Dead Kennedys '78

While I was out for my Black Friday Record Store Day shopping, I was in a record buying mood, so I added one more to the stack before heading to the counter to checkout.

I had seen the vinyl pressing of the Dead Kennedys 1978 rehearsal tape on the list of RSD releases, and filed it away as something that I might grab when I was out trying to track down the new pressing of the Only Living Witness record on Black Friday. I was a bit hesitant to bother with it, as I figured that the recording quality was probably sketchy at best, but when a saw the track list, and it showed a few song titles that I didn't recognize, I figured that I'd roll the dice and take the chance.

Yeah, this recording is raw and rough, and while it was cool to hear some long lost Dead Kennedys songs, it is tough sitting through this entire record. Cool to have, but not necessary.

Live From the Astroturf

Sometimes Record Store Day can surprise me. Yes, there can be a lot of garbage that hits the racks on this day, but every once in a while, I unexpectedly find myself excited for one of the RSD releases. I had reviewed the list of Record Store Day releases for Black Friday, and while there were a couple of records that I motivated me to get to the store when the doors opened at 9:00 that morning, the live Alice Cooper record was not on that list.

I headed to the store early on Black Friday because I did not want to miss out on the vinyl pressing of the Only Living Witness album, Prone Mortal Form. This was the one RSD record that I wanted, so I was really disappointed when I got to the store and found that they did not have a single copy in the rack.

In my search through the bins, desperately hoping that maybe I'd just overlooked it, I spotted the new Alice Cooper album, Live From The Astroturf. I wasn't planning on buying this, but coming up short with the Only Living Witness left me feeling incomplete, so on a whim, I grabbed this to fill the emptiness in my heart....plus that reflective silver foil cover, with the pink OBI style strip, and title font that's a throw back to the Love It To Death album, it all looked so damn good, and it was too much to resist.

This live set was recorded back in 2015, when Alice Cooper made a "surprise" appearance at book signing for original bass player, Dennis Dunaway. Original guitarist, Michael Bruce, and drummer Neal Smith were there with Dunaway and had planned a short live set of classics from their time with the Alice Cooper Band, but shit went to the next level when Alice showed up and joined his old bandmates on the stage. This was absolutely historic, and thankfully the entire set was captured on tape, and is finally seeing the light of day with this vinyl release.

I was happy to buy a copy of this, but as soon as I started to open the shrink wrap and go through all the packaging for this record, I started to appreciate it more and more. While the price tag was a little high, it was well worth it for the absolute quality of the packaging and all the extras. Along with the OBI strip that has trading cards printed on the flipside, there is a giant double sided poster and a nice booklet that includes some writing and plenty of photos...plus, that translucent pink vinyl is fucking beautiful.

Absolutely amazing package. Limited to 3,000 and foil stamp numbered on the back cover.

RSD: Record Store Dio

I've never been a fan of the Black Friday Record Store Day. Double dipping on this holiday that was already getting the stink of money making commercialism, instead of an honest support for record stores, was a bit too much for me, and the addition of the Black Friday holiday was not something that I looked forward to. Still, they sucked me back in with a few records that I couldn't pass up.

No matter how I feel towards the Black Friday RSD, when I saw that there was a new pressing for a Dio single this year, it was obvious that I was going to have to get to the store and get my hands on one. After the fun of last year's "Dio-cember" celebration, when I pulled in a good haul of Dio records, I was excited to add something new to the collection.

Sure this thing looks nice, but it is a picture disc, and it sounds as bad as you'd expect a picture disc to sound.

I don't understand why this is packaged and promoted as the "35th anniversary of Holy Diver", because the real selling point is the b-side song, Electra. As the last song that the Dio band ever recorded, and was looking to have it appear on the next Dio album, which I believe was going to be Magica II, this song was the focus for me here. The song has shown up on a couple of compilations since it was recorded, but this is the first time it has seen a vinyl pressing...again, it is too bad it has to be on picture disc. Still, I'm always happy to expand my Dio collection!

RSD 2018 - Part 4: World Up My Ass [RSD Release]

Okay...one last Record Store Day post.

