Surf Combat

It took me a long to time to really "get" Naked Raygun. I mean, I liked a few of their hits, but each time that I would check out an entire album, I was left scratching my head. Naked Raygun weren't a by-the-numbers hardcore band...they were a little different, and for the longest time, I just couldn't wrap my head around what they were doing.

Around five years ago, I was having a conversation with someone, and we both had the same opinion on Naked Raygun...and this of course prompted me to check out one of their albums...again. I'm not sure what it was, but this time something clicked. Suddenly, I found myself really enjoying what I heard. Over the years since then, I ended up downloading four Naked Raygun albums, and enjoyed them more and more with each listen. The time had come to buy some vinyl.

I was tempted to grab some recent reissues, because the colored vinyl looked so damn good. The thought of Jettison pressed on clear pink vinyl was almost too much to resist. I was at war with myself over buying the vinyl that looked nice, or sticking with the plan to pick up original pressings.

In the end, I landed on the original Homestead vinyl pressing of Throb Throb to kick off my collection.

I was holding out for a copy in excellent condition, and finally pulled the trigger when I saw one that fit the bill on eBay. I couldn't have been happier...until the box landed at my door with a crushed corner and a huge dent in the side. The seller packaged the record nicely, but even that couldn't prevent the mail service from fucking it up. Heartbreaking to have the side of the sleeve crushed and ripped.