Justice For All

This post is pretty much centered around Justice. Ever since I picked up the bands Escapades LP from Youngblood back in 2007, I've had a difficult time getting into this band. The album started to grow on me, but after a few listens I kind of shelved it. Live and Learn was released last year, but I never had any interest in checking it out. After really getting into the band Loud and Clear, I decided to revisit the earlier Justice stuff. The only thing I had from them was the Elephant Skin LP that I picked up at the Planet Mental record release show, so I checked the band's myspace page to try and find some of their older songs. This was where I stumbled upon A Quiet Pain from the Live and Learn 12 inch. Wow...I was really impressed with this song. So impressed that I had to revisit Escapades, and to my surprise, I couldn't stop listening to it. That was the push I needed. I had to get the band's last 12 inch. I found that Six Feet Under Records had the gold vinyl pressing (limited to 300) in their webstore, and didn't hesitate to order it. It took a while, but I've finally become a fan of this band.

After Justice broke up, the band members stuck together, got a new singer, and created Rhythm to the Madness. The band has a sound similar to Best Wishes era Cro-Mags, as opposed to the Supertouch direction that Justice went to. I was first drawn to their Weltchmerz LP because of the great looking cover art. I checked out one of their songs...liked it, so I grabbed that from Six Feet Under as well.

The last Justice connection for this post is the Loud and Clear LP. Six Feet Under only had a few left of the black vinyl pressing in the webstore, so I grabbed this one before it was gone. 383 pressed.

I also ordered the True Colors CD, Focus on the Light. Six Feet Under sent me the black vinyl pressing instead. Not sure what happened, but I needed this pressing for the collection anyway, so I kept it. 355 pressed.

Learn To Take Care Of Your Records

This is the third part in my Rhode Island series of posts, with Verbal Assault beating Neutral Nation, 2 - 1. As I mentioned in my first Verbal Assault post, I've been itching to get some of their stuff on vinyl. Tiny Giants on colored vinyl was a good start, but I was very happy to pick up a copy of the Learn LP. I have no idea on how much this typically goes for, but $15 seems like a steal to me. Once again, I was surprised by how little value place in taking care of their records. The album cover is in great shape, but the vinyl itself was covered in greasy fingerprints. Jesus Christ, did you let your 5 year old kid play with this thing? Fingers should only touch the center label or the outer edge...it's common sense. In addition to the large amounts of DNA left on the vinyl, this arrived with no dust sleeve. What the hell are people thinking? How does one lose a dust sleeve? You take the album out, play it, and then put it back in the sleeve. Come on people, I know that it is a big responsibility but you've got to take care of this shit! Thankfully I had some record cleaner, and after a wash, the vinyl was looking nice and minty. Now I just need to place an order with bagsunlimited for some more dust sleeves. Don't worry, your Verbal Assault records will be safe in my hands.

Neutral Feedback

I generally don't buy anything nowadays, unless I've at least listened to a few songs from the record. I've been burned too many times, and I've got more than a few mid-90's emo/hardcore records that I took a chance on and they ended up being total shit. No more! With today's access to free "illegal" downloads via soulseek, or bands loading new songs up to their myspace page, I typically avoid all the risk in buying new music. About a month ago I was listening to the excellent Neutral Nation 7 inch from 1992, I Need You On The Job, and it dawned on me that I had never checked out any of the band's other records. Soulseek turned up nothing, and I got the same thing when I did an internet search to see if someone had uploaded something to a music sharing blog. Out of curiosity, I did a search on eBay and found that someone had the 1987 It's A Bash album up with a Best Offer option, so I took a chance and I grabbed it. Man, I loved the 1992 record, but this one really falls flat for me. I don't know, at times it reminds me of The Adicts, other times I hear a Stiff Little Fingers influence, but for some reason this record really doesn't move me. There are some good songs, but for the most part this one is disappointing. That will teach me for taking a chance on a new record without hearing it first.

