Clutch Collector's Series #5

When Clutch first started their Collectors Series, I'm pretty sure that I read somewhere that they were only doing four of them. Maybe I'm mistaken about that, or maybe they decided to extend that because they had been selling so well. Either way, I was excited when number five in the series was announced.

Earth Rocker, from 2013, was where Clutch really took off for me. I was surprised with how hard that band hooked me at the time and I could not get enough of them. Earth Rocker may have been my favorite release that year... every song on that record was fantastic and seeing them touring the record and playing nine songs off the new album was very cool. So, yeah, I was excited to discover that the album was going to be a part of the collectors series.

Records in Clutch's Collector's Series always look fantasic. With the reimagined artwork, diecut cover and "grape ghost" colored vinyl for Earth Rocker... this is a great looking package, and I'll step up to buy these every time.

Like all of the albums from the Clutch Collector's Series, this comes with an art print that is signed and numbered out of 6,000.

Clutch Collector's Series #4

A funny thing has happened recently. I've always been a "new Clutch is better than old Clutch" kind of guy, but in the last year or so, I've found myself changing position on that. I think it started when I bought the Clutch Collectors Series version of Transnational Speedway League last year, and then this year I saw the band play live and they were packing their set list with a bunch of songs off their self-titled record. Suddenly I understood the attraction, and while I can still hang with any of Clutch's albums, there is something about that early stuff that I find myself being more drawn to these days.

With this new found love of early Clutch, I was beyond excited when I heard that their 1995 self-titled albumn was getting the Collector's Series treatment. With the alternate cover art, the autographed and numbered insert, and all the extra touches... the packaging for these things always looks amazing. This was the first in the series that didn't get pressed on colored vinyl, but the black goes nice with the cover art and the d-side etching of the original artwork looks good.

Animal Farm. Escape From The Prison Planet. Spacegrass. Fuck, this album contains some of my favorite Clutch songs.

I think that initially I'd heard that the Clutch Collector's Series was going to only span four records. With this one being the fourth, I hope I'm wrong or that they changed their minds and continue with this special edition series. Sure they are a bit expensive, but I'll gladly pay if they keep releasing them.

Clutch Collector's Series #3

I love the Clutch collector's series. The first two, Blast Tyrant and Robot Hive/Exodus, both were well done and looked fantastic... so when number three in the series was announced, of course I jumped in to order one.

After the first two records in the Collector's Series were released, it looked like the band was focusing more on those albums after the band started making the shift in their sound and take a more "rock" approach. I was hoping that we were going to get some of their earlier albums, but it was starting to look like that wasn't the direction the series was going to take... so I was completely stoked when it was announced that the next record in the series was the first Clutch full length album, Transnational Speedway League.

I know that some people tend to prefer the early records from Clutch, but I've never really spent much time with them. Outside of songs like A Shogun Named Marcus and Rats, I really didn't know anything from this album, so I was was excited to buy the vinyl and force myself to finally sit with it. These early records definitely have a more raw sound, and while I've always leaned more into their more recent straight forward rock stuff, I'm really starting to appreciate the 90's sound that Clutch had going on here as well.

As with all of the records in the Collector's Series, I really like the newly reimagined artwork, and the spot varnish in certain spots, and the foil letters on the back, really gives the cover dimension and really pop. The numbered and signed insert is a nice touch as well.

Yeah, I love this series. You can tell that Clutch care about the product that they are releasing and make sure that it is special. I'm hoping it continues.

Clutch Sunrise

It has been four years and a full pandemic since the last Clutch album. Book Of Bad Decisions was released back in 2018, and while I did like the record, I was a bit underwhelmed overall. The album clocked in at almost an hour and just felt too long at the time. I've come to appreciate it a bit more over the years, but when I heard that the new Clutch record was going to run a bit short, it gave me a shot of excitement to hear what they would deliver.

With each album, Clutch somehow manages to sound exactly like Clutch, but still sound fresh and new. Sunrise On Slaughter Beach still delivers what I've come to expect from the band... it is heavy rock, there are blues and stoner vibes... it just hooks me and lifts me up.

The magenta colored vinyl was an indie store exclusive, and as soon as I saw that my local Bull Moose store had one available, I was grabbing my car keys off the counter and heading up to buy my copy.

Clutch Collector's Series #2

Last year, Clutch introduced their Collector's Series with a special pressing of their Blast Tyrant album. The plan with the Collector's Series is to reissue a number of Clutch albums, repackaging them with some reimagined art work. The one for Blast Tyrant was fantastic, and I was eager for the next one.

