Pinhead Summer

My musical tastes tend to change with the wind, and right now the warm summer breeze has blown me back to some of the more indie and poppy hardcore/punk sounds of the early 90's.

I'd honestly never thought that I'd be listening to Green Day again, but man, Summer seems like the perfect time to bounce around to this stuff. Once casual listen recently, and I was suddenly hooked, and spinning their early stuff daily.

Since the only Green Day vinyl that I own is their Insomniac record, I immediately hit up the Discogs Marketplace to see what I might want to get my hands on. Oh shit...there are early colored vinyl options...and they are as expensive as fuck. I kind of want to go down this road, but maybe I'll let my obsession simmer and see where it goes. In the meantime, I'll satiate some of that desire with some Pinhead Gunpowder quick and easy pick ups.

Pinhead Gunpowder was kind of an East Bay super group of the time, featuring dudes from Green Day, Fuel, Monsula, and Crimpshrine. I'd picked up a few CDs of theirs back in the mid-90's, but I recently realized that I'd never really paid any attention to their early 7 inches. I'd obviously been missing out, because their first two records are great!

Original pressing of Trundle & Spring on No Reality Records.

Pinhead Gunpowder's follow up 7 inch, 1992's Fahizah, is one of my favorites by them...a perfect blend of melody and grit.

Their cover of Big Yellow Taxi is catchy as hell, and has been stuck in my head for days.

Mega-dystopia

Two bands from Thrash's Big Four have released new albums in 2016...Megadeth and Anthrax...and I've fought them for months. I carry a chip on my shoulder for both bands for one reason or another, and I was convinced that they were going to flaming balls of shit that I wouldn't waste my time on. Still, the Metal community seems to be impressed with both albums, and after reading positive review after positive review for both Anthrax and Megadeth, I broke down and downloaded a copy of each.

The Anthrax album turned out to be a great surprise, but I still had doubts about Megadeth.

I never bothered with the last two Megadeth albums, and the general consensus was that they weren't all that great. I just figured that there was a lot better stuff being released from more exciting bands, so why would I bother wasting my time with Megadeth. With the new album, Dystopia, I tried to remain positive, and after listening to the download on my iPod a couple of times, the best I could come up with was, "Well, it doesn't suck".

The jury is still out on how I feel about this album. At times, it seems like a nice throwback to Rust In Peace era Megadeth, yet this doesn't really excite me all that much. I'm not sure how often I'll reach for this record, but finding it at the local record store with a sale price tag of $11, I figured "What the hell?", and I grabbed a copy.

Dead And Gold

I'm a huge fan of Articles Of Faith, so when Vic Bondi came along in 2012 with a new band, Dead Ending, I was excited to check it out. I quickly downloaded the songs for their first EP, and while I enjoyed them, I never got around to actually buying the record.

Four years down the road, and I'm finally getting it done.

When I finally got around to buying a copy, colored vinyl was the way to go. The gold vinyl looks great with the record packaging....oh hell, when doesn't gold vinyl look good?

I can't remember what drew me to the Discogs Marketplace page for this record, but once I saw the $8 price tag, it was love at first sight, and I had to make her mine.

500 pressed on colored vinyl.

UK Fireball

The seed was planted during Instagram's January Record A Day game back in 2015. On one of the days, we had to pick an album that we wanted to hear played live in its entirety. I wanted to pick Deep Purple's Fireball, but since I didn't own a vinyl copy, I was forced to make another selection.

A year and a half later, and I'm finally crossing Fireball of my Wantlist.

Last month, in the middle of an early-70's obsession, I found myself listening to the shit out of Fireball. Again, I was just in awe of how perfect that album is, and I set out to finally purchase a copy.

There are differences between the UK and US pressings...with the US version getting Strange Kind of Woman, and the UK getting Demon's Eye...and since Demon's Eye is one of my favorite Deep Purple songs, the UK pressing wins.

Plus the original UK pressing comes in a textured gatefold sleeve...and UK pressings tend to just be cooler for early 70's rock bands.

Easily one of my favorite albums of all time.

Break Broke

I'm sure there have been some cool Hardcore records released in 2016...for the most part, I just haven't cared enough to seek them out. While this year has definitely been dedicated to bands and albums of years gone past, every once in a great while, something new will slip through the cracks.

I loved the last Clean Break record, so I jumped in once preorders for the new 7 inch were announced. It takes a lot for a new Hardcore record to get my attention this year, so you know that Clean Break is doing something right for me to buy three copies of the damn thing.

