A few months ago, I picked up a handful of
punk singles. New records in the mail is always exciting, but receiving those 7 inches from G.B.H., The Exploited and Dead Kennedys gave me a bit of an extra charge. There are times when blogging about new releases can get a bit monotonous, and I'll procrastinate on writing about them because I struggle to find the words. However, with those old punk singles, there was a new spark of excitement. Even though I'd first heard those songs 30 years ago, finally owning an original vinyl pressing brought my appreciation to a new level. Suddenly, I had a new obsession.
I know that I have trouble concentrating on finishing what I've started, and I bounce from one obsession to the next without ever completing any of them. I'm trying to lock shit down better this year, and after a few months of "window shopping" for G.B.H. singles, I finally found a couple in the States, and pulled the trigger.
There are two different pressings for the Sick Boy 7 inch from G.B.H.. One with the black an read cover, and one with the blue and orange cover. I assume that the black an red cover is the original pressing, and blue and orange is a later press...but really, I have no idea. Either way, I'd never seen the blue and orange cover until I started digging into the G.B.H. vinyl options, so that was the one that I decided to grab first. Of course I'm going to need the black and red cover at some point as well.
Sick Boy is classic G.B.H., but the two other songs on here, Am I Dead Yet and Slit Your Own Throat, are a couple of my favorite songs from them.
The Do What You Do 7 inch was a bit more difficult to come by. Sure the 12 inch version, with the two extra songs, seemed to be easy enough to get my hands on, but I really wanted the original 7 inch pressing. There will be time for the 12 inch later down the road...maybe I'll have to do another Sick Boy/Do What You Do post with the variations that I didn't pick up this time around.
Goddamn. I can't listen to G.B.H. these days without thinking about all those roadtrips to Boston and Providence for shows around 1990/1991. G.B.H. was mandatory for the car ride back home at midnight...pop a couple No-Doz, crack open a Jolt Cola, and turn up the stereo for the two to three hour drive back. The best of times.