Prior to Record Store Day, I glanced at the list of special RSD releases to see if anything caught my eye. There used to be a time when I could easy drop a couple hundred dollars on RSD records, but things have been getting a bit thin the last couple of years. For this year, there wasn't a single thing that interested me, and skipped the participating stores completely, and just stuck to the smaller used record stores.

When Doug posted a picture on Instagram of his Record Store Day pickups, I was surprised to see an RSD release for the live Circle Jerks album, Gig. Whoa. I didn't know this was coming. The next day I was tracking down a copy for myself, and thankfully, Bull Moose still had a couple copies available.

Over the past couple of years, I'd thought about grabbing the 2014 German vinyl pressing of this album, but this US pressing does the job.

I'm not that big on live records, but this one is a good time. The energy really carries this record, and the setlist is top notch. Totally worth adding to the Circle Jerks collection.

RSD 2018 - Part 3: Missing Link [The 90's]

The final piece of vinyl from my Record Store Day shopping spree. I certainly didn't expect to find some Fu Manchu vinyl in the used record bins, but as soon as I saw it, I grabbed it without even bothering to check the price tag. It was going to be mine.

[1996] I first heard Fu Manchu about five years ago on Doug's recommendation. I loved what I heard and went on a frenzy, downloading around six of their albums. It was a bit too much, too fast, and I really only stuck with their amazing run of three albums, The Action Is Go, King Of The Road, and California Crossing...everything else was background noise. Seeing In Search Of... in the used bins made me think that it was time to really dig into this one. It was released just before The Action Is Go, so I figured that there had to be some solid stoner grooves hidden in here, and I grabbed the vinyl.

Oh hell yes. This record is full of those fuzzed out riffs! In Search Of... easily stands side by side with what I consider to be Fu Manchu's big three. Awesome album.

I love the iron-on transfer that came with this UK pressing. You don't know how badly I want to use this on a t-shirt...but I can't do it...it came with the record, so it stays with the record.

When I cashed out at the counter, I was a bit stung when I saw the $30 price tag on this record. I checked discogs when I got home, and see that it usually goes for around $70, so I'll count it as a win.

RSD 2018 - Part 2: In My Dreams [The 80's]

The week before Record Store Day, an old friend reached out to me, pointing me in the direction of a live bootleg video on youtube of Dokken's set during the Monsters Of Rock tour in 1988. The video was from their set at Oxford Plains Speedway, which was the show that we were at shortly after we had graduated from High School. I hadn't really given Dokken much thought, outside of the occasional spin of Tooth And Nail, but watching this video brought back memories from that day. The show was about a one hour drive, but I hadn't traveled much at that point, and at that age it seemed like such an adventure to journey so far from home. We stood in line in the immense heat for hours just to get in through the gates, and after getting tossed around and being afraid for my life during Metallica's set, the rain came down and drenched us for the rest of the day as we braved lightning storms through sets from Dokken and Scorpions. By the time Van Halen took the stage with Sammy Hagar, I was chilled to the bone, our group of friends had splintered, and a few of us headed to the cars to get dry and warm. We spent the night sleeping in our cars, since all the campgrounds were full, and it was pretty much the defining moment of our Summer. Fuck, I miss those times.

With this nostalgia kicking into high gear, I was listening to lots of Dokken, Ratt, Twisted Sister and Quiet Riot...and pretty much had a Record Store Day mission to pick up a bunch of mid-80's Metal albums from those teen years as I could.

[1985] One of the first records that I found on Record Store Day was Dokken's Under Lock And Key...still fucking sealed. Goddamn, it was going to be a good day. Well this didn't stay sealed for much longer, and soon I was dropping the needle to the vinyl. It's funny, I don't even remember if I ever owned this album as a kid...when I think back to other albums I picked up in '85, I don't have any strong memories of Under Lock And Key...I mean I know the hits from this record, but none of the other songs are all that familiar. Either way, I'm loving it in 2018.

