Early 90's In Color: Action Patrol

Through the last half of 2021, I found myself listening to a lot of Action Patrol. Their album, The Weak Force, plus their two 7 inches saw lots of time in my daily playlists. I'd kind of forgotten about the band over the last few years, and it was a blast to revisit them again.

Since I'd been spinning a lot of Action Patrol, the past six months had me itching to pick up a colored vinyl pressing of their first 7 inch, Up And Running. I'd put the green vinyl on my Discogs wantlist six years ago, and I'd let a few copies get by me over the years, but now I was ready to pounce. As soon as one became available, I grabbed it without hesitation...even if the price tag was a bit higher than it should be.

The silk screened paper bag sleeve is just so 90's, and that green vinyl looks fantastic. Now I want the red vinyl pressing too.

I pulled out the regular black vinyl pressing that I bought when I saw the band open for Avail at the Middle East in Boston. A nice touch that there is a different photo affixed to the front cover for each record. If I have extra cash to throw around, and I find them available for the right price, you can bet that I'll be buying more of these just because of the unique photos...because there is nothing I enjoy more than a useless quest.

Stuck In The 90's: Part 6 - 1996 AP Is For Action Patrol

Back in 1995, I traveled to Boston to see Avail play at The Middle East. Avail were notorious for their fun live shows at the time, but when I think back to that show, the only thing that I remember about it was Action Patrol opening for them. I'd never heard of them, and when they took the stage with their orange jumpsuits, thick black rimmed glasses, hilarious between song banter, and their brand of spastic punk rock, I was immediately sold on them.

I bought their first 7 inch at the show that night, and then shortly after that they released their full length album, The Weak Force. By the time the final 7 inch, B Is for Bombard, was released in 1996, I was an idiot and had pretty much stopped buying vinyl, so these songs went unheard until they released their discography CD the following year.

I love everything that Action Patrol released. When bands were getting way too serious and screamo, Action Patrol were like, "Fuck that, lets have fun". A truly unique band.

I've been on the hunt for the B Is For Bombard record for a while. It isn't rare or expensive, but it just seemed like the only sellers that had it available were from overseas, and I wasn't interested in high shipping rates for a $4.00 record. When I noticed that one was available from a US seller, I jumped on it. Very happy to finally have this record in the collection.