Saturday 27 September 2008
POISON IDEA - PICK YOUR KING EP, CLEAR BLUE
Thursday 25 September 2008
7 SECONDS - COMMITTED FOR LIFE EP COLLECTION
I love this ep, fast, raw yet with that unmistakable 7 Seconds melodic trademark. I believe in total that there are 6 or 7 pressings of this with different colour sleeves. Not a bad number sold if 6 or 7000 are the numbers in question! The first press I have is the non glued cover on thich red card with a white lyric sheet. The label glued a few hundred of these to make "proper" sleeves but gave up and ended up with this folded sleeve which pretty much was the blueprint for all subsequent following presses. Also included with the first press variant was another insert that was a photo collage of band and friends. The other presses I have are the 2nd with a light blue paper sleeve and white lyric sheet, 4th press gold paper sleeve with red ink and salmon lyric sheet and the 6th press with the orange paper sleeve with black ink and a white lyric sheet. I think the two that I am missing are the white paper sleeve with red ink and a yellow paper sleeve with black ink, which are the 4th and 5th presses, although I stand to be corrected on that one. *Update* - At last I managed to score a 3rd press white paper with red ink copy of this so now all I need to complete this collection is the Red with black ink and 5th press on the back and the gold with red ink and 6th press on the back.....I think!!
JUDGE - NEW YORK CREW EP
1000 pressed on black w/white labels
1st press, Schism Records 2, released 1988
Check the other listing for a descriptor of this here ep. This was pride and joy of my collection for a number of years, before the concept of collecting really took hold. I knew it was a rare record but what was more important to me was how good it was. This press is the original Schism Records variant before Revelation Records got their hands on it. The labels are white (yellow for the second press) and the lyrics unlike the second press that came on a seperate lyric sheet are printed on the back of the ep cover. A killer ep! and lets hope the rumours of a Judge reunion next year are unfounded as I'd like the legacy of this band to remain intact!
Wednesday 24 September 2008
KINGS OF PUNK
CONQUEST FOR DEATH
? pressed w/ blue writing
? pressed w/ green writing
1st press, Touch and Go Records lp2 , released 1983
1st press, Aggressive Rockproduktionen Records 21, released 1984
Tuesday 23 September 2008
POWERHOUSE - SELF TITLED EP
I had to include this ep on my blog solely for the reason that it is an excellent record from a very underated and little known straight edge band. Hailing from Florida which wasn't exactly the hub of all things edge in the late 80's Powerhouse (not to be mistaken with the 90s Oakland based tough guy band!) released via New Age Records this gem. Fast youth crew inspired core that has to be heard to be fully appreciated, I just wish a label would reissue this for the todays youth to get a chance to hear it. Thick card sleeve and a huge lyric sheet plus a dust sleeve that is stamped with the pressing info. I have seen a clear blue variant of this at some stage during my constant ebay trawling.
SLAPSHOT - STEP ON IT LP, CLEAR GREEN
Ah Slapshot...what a great band, I remember catching them on their first UK tour in 1990 at Newcastles now defunct Riverside venue. This was the gig that everyone was talking about. Would Choke hit the kids with his hockey stick, would the crusty punks v local straight edge schism kick off? Well Choke did bring his stick out and unfortunately he did not hit anyone, the crusties also did not show and all in all a good time was had by all in attendance. This is a limited (if you believe the front cover sticker) variant of the 1st press of this Lp and comes in a nice clear green. The Lp dust sleeve also acts as a lyric sheet and the front cover photograph pretty much sums up this band to a tee. Hard as nails and absolutely no frills. I believe that there were 500 pressed on this colour and I have seen another variant on clear red.
Monday 22 September 2008
CHAIN OF STRENGTH - WHAT HOLDS US APART EP, MINDPOWER PRESS, YELLOW SLEVE
CHAIN OF STRENGTH - WHAT HOLDS US APART EP, CONFUSION PRESS
Chain to me was the quintessential "Youth Crew" band in my formative years, I loved everything about this band, their music, their style, their coolness. Ok so there have been an abundance of rumours and stories about the flakiness of Chain dudes but one thing you cannot fault is their musical ability, which to me has always been grade A. This ep is a weird one because it's the second press of the "non rejected" Foundation Records version of WHUA ep. I'm really not sure how many were issued with this sleeve, but the ebay price of this is getting higher each year. Apparently 1000 pieces were pressed for this second press with the majority being sold to Mindpower Records (see the other WHUA ep post) and a small number being given the "Confusion" sleeve. This variant has exactly the same Foundation small glossy lyric sheet as the Mindpower press.