Number 12 of 90 pressed with the pre-order NFAA rip off cover.

This new Clean Break 7 inch is easily one of my most listened to Hardcore records so far this year. Hardcore played with true conviction and passion.

110 pressed on black, and 300 pressed on yellow vinyl.

Along with my Clean Break records, they threw in a copy of the Go For Broke 7 inch as well. I downloaded these songs years ago, and while I liked them, I really only listened to them a handful of times. I'm happy to finally have a vinyl copy, which may push me to give it some more spins.

Ride The Deluxe Box Set

I was doing a good job keeping up with the Led Zeppelin box sets. I knocked out six of those things, but then Metallica had to come in and provide a damn fine distraction.

I jumped on Kill 'Em All when it was initially released back in April, but it has taken me a few months to work up the courage to drop the cash on Ride The Lightning. Collecting these things ain't for the faint of heart.

I put the original Megaforce silver label pressing is near the top of my Want List for the year, and instead of putting my money towards that, I grabbed this instead. I feel dirty for springing for this box set before crossing the original press off my list.

Just like Kill 'Em All, the Ride The Lightning box set is straight up amazing. Led Zeppelin box sets give you a bonus piece of vinyl with studio outtakes...Metallica gives you an exclusive live release. Way to take the deluxe box set concept and just make it better, Metallica. Well done.

With the repressing of the Creeping Death picture disc 12 inch single, the extra 5 CDs of outtakes, demos, interviews and live sets...this is well worth the price of admission. The live DVD is just icing on the cake.

But wait...there's more. Tour posters, a reproduction of the notebook containing handwritten lyrics, plus the hardcover book that is full of stories, old articles, and photos. What better way to immerse yourself in the experience than dropping the needle to the vinyl, and flipping through this book.

Now when do we get Master Of Puppets?!!?

Your Mistake

I love record collecting, but sometimes I look back at some of the things that I threw my money at, and I just shake my head. There was a time when I was a bit over zealous, and with a mindset of "more pressings the better", I was jumping to buy any and every piece of Hardcore vinyl that went up for pre-order.

Since I've been going through and reorganizing my collection recently, I've started weeding through some of those records that weren't the best decisions. Reissues and discographies make up a big part of those regrets.

I know that I've got some serious holes in my collection, and I'm trying to commit to finally filling those, instead of chasing a ton of new releases. Right now I just find it more fulfilling to buy one original pressing of an older record than 5 different colors of the new Angel Du$t LP. So when I recently pulled Victim In Pain off my shelf, and recognized that the only copies that I owned were the 2009 Bridge Nine pressing, I knew that I had to take immediate steps to rectify the situation.

With some money burning a hole in my Paypal account, I set out on my hunt for a Rat Cage pressing.

With the only difference between a first and second pressing being the "Important" logo on the back, I decided that second pressing was good enough for me. Funny though, because if this was a Black Sabbath record, I would spend an extra $200 for a legit first press...with AF, I'm like "meh, the only difference is the Important logo...good enough".

There is something 1,000 times cooler in owning this Rat Cage press, and it makes those three copies of the Bridge Nine pressing obsolete. Time to sell 'em on discogs, and make a couple of bucks for the next pursuit.

Flotsam And Jetsam

I'm continually impressed when older Metal bands can still come roaring out of the gates with a new album...when bands that were a part of my teenage DNA, can still make me bang my head like a nut as I head into the later part of my 40's. 2016 has already seen Metal Church and Death Angel shoot to the top of my Top 10 list, but the biggest surprise has been the new album from Flotsam And Jetsam.

I haven't bothered with Flotsam And Jetsam since When The Storm Comes Down was released back in 1990. Nine albums, and twenty six years later, I'm surprised to find myself interested to check out what the band have to offer again.

I've ignored everything the band has done to this point, but one again, the Bravewords messageboard sucked me in when people started talking highly of the new Flotsam single for their song Iron Maiden. I really wasn't expecting much, and the song really surprised me. I didn't want to get my hopes up based on just the one song, so I kept myself in check. When the second single, Time To Go, was released, I decided to check it out to see if that first song was a fluke. Nope! Not a chance. The second song the band released was even better. Oh damn, it's time to track down the vinyl.

Only 500 pressed, so I'm glad that I didn't wait on this one.

Mountain Climbing

In my continued obsession with albums that were released in 1970, I checked another one off the list with Mountain's debut album, Climbing!.

