Get The Most Peace

In addition to the two Praise 7 inches, I also scored a couple more records from Aram that were limited to the REACT! Showcase last year.

Easily one of the top 5 records that will be released this year, REACT! give us the debut EP from Peace...and while this copy was available at the 2011 Showcase, pre-orders didn't ship until this year, so I'm considering it a 2012 release.

Featuring Stephen from The First Step, plus some dudes from Mindset, Peace deliver the high level of intense and passionate Hardcore that you would expect.

Limited to 100 for the Showcase with a special cover and stamped labels. It's okay not to drink!

There are plenty of other Showcase pressings from the REACT! bands, but one of the last ones that I bought from Aram in this eBay spree was for one of my favorites from the REACT! roster, Get The Most.

Like most REACT! releases, the label presses one color to a limited 100 pieces. This pressing is then provided to the band so they can sell as they see fit. Get The Most took their orange pressing of the Collection LP and sold them at the Showcase.

React Triple Threat

Once again REACT! is coming out strong with another three new releases. Sure it took about seven months for the entire pre-order package to arrive, but with the amount of new records coming in, I'm never in too much of a rush. I know it will arrive when the records are ready, so I don't sweat the wait.

One of the first records from the newest REACT! three pack was the Clearsight demo from 2008. Apparently Aram loved what he heard from this band out of the Ukraine, and wanted to do an EP from them. Unfortunately, the band split before the EP could come together. Still wanting to promote the band, Aram decided to just release a vinyl pressing of their demo. It is doubtful that I would have heard this demo if it wasn't on REACT!, so I'm glad that these songs saw a proper release. Great, fast, no frills hardcore.

200 on blue vinyl, 300 on grey vinyl, and 400 on black.

The other demo that REACT! pressed to vinyl was from Noose. They are a Chicago Vegan Straight Edge band, and holy shit, they are fucking pissed. So much rage is captured within the songs on this demo. Get into it, or get the fuck out of the way. REACT! initially stated that this was a ONE TIME ONLY pressing, but the record sold out so quickly, they couldn't help but do a second pressing.

First pressing. 200 on red, 300 on blue, and 400 on black vinyl.

The record that I was most looking forward to was the new Get The Most LP. As this compiles the band's demo and two 7 inch recordings, there really isn't anything new here, but I was excited to finally get proper digital files for the Moment In Time songs...thank you digital download! Plus, Get The Most is one of my favorite bands from the past few years, so new vinyl from them is always a good thing. Too bad the band is calling it quits and will be playing their last show next month.

This LP comes with a HUGE poster/lyric sheet.

200 on purple vinyl, 300 on maroon vinyl, and 400 on black. These colors are friggin' sweet. I want more.

5 Years of Getting the Most

Five years ago today, I made my first blog post. What started out as something to just burn time on my record collecting obsession, only served to fuel my addiction. When I started this blog back in 2006, I didn't know of anyone else doing this kind of thing. To my surprise, over the years, I stumbled upon a few other record collecting blogs. Most of them came and went so fast that I've lost track of them all, but meeting Lins and Marcus back in 2008 through their record collecting blogs made a lasting impression on me. I may have started my blog before them, but they started collecting records long before I did. Through their posts, I fell deeper in love with vinyl, but it also highlighted the fact that I'm missing some classic records in my collection. Soon, my post counts were climbing and I was ordering more and more records. I was late to this game, and I had some serious holes to fill...and I expect that it will take me another five years to make any kind of dent in filling those holes.

So for this anniversary post, I wanted it to be something special...something big. A statement record. What better statement than a test press. I've never really set out to collect test presses, but after picking up a few of them this past year, I've come to really appreciate them...and with my obsession for all things REACT!, I figured that it was time to own one from the label.

A while back, Aram was selling some REACT stuff on ebay to help fund future releases. I was stoked to win the test press for one of my favorite releases from last year, the new Get The Most LP.

Limited to 24, the test presses are packaged in a kind of DJ record sleeve with stamped a and b-side labels.

Keeping with the DJ theme, it has a cool sticker for the cover of the test press. Fresh for 2010, you suckas!

Got To Get The Most

I've been slowly posting from a group of records that I won on eBay back in May...pulling one out every few weeks. Since my last couple of posts have been from REACT!, I figured that it was a good time to pull out the Get The Most tour sleeve that I won. Seriously, I was pretty happy to win this. With the limited number of these that were made, I didn't know when I might have the opportunity to pick one of these up...and for under $20, I consider this a bargain.

In the Fall of 2009, Get The Most hit the road, packaging up their two Crucial Response 7 inches with a special tour cover.


You know that I love low numbers, so I was happy to get number 8 out of 75.

I'm missing test presses, the transition press for Together, and the Common Goals record release, but I figured that it was a good time to pull out all the vinyl for a picture of my Get The Most collection.