Verbal Giants

I listened to Verbal Assault's Volume One CD the other day, and noticed that the only piece of vinyl I had for them in my collection was a black vinyl pressing of the Tiny Giants 7 inch. Feeling a little inadequate, I hit eBay to add to my pathetic Verbal Assault record collection. I found a red vinyl pressing of Tiny Giants and was the only bidder, winning it for $5.00. When I received it in the mail, I noticed that this one was pressed on the Giant Records label. I always thought that my original copy on black vinyl was a little odd, as I had never heard of the Konkurrel label, but it seems that it might have just been used for an overseas pressing and distro.

Said and Gone

I was looking to check out some new music when I saw Dead and Gone Records put up pre-orders for their latest record, Ironclad's 7 inch. I checked out an mp3, and liked what I heard. Nice, no frills hardcore. To sweeten the deal, Dead and Gone were offering a free CD with any order, so I grabbed the Ironclad record and a free copy of the Break It Up disc. The Ironclad 7 inch is on blue vinyl and limited to 500.

When I was placing my order, I saw that Dead and Gone also had the Said and Done 7 inch in their online store. I received an email from Pim when this was released last year, to let me know that Shield had them up for pre-order if I was interested. Well I was, but at the time I was feeling really broke and passed on placing the order. Seeing it in the Dead and Gone store, I figured that it was about time that finally picked up a copy.

I really wish that I had ordered this when it was first available, and received the special pre-order cover, because this 7 inch is amazing. I really liked the LP from a couple of years ago, and this probably tops that effort. Great unconventional hardcore. I don't know, kind of comparable to Cro-Mags mixed with Underdog...maybe reminiscent of the older Justice records with some sick grooves. You really need to check this record out if you haven't already. I seem to have the best luck with this band. When I ordered the Everyday LP from Shield, I was surprised that they included a bonus test press. Then when I receive my order from Dead and Gone, they sent me the pressing with the record release cover. There are 525 on grey vinyl, but only 50 of those came with record release cover.

*Update* After writing this post, I emailed Pim from Said and Done, and he let me know that he was the one that designed the cover for the Ironclad 7 inch...too funny that I included them both in this post. He said that the band wanted a kind of KRS One rip-off for the cover, and now that he mentioned it, I can see the similarity with the Ironclad cover and KRS One's Return of the Boom Bap album. Very cool.

Dead Wait

I have an unwritten rule for my blog posts...I must listen to the vinyl before I write about it. Because of this rule, it has taken me a little longer than I would like to get these posts written. I have a huge pile of new records sitting beside me at the computer, but I haven't had time to listen to any of them. Packages keep arriving in the mail, and the pile of vinyl keeps growing higher and higher...it's a tough problem to have, I know. Now that the kids have started track practice a couple of nights a week, I don't know when I'm going to get the time to listen to all of it.

Tonight, with Julia not feeling well, and Sam wrapped up in an episode of Spongbob, I was able to drop the needle on the newest pressing of Slayer's Live Undead. This one was part of Metal Blade Records vinyl re-release for Slayer in 2008, and it was the final record I needed to complete my collection of them. I delayed buying this one, because I knew is was one of the ugly picture discs like Hell Awaits. Still, Metal Blade did a decent job at reissuing these with some nice packaging, and being the completist, I had to finish what I started.

You Drink, You Suck

There is something about Reveal that makes me consider them a kind of cult classic. They were a New Jersey band that put out their one 7 inch on the PMA label out of Belgium. Featuring the Jordan brothers from Encounter, and some kid named Troll on vocals, the band blew in and out of the hardcore scene in about 6 months. In 1991/1992 there were not a lot of really vocal Straight Edge bands, and with their motto of "You Drink, You Suck", Reveal really captured my attention. The band first showed up along side other up and coming Straight Edge bands like Mouthpiece, Strife, and Unbroken, on the It's For Life comp. Shortly after that, PMA released their Descent 7 inch. Then, in the pre-internet days of hardcore, the band vanished. Apparently the band set a World Record for the the fastest edge break in scene history, and those slogans of "the higher you go, the further you fall", rang pretty hollow.

