When Your Only Option Is A Test Press

Back in 2010, Dead End Records put up preorders for the new split 7 inch between Outlast and Reveal The Truth. Both of them were up and coming Straight Edge bands...each had released a demo the year before and were starting to make some noise in the Hardcore scene. I was looking forward to this split, and I ordered 3 or 4 different pressings from the label. The guy that was running Dead End, then proceeded to not send any of the records out, and he fucked over everyone that ordered a copy. Those records are probably still sitting in a closet at his parents house. Douche.

Apparently some of the vinyl did make it out, as I was able to score this test pressing off eBay. Since this may be the only way to ever obtain this record, I'll gladly take it. I wish that I had thought to ask the seller how he came to get his hands on this record when I won it three months ago.

Bringin' It Down With Outlast

I've kind of gotten away from it lately, but I've made a commitment to add to my Have Heart collection for 2013. I thought that the year was going to get off to a great start when Jeff from Bottled Up posted a ton of vinyl on ebay. There were tons of vinyl from his pressing of the Have Heart demo, plus lots of other Bottled Up rarities. In the past, I've seen those ridiculously limited transition pressings go for a reasonable amount of money (between $30 to $40), but just because I had my eye on them this time, the price quickly rose, and I got the fuck out. I just didn't have the cash to get into a bidding war, so instead, I concentrated more on the Outlast records that Jeff had available.

Outlast are one of today's best Edge bands, so I couldn't have been more happy to add a couple more records to the collection. First up is the special release they had made for the Edge Day show in Philly last year. Honestly, this has to be one of the best rip off covers that I've ever seen. Bringin' It Down!

Everything about this Edge Day release is perfect. The photoshopped cover...the use of color for the back panel...even the selection of using green vinyl. Excellent job. Limited to 100.

I'm not usually too bothered with transition pressings, but Bottled Up likes to do individual special covers for each different transition, so of course I'm sucked in to wanting them.

Green and white transition press out of 9.

Outlast Straight Edge

It seemed as though there was a little backlash when Outlast signed with Harvcore Records for their latest 7 inch. The band commented on their Facebook page that the shit talking had started on them for joining the label. I'm not sure what the issue was, other than Harvcore releasing records for a bunch of bands that I don't really care about. Oh well, I guess I can't keep up with scene politics.

What can't be denied is how great Outlast is. From their 2009 New Jersey Straight Edge demo, to the Take Control 7 inch, and finally their newest, the self titled 7 inch on Harvcore...Outlast can not miss, and they just keep getting better.

150 on red.

The song GFL (Get Fucking Lost) is so good, it makes me wish that these guys would take another trip up to Boston for a show. Give me the mic, and let me sing along.

150 on white.

I found it kind of cool that both my red and white pressings appear to have a black "fingerprint" on each of the records. I wonder how many others were like this.

200 on black.

Outlast and Alert Second Pressings

In addition to the new Losin' It record, Life To Live also release second pressings for the Outlast and Alert demo 7 inches.

The Outlast demo from 2009 was a promising start, and they got even better with 2010's Take Control 7 inch on Bottled Up. Can't wait to see what their Harvcore record brings later this year.

Nothing too special about the second pressing of this record. The black vinyl is identical to the first pressing, the only difference is the hand numbered dust sleeve. Number 3 out of 100.

The Alert 7 inch at least comes with an altered cover to differentiate it from the first pressing.

Like the Outlast 7 inch, this one come with a hand numbered dust sleeve. Number 2 out of 100. I'm liking these low numbers!

With this latest Alert pressing, I decided to pull them all out for a photo. I was thinking that I was only missing the test pressing for the Demo '08 vinyl, but then I remembered that they did a very limited tour pressing for this record as well. I guess I need two more to fully complete this collection.

If You're Not First, You're Outlast

Just when I was starting to make a dent in my blogging backlog, my computer went and shit the bed. Third time in the past year. While I've been lucky enough in the past to recover all my data before rebuilding my machine, this time I wasn't as lucky. Four months of photo, and music files were lost. All music that I had added between November and the end of February was lost. All records and CD's that I had cataloged in my database for that time period vanished. Four months of work flushed down the toilet as my computer experience a hardware failure and crashed. At least I had bought an external hard drive back in November, and backed up my info then, so all was not lost. Sure the blog hit a bit of an obstacle with my computer down for a week, but now I'll probably have to devote most of my time to rebuilding what can be recovered.

Bottled Up is a small time record label. They don't crank out a ton of releases...hell, the last time we heard from Jeff was back in 2009 when he released the Right Idea 'Our World' 7 inch. Bottled Up may not be huge, but when they do release a record, you know that it is going to be something honest and heartfelt.

Bottled Up have released some solid releases over the years, with One Up, Have Heart, and The First Step in their back catalog. When I heard the label was going to be releasing the new Outlast 7 inch, I knew that this was going to be their best release yet.

The band had a solid demo in 2009, and I was really looking forward to some new stuff from this Straight Edge band. This record does not disappoint, and I will be spinning it all week in anticipation of catching their live show at the end of next week in Boston.

100 on green, 150 on white, and 250 on black.

Outlast!

A few weeks back, when Sweet Pete and I were hanging out after the Rival Mob/Police and Thieves show, we were talking about music. We were both in agreement, that while we love Hardcore, and we love Metal, neither one of us likes it when the two genres try and mix. He mentioned that when he wants to hear Metal, he'll pull out Bonded By Blood from Exodus, and when he wants to hear hardcore, he wants to hear the classic straight edge youth crew style. I'm in total agreement, and for the straight edge youth crew style, Outlast from New Jersey have nailed it with their 2009 demo. Now pressed on vinyl through Life To Live Records, these songs make me want to stagedive, grab the mic and sing along. Blue and clear vinyl. 125 each. New split 7 inch with Reveal the Truth coming soon.