Friday, July 29, 2022

Demo 08 Test Press

As I continue to sink into dementia and short term memory loss, thinking that I'm still in 2010 and having fun buying multiple copies of records, I figured that I might as well pick up my fifth copy of the Alert demo 7 inch.
Alert were a straight edge band from Massachusetts that released this demo plus a 7 inch on Six Feet Under Records. I saw the band play live a number of times while they were around, and to give you an idea of how different those days were, when I introduced myself to the singer, he was like "Oh hey, you are that guy that does the record collecting blog!" Ahhh...the glory days of blogger celebrity. Ha! Here I am all those years later still writing this nonsense and buying the same records.
I love the front cover design for the test pressing of the Alert demo 7 inch. I have an old Alert shirt with this design, so it is cool to see it used here as well. Number 2 of 18.

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Positive Change Tour 2009

I was a collector nut back in 2009, and I was buying multiple copies of any new record that I was even the slightest bit interested in. My motto was "The more the better" and I was excited to buy three or four copies of a record. I really got away from this collector mindset the last five years or so, and have been content with buying just a single copy of a new record, but lately I've felt that old itch coming back. Recently I've been listening to a lot of hardcore records that are 10 to 15 years old, and it has put me back in that old collector mindset. I don't imagine that many people care about collecting this shit in 2022, so it gives me a charge to dig in and pick up more copies of those old forgotten records.
Face Reality was a straight edge band out of Michigan, and after their Positive Change 7 inch, the band went on to release records with Youngblood and Back To Back Records. For me though, the band was never as good as that first record. Positive Change just has that youthful energy and charm, that their other records couldn't match.
When I found a Discogs seller with the Positive Change tour press for sale, I didn't hesitate to snatch it up. Numbered and limited to 27, with a cheap photo copied paper cover, it put a smile on my face to get this. This one was a great reminder of how much fun record collecting can be.
I know that there was a red vinyl pressing, and there was also a blue vinyl option for the first Face Reality 7 inch. This tour press appears to be the perfect blend of the two. Damn. Remember when colored vinyl looked great?

Monday, July 25, 2022

Lost In A Crowd

In March of 2012, I placed an order with Camp Records for the You've Lost 7 inch from Caught In A Crowd. The label was kind of a mess and it took them 15 months to finally get my records out in the mail. After that clusterfuck, it was no surprise that we never heard from Camp Records again. Still, it looks like the label was able to get some records to the band in time for the 4/28/12 record release show. Ten years later I was able to pick up a copy.
The record release version of You've Lost comes with a nice looking cover. It is a bit more of a straight forward design compared to the pink and pastels of the original cover, and makes for a good variant. I dig it. I'm even more stoked on this because having number 1 of 50 is pretty cool.
Ten years old and this record is still great. I was lucky to see Caught In A Crowd play at the Vantage Point record release show in 2019, and the band still delivered their songs with fire and passion. CIAC had been broken up for years at that point, releasing their last 7 inch through React Records in 2013, but it was wild to see them still play with that energy all those years later and it makes me wonder what they would have done next if they'd stuck around for another year or so.

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Start The Fucking Fire

I bought the Three Seven Inches On One CD comp from Down In Flames back in the day, but honestly, the whole thrashy hardcore thing came and went so quickly in the early 2000's that I don't think that I paid much attention to that CD. I remember liking it at the time, but I rarely revisited those songs and couldn't have told you much about them. When I was recently scrolling through a list of records that a Discogs seller had available, I saw a Down In Flames 7 inch available for cheap, and made an impulse decision to grab it.
I hadn't really given any thought to buying any Down In Flames vinyl, but when I saw this record cover, it really caught my eye. I don't know, that simple yellow and white design sparked my interest. It looked pretty rad to me, and it made me want to revisit Down In Flames. Buying this 7 inch seemed like a good start.
I'm glad that I grabbed this record on a whim because it has been proven to be a fantastic long lost gem. Fast and angry hardcore.
Number 64 out of 100 for this Coalition Records pressing.
A few weeks after picking up the special cover for the Start The Fucking Fire 7 inch, I found myself wanting a version with the original cover. When I saw this red vinyl copy for sale with a price tag under $2, I would have been a fucking idiot to not buy it. Got to love deals like this for bands that have been buried in time and dust... and it makes me feel like collecting more Down In Flames records because I get no greater satisfaction than buying records for bands that no one else cares about.
Another reason why I wanted another copy of Start The Fucking Fire was because the Coalition pressing wasn't released with any insert. They slapped a special cover on the record and called it good. The Gloom Records pressing has a nice foldout cover with lyrics, pictures and details inside. It only made sense to have a copy of this one in the collection too.
While I was picking up those Down In Flames records, I decided to grab their split with Tear It Up as well. Ten song 7 inch that lasts about ten minutes. Apparently some versions of this cover have the guys face and arms blacked out...this one does not. How difficult would it be to get one of those as well?
That clear vinyl with the yellow 45 adapter looks sharp.

