Time To Burn

Here we are, over a month later from when I scored some records while out shopping downtown...and I'm still blogging about what I picked up. Sorry, it has been a busy summer, and I've been neglecting posting stuff up here.

While flipping through the used bins, my eye caught a strange looking cover with the Dio log across the front. Whoa, what is this? I had never seen this cover before, and in my mind, I was purchasing it before I even knew what songs were on it. Well in this case...it was just one song. Sure I had the song Time To Burn from the Intermission EP, but I had no problem adding the 12 inch promo single to the collection for this song as well.

Buying this 12 inch single only highlighted the fact that I'd been slacking on keeping up with the recent Dio live albums. In the five years since his passing, we've seen six live albums for the Dio band. Some may think that is a bit excessive, but given that each performance is passionate and vital, I'm in for each and every one...except that I seem to have let a couple of them slip past me. Picking up this copy of Dio's live set from Hammersmith in '93 is a step in the right direction.

Recorded on the Strange Highways tour, this live set is amazing. While Ronnie still delivers those classic songs that are the foundation of his live set, it is the six songs from the band's new album at the time that truly makes this concert unique and special. Strange Highways is such a strong album, and it is well represented here.

Chain Rank

So the last Boston Strangler LP left you strangely disappointed? Don't worry. Boston ain't going to quit on you that easily, and Chain Rank steps up to knock you around a bit, and remind you that the early 80's Boston Hardcore sound is still vital.

I'd seen Chain Rank's name tossed around the past couple of years, but honestly, I didn't pay it much attention. When Sandwell gave me the heads up that the LP was up for pre-order, I was feeling a bit risqué...real living-on-the-edge type shit...so I took a chance and ordered myself a copy. I'm so glad that I followed Sandwell's advice, because this album rages. Holding it in my hands, I can even pretend that I'm in touch with what is happening in Hardcore these days.

300 pressed on clear vinyl.

City To City

I spend a lot of time over at the Bravewords messageboard, where it is Metal talk 24/7. Someone recently posted a poll, pitting 6 or 7 lesser known 80's Metal albums against each other, and the clear winner for me, among the choices, was the Hallow's Eve classic, Tales Of Terror. Surprisingly, there was another album that seemed to attract a bunch of attention from the voters that I'd never even heard of before. Seeing how Cities released an album on Metal Blade, I suppose it was only a matter of time before I stumbled upon them in my quest to own the early catalog from that classic record label, but with the amount of attention it was getting in that poll, I made a mental note to check the band out at some point.

When I was shopping downtown a few weeks back, I was surprised to find the Cities LP sitting in the Used Metal bin...even more surprising was that it was the UK pressing on Metal Masters. Even though I'd still never listened to the band before, I figured it was worth the gamble.

Apparently, Cities' claim to fame was that AJ Pero (R.I.P.) from Twisted Sister played drums on their Annihilation Absolute LP. Seems as though Pero was with Cities in the early days, but jumped ship to join Twisted Sister. When Cities first released Annihilation Absolute as a six song 12 inch in 1985 on Metal Masters, AJ Pero was not included on this initial release. However, in 1986, the drummer returned to Cities and they re-recorded those initial songs, along with three others for the Metal Blade LP release.

This is pretty decent mid-80's Metal. Nothing too exciting, and not even close to beating Hallow's Eve in any poll, but still it reeks of denim, leather and studs, so it is still a fun listen. Given the differences between the original UK pressing, and the Metal Blade release, I'm obviously going to need both at some point.

10 Inch Blues Pills

Last summer, I was introduced to Blues Pills and it was love at first sight. On a whim, I decided to check out some of their youtube videos, and the first song that I queued up was a live version of Black Smoke at Rockpalast. I was initially hooked by the guitar tone, but once Elin Larsson started singing, I was crushin'. Such a powerful voice, and such a beautiful face...I was soon searching for any Blues Pills video, just to watch her. Yeah, there was some serious creeping going on.

I listened to the Blues Pills album on repeat all last year, but when I was placing an order with Nuclear Blast this Spring, I figured that it was time to finally grab a couple of the earlier EPs...one of them of course being the Live At Rockpalast 10 inch.

300 pressed on "orange" vinyl.