It has taken a year for the second release in the Collector's Series to drop, and this time they went with Robot Hive/Exodus. This album was originally released in 2005 on CD and didn't see a vinyl pressing until 2014. I grabbed that 2014 pressing when it was released, and I'm very happy with it, but it is cool to get a colored vinyl version here.

Once again, the packaging for this series is amazing. The new cover artwork looks great, and the colored vinyl is a nice match. You can tell that a lot of thought and hard work went into this pressing to make it special.

There is a bonus 7 inch included with the album, and features two songs from the Robot Hive session that were cut from the original release due to time constraints. Those songs ended up on the Pitchfork And Lost Needles comp from the band, but it is cool to have them packaged here.

Custom art print is included as well, and signed by the band. Pretty cool that I got a low number with 22 out of 7,500.

I was really hoping that Clutch was going to take the opportunity to reissue some of thier older records in this Collector's Series format... it would be nice to get some of those albums that I'm not very familiar with like Elephant Riders and the self-titled Clutch record with this special packaging... but I read recently that there are only four records in this series, so I can only assume that the next two will follow the chronological order set with Blast Tyrant and Robot Hive/Exodus, and the next two will be From Beale Street To Oblivion and Strange Cousins From The West. I already own the vinyl for those two, but it looks like I'll be buying them to complete the series.

Clutch Collector's Series #1

Clutch is one of those rare bands that I find got better with age. While I enjoy thier early records, they don't come close to comparing to anything they released from the mid-00's on. There are plenty of people that don't like the band's change of direction to a more varied rock style, but for me, those records have stayed fresh and I still visit them on a regular basis.

Earlier this year, Clutch announced that they were going to be doing a collector's series of vinyl reissues for their albums. The series will cover several Clutch albums, remastered and packaged with reimagined artwork. The first one in the series is Blast Tyrant from 2004, and is really my starting point in the band's discography. I didn't own this album on vinyl yet, so I decided that I might as well grab this pressing. Man, I'm glad that I did because the packaging on this this fucking fantastic. It is so well done that I'm obviously going to have to keep up with the series and buy each one that is released.

A lot of care and thought went into this pressing. The pictures really don't do it justice, but the gatefold jacket is printed on metalized polyester paper that looks amazing, and the embossed seal that states “Clutch Collector’s Series Small Batch Pressings” on the front is a nice touch. Damn, even the colored vinyl complements the entire packaging.

Inside the gatefold is a full spread that expands the cover art, with the entire thing done on that reflective metallic print. Quality.

To cap it off, this special pressing comes with an art print that is signed by the band and numbered. While Clutch consider this a "small batch" pressing, there are still 5,000 of these things. I don't know...maybe that is a small number for a bigger band, but it still seems like a lot to me. I'm still stoked that I was able to get one though. Looking forward to the next one in the series!

Book Of Bad Decisions

The last few Clutch albums have been huge for me. Their music has been infectious as hell, and never failed to put a smile on my face or have me singing along and moving to the music. I've absolutely loved them, so it was obvious that I was going to grab their new album this year.

First of all, let me say that I had pre-ordered so many new records that by the time release day came around for the new Clutch album, I couldn't even remember if I'd ordered one or not. I mean, I was pretty sure that I did, but I couldn't remember where I would have ordered it from, and I was wondering if maybe I skipped the pre-order, and was going to just buy it from the local store. A couple days after the release date, they mystery was solved when the record arrived in the mail.

Apparently, some where along the way, I got word that Interpunk had the coke bottle colored vinyl pressing available, and it was listed as "very limited"...not just "limited", but VERY limited...so I grabbed myself a copy. This pressing appears to still be available at Interpunk, five months after I'd placed my order, so either I was one of the few that was interested, or they have a loose definition on the phrase "very limited".

Either way, this is a cool record. It doesn't give me the same level of excitement as Earth Rocker and Psychic Warfare, as this album feels a bit more laid back than those two, but I still really enjoy it...and the song How To Shake Hands is so damn good.

Strange packaging that the song listing isn't anywhere on the album cover, and is just listed on a sticker that was stuck to the shrink wrap, which I had to carefully remove and save.

Record Store Day 2016 - Part One: RSD Releases

Nine years on, and I still get excited for Record Store Day. I've calmed down on buying one of everything, and no longer get sucked into every overpriced reissue, but you know, it is still a cool day to get out and hit as many record stores as I can. I'm already looking forward to what the 10 year anniversary has in store for us next year.