Sunday, July 17, 2022

The Color Vinyl Conviction

Outside of the A18 albums finally getting a vinyl pressing in 2016, I really hadn't given the band much thought over that past 10 years or so. Discovering the Dear Furious 7 inch last year kind of put them back on the radar. When I was picking up a record from a seller recently on Discogs and saw that they also had an A18 7 inch available for only $4, I grabbed it.
I've never paid any attention to the A18 7 inches, so I wasn't sure what I was getting with this one. Initially, I was a bit disappointed to see that the Defining The Color Conviction record contained a couple of songs that ended up on the Forever After Nothing album. Everything was cool once I heard these versions though. The songs here were recorded a couple of years earlier than the Forever album, and the versions on this 7 inch are raw as fuck. These are great songs anyway, but man, here they are so vicious. Throw in an exclusive song and an Antidote cover, and this record is definitely worth owning.
620 pressed on red vinyl.
The sticker that was included on the poly bag for this 7 inch made me chuckle. "Southern California's Most Hated"? Did people have beef with this band at one time or is there a joke that I missed here? Ha ha...I have no idea what is happening.

Friday, July 15, 2022

Hot Alachua Music

Hot Water Music is a band that I've struggled with. I fucking love the No Division record, but I've had trouble getting any of their other stuff to stick with me...and it seems that at some point after 2000, their records become unlistenable for me. Still, because I love No Division so much, I want to keep giving their other earlier stuff a chance.
In trying to get into more Hot Water Music, I figured that I'd start with small bites. From 1996 through 1999, the band released eight 7 inches...with half of them splits with other bands...and that seemed like a good place to start. Just a couple songs at a time. I grabbed the two songs from the Alachua 7 inch and gave them a spin. Nice! Taken in this small dose, I found myself really enjoying these Hot Water Music songs.
I wanted to grab the Alachua 7 inch, and Discogs was showing me twelve different options. The record was originally released by Allied Recordings in 1997, and it has seen a variety of different reissues through No Idea. It was tempting to go with one of the colored vinyl reissues, but instead I went with the first press on Allied.
The first press was only done on black vinyl, and they are still very cheap to pick up, so that's the way I went. While I really like these songs, I'm just thankful that I don't obsess over them so much that I felt the need to chase all the different variants. You've got to be insane to collect HWM records. There are so many different pressings for most of their records. Hell, it looks like the band released a new album this year, and there are already around 25 different vinyl options. Do collectors find that fun?

Thursday, July 14, 2022

Get Bent Blue

I still get off on new music. Even at my age, I still find plenty of newer bands that give me a charge and keep me excited about hardcore...and 2022, has given me a lot to be stoked about. I've only blogged about a few of those new records so far, but man, there is a lot of good shit coming.
One of the newer bands that I've recently discovered is Bent Blue. I first heard of them shortly after the new Berthold City album arrived from War Records a few months back. I was itching for more new hardcore, and noticed the Bent Blue 12 inch in the War Records store. Even with that horrible record cover, I still jumped into Spotify to check them out. Very quickly, I liked what I heard and within minutes, I was adding the vinyl to my cart and checking out.
Apparently this record is an expanded version of the band's demo from 2020. While I liked Between Your And You're when I first streamed those songs, I didn't really have full appreciation until I put the record on my turntable the other day and sat down with the lyric sheet. Holy fuck. The lyrics cover topics of school shootings, immigration, and the impossible American Dream that older generations expect the youth to still achieve. Those words, combined with music in the vein of bands like Rites Of Spring...I'm just blown away by how much I'm digging this. Very powerful. Bent Blue have a new record out later this year, and I'm already looking forward to it.