The other 10 inch EP from Blues Pills that I grabbed was the Devil Man record. Sure the band re-recorded the song Devil Man for their full length, but really, this EP version is the one you need. With Elin's incredibly powerful and passionate vocal intro, man, this is so good.

Because this was released on Nuclear Blast, there are about 10 different pieces of colored vinyl pressed for each release. I think that I got lucky with my purchase, because both the gold and blue vinyl that I picked up for these two match the covers perfectly.

Don't Turn Your Back...On The Heretic

For most of my life, I've made attempts to stay up to date and current with new bands. "Hey look at me. I'm not old...I'm digging this new youthful hardcore band"! This year, however, I'm struggling to give a shit about remaining relevant. Sure I still get the occasional charge from discovering a new band, but for the most part, all I want to do is sit around and listen to those albums that were released when I was a teenager through the 80's. Maybe it is nostalgia, or as I sit here on my 45th birthday, maybe it is a mid-life crisis...either way, I'm just rolling with it and hitting up eBay for those Heavy Metal classics on vinyl.

When it was announced that Mike Howe was back in Metal Church, the nostalgia needle buried itself in the red, and Blessing In Disguise and Human Factor started getting daily spins.

As I was listening to Howe-era Metal Church, I suddenly remembered that he had also done an album with Heretic back in 1988. I remember my brother had the Heretic cassette, but I didn't really remember much beyond him owning a copy. I grabbed a download, and after a couple of listens, I suddenly couldn't get enough. I can't imagine why we didn't like this more back then. This this classic Mike Howe, and a great precursor to what he would do with Metal Church.

After listening to the album repeatedly for a couple of weeks, I was in desperate need to buy the vinyl. Once again, discogs came to the rescue.

Still sealed and with the hype sticker on the front...for $12 I didn't hesitate to quickly buy it.

Night Songs

Earlier this year, my friend Rob sent me a message, confiding in me that as a guilty pleasure he was currently listening to Poison. I decided to play along, and half-jokingly replied back that when it came to 80's hair bands, that I was more of a Cinderella man. Things escalated quickly from there, as he challenged me by asking if I had the vinyl for Night Songs. Not one to back down, I immediately went to eBay and started searching for the record. I placed a couple of low bids, hoping to get a copy for a steal, but I was outbid at the last second, and I walked away empty handed. Shortly after that flurry of activity, Cinderella were soon forgotten about.

I was recently at a work function downtown, and had a few hours to kill between activities. It was a pretty chill afternoon walking the streets and hitting the four record stores within a few blocks of each other. I hit pay dirt at Moody Lords, which sells a bunch of vintage clothing, and occasionally has an respectable used section for Metal vinyl. When I saw the Cinderella LP with the $8 price tag, I couldn't resist the opportunity to finally add this record to the collection.

Don't let the pink and purple hues, and the big hair fool you, this is a killer rock album. While Cinderella would get lumped in with the Poison's and the Warrant's of the 80's, they were more blues than bubblegum...lots of early Aerosmith influence.

Listening to this record today, I can believe just how much I'm loving it. You know, I've never paid any attention to the band's follow up, Long Cold Winter...I remember kind of digging the Gypsy Road single, but I never cared enough to go deeper than that. I may have to grab a sneaky download and check it out.

Sign Of The Witch

Two years ago, things got kind of crazy. I was obsessed with Orchid, and I spent a silly amount of money chasing every vinyl pressing for their entire catalog. Under normal circumstances, this might be an easily attainable goal, but since we were dealing with Nuclear Blast, it was straight up over the top. When all was said and done, I ended up with 35 pieces of vinyl...with the majority of them only released that year. The chase was fun, but in the end it burned me the fuck out. When Nuclear Blast came through with yet another pressing, I dropped out of the game. What is the point in racing to the finish line, only to find that it keeps getting further away?

That experience changed my view on record collecting, and I walked away from it a bit more jaded than I was before. Collecting always meant something to me...it was historical and important...but after the "Orchid incident" I saw that not all labels have such a pure mindset. It isn't always about the music, and at times it is about how many units they can move. To me, it corrupts the game, and I won't play that anymore. When Nuclear Blast announced the new Orchid 10 inch, Sign Of The Witch, on six different colors of vinyl, I was quite content to pick up my one piece and then bow out.