But regardless of that, the band always has a special place in my heart. I bought the record when it was first released (through Ebullition's distro?) and received a copy on white vinyl. When I was at Posi Numbers in 2005, Brian Murphy was selling some records with a couple of friends, and as I was flipping through what they had, I came across the Reveal 7 inch with the limited cover. I'm not sure if it was a record release cover, or what, but it was hand numbered, limited to 100, it was pressed on black vinyl with the big hole, and I had no idea that it existed. I didn't hesitate to pick it up. I was surprised again, a few weeks ago, when I saw that Dobek had a green vinyl pressing listed up on eBay. It was listed with a Buy It Now price of $16.00, or the option for a Best Offer. Because I'm an idiot, I would have seriously paid $50 for this treasure....instead I sent him my Best Offer price, which was accepted. So here I sit with three pieces of vinyl for this record, and it is one that I personally would consider a classic...but you probably had to be there at that time to fully appreciate it.

Me...You...Youth Crew

The first round of Youth Crew peaked in 1988 with bands like Youth of Today, Judge, Side by Side, and Chain of Strength. 10 years later we got our first revival with more classic bands like In My Eyes, Floorpunch, Ten Yard Fight and Fastbreak. So here we are in 2009, and what better time for another wave of Youth Crew bands. Sure we had Champion, Betrayed and The First Step a few years ago, but these days it's Youth Crew Gone Wild, with bands popping up all over the place. Upside Down Records tries to capture some of that excitement with their Youth Crew 2009 7 inch comp. Featuring some of today's newest up and comers, like Right Idea, True Colors, Mindset, and Fired Up, plus some newer bands that I've never heard before, like Go For Broke and One Voice. All in, this is a very solid comp...it is no The Way It Is or Growing Stronger, but it's a great representation of today's Youth Crew hardcore. I ordered my copy a little late and therefore missed the limited pressing on orange vinyl. Black vinyl was limited to 300.

When my record arrived, Upside Down also threw in a copy of their first release, the split 7 inch between Lighten Up and Big Ups. I really wasn't expecting anything from this...terrible band names, and even worse cover art for the record...but this was surprisingly good. I'm not sure why, but this reminds me of something that Lockin Out would have released back in 2003. Cool stuff. On blue vinyl, but I don't know the pressing info for this.

Man Overboard

One of the coolest things about this Record Collector Blogger Network is when I'm introduced to a band that I may not have otherwise checked out. After reading about Walk the Plank on blogs by both Marcus and Lins, I figured that I'd check them out. The band features Ian Leck from Voorhees, plus a couple of guys from SSS, and man, these guys play some intense hardcore. Awesome stuff.

In the comments section from the post on Lins' blog, Ian Leck left a message that he had a couple extra copies of the record release pressing of their LP, Dead Weight in Hostile Waters. Known as the Blackspot pressing, this this is packaged beautifully, and limited to 100. The record is black vinyl with plain black labels, and comes with a nice glossy copy of the show flier, and a very cool piece of parchment paper with the details of the record release.

I really did not want to break the wax seal on the parchment, but I really wanted to find out what number I had. Thankfully, I was able pull out the corner of the paper and find out that mine was number 95. The cool thing is that the copy that Lins has is number 94.

In addition to the Blackspot pressing, I also bought a copy of the LP on blue with white splatter from Ian. This one was limited to 350 copies from Dead & Gone Records. You know, I would have never expected a band with a pirate/nautical theme to be able to pull it off, but Walk the Plank manage to do it flawlessly.

I had sent the money to Ian at the beginning of October 2008. After numerous emails, checking in and asking where my records were, the man finally pulled through and I received them 8 months later. As compensation for making me wait so long, Ian threw in a copy of Voorhees final LP, 13. He went online, and took a look at my collection to see that while I had this on CD, I did not have a vinyl copy. This album is pretty good, but not nearly as great as their first LP, Spilling Blood Without Reason. Still, it is a nice addition to the collection.