Showcase Showoff

I love a good hardcore fest. Hanging out, watching bands kick it live, and checking the merch tables. Seriously one of the best times I've had was catching the last Posi-Numbers fest with my good friend Rob. I had really just started collecting records when I went to that show, and I went nuts buying records...spent so much money. I really don't get to travel much for these type of shows, and while I didn't travel to California for the REACT! Showcase in April, I did get the opportunity to buy the limited REACT! merch from a pretty awesome dude.

One of the hottest commodities at the Showcase had to have been the REACT! boxset. This was a collection of five 7 inches that the label has released. It is too bad that the Get The Most demo wasn't included...it feels a little incomplete without it. Either way, this is pretty fuckin' cool. Screened box with the now classic REACT! image on the front.

The boxset includes a little book that documents each 7 inch included. Lyrics, pictures, history, and even fun facts! Nicely done.

All the records were tied up nicely with a bow. I had to untie them for the picture and it was a total pain in the ass to tie them back together. I can't imagine how insane it was sitting around the REACT! HQ and tying up almost 100 of these things. It took me about 10 minutes to do just one. All of the inserts were included in the box along with a couple of posters. Especially nice is the poster that captures the moment when I almost caught the ass of Mike from Mindset with my face. Classic.

Cool silk screened back to the box. My number looks a little fucked up, but I think it is 84, and not 89, out of 94.

REACT! can hold their own next to my other boxsets.



The Showcase also had some cool special pressings that were limited to 100. Damages on orange vinyl, with the patch that reminds me of Struggle or Econochrist.

Praise was pressed on pink.

I haven't received my Common Cause pre-order yet, but the packaging, once again, is top notch. Showcase pressing is on the coolest color for colored vinyl...gold.

Get The Most decided to make the Showcase their record release show. Nice little fold over deal for the cover to indicate that it is the record release edition. Green colored vinyl.

While Doug was pretty happy with his number 88, as it was a great year for hardcore, I've got to say that 77 was a pretty good year for metal, with cool releases from Motorhead, AC/DC, and Judas Priest. Awww, fuck it, who am I kidding, 88 is still better than 77.

I had been under the impression that my Showcase order was going to be packaged and sent along with the GTM/Praise/Damages pre-order. That didn't happen, and I sent an email to ask what was up. Not sure what the miss was, but to make up for the extended delay in getting everything shipped out, the record release pressing of the new Betrayed record was included. Yeah, that more than makes up for the wait! Holy shit, the song Above The Influence is so fucking good.

Silk screened covers, and hand stamped labels. Limited to 100.

The final piece to my Showcase collection was the "TFS Crew" pressing of the Connection 7 inch from The First Step. Originally released on Rivalry Records, REACT! did a special pressing for the Showcase, and handed them out to the first 77 people at the show. I made an offer to get one, and once we agreed on a price, my collection of the Connection 7 inch went from 9 to 10.

Starting To React

I've got a few orders that I'm waiting for from REACT! Records. If you thought that they were running shit in 2009, then 2010 is going to blow you away. The label dropped three pre-orders at the end of January. Aram couldn't catch a break and there were countless delays, but unlike New Age records, REACT! keeps you informed of what is going on with the orders. I was happy to receive them about a month ago.

First up was the album that I was most anticipating, Get The Most's LP, Together. Their two 7 inches quickly made them one of my favorite bands going right now, and I could not wait to check out the LP.

The album does not disappoint...excellent straight edge hardcore. Of course the packaging is the same high standard that you would expect from REACT!.

200 on clear, 400 on blue, and 800 on black vinyl. I love the R! b-side labels, and wish that REACT! would use this label for all of their releases.

Along with the Get The Most pre-orders, REACT! also put out a 7 inch from a band called Praise. I wasn't too into the artwork for the 7 inch, but the music on this record will put aside all thoughts of doubt. Melodic hardcore in the vein of Dag Nasty or 7 Seconds. The singer, Andy, played in Champion, throw in a couple of guys from Mindset, then add Stephen from The First Step to help out out with one of the songs, and this band can not lose. Amazing.


I got lucky with this one, as Aram threw in a transition pressing. You've got to look really hard, but there are a few black streaks in the green vinyl. There were only 55 transition colors that have the Praise stamp on the dust sleeve.

Again, great packaging from REACT!. 200 pressed on orange and 300 on green. Since I got the transition color, I guess I still need to order the black vinyl for this one.

Damages play a style of hardcore that I thought had died back in the late 90's. The band would have fit right in on the Ebullition roster with the style of emo/hardcore. To be honest, I really had no interest in checking out this band, but they were on REACT!, so I bought it to keep the collection together. To my surprise, I found myself really liking this band. I really used to love bands like Shotmaker, Policy of 3, and Downcast back when this style dominated hardcore, but I kind of left it to collect dust about 10 years ago. Damages made me dig out those old Current and Moss Icon records, and reminded me that, when done right, this style of hardcore can still be pretty cool.

200 pressed on grey vinyl, 300 on blue, and 400 on black. The grey pressing comes with a Damages patch, so you can stitch it to your backpack and pretend that you are still in 1995.