This four song 10 inch is well worth the price of admission though. While there were obvious nods to Sabbath with the occasional riff here and there over the years, when I listen to these new songs, I just hear Orchid. The band have grown into their own...although there is still the tie to Sabbath with this release through the artwork on the insert, which was also used on Sabbath's Greatest Hits album from '77.

300 pressed on red vinyl.

Sticky Bros.

This year I haven't been too tuned into what's going on in the Hardcore scene, and as I've been trapped in an 80's Metal playlist, I haven't been very excited to check out new releases. It the rare case, where a Hardcore release catches my attention, I typically just settle for one copy, and pass on throwing money at every available pressing. With Stick Together, all that went out the window.

I was a big fan of the first two Stick Together 7 inches, and was really looking forward to the band's first full length. Only in Hardcore could you call a 19 minute record an LP...any other genre and it would be considered an EP.

Man, this thing does not disappoint. I'm not a huge fan of the layout for the front cover, but I love that the band stuck a nice big X on there. Straight edge in your face!

I love the nod to Sick Of It All with the photo layout on the insert. Classic Blood, Sweat and No Tears look.

Clear vinyl was limited to 200, with 500 pressed on blue, and 800 on black.

Breaking All The House Rules

In my head, I have a list of record collections that I want to tackle. Some of them, like the Megaforce silver labels or Black Sabbath UK Vertigo pressings, are works in progress...others have started to take root with a few pieces of vinyl, like UK Vertigo pressings for Thin Lizzy, or UK Neat pressings...while others, like the green Combat labels, are just waiting to get started.

Also on the list of things that I want to focus on are the Bronze pressings for Motorhead, and UK pressings for the Budgie albums. When my friend Jeff quickly grabbed a few of the Motorhead records for himself, I felt like I needed to compete and go in a different direction, and immediately jumped to see what I could find for Budgie vinyl.

Since the first Budgie album that I ever listened to was the Bandolier LP, when I first discovered them back in 2007, it made sense to me that it be the first one that I picked up on vinyl.

I was initially hesitant to buy records through the discogs marketplace, but more and more I'm finding that is the place I check for used vinyl, and overall, the experience has been great.

This album rules so much, and I've been listening to it every other day for the past three or four months. Such an underrated classic, and Budgie is slowly climbing my list of all-time favorite bands.

Sheavy Chase

A couple months ago, I picked up my first piece of sHeavy vinyl. Having never heard The Electric Sleep before, it immediately increased my appreciation for this band. I couldn't get enough of that album, and was soon looking to check out the follow up from 2000, Celestial Hi-Fi.

While Celestial Hi-Fi didn't set the hook immediately, I've found that with repeat listens, I enjoy it more and more. God damn, this band has jumped on my radar big time this year. Such a great Sabbath/doom/stoner sound.

I've been pretty hot on this band recently, and it was very tempting to spend the extra money and buy the clear vinyl Die Hard edition direct from Rise Above. In the end, cooler heads prevailed, and I saved the $60 shipping from overseas, and just bought the US pressing at a local record store. 1,000 pressed on solid purple vinyl.

Done Dying For A Test Press

A couple months ago, Marcus gave me a heads up that Workshed was selling test pressings of the upcoming Done Dying LP. I sat on this piece of news for a few days, internally debating if I wanted to spend the money or not. I'd been hit with a few big expenses this year, and with the thoughts of other home improvement projects dancing in my head, I knew that the wise move would be to walk away, and save my money. After sitting on this choice for three days, I figured that if Workshed still had the test press available, then I'd buy one. I was fairly certain that they would be gone by this point, so I was very surprised when the label emailed me back to let me know they still had some on hand. Hey...a man can only stay strong for so long, and I bought one.

If I'd seen the sleeve for this test as soon as they were available, I might not have waited so long before deciding to buy one. Great black and white design with hand written labels.

I loved the first two Done Dying 7 inches, and this LP continues down that same well worn path. Straight forward, no frills Hardcore is what Dan O and Mike Hartsfield do best.

Hand numbered out of 20 pressed. I was happy to receive number 9, which coincidentally is the same number I own for the Dress For Distress test.