Ian also sent me a Youth of Today bootleg 7 inch. This is a pretty cool live record from a couple of YOT shows in France and Liverpool, which include covers of Gorilla Biscuits and Sick Of It All. Nice. This was limited to 300 copies.

We Might Be Retarded

Boston Straight Edge in the Motherfuckin' house, boyeeee! When Mental first got together, and released their debut 7 inch in 2002, I was kind of disconnected from the Hardcore scene. I wasn't buying vinyl anymore, and was pretty much only buying CDs from bands like Dillinger 4, Anti-Flag, and Good Riddance...political Fat Wreck kind of stuff. The few hardcore stuff that I knew of, like Champion's Count Our Numbers and Count Me Out's Permanent, again, I bought on CD. Bands like The Suicide File, Desperate Measures, and Mental were not even on my hardcore radar. Hell, I didn't even check out Mental until around 2004, when I went to see them play at one of the Insted reunion shows. So here we are, 7 years later, and I'm finally picking up my first vinyl copy of Mental's 7 inch, And You Know This. Awesome Boston Straight Edge band that definitely needs a space in my record collection. I have no idea what the pressing information is for this record, but I picked up this piece of blue vinyl for $5.00.

We Don't Care What You Say...

I was cruising around eBay last week, and stumbled upon a re-release of a couple of classic Overkill albums. Apparently Megaforce Records is re-issuing Overkill's debut LP, Feel The Fire, and their legendary Fuck You And Then Some compilation. Some eBay sellers had the Fuck You vinyl listed around $50...I found one that had it up for sale at $30, so I jumped on it. Before I had ever heard of D.O.A., and their original version of this anthem, I had Overkill...and the band made this song their own. Man, I remember owning this on cassette when it was first released in '87 or '88. My Dad found the cassette case, complete with the middle finger, in my room and tried very hard not to lose his cool...threatening me that if he ever saw it lying around again, it would go right in the trash. Cassettes suck, so my copy is probably now buried in my basement, and I've been looking to pick up an original vinyl pressing for the past couple of years. This limited edition pressing will have to do for now.

The packaging on this is pretty weak. Double LPs that are not packaged in a gatefold sleeve are always a disappointment. Plus this comes with no lyric sheet! What the hell?!? The original CD had photos and some other info...this should have the same. What this lacks in packaging, it makes up for in vinyl. Nice looking colored vinyl, with the B side of the second record etched with the middle finger. Nice touch. Plus this thing is pretty limited with only 500 made, and each one is hand numbered.

After I received my copy, I was checking around online and found some info about this released posted on Overkill's myspace blog. They say that this two album set has one black vinyl, and one orange/black colored vinyl. The one that I have definitely has some clear green mixed in with the black record. Not sure if the Overkill blog has the wrong info, or if this green and black mixture is very rare...either way, I'm glad that I finally own this on vinyl.

Record Fair : The Way It Is

There was a Record Fair in Portland yesterday. I haven't been to one locally for probably over 15 years, so I was eager to check it out...and hopefully by showing my support, they will occur more frequently. The only problem was that I couldn't find anyone to go with me...Rob was headed out of town, and Jeff was working. It had been a busy last few days with the family, so I said screw it, and just went in town by myself for a little break.

When I found the place, I was surprised at how busy it was. It was a good sized room, and each table was lined up with people flipping through old vinyl. I found a section labeled Heavy Metal, and started my search. It was a little disappointing. There were plenty of cool records, but most of them were beat to shit. I've got no interest in large amounts of ring wear and busted seams, so I moved on. I found a table with a Punk section, and was surprised to find a copy of The Way It Is. The cover had a bent corner, but you hardly notice it....plus the vinyl and insert were in near mint condition. I've never actually owned this record...only had it taped from a friends copy...and I didn't hesitate to pick it up for the $6.00 price tag.

I also found a very nice copy of the Rites of Spring LP. I already owned this one from the End To End discography CD, but I figured that I'd add it to the vinyl collection since it was only $4.00.