Friday 19 September 2008
ADOLESCENTS - SELF TITLED LP
SOCIAL DISTORTION - MOMMY'S LITTLE MONSTER LP, GATEFOLD SLEEVE
Damn I love Social D, something about the way they blend hardcore punk and rockabilly drum beats. Every song is so catchy and as far as people I'd like to meet, Mike Ness has to be up there. That guy oozes charisma and attitude which is weird because Kevin Seconds told me that he was the most shy person he'd ever met! This variant of the record is the true 1st press that 13th Floor issued in 83, with gatefold sleeve with lyrics and photos printed on the insert. I know that the second press had a normal sleeve and the reissue done by Triple X Records came on clear vinyl.
CHRIST ON PARADE - SOUNDS OF NATURE LP, EURO TOUR PRESS
Great politically charged hardcore punk, and featuring one of the Neurosis guys. This Lp was originally released on Pusmort records in 1985. I picked this one up at a Negative Approach gig in Antwerp, Belgium in 2007 that Christ On The Parade supported at. The sleeve and lyric sheet is pretty much an exact copy of the original. The vinyl is pretty cool to, I guess Prank wanted to stay with the colour scheme on the cover when deciding on the vinyl. The major difference on this Lp is that side one is the Sounds Of Nature lp tracks and side two has tracks from Thrasher magazine's Skaterock, Vol.3 Compilation, The original, unreleased version of the "Isn't Life A Dream" 7" and an Unreleased Avengers cover. I know when this was bought there wasn't a mass rush to grab one of these so just maybe if you check with Prank they may have some spares available.
AGNOSTIC FRONT - VICTIM IN PAIN LP
Agnostic Front one of the forefathers of NYHC and a band that has released a slew of records over the years, but none better than the United Blood ep and this their debut Lp. Fast short bursts of powerful yet simplistic hardcore punk. Kinda makes me think of that old saying "hardcore is a simple music form but complicated by fools"!!! I picked this up from a friend of mine who worked in a record store and had bought a collection off some older guy. He obviously didn't know the value of the record and I wasn't going to let on so after exchanging £8, I left his house with a grin the size of his garden path fixed to my face! The cover is thick heavy stock card with the lyrics, song titles and pictures on the inner part. The bottom picture shows that infact this variant is a 2nd press as it has the logo for Important distributors directly underneath the Ratcage records logo. I could tell you a great story about how I interviewed Vinny Stigma for a fanzine I was doing in 92 and him getting his pants belt loop stuck on the door handle of the room we were in and Roger Miret having to help him off...
U.C.
Thursday 18 September 2008
DESCENDENTS - RIDE THE WILD EP
Yup the first release by the Descendents and without Milo on vocals which is a bit strange but hey this record is 28 yrs old! I got this from a local record store for £2 which again is an absolute bargain because it is a true 1st press. How do I know this you may ask, well after a bit of research I found that the first press was on Orca Records (Named after a fishing boat that one of the band members owned and fished in) and the reissue was on Orca/Pinsicato Records which was released in 1985. Its funny how for years you can scour the globe/web for great deals on rare records and not find a thing then all of a sudden some guy sells his entire collection and you find it when cash is tight or you least expect it! I guess thats the real beauty of collecting, finding something like this that is hard to find but very cheap to buy. Its a strange record that doesn't really give an indication of the path that the band would take, one side is slightly punk and the other full on surf!!
*Update* (From Lecky)
I've been trying to figure out what is going on with the Descendents 7" pressings for a while now, I've asked a lot of people but I can't get a definitive answer. First the FACTS. The cover of the first press makes no mention of any record company, it's just identical on both sides.The cover of the re-press has the Pinsicato address and "an ORCA production" on the back.The second press came out in the mid 80's, I bought a second press in 1989 from a guy called Martin who lived with me and Sean in Belmont who had it from new, it has the same centre labels as your copy on your blog (I'll explain the differences in a moment). I traded for my first press in 1992 with guy called John Abram from L.A. who said he had it since the early 80's. I trust him to have told the truth as I traded UK punk for US hardcore with him over a four year period and I never had anything from him that wasn't genuine. It has different centre labels to your copy.The differences in the centre labels are this. One of them has the same Font/Logo as the front of the sleeve(but it's a bit more bold than on the cover), the other one has the later Font/Logo which is on all their LP records. The easiest way to spot the differnce is to look at the letter "C".Both of the pressings use the same pressing tool and the vinyl is identical in every way.I have seen both of these versions of the first press sell on ebay in the last couple of years and no-one has made any note about the centre labels. Now my THEORY I think that the TRUE first pressing is the same as mine, as the Font/Logo on the sleeve match the centre labels.I also think the version you have is a second press vinyl in a first press sleeve, there are probably many copies like this (I don't think the sleeve has been faked, which would be realy easy to do, otherwise you would have had to pay a lot more for it if someone was deliberately trying to make it look like a first press). There was probably a print over-run on the 1st press sleeves and a pressing over-run on the second press vinyl, seeing as this wasn't a sought after record in the mid 80's they would have just put the extra sleeves and vinyl together to be able to sell them without printing extra sleeves. People only seem to differentiate the first and second pressings of this via the cover and totally overlook the centre labels, which I find strange given the way most other collectible records are much more closely scrutinised.