While I may have been looking forward to Record Store Day, my want list was surprisingly very small. What can I say? RSD reissues excite me less and less each year, and as I headed out the door that Saturday morning, I only had two "must have" items on my list.

At the top of that list was the new Clutch 12 inch.

I didn't need to worry about missing out on the Clutch record, as the store had around twenty of them in stock...and they didn't appear to be flying out of the bins.

Featuring two songs leftover from the Psychic Warfare sessions last year, this is a pretty cool record as you can never have too much Clutch. Plus the etched b-side of the record is pretty badass.

I don't necessarily jump for vinyl discographies anymore, especially when most of the material was originally pressed on vinyl anyway. I guess they make sense for CDs, but vinyl discographies seem a bit obnoxious. I would have much rather seen those three new songs that Insted recorded for the discography back in 2004 pressed to a 12 inch EP, instead of this double LP. Still, seeing this in the store I couldn't help but purchase a copy. The vinyl looks amazing for this thing.

I'm no longer excited over REV reissues. Too much, too fast, and I got burned out on them. They only way that I'll pick them up now is if I don't own an original pressing, and such was the case with the Shades Apart reissue.

The band were never as good after their self titled LP and the Dude Danger 12 inch, but I still enjoy their REV albums from time to time. I haven't listened to Save It in over 10 years, so it was nice to revisit it with this reissue.

I bought the reissue of Burn's Last Great Sea simply because it was there. If it wasn't Record Store Day, and I could only get this in the REVHQ store, I wouldn't have put forth the effort to grab a copy. Now that RSD is done, I see that REV have pressed this again...this time it is available in their webstore on green vinyl. Meh...no thanks. Fool me once...

Besides the Clutch record, the only other thing on my Want List for the day was the new Iron Maiden 12 inch single for Empire Of The Clouds.

I don't care that it is a picture disc, and I'm not bothered that it is just a song from their newest album. Maiden vinyl rules. Period. The packaging for this looks amazing...and considering Maiden didn't release any singles on vinyl for 2010's Final Frontier, I'm glad to see them back in the record game.

Empire of the Clouds is an epic 18 minutes long, and the b-side on the single features an interview about writing the band's longest song.

Yup...that's it for RSD releases. 5 records. Not even close to the epic hauls of years past. I guess it is a good thing that REV and Indecision released something for this years Record Store Day...if it wasn't for them, I may have been tempted to spend a ridiculous $60 on another live record from The Doors.

Sucker For The Clutch

Clutch released one of my favorite records for 2013 with Earth Rocker. I played the shit out of that record, so there was no doubt that the band's new album was going to be one of my most anticipated releases this year.

Earth Rocker was such a great album from start to finish, in the back of my mind, I wondered if Clutch would be able to come close to matching it with Psychic Warfare. It was a pretty tall order, but as soon as I checked the first single for X-Ray Visions, I knew that Clutch would deliver. This band is consistently great, and many of these songs send the album screaming up my Best of 2015 list.

While the album was officially released in October, it took until December for the vinyl to finally show up. Week after week, pressing plant delays kept the vinyl from hitting the shelves. I'm pretty sure that it is Record Store Day's fault.

Limited to 1,500 on white vinyl for independent record stores.

Record Store Day 2015 - Part 1: Seek And Destroy

Record Store Day is what people make of it. You can choose to focus on the endless stacks of worthless vinyl reissues, or you can celebrate and support your local record store...if you are lucky enough to have one. Look, I love Deep Purple, but what is the point of a 7 inch vinyl pressing of the Black Night single? If you want one that bad, hit up discogs and buy yourself an original pressing for a fraction of the price...unless that foil Record Store Day Exclusive sticker is worth that much to you. Leave that shit to collect dust in the dollar bins, and really celebrate record stores by visiting them and purchasing stuff that really matters.

I ended up hitting three stores on Record Store Day, so let's go through my haul while I try to justify my purchases and not come off as a complete hypocrite after that RSD rant. This is part one, and focuses on my first stop...and includes a bunch of RSD vinyl.

At the top of my RSD Want List for this year was the Clutch vinyl for their From Beale Street To Oblivion LP. This was the album that introduced me to Clutch after catching their video for Electric Worry on Headbangers Ball. It is such a great album, and given that this RSD release was the first time it had ever been pressed on vinyl, I had to have it.

I got to the record store about an hour after the doors opened, so most of the crowds has come and gone by the time I got to the store. As I walked through the door, I saw this Clutch album on display, and breathed a sigh of relief that this was still available. With this in hand, I had all that I needed...but while I'm in the store, let's see what else I can grab.