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Steal The Jet Keys

When I picked up a Shotmaker record earlier this year, it got me thinking of other late 90's records that I loved back in the day and still don't own the vinyl for. The first Trans Megetti album was at the top of my list.
I was a big fan of some of those early Art Monk Construction bands in the mid to late 90's. Samuel, Seven Storey Mountain, Lincoln, Junction, and of course, The Trans Megetti. Those bands were a bit different than the other hardcore records that I was listening to at the time, and injected a bit of variety into my daily playlists. The Steal the Jet Keys record from The Trans Megetti was one of the last things released from Art Monk that I picked up, but it was also one of my favorites. They had this quirky energy that was infectious, and I still get a huge charge listening to it today.
Art Monk didn't play the record collector game. The only options here are black vinyl or a CD. Very happy to finally have one of my favorite records from this era in my collection.

Monday, July 11, 2022

The Unexpected Guest

The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal covers a wide range of styles. From the more traditional heavy metal of Iron Maiden and Tygers Of Pan Tang, to the doomy Sabbath inspired Angel Witch, and the more fast and punky Raven. Then there is Demon, who have more of a 70's rock sound...possibly drawing a bit on Blue Oyster Cult for influences. Not a sound that I'd associate with the NWOBHM, but still, Demon were a British band in the early 80's, so they fall under the NWOBHM umbrella.
The Unexpected Guest was released in 1982, and is Demon's second album. I've heard that the band get a bit more weird and progressive after this record, so all I've ever listed to has been this one and their debut, Night Of The Demon. Both are great rockers.
This was another record that I grabbed from my favorite seller on eBay at the moment. His old metal records are in great condition and start with a nice low starting bid... I assume that not many people bother with eBay much these days for records, so I've been lucky to win a number of things from him at a low price. His latest auctions haven't interested me too much, so I wonder if he is hitting the bottom of what he was looking to sell. If this is the end of his good stuff, it has been a great run this year.
Demon apparently were a bit theatric with their live stage show, and it is cool to have a bit of that captured on the inside of the gatefold sleeve.

Friday, July 08, 2022

Everybody Knows Preorder 2007

Nothing Done were a Dutch hardcore band that released a few records with Not Just Words Records in the mid 2000's. I fucking loved that band's fast and aggressive early 80's hardcore style at that time, and Everybody Knows was one of my favorite new releases back in 2007. I've picked up a few special pressings of the Nothing Done records over time, but it has been a few years since I've collected anything from the band.
I've had this pre-order sleeve for the Everybody Knows album on my Discogs wantlist for years. Nothing Done records don't carry a high price tag, so it wasn't going to break the bank picking up this record. I haven't made a move because I just haven't been too interested in chasing variants for records that I already own a copy of. Recently that rigid mindset has changed a bit for me. Collecting multiple copies of records has proven to be great fun lately, so while I was in the mood, I grabbed this special cover for Everybody Knows from a seller overseas.
Nothing Done have some great looking special covers, and this pre-order one for Everybody Knows is no exception. It is just a single sheet of heavy stock paper that lays on top of the regular cover, but it is still a nice looking design. Number 38 of 100 made.
Six different versions of the two Nothing Done albums. I obviously need to step up my game on the Idiot Stomp 7 inch, as there are a few more special covers that I need for that one.