Keepin' It Real

To tell you the truth, I can't even remember where I heard about this Keep It Clear record. How many records have I ordered lately that I can't even remember where I got turned on to picking up this 7 inch? Another point of confusion was that it wasn't until writing this post that I realized that this is wasn't the band that appeared on the Generations comp from Revelation...that band was actually Keep It Up. Both bands are from Canada, so hopefully you can understand my confusion. Either way, Keep It Clear play some pretty ripping hardcore. Holy shit, this band came from out of nowhere and really blew me away. This is the North American pressing of the record, and apparently Not Just Words Records is releasing this as well. Each pressing will have slight differences in the layout, and different colored vinyl. I was too late ordering this record, so I missed out on the clear pressing, and only got black vinyl (limited to 400). The packaging on this is pretty slick, and comes with a nice wraparound strip with the bands name, for the cover. Very nice touch.

Trade Winds

I'm always uncomfortable when it comes to making an offer to buy a record off another collector. The situation doesn't present itself very often, but when it does, I'm paranoid that I'm going to make an offer that ends up being too low and insulting...therefore, I feel that I overcompensate and end up offering more than I need to. I've done it in the past when making offers to Aram. When I was buying some SSS records from Foxy, I did the same thing. After making a couple of purchases from Foxy and offering more than fair prices, I was presented with the opportunity to buy the Walton's package of the first SSS LP. This time I decided to make an offer on the conservative side. I can only assume that Foxy took it as a joke, since he never even bothered to reply. So it was with great trepidation that I approached a trade idea from Marcus. In the end it all worked out, and I was able to add a couple of incredible records to my collection.

I don't really collect Rain on the Parade records, but I'm thinking that I'd like to start at some point. Marcus, you may have just lit the fuse. The band's Full Speed Ahead 7 inch is amazing. Prior to this red vinyl copy, I only had the black vinyl pressing with the blue cover. I picked up that copy at the one and only time I caught the band live.

Other than the tracks on the Where The Wild Things Are comp LP, I've never really heard Outburst before. Marcus was offering a blue vinyl pressing of their Miles To Go 7 inch, so I figured that I'd check 'em out. Meh, they are okay I guess, but nothing too exciting.

One of the gems that Marcus had up for the trade was a copy of the Chorus of Disapproval 7 inch on purple vinyl. Released on Nemesis Records, I only had this on black vinyl, and ever since I saw Lins post some Chorus colored vinyl on his blog, I really wanted some myself.


Another band that I don't really collect is Absolution. I bought the black vinyl pressing of their 7 inch years and years ago from this mail order distro that sold some rare records. It was where I bought my Side by Side, Wide Awake and some Chain of Strength vinyl back in the early 90's. The guy that ran the distro assured me that the black vinyl was the rare pressing for Absolution. I can't remember how much I paid for it, but since I wasn't really collecting records at the time, I can't imagine that it was much more than $15. Cool record, and I figured that I'd add the red vinyl pressing to my collection as well.

Back in the day, I worshipped New Age Records, but somehow I managed to never check out Walk Proud. This record was not part of the trade deal with Marcus, but he threw it in for me anyway. Lyrically this can be a little painful, but overall it is some decent generic hardcore. I'm glad that I now have a copy of this, especially since this was the starting point of New Age.

Another bonus 7 inch that Marcus threw into the trade was the Search and Destroy 7 inch that he released on Endless Quest Records. The packaging on this is excellent. The front and back cover feature some very cool and original artwork. There was only 100 red vinyl with the yellow dust sleeve, but Marcus went and hand numbered all 483 records that he pressed. Mine is number 60. Awesome job....total quality.

I don't think that anyone really cares about Face Value anymore...did anyone really care about them back when they were putting out records? I remember seeing them at some point in the mid-90's...maybe opening up for Econochrist and Rorschach, in the basement of some church in Cambridge. The whole PC scene was really coming to a head, and Face Value certainly didn't fit in with the crowd at this show, and watching from the crowd I wasn't impressed at the time either. I'm older, wiser and less sensitive than I used to be, and can now appreciate Face Value for the hardcore band that they were. Plus the colored vinyl on this thing looks amazing.