Bedemon

Bedemon features Bobby Liebling plus a couple of dudes from the early Pentagram years. It was basically a project of guitarist Randy Palmer, who was in Pentagram in '74 and '75. Prior to joining the band, he wanted to record some songs that he had written. Nothing too serious...he just wanted to get them down on tape for his own enjoyment. He recruited the singer and drummer of Pentagram, plus another friend, and they laid down these tracks.

The recording for these songs is pretty rough, and sound like demo recordings...because basically, that is what they are. The fact that these songs were never expected to see the light of day, makes this a really cool find...especially for those interested is the early Doom sound. Those Sabbath riffs with the voice of Pentagram...this shit is history right here.

While this isn't the first time that these songs have been released, this Relapse pressing is the first official release, so it is cool to finally see the band get credit and compensated for this record.

Relapse did a great job with the packaging, with a giant insert/poster that details the history of the band with stories behind the recording process and each song that was written. Very cool to finally learn about this hidden gem.

I'm A Sick Boy And There's No Cure

A few months ago, I picked up a handful of punk singles. New records in the mail is always exciting, but receiving those 7 inches from G.B.H., The Exploited and Dead Kennedys gave me a bit of an extra charge. There are times when blogging about new releases can get a bit monotonous, and I'll procrastinate on writing about them because I struggle to find the words. However, with those old punk singles, there was a new spark of excitement. Even though I'd first heard those songs 30 years ago, finally owning an original vinyl pressing brought my appreciation to a new level. Suddenly, I had a new obsession.

I know that I have trouble concentrating on finishing what I've started, and I bounce from one obsession to the next without ever completing any of them. I'm trying to lock shit down better this year, and after a few months of "window shopping" for G.B.H. singles, I finally found a couple in the States, and pulled the trigger.

There are two different pressings for the Sick Boy 7 inch from G.B.H.. One with the black an read cover, and one with the blue and orange cover. I assume that the black an red cover is the original pressing, and blue and orange is a later press...but really, I have no idea. Either way, I'd never seen the blue and orange cover until I started digging into the G.B.H. vinyl options, so that was the one that I decided to grab first. Of course I'm going to need the black and red cover at some point as well.

Sick Boy is classic G.B.H., but the two other songs on here, Am I Dead Yet and Slit Your Own Throat, are a couple of my favorite songs from them.

The Do What You Do 7 inch was a bit more difficult to come by. Sure the 12 inch version, with the two extra songs, seemed to be easy enough to get my hands on, but I really wanted the original 7 inch pressing. There will be time for the 12 inch later down the road...maybe I'll have to do another Sick Boy/Do What You Do post with the variations that I didn't pick up this time around.

Goddamn. I can't listen to G.B.H. these days without thinking about all those roadtrips to Boston and Providence for shows around 1990/1991. G.B.H. was mandatory for the car ride back home at midnight...pop a couple No-Doz, crack open a Jolt Cola, and turn up the stereo for the two to three hour drive back. The best of times.

Permanent Death

It probably comes as no surprise that I was late to the party for Red Death. I'm not doing a great job at keeping up with new Hardcore bands this year, and I'm going to really need someone to be working the hype machine overtime if I'm going to pay it the slightest bit of attention.

I'd heard the Red Death name thrown around a bit when their album was released. Chris over at Unwavering Spirit posted about it, and then Sandwell started giving it some praise, comparing it to early Corrosion Of Conformity, I figured that I'd grab a quick download, and see if it was worth the Crossover hype I was hearing.

At the time, I was giving the last Iron Age record repeat listens, and following that album up with the new Red Death was a perfect combination. Those raw and raging guitar riffs! After giving it a few spins, I knew it was time to finally grab the vinyl.

Because I slept on this one for so long, the limited red vinyl was long sold out. 851 pressed on black vinyl.

Straight Edge Razor

In case you can't get enough Brendan Radigan bands...XfilesX, Rival Mob, Battle Ruins, Magic Circle, Stone Dagger...React! Records gives us one more with Straight Razor.

Back in February, I was pretty excited to grab a test press for this 7 inch. It was a cool experience to own a record that wasn't yet available to even order at the time.