[1985] I know that I loved Ratt's Out Of The Cellar when I bought the cassette in '84, but a year later, after moving on to stuff like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Dio...that stuff seemed more heavy and intense, and some of those bands that first introduced me to Metal were starting to feel a little weak and limp. Ratt was one of those bands, and by the time Invasion Of Your Privacy was released, I wanted nothing to do with it. It's funny how much difference a year can make when you are fourteen years old...and even funnier how much I'm digging this album today. There is some great heavy stuff on this album, but I was too busy trying to be hard and edgy at the time to appreciate how good this album is.

[1985] Another band from the mid-80's that I loved back in the day, but had not really paid much attention to over the years, was W.A.S.P. When I saw the Blind In Texas 12 inch single in the used bins, and that the b-side had an exclusive song that didn't make it on to The Last Command album, I quickly snatched it up...and in a case of record collector kismet, as I was holding it in my hands, I received a message from Doug, who had just picked up the shaped picture disc version of the same single.

[1986] I remember buying Queensryche's Rage For Order when it first came out back in '86, and it was a big departure from The Warning. I don't think that I would hang with a change in sound like this today, but back then, I stood by my bands no matter what. I was undying in my devotion, and even something like Gonna Get Close To You was not going to turn me off. Could it be that I was more open minded when I was sixteen?

[1986] I didn't care at all about Ratt when 1986 came around, and I paid no attention to Dancing Undercover. I vaguely remember the Dance video, but really, when I had Slayer's Reign in Blood cassette, Ratt was not going to cut it at the time. Still, this is a fun album to revisit, and remember those few friends that were really into it.

[1987] I was really happy to find Dokken's Back For The Attack on Record Store Day. While I might not have remembered much about Under Lock And Key, I do recall having the Back For The Attack CD, and being surprised with how heavy it sounded to my ears. While Tooth And Nail remains my favorite Dokken album, this one is only a notch below that. So good.

[1988] The final album from my 80's shopping spree, isn't really that impressive. I'm not that big a fan of Frehley's Comet, but there are some pretty good songs on this live EP, so I grabbed it. Listening to these live songs, I started to think that maybe I needed to revisit some of their albums, and then the one studio song comes on, and I'm like "Nope...I'm out". I'll just stick with live version of Rip It Out and Rocket Ride.

RSD 2018 - Part 1: Rainbow Demon [The 70's]

I've been struggling to keep up with this blog lately. I'm so far behind on my posts and records are stacking up. In an attempt to try and appear current, I'm going to have to move my Record Store Day haul to the front of the line, and try and knock out a quick series of posts.

Record Store Day did not disappoint this year. I didn't give a shit about any of the RSD exclusives, so I avoided the bigger record stores and just hit the used bins around town. Every store that I walked into managed to find some older vinyl that I was excited to pick up. Let's break them down, in chronological order...starting in the 70's.

[1972] I've wanted some early Uriah Heep on vinyl for a while now. For some reason, a while back, I got it stuck in my head that I only wanted the UK Bronze pressing, and I'd been kind of hold out for that. I'm pretty sure that I've seen this US Mercury pressing of Demons And Wizards at the Moody Lords store for the past couple of years, and I kept passing it by. This year, when I saw it still in the racks, I just got tired of waiting for that "perfect copy", and bought it. Cool to finally have a copy on my shelf.

[1973] I already owned a copy of Alice Cooper's Billion Dollar Babies, but seeing this copy with the hype sticker on the cover at the first store that I stopped at, I decided on a whim to grab it. Had I seen it later in the day, after I'd spent a bunch of money, I might have passed it by, but here, early in shopping day, I said "fuck it" and added it to the other records I was picking up. Plus, it was only $7, so why not, right?

One of the main reasons why I bought this copy was because my original Warner Brothers pressing was missing the perforated photo cards of the band members from the inside sleeve of the gatefold. This German pressing had those, but was missing the dollar bill insert...so now I have two pressings that are incomplete.

[1977] I really enjoy the first few Angel records. Their second album, Helluva Band, is my favorite, but the third, On Earth As It Is In Heaven, is not slouch. Great 70's Hard Rock.

Seeing that this copy came with both the poster and the merchandise insert, made this one an easy purchase at $8.

Usually I prefer it when the merchandise insert is in mint condition, and I would typically turn down a copy that has writing on it, but for some reason, the answers on this Angel form made me laugh and want it even more.