In addition to the Chorus 7 inch, the other record that I was really excited for was Undertow's At Both Ends LP on blue vinyl. This album destroys most everything else from that time in Hardcore's history, and even though I've never actively searched it out, I'm happy to finally have copy of this on vinyl. Extremely powerful and passionate.

Thanks again, Marcus...for everything.

Poserslaughter

Warbringer's new album, Waking Into Nightmares, was up for pre-order at CM Distro recently, and since their last album was one of my favorite metal releases in 2008, I didn't hesitate to pick it up. Another solid Thrash album from one of the leaders in today's Metal scene...limited to 1,000 on clear vinyl.

Another band that released their debut album in 2008 was Avenger In Blood. Since I was in a Metal mood when I ordered Warbringer, I also decided to finally pick up their album, Death Brigade, as well. The band could be could be Kreator's bastard child, as this album could easily find a place between Terrible Certainty and Extreme Aggression. This album was released on Heavy Artillery, and man, they do an amazing job with their vinyl releases. I was late to the party, so I only got the black vinyl pressing, but they also released it on a couple of different colors which fetch a pretty high price on eBay these days.

First Steps From The Past

Bottled Up Records recently released the What We Know Sessions from The First Step. As the story goes, TFS broke up during the Spring of 2001. When they got back together at the end of the year, they went into the studio and banged out these six tunes that which, as Stephen writes in the excellent overview on the inside cover, "explain the core spirit and ideology of TFS". The majority of these songs ended up being re-recorded with Walter from Gorilla Biscuits for the What We Know LP, with the exception of Cutting Through, which showed up on a MRR comp, but this session captures the band boiling over with positivity and passion for what the future holds for them. This record stands as a fitting tribute to a band that went out at the top of their game.

Bottled Up released three pressings of this, but I only ordered two copies. I received the hand numbered black vinyl pressing (number 56 of 100), as well as the clear blue pressing (limited to 150). There is also a white vinyl pressing that is limited to 250, and I'll have to pick that up at some point as well.

Idiot Nation

Martin from Los Crudos recently had some vinyl up on eBay. Crucial stuff, as I had my eye on the Turning Point 7 inch on red vinyl, plus a Brotherhood 7 inch. I had a few extra bucks in my Paypal account...payment from Rob for selling his records on eBay, and I was on the hunt for some rare, older records. I wanted something that was a classic. The Turning Point record ended up going for over $300, and Brotherhood sold for over $400. Fuck. I didn't have that much money to spare! On top of that, one of the Floorpunch dudes, sold a copy of their 7 inches on gold vinyl (limited to 88), and that one went for over $600. Are you fucking kidding me?!?!? That shit is insane. There is no way that I'm going to ever be able to afford that shit. Welcome to reality, Mike...your record collection is never going to be what you want it to be.

So fuck that. I'm going to have to stick to my bargain basement finds. This arrived in the mail last week. Face the Nation from Carry Nation, on clear vinyl. I already owned this on black vinyl, but my collection is better off for adding the clear vinyl pressing to it. What a cool record, released on Dan O's Workshed Records. I'm not sure how many are pressed of this color, or if Workshed released it on any other colors, but guess how much this one cost me. 99 cents. Not even a full dollar for this classic. Now that's what I'm talking about.

I'm not sure if this is normal, but mine had a few brownish streaks in the clear vinyl.

The other record that I picked up, from the same eBay seller, for cheap was Endpoint's Idiots 7 inch....also on clear vinyl. For some reason, I had never picked this up over the years. In fact, I'd never even heard it...but hey, it's Endpoint, so it couldn't be too bad. Cool record, full of cover songs, and the band tips their hat to Samhain with the cover of the record. Nice selection of songs, as they cover Embrace and Rites of Spring...both of which fit the bands style nicely...plus a Misfits cover, and another song by Malignant Growth (who I have never heard of). Picked this one up for $3.99. I also saw a copy of this on blue vinyl, but I'm not losing my mind over the need to get every color for this, so I passed on it.