Straight Razor were a straight edge band, but honestly, I was hoping this was going to be a bit over the top with its edge-ness. I expected this to be right up in your face, with lyrics in the vein of Slapshot. Radigan has an over the top personality with his bands, and I expected this one to follow suit. Basically we just get more Rival Mob style lyrics...still good, but not what I was hoping for.

150 on gold vinyl, and 350 on black.

Gloves Of Metal

The progress I've been making with my Megaforce collection has been slow going this year. Despite the snails pace, I've managed to knock one heavy hitter from the Want List with Metallica's Kill 'Em All LP. For Megaforce silver label pressings, most people may consider that album, or even Ride The Lightning, as the label's holy grail. I'm here to challenge that theory, and present you with what I believe to be the biggest catch from the silver label pressings.

If you do a quick search for Kill 'Em All on eBay, you'll find that without fail, someone is always looking to unload a first press copy with the silver Megaforce label. Now check for Manowar's Into Glory Ride, and chances are you will come up empty. Sure there are plenty of options to pick up the black label pressing with the red Manowar logo, and some of them may even be listed as a "first pressing", but make no mistakes...the silver label is the real deal for an original pressing. I have no idea what the pressing numbers are for this record, nor when Megaforce switched to the black labels, all I know is that they are harder than fuck to find...hell, popsike only shows two copies ever sold...and one of them is the one I grabbed. It shows up so infrequently, that there were times that I doubted that it even existed...like it was myth...the legend of the great white whale. When I finally saw one available on eBay, I pounced. The cost wasn't a concern, I finally had one in my sights, and I wasn't going to miss.

The funny thing about this quest is that, at the time, I wasn't really sold on this Manowar album. Sure, I've been a fan of everything from Hail To England through Kings Of Metal, but for Into Glory Ride and Battle Hymns...I just never bothered. Thanks to my obsession with those early Megaforce pressings, I finally checked out Into Glory Ride, and I'm glad for the push. This is classic Manowar, and I can't believe I've ignored this album for so long.

Got to love those simple silver labels. This record puts my collection at 10 out of 19, and knocks the first three Megaforce releases off the Want List.

Mos Limited Generator

You know how some bands only release new music once every five years (Iron Maiden, I'm looking at you)? Mos Generator are not that kind of band. Seems like every time I turn around, Tony Reed and company are releasing something new.

The band had a new piece of vinyl ready to go for Record Store Day this year, but apparently they weren't happy with the pressing quality, so they scrapped the whole thing. They had 25 of them pressed, which I assume was a test pressing. The band sold a few to close friends and fans, and then put up the last 10 in their webstore. I jumped on it as soon as I saw the announcement, and managed to grab a copy of the most limited pressing Mos Generator has done.

The signed sleeve is a nice touch.

On this record we get one new song, Wicked Willow, and an acoustic reworking of Electric Mountain Majesty. Man, that new song is great...hell, the whole thing sounds great. I'm not sure why the band didn't release a regular pressing of this record.

Mos Generator love their splits. After their split with Isaac earlier this year, they give us this fun little split with Daily Thompson.

Mos Generator cover a song from a band out of Washington state called Golden Pig Electric Blues Band. Apparently the band was around in the mid-90's, and were a big influence on drawing Tony Reed back to playing that Sabbath influenced, heavy rock sound from his teenage years. This is a cool little tribute.

Like most splits, there is really only one side that I'll be spending a lot of time with. While the Daily Thompson side isn't bad, I just don't see myself being draw to listen to it like I will be for the Mos Generator side.

Only 50 pressed on metallic gold vinyl.

High Spirits 7 Inch

I was slow to appreciate High Spirits. It took a lot of prodding from Doug and Sandwell, but I finally saw the light, and got into the band in a big way with their two full length releases.

Last month, I received a message from Doug, giving me a heads up that Electric Assault had a High Spirits 7 inch available in their store. In my excitement, I made the assumption that this was a new release from Electric Assault, and I quickly grabbed one.

When the package arrived in the mail, I was surprised it was actually the Hells Headbangers 7 inch release from last year...and even though I didn't own a copy of this, I was kind of disappointed that it wasn't new High Spirits material.

250 pressed on clear vinyl.