreeeee back!!!!!) made this an instant classic in my eyes.

AGAINST THE WALL - IDENTIFY ME EP, GREY MARBLE

One of Mike Hartsfield's (New Age Recs) many bands and boy does this one rage. Although hailing from S Cal these boys have a harder NY influenced sound mixd in with that OC SXE vibe. Released on Nemesis Records (you know the label with that horrible baseball logo), this ep comes on a grey marbled wax. Definitely a band to check out if you haven't already. Sadly Travis Hunt the drummer for ATW and later Mean Season died in an automobile accident in 2006 at the age of 34. RIP Bro.

MINOR THREAT - IN MY EYES

Here is the pressing info on this. 4000 made. First pressing (1000) on red vinyl, yellow labels, 125 of those with xerox sleeve which has the name "Gary Cousins" on it, the others have printed sleeves with "Gary Cousin". 2nd press (1000) with yellow labels and printed sleeve. 3rd press (2000) with light blue labels and heavy sleeve plus lyric sheet and sticker. Not really much to say other than if you are straight edge then this is a classic, if you are not straight edge then its still a classic. Its a classic!!!!!!! I really wish I had cool story for this record but alas it was bought off ebay for a reasonable amount. Honestly!

UNIT PRIDE - THEN AND NOW EP, CLEAR YELLOW

Highly underated late 80s youth crew band fron Berkley California. Featuring Eric Ozenne of Redemption 87 and Nerve Agents fame. I will testify that I also think that Chain Of Strength hijacked the start of Making A Difference and put it to their True Till Death tune. Seriously I defy anyone to tell me otherwise!!! Anyway 50 copies of this record came with a limited edition cover (commonly refered to as the "Calvin And Hobbes" cover or the "Jason Bush Can Suck It!" cover), hand-numbered on the back of the record cover and on the B-side label of the record. Regular copies are also hand-numbered on the inner dust sleeve (mine is 339 numbered out of 1,000) but I don't know if the two different numbering systems overlap or if they are independent of one another. There are also regular copies that came with a fold-out, live photo poster of the band in addition to the normal insert but the quantity made is unknown.

U.C.

Man I love UC, the link between Minor Threat and the second wave of straight edge bands. Everything about this record is flawless, even the ridiculous spoken word bit! I remember buying this record from Volume Records in Newcastle around 1989 and thinking that I wanted to move to Orange County, California immediately. How cool did the band look on the poster and back cover photos, I wanted to be Pat Dubar, he looked tough as fuck and someone people would listen to! Just a pity that 2 years later I got to meet the man himself at a Mindfunk (his band after UC/Unity) gig and was gutted to find that he smoked pot and looked like an ageing hippy!! Oh for those early UC days, the power, the message..the bald head!!! This record is the 1st press variant that has the yellow cover writing and huge poster. Not sure if the vinyl is from a later press as it has green labels and I've not checked anyone elses copies to see if they were yellow to match the cover.

UPFRONT - SPIRIT LP, CLEAR BLUE

I always classed Upfront as being part of the second tier of youth crew bands that didn't quite create as big a stir as the likes of Youth Of Today, GB, Chain etc...But to be fair I think this record can hold its own and is a good example of well played straight edge hardcore. I fronted a band called Break It Up which a considerable amount of people thought was named after the "bad" SSD Lp when infact it was named after an Upfront song of this Lp. The amount of times I had to correct people was unreal haha! I know that the the first press of this record was on black and had a black cover and was released in 88 whereas the 2nd and 3rd presses were released in 89 with the 2nd press sporting a red cover w/ black vinyl and the two 3rd presses having the black covers w/ both white and clear blue vinyl.

TURNING POINT - ITS ALWAYS DARKEST BEFORE THE DAWN LP (1st PRESS) COKE BOTTLE CLEAR

Who would have thought that slap bass would ever be a hit on a hardcore record and I'm not talking about hardcore bands with a funk element in their sound but rather straight up slap bass on a hardcore record. Anyway this Lp has that in abundance and is used to perfection, there you go I said it! Turning Point were a classic example of a band that started out as a full on Youth Of Today worship but over time evolved into an excellent melodic hardcore outfit.