Wednesday, July 06, 2022

Death Is Not Glamorous

I've been spending a lot of time in my mid-2000's playlists. I feel like this era is generally overlooked and underappreciated. I know that I've ignored some of those records for years and when I revisit them, I'm amazed at how great this still sound to me. There were also a few bands around that time that I didn't pay much attention to, and it has been fun digging into that shit recently and gaining a new appreciation for them.
Death Is Not Glamorous is one of those bands that seemed like a pretty big deal at the time, but I was in too deep with bands like Have Heart and The First Step, and never really gave them more than a casual listen. As I've been digging into the mid-2000's, Death Is Not Glamorous is one of those bands that I've found I really enjoy. They have a ton of energy, and are a bit poppy but they still have enough hardcore edge to keep me interested...definitely a cool Lifetime influence.
As I've been digging into the Death Is Not Glamorous stuff, I really wanted to throw some money at their records. I wasn't concerned with original first pressings or the most limited colored vinyl...I just needed something in my collection. I found a seller with a couple records available for cheap, including this second press of the demo with the blue sleeve. Great stuff.
The seller also had a copy of the Undercurrents 7 inch that was originally released in 2006. This is the third pressing, and I really dig the look of the orange vinyl. The shark and tentacle artwork looks great. I'm telling myself that this one copy is all that I need, but then I see on Discogs the tour cover and I kind of want one of those too. Hmmmmm...we'll see.
Overall, I'm glad that I came around to this band, even if I'm about 15 years too late.

Tuesday, July 05, 2022

Four Of A Kind

D.R.I. were a huge influence on me as a teenage metalhead, and really helped to push me in the direction of punk and hardcore. Discovering Dealing With It around 1986 was a definite game changer, and seeing the band live on the Thrash Zone tour in early in 1990 helped to seal the deal. That was the first time that I had been to a show where there was no barrier...it was just the band with the kids right there in their face, and it blew my mind when the singer was sticking the microphone into the crowd to sing along. People were stage diving like crazy and to be there in the middle of it completely changed my perspective on what a live show could be like. This was the real deal.
I definitely need to work on my D.R.I. collection, so I was especially excited to pick up Four Of A Kind. I was even more thrilled at the time when I was able to grab this copy off eBay and not have to deal with inflated Discogs prices.
I remember being initally disappointed with Four Of A Kind when it was released. It certainly wasn't going to compare to Dealing With It, and it didn't come across very strong following up Crossover, so it felt a bit weak when I first heard it. I soon came around though, and while it still comes up short compared to the albums before it, Four Of A Kind is still classic D.R.I. with songs like Suit And Tie Guy, Slumlord, Manifest Destiny and Think For Yourself. Great record.

Saturday, July 02, 2022

Not So Common Man

There are times when I really don't see the point in collecting multiple copies of a record. This summer has not been one of those times. I've been listening to a lot of newer hardcore recently, where "newer" is defined as anything from the past 15 to 20 years, and that shit has been hitting me hard. It amazes me that this music can still still excite and move me so deeply. Trends seem to move at the speed of light, but I'm still here getting a charge from a 7 inch that was released in 2008, and for the most part seems to have been buried by time and dust by the rest of world.
Thought Crusade were a band out of Chicago, and they released a couple of 7 inches in 2008 and 2009. They were supposed to have an LP come out on Triple B around 2015, but things appear to have fallen apart for the band before that happened. Either way, those two 7 inches are still fantastic, and when I was recently stuck in my 2008 playlist the Common Man 7 inch was seeing spins daily. I'd been eyeballing the special Dumbface cover for a while now, and while you can pick it up off Discogs for about half of what a new 7 inch costs in 2022, the cover looks kind of dumb...so I kept putting it off.
Like I said, I've been listening to a lot of hardcore lately, and my excitement overruled my temperance enough that I bought this goofy looking cover. Number 7 out of 50.
While I was picking up the Dumbface cover for the Common Man 7 inch, I noticed the seller also had a test pressing available as well. It was listed with a Make An Offer option, so I took them up on it figuring that a Thought Crusade record wasn't seeing a lot of action in 2022, and I walked away with the record for $15. Solid deal as far as I'm concerned.
The Discogs seller for this was actually the label that originally released the record, Organized Crime Records. When the test press arrived numbered 21 out of 20, I had to send them a follow up question to get the story on this. The label confirmed that while they were supposed to get 20 test pressings, the plant actually send them 21. Covers had already been printed numbered out of 20, so they just numbered the extra record as 21 out of 20. Test pressings are cool to own regardless, but having number 21 for this one is even better.
There is also a rejected test press cover that I don't own for Common Man, but this is close enough to warrant a group photo.