I was torn on whether to buy the Get Behind Be Satan album from The White Stripes. There was a time a few years ago, that I used to listen to the shit out of this band...I could not get enough at that time...but it has been a while since I've given any thought to listen to them. I'm pretty burned out on their style, and I no longer pay any attention to what Jack White is doing these days. Put Meg on a drum stool, bouncing beside him, and I may start to pay attention again. In any case this is probably my least favorite White Stripes album, but it still has some great stuff on it. Like the Clutch LP, this was the first commercial pressing of Get Behind Me Satan, and with the 3D lenticular cover that alternates between the album cover and the Blue Orchid single cover, it looked too good to resist.

I've seen some good reviews for the new Venom album, From The Very Depths, and as I've never been one to turn away from a new release from Cronos and company, this was a "must buy". While I've seen some nice praise for this new album, I don't know if it is really much better than any of the bands releases from the past 10 years. Solid stuff, but I don't imagine it will much of an impression on my "Best of 2015" list. Time will tell.

Okay. You got me on this one. The Strange Days LP from The Doors may be a throw away release for Record Store Day. I had no intention of buying this, but on the way to the store, my friend, Jeff, spoke so highly of the mono recordings...and how expensive the originals of Strange Days can run...when I saw it in the bin, it was a pure impulse buy. I was a sucker for his hype on this thing...and since this was the only Doors studio album that I didn't own on vinyl, I figured there was no harm in picking up a copy here.

While I was able to justify the purchase of the Strange Days album, I've got nothing for this one. This Curated by Record Store Day pretty much encapsulates all that is shitty about RSD. I'm not sure what the purpose is of this piece of vinyl. Eight tracks that were hand picked by independent record store owners...blah blah...who the fuck cares? This was originally pressed for the Black Friday RSD in 2013, and was on sale for 50% off. I was riding a Doors high at the time of purchase, and the die cut front cover, with the sale price, tricked me into thinking that I wanted this.

Slayer. Sorry...I mean, Fucking Slayer! For Record Store Day, Slayer released a 7 inch single for the song When The Stillness Comes which will be on the new album that is due out later this year. This song isn't that exciting, and takes about three and a half minutes to get going...so I'm really not sure if this was the best song to release as a teaser. Still looking forward to the album though.

I believe that this is the third time that OFF! has had a new piece of vinyl available for Record Store Day, and like 2011, we get another live record. OFF! has already released a live 7 inch and a live LP, so this time around we get the dreaded 10 inch. Damn, how many live records does this band need to release? Who do they think they are, Iron Maiden? It is cool to hear some of the newer songs live, but this still probably won't see too much action on my turntable.

For the REV part of Record Store Day, I only went with the Better Than A Thousand record. I probably would have grabbed the Dag Nasty record if my store had some available, but I was okay that I missed out on it...and while I kinda dig the Gameface record they released, I guess I didn't care enough to add it to the list, so I just left it in the bin. I didn't own a copy of the Better Than A Thousand album on vinyl, so this was a good time to grab one.

Same goes with the first Death By Stereo album...I've never owned the vinyl, and this is a great record, so why not grab one now. My copy was on white vinyl, but apparently there was some clear vinyl pressed for RSD as well.

Another Indecision release for Record Store Day was a reissue of the Unity 7 inch, You Are One. Like Death By Stereo, there were two colored vinyl pressings for this. 550 on clear, and 550 on green vinyl. My store only had the clear vinyl.

Fucking cassettes. I curse their existence, and as much as I hated to buy the commercial release of the No Life Til Leather demo on cassette, I love early Metallica too much to pass it by. Nothing beats this early shit...even if I may never feel the need to remove the cellophane wrapper and play this stupid thing. It is RECORD Store Day, and I wish this was a vinyl release.

The final purchase from the first stop on the RSD train was for the Goatwhore album, Carving Out The Eyes Of God. Because Record Store Day is not only about those exclusive releases, I hit the store's regular vinyl bins. Holy shit. Apocalyptic Havoc is an absolute beast of a song.

Don't worry, we aren't done yet. We still have some other stores to hit, and chances to find buried treasures in the used bins. To be continued...

Robot Hive/Exodus

Robot Hive/Exodus was released back in 2005...you know, back when vinyl was considered a dead format. Because of this, the record label only released this Clutch album in the CD format. 2014 is the year to rectify that problem.