I've always loved the artwork on the front cover of this album. The bright colors framed in black, just makes the image jump off the cover. Plus I've always thought the character on the front was some wizard or hermit with a bald head and wild beard...but on closer inspection, I can now see it is some woman with her head back and arms up, in praise of the mountain. Sigh. I like my version better.

While I've always loved the art, it has taken me some time to warm up to the music on the record. I've probably downloaded and deleted this album off my iPod a small handful of times, as I would immediately be hooked with the Hard Rock blast of Mississippi Queen, but then, over the ebb and flow of the rest of the record, I'd lose interest.

There are different layers to this album, and not all songs are going to knock you over with the power of Leslie West's guitar, and once I recognized that, I found that I really started to appreciate it more and more. This is a legit 70's classic.

1970 Cactus

I've been tossing around the idea of reorganizing my record collection for a long time now. Because my listening habits tend to revolve around specific years or time periods, I was curious as to how my record shelves would look if they were organized by year. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea, or one that would frustrate me down the road, but the idea sat there in the back of my mind for a couple of years. When I started obsessing over punk from 1977, it seemed to be the catalyst to put my plan into motion. I was really concentrating on specific years, and was curious to see how my shelves would look visually from this organizational perspective.

It obviously made sense to start at the beginning of my collection timeline, and I was soon digging through albums from the year of my birth...1970.

I obsess...it is what I do...and records from that year quickly dominated my daily playlist, and a number of them started seeing daily action on my iPod. Once I'd broken out my vinyl collection by year, and was looking at only those seven records that I owned from 1970, the albums that I was missing stood out like a sore thumb. The more I immersed myself in my soundtrack from 1970, the more I needed to fill those holes.

When I set out on my mission to try and nail down the remaining 1970 releases that I needed, the debut Cactus album shot to the top of my list.

Around 10 years ago, I first started to appreciate 70's Rock, and some where along the way I downloaded a copy of that first Cactus record. There was something about it that really struck a chord with me. It was raw and unpolished, bluesy and yet borderline chaotic at times. Hell, their entire purpose of covering Parchman Farm was to play it faster than anybody before them. I can get behind that kind of thinking.

I was actually chasing this record quite a few years ago, but every time I'd find one, I wasn't happy with the condition. Seemed as though every copy out there was beat up and suffering from terrible ring wear. When I came across this one on eBay, looking mint with the shrink wrap still on it, I jumped on it regardless of the higher price.

IDNTFS

Buying vinyl for new releases is cool and all, but there is no greater feeling than that of scoring an older record. I think that I burned myself out chasing new bands in 2015. I was constantly on a quest, and always on the go, checking out new albums, and of all the records that I'd bought last year, half of them were for records released in 2015. Man, with a collection that has more holes to fill than a porn film, why am I spending so much time and money chasing new shit?

While I still can get caught up in new releases, I'm trying to commit myself to being more of an old curmudgeon, and to live in the past.

I was late to the party with Negative FX. Even though I was heavily into Slapshot when I first got into Hardcore, for one reason or another, I completely missed the boat on Negative FX until the mid-00's.

These days, that Negative FX album easily tops any of those Slapshot records, so on my mission to concentrate on knocking some classics off my Want List this year, it feels great to finally add this to the collection.

Power Metal Heroes

By all rights, I should not like Sabaton. The singer, with his douchey mowhawk/goatee. The synth keyboards in the background. The militaristic war theme. The band is the definition of Power Metal cheese. With every fabric of my being, I should hate them...but I don't. Listening to old Helloween, and new Gamma Ray records has weakened my resolve...and surprisingly, I find myself headbanging and chanting along to those big Sabaton choruses.

When I was looking to pick up my first piece of Sabaton vinyl, I took the path of least resistance...their 2014 LP, Heroes. I wasn't concerned with chasing down the limited colored vinyl pressing...of which, I use the term "limited" loosely, since there were 5 different color pressings...ah fuck...I might as well be completely honest, and mention that I was terribly tempted to chase the green vinyl version, since it would have looked the best with the cover, but cooler heads prevailed, and I took the cheap and easy way out with black vinyl.

Two bonus songs on the vinyl that didn't make it to the US CD release. Right on.

The Evil Divide

Since reuniting in 2004, every release from Death Angel has been solid. When it was announced they were releasing a new album this year, I was eagerly anticipating it's arrival.

Their fifth album since reuniting, and Death Angel haven't lost a step...still thrashing with The Evil Divide. There are very few bands that sound just as urgent and vital in 2016 as they did back when they released their debut in 1987...Death Angel are one of those bands.