The evolution from the demo to the bands last releases was significant and produced a plethora of like minded/sounding bands thereafter. I ordered this Lp straight from New Age when it came out along with the hand print shirt back before the internet was a major ordering tool and before labels sent out your order promptly! Anyway eagerly wanting to hear this was the only thing on my mind when I sent the cash to Mike Hartsfield and his label. Fast forward 6 months later and finally my LP arrived along with my shirt, obviously by that time I had written my $25 off as being lost in transition and had planned a boycott of everything New Age! Well that was all forgotten as I realised that I had a "rare" version of the Lp. I always wondered if I had been forgotten about and that I was sent this variation as a sorry and thanks for being patient, who knows but I got lucky thats for sure! Everything about this record is immense, aggression, melody, fast tunes, great packaging and that coke bottle clear vinyl that always looks a treat!

BROTHERHOOD - NO TOLERANCE FOR IGNORANCE EP, CLEAR RED

Seattles Brotherhood are probably more well known these days due to their non edge links than their actual music. Brotherhood where one of the later 80s straight Edge bands and formed from the ashes of False Liberty but nowadays the link is to their once guitarist Gregg Anderson, supremo of Southern Lord Records and guitarist and collaborator in evertything none edge like Sunn 0)), Goatsnake and more. This is a pretty decent record with unique vocals that has stood the test of time. The packaging and record as can be seen is of the red variety, infact maybe too much red going on in this. One variant of this record I'd like to get hold of at some stage would be the F**k Racism ltd cover on blue vinyl. I know that there are other variants of this release and that the one I have is the most common. I'll update the blog as and when I manage to score any of them.

TRUE TILL DEATH

Chain are undoubtedly one of those bands you either love or hate. Not for the music which in my eyes is flawless but due to their rumoured flakiness and posturing and the ongoing debate as to the real truth behind the lyrics to True Till Death. Is it about selling out from straight edge or the hardcore scene. I always have and always will love this band, and this although not the rarest variant of this record is an impressive looking item. Apparently Chain staged the photos on this release to make it look like they were playing an awesome gig, but in truth prolly to 10 of their mates in a practice room! Oh well they still look convincingly good.

NEW YORK CREW

JUDGE New York Crew ep is  the best straight edge hardcore ep ever bar Minor Threats two efforts. Fed Up is possibly the only song that makes me want to hurt someone when I'm listening to it! Ok so I'm being overly dramatic but this ep is vicious. Anyway originally released on Schism Records but reissued by Revelation with this 1st press of 1000. I actually like the cover and lyric sheet art, the vinyl colour doesn't exactly match but I do think it works. Just ask the Dutch football team!!!

TURNING POINT ON YELLOW AND RED

This ep rocks so much and still is a favourite of mine. Not as "Youth Of Today" as the Demo but still a hardcore rager nonetheless. Again I held a black 3rd press of this for years but managed to snag a decent trade for both of these. The story behind the Clear yellow is that it was meant to be only available for those lucky Euros that ordered the ep by mailorder. The Clear red was available as a mailorder special for everyone else I guess! Only 100 of the Clear yellow and 200 of the clear red exist which relates to how it sells on ebay. The vinyl is a bit on the thin side but definately a record to have if you love your "youth crew" core. The difference between first press and second press labels are that the firts were light blue and the second silver. Another side note is that one of the dudes who ran this label now owns Jade Tree records!

INSTED - A DOUBLE DOSE OF FRIENDSHIP

The debut Lp by the possibly the most positive band ever to have graced this fine planet of ours! Ok heres the deal, anyone that knows me knows that I love Insted and I really like this Lp. Saying that I always thought that it had been recorded on the cheap as the production is so thin and makes the Lp lose that necessary power that would make this a classic. Anyway production gripes aside, this is still an awesome Lp with catchy as hell songs and on the Dubar brothers fabled Wishingwell label. I always had a copy of this on black but since I'm a record horder managed to trade for these two limited versions. As you can see in the picture there is a white and clear red version. The white was only sold on tour by the band and has blank labels which leads me to presume that it was going to be used for promotional purposes. See the picture of the cut top right corner for more proof that this was going to be the case. The clear red was available to those that first ordered the Lp by mail and has the regular Lp labels.