Clutch were huge for me last year. Their Earth Rocker LP was one of my favorites for 2013, I saw them live twice, and in the process of discovering some of their albums that I'd never really checked out previously...well, I listened to that band a shit ton. Man, I could not play that band enough, so when I saw the opportunity to buy the Robot Hive/Exodus LP on vinyl, I grabbed it.

The album cover was redesigned for this vinyl release, and they did a great job with the packaging...fully taking advantage of the gatefold sleeve.

Record Store Day 2014 Part 1: Learn To Obey

Somewhere along the way, I stopped caring about Record Store Day releases. It used to be that I would pour over the list each year, memorizing all those new records that I had to have. Then at some point it hit me...a lot of this was just part of the RSD hype machine, and at the end of the day, I didn't need another armful of vinyl repressings that I probably wouldn't care about if it wasn't Record Store Day.

For this year, I gave a passing glance at the list of RSD releases, and decided that there were only a couple of releases that I really wanted to get my hands on. This was the first year that I didn't bother with the lines, and showed up an hour after the doors opened. It was a pretty laid back affair, but as I started flipping through the vinyl, I ended up walking out of the store with much more than I had anticipated.

At the top of my Record Store Day list was the new OFF! 7 inch. Two exclusive songs that aren't on the new LP...it was one of the few things that I would have been bummed if I didn't get it. I let out a sigh of relief when I found a copy.

The one other piece of vinyl that I was on the hunt for was the Clutch/Lionize split 7 inch. I couldn't have cared less about the Lionize side, but a new Clutch song for their side of the record? Fuck yes.

Truth be told, I had completely forgotten that there was going to be a new pressing of Up Front's Spirit LP for Record Store Day. I was happily surprised when I saw it in the vinyl bin. Probably the best thing released on this day. This record completes the trifecta of vinyl that I NEEDED to have. Every new release beyond this point was a bonus, and was something that wouldn't have broken my heart if I didn't buy one.

Let start off the remainder of my RSD haul with the Revelation stuff. I love Farside, and someday I'd like to make a run at building a decent collection. Until then, I'll grab this copy of the band's first 7 inch on blue vinyl.

I skipped REV's RSD pressing of the first Sense Field LP last year. I've always though of it as a bit of a turd, but I do really enjoy Killed For Less and Building. I'm not out to collect multiple copies, but since I didn't already own Building on vinyl, I figured that this was a good opportunity to finally buy one...plus that red vinyl looks great!

Another band that I'd like to get around to collecting someday is Battery. I think that the only piece of vinyl I had for them was the copy of the 7 inch I got a couple years ago. Embarrassing. I happily took this opportunity to grab my first piece of vinyl for Whatever It Takes.

Quick story...I remember sitting outside a show talking to Lacroix from Ten Yard Fight, and he was telling me that Ken Olden was bragging about how easy it was to write a Youth Crew Hardcore record. Apparently, Ken said he could crank one out in 5 minutes. When I first heard Whatever It Takes, I was disappointed with how uninspired it sounded...kind of like the band rushed through it in 5 minutes. The record is okay, and I probably enjoy it more today than when it was released, but let's not kid ourselves...Until The End crushes this one.

At one point, I was a huge fan of Strife. I saw them a few times in Boston back in the day, and they always were great live. In This Defiance hasn't aged that well, and I rarely even bother with it these days, but I never owned it on vinyl, so I figured "what the Hell", and bought one on Record Store Day.

Scott Vogel has done a lot of bands. I liked Despair, and while it has been many years since I've bothered with Terror, I remember digging those first two records. I've never really spent a lot of time with Buried Alive, and figured that the Record Store Day provided a good opportunity to dig into them beyond a casual listen.

Once I had all the Hardcore vinyl that I wanted, it was time to decide what else I wanted to pick up. It seems that each year, there is some "limited" release from Jimi Hendrix. Typically it is some throw away 7 inch that I can't imagine anyone really needs, but this year we got a vinyl pressing of Live At Monterey. I love most of the Hendrix stuff and this is a solid live set. I was in the mood for spending money...plus that cover is too bad ass to resist...so I grabbed myself a copy.

Speaking of spending money...I had an internal debate over purchasing the reissue of The Doors compilation, Weird Scenes Inside The Gold Mine. While not really a Greatest Hits record, there is nothing new here, but it does have a couple of B-sides that I don't own on vinyl. These songs, in addition with how great the vinyl looks, convinced me to spend the money and buy a copy.

Now that I had plenty of new RSD vinyl, it was time to hit the used bins...to be continued...