Etched vinyl on clear wax is difficult to photograph. 300 pressed on clear.

The copy that I'd ordered from Nuclear Blast, came with a promo poster signed by the band.

For All Kings

I don't know what it is with Anthrax, but over the years, I seem to have formed a chip on my shoulder about them. While I enjoy everything up to, and including, We've Come For You All, I somehow still looked down on them with some contempt. Maybe it was because I considered Scott Ian as a bit of a self-important douche, or maybe it was because I felt like Joey Belladonna was a bit of a poser, playing the part of a Thrash frontman, while he often preferred the softer side of Rock. Either way, I thought that their 2011 reunion album, Worship Music, was kind of a disappointment, and even before it was released, I was prepared to write off this years new record as a colossal turd. Hell, I wanted nothing more that to rip it apart...and with my preconceived notions, I was underwhelmed when I first heard For All Kings...and choosing their second single as Breathing Lightning did them no favors.

Still, people across the Metal community were raving about how good For All Kings was. I downloaded it, but I was still stuck in my ways and wouldn't really give it a fair listen. Then I came across a recent interview with Scott Ian, and in speaking about how he handled some choices back in 1990, he owned his decisions. He didn't play it off, or deflect blame...he came out and basically said, "yeah, I was in a bad place at the time, and didn't handle things well". It isn't very often that you find someone, especially in the entertainment industry, that will take responsibility like that...plus he also talked about he has never been a drinker, and that helped sway me too. It was like my Grinch heart grew three sizes that day. With this new found respect, I queued up For All Kings, and tried to go into it with a more open mind. Goddamnit. I found myself enjoying it a bit.

When I saw the vinyl in the record bin at the local store, I was intrigued by the packaging. With plastic wrap keeping everything secure and tight, I couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on with the sleeve. Unable to resist, I bought it.

With the slipcover, the metallic shine on the record cover, the colored vinyl, and the d-side etching...the packaging on this is extremely well done.

The more that I've sat with this album, the more it has grown on me. While I'd initially thought this would hang out at the bottom of my Year End list, at this point, I'm starting to wonder how high it will climb, and if it has a chance to crack my Top 10. Solid album that continues to surprise the hell out of me.

Locomotive Breath

Season 2: Episode 7 of Fargo has a pretty strong opening, and through it all is a rumbling of an amazing song that perfectly sets the tension and atmosphere. As soon as the scene was done, I was immediately hitting the internet, scrambling to find out what song it was. Locomotive Breath from Jethro Tull's Aqualung album.

To me, Tull have always kind of been nothing more than a joke footnote to the '89 Grammy Award Ceremony, where they beat Metallica for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance...oh yeah, and they also played a flute. Despite my history of writing them off, with this introduction of Locomotive Breath, I was suddenly very interested to see if Jethro Tull was something that I'd been missing out on due to my own close minded musical ignorance.

Look, I know that it seems like each week I throw around claims of "this is my new favorite album", well, here I go again. This album surprised the hell out of me, and it is in heavy rotation lately. It is rare for me to spin an album more than once in a day, but Aqualung has hooked me so deep that when as Wind Up winds down, I immediately want to start the album over again.

Lately, I've been looking down on vinyl reissues, and my appetite has been more in collecting original pressings of vinyl. Yeah, I was one of those pretentious record collectors, vinyl-shaming people that were too lazy to dig through the internet vinyl bins for first pressings, and instead took the easy way out and bought the latest vinyl repress. That shit was for the common man, and only the truly dedicated put in the work, and put up the cash, for the originals...and then there I was...a hypocrite, buying the latest pressing of Aqualung.

What can I say...I'm a sucker for great packaging, and this release looks amazing. My audiophile friend, Jeff, says that the mastering for this vinyl releases gives the album the best sound, but I'm more of a visual person, and went for it because of the giant booklet that came with it.

The booklet is full of stories on the recording of the album, explanations on songs, and bits of history. Very well done, and well worth the price of admission for this 40+ year old classic.

The Shame, It Grows

I recently picked up the new Rough Kids album, and it quickly worked its way into my daily playlist...climbing the stats as one of the albums I've listened to the most this year. Such a great throwback to that late 70's punk sound.

I haven't made the jump to pick up the band's first album yet, but when I saw that Sorry State was carrying the new Lights Out single, I had to jump on it.

Only pressed in Japan, and limited to 300, grabbing this from Sorry State was a must. Had to get one before they were gone...and that exclusive b-side is another high energy song that makes me want to bounce around the dance floor.