So there you have it, I now own a Descendents - Ride The Wild ep that has a first press cover and a second press vinyl. Thanks to Ian Leck (record collector and chief analyst extraordinaire!)
LOST CAUSE - SELF TITLED EP, CLEAR RED
I picked this up in a bargain bin in a local record store not so long ago. I kinda knew who the band were through name only but had never heard them. Being a fan of everything early 80s and KBD stuff in general I paid the £2 for it and took it home eagerly anticipating something great. To be honest its good but by no means a classic, nice melodic, simple early 80s west coast hardcore punk from Los Angeles, nothing flash just consistent. Kinda flimsy paper cover that unfortunately was sellotaped down both sides and a really thick clear red vinyl, but no lyric sheet. Not even sure if it was issued with one!
NEGATIVE FX - SELF TITLED LP, TEST PRESS
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES - SELF TITLED LP
CITIZENS PATROL - DEAD CHILDREN EP, CLEAR RED
Second release by this raging dutch band and again its on No Way Records, which is possibly in my opinion releasing some of the best bands in the hardcore scene at present. Again another excellent record of early 80s inspired core and a top class job on the packaging and vinyl. No Way Records have definately got their pulse on the new bands that have that early 80s feel to them. Red is the theme on this one and I love the fact that the lyric sheet is absolutely huge for an ep. I remember selling a bunch of Koro shirts a while back and selling one to Ronny the bass player. Anyway I ended up at forgetting all about it and some 3 months later attended a Negative Approach gig in Antwerp, Belgium wearing my Koro shirt. Much to my amusement I heard some guy shouting "Lins, Lins" in broken English, I turned and saw this guy wearing the exact same shirt and instantly knew who it was....Ronny!! Anyway great guys, great band, check them out!
UPFRONT - SPIRIT LP, CLEAR BLUE
Wednesday 17 September 2008
ANGRY SAMOANS - QUEER PILLS EP, STAMPED COVER
7 SECONDS - BLASTS FROM THE PAST EP, CLEAR, CLEAR BLUE, CLEAR GREEN
NEGATIVE FX - SELF TITLED LP, CLEAR ORANGE
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!
Monday 15 September 2008
SLIPKNOT - SELF TITLED EP, CLEAR RED
SEARCH AND DESTROY - ENGLISH TERROR BOYS EP TEST, BLUE, CLEAR RED, BLACK
See this is what happens when you get a fellow record collector who puts out a record of a band he likes. Each seperate variant is put together and produced superbly. From the vinyl, to the artwork and even the dust sheets an excellent job done by Marcus Andrews and his Endless Quest Records label. Search and Destroy pretty much shook up the UK hardcore scene to such an extent that some people loved them and some hated them. They mixed an attitude and musical ability something akin to what Neg Approach did in the early 80s, raw, simple and in your face with a definate english feel throughout. I'm not going to go through each variant myself but have lifted the following straight from Endless Quests pressing info, read on and a big thanks to Marcus for my test press!
There were only supposed to be two versions of this one - red vinyl and black vinyl, all with identical sleeves. However, there turned out to be a few more variations, each due to unforeseen problems. Firstly, there were supposed to be 100 red vinyl, for which we had bought 100 yellow dust sleeves. When the records came back from the pressing plant, there were 117 red vinyl, meaning that we were short by 17 yellow dust sleeves, so the final 17 were given green dust sleeves (like the tests). Secondly, there were sleeve problems. The sleeves themselves came back from the printer as flat, scored prints that each then had to be cut out, folded and then glued. Making them was time consuming, so they were being made to order. Two problems were then discovered
i) There were about 50 covers less than there should have been
ii) Some of the covers were scored so heavily that the scores were actually cuts through the card, meaning that the tabs (which were supposed to glue the sleeves together) actually fell off completely.
Unfortunately, the problems with the printing weren’t realised until about four months after the printer had been paid, so it wasn’t like we could go back to the printer & tell him we weren’t happy with his work and demand more sleeves. So instead, sleeve variations were made up.The Negative Approach sleeves were made specially for the Negative Approach show that took place in London Town on 7 December 2006. Beautiful Steve used his rock star credentials to get Search & Destroy on the bill, and this cover was made as a souvenir. It also conveniently solved the problem of what to do with the 50 records that didn’t have covers. The sleeve was made to parody the Negative Approach 7″, and the 4 different flyers for the show were printed on the inside. Considering that the artwork was put together using Photoshop (which had to be figured out on the spot, since we’d had never used it before) and the covers were hastily made on the photocopier at work, they look pretty damn good. At least, John Brannon thought so