So, fuck your $500 records, I only spent $5.00 on these two. Shut up, yeah, I'm jealous of other people's disposable incomes.

Prepare To Be Let Down

I recently picked up the second pressing of Ruiner's album, Prepare To Be Let Down, on tri-colored vinyl. I love the cover artwork on this thing...very dark...and compliments the music laid down on this record as well...very real and passionate hardcore. Sick record all around.

While ordering this record, I also picked up the Bridge Nine Mystery Box. In an attempt to do some spring cleaning in their warehouse, they ran this limited $10 offer for the Bridge Nine Mystery Box. What you would do is give them a list of your four favorite B9 bands, and they would fill the order with what ever they wanted. I took the chance and sent them my list of bands; Champion, Have Heart, Carry On, and Betrayed. Then I waited to see what I would receive. Some people would post pictures on the B9 messageboard, showing what they got. My anticipation grew as a few people were receiving rare pieces of vinyl. I saw kids receive very rare American Nightmare vinyl, a Death Threat test press, and the Carry On LP on clear vinyl. Some people received banners from B9 bands, and others received screened tour posters. And then there were those that received rather disappointing orders...one kid received 10 copies of the Anger Regiment CD. It took them a couple of weeks to fill my order, so I was getting nervous that all the cool shit was already gone. I finally received my box yesterday, and yeah, I was a little let down. No rare vinyl...no cool, limited posters for my music room. I got four CD's...Blue Monday (which I already own), the Some Kind Of Hate EP (I have the blue colored CD, but received the orange one), plus a CD from Death Before Dishonor and No Turning Back (which I have downloaded and burned to a CDR, but didn't like enough to really buy...so now I have an actual copy of it...karma?). I also got two t-shirts. I got a Have Heart shirt from their Euro tour. I already own this shirt...bought it for $5 at the Edge Day show a couple of years ago. The funny thing is that last week, my wife was telling me that this was not her "favorite shirt"...which is code for "I hate this shirt". Now I have two of them. I also got a long sleeve, black Ruiner shirt. I'm not sure how I feel about this one...it definitely isn't a style that I would have purchased...my wife on the other hand, hates this one as well. I also got a handful of stickers that I probably won't do anything with. Overall, this was a very cool idea from Bridge Nine, and a very different approach in a time when lots of labels are throwing their rare vinyl up on eBay to fund future releases. While I didn't really get a box of stuff that blew me away, it was a fun purchase.

Loud, Clear, and Powered

I picked up a copy of the Loud and Clear LP on black vinyl from eBay a couple weeks back. This is my first copy of this album from Powered Records...my other two copies were released on Six Feet Under Records. I've been searching eBay regularly for other pressings of this record, so I was happy when I finally found this pressing listed...and even happier when I was able to pick it up for only $5.00. Black vinyl from Powered Records is limited to 550. This thing rules, but you should know that by now.

We Don't Need Friends Like You

Rivalry Records has been very quiet for the past year or so. No news has come from them since the release of the last Verse LP back in June of 2008. Every once in a while, I'll check their home page and see if they have anything going on, and I was surprised a few weeks ago to see that the label was having a big 50% off sale on everything in their store, plus they had listed some rare items for sale. I was pretty happy to find they had the Go It Alone friends press of Histories up for sale. It's funny, Rivalry said that apparently they don't have many friends as they still had these copies lying around. Since this was limited to 105, I didn't hesitate to add it to my cart for $30 postage paid. I remember when this was released, and I was so jealous that Tyler got a copy of this friends press in his regular order. So yeah, I'm pretty excited to finally have a copy in my collection as well. Really cool record, with some of the more deep and insightful lyrics that you will ever find in hardcore.

Still not sure what is going on with Rivalry, especially now that it seems like they are cleaning out their inventory. They were one of the hottest hardcore labels around for a while, and it will be too bad if they've closed up shop.

PS. I love gatefold sleeves.