Online Battle

On with more craziness

Battle Ruins - s/t LP - 2014 Rock 'N' Roll Disgrace RRD-015

This pair wasn't easy to get for the regular price but I got lucky. While most of the time I cannot be at the computer when limited stuff goes on sale this time I could and it was good that I was. I'm not quite sure how many minutes it took until the clear version sold out but it was definitely in the lower single digits. Of course flipsters made sure it was and still is available for ridiculous prices on discogs but I would not have gone there. I really love the Battle Ruins mix of Oi, HC and cheesy Metal but not enough to pay that much.

For the black vinyl version to sell out it took a little longer but if I remember it right it didn't take even half a day. Currently there are 8 copies for sale on discogs with the most expensive one being the one in the pictures above. That's because I could do without the black version but only if someone is crazy enough to pay that much. Or if someone wants to trade me something good. In that case I'd be more reasonable. If that doesn't happen I will gladly keep both copies. It's a great record and the first press sisters look pretty good on my shelf. The 2nd press on red I don't care about.

Randale Reaper

Ok. Let's go crazy

Sheer Terror - standing up for falling down LP - 2014 Reaper Records RR68 and Randale Records RAN175

Can you tell they're one of my favorite bands? I'm still missing way too many versions of older releases and nearly didn't get the most limited color of this one on Reaper either. Luckily one of those damn flipsters wasn't too greedy so I grabbed it right away and here we are

Top row are the three color variations on Randale Records from Germany.
White w/ blue swirl /250
White w/ red purple swirl /250
Black /?

Bottom row are the Reaper Records pressings
Translucent blue / solid pink split vinyl /700
Purple /1000
Blue w/ purple haze /300
I couldn't for the life of me get that most ltd. color not to look black in the family picture so I took this one:

As you can see there's really just a bit of a purple haze in there. I'm wondering if that's what most copies look like. I know not all do. Maybe I have to get another copy. Damn!

Above you can see the different ways of providing the lyrics. Reaper went for a printed innersleeve with a nice picture on the back while Randale provides a poster-insert which is pretty rad too.

Musically I wasn't really sure what to expect from this release and I have to admit I was a little scared at first because the Spite 7" wasn't their best material but while the LP has one or the other track like that it still came out great. Those few songs sound more like one of those run of the mill nyhc clone bands these days only with a good dose of the genuine Sheer Terror sound which makes them heaps better already. Most of the songs though are true Sheer Terror material with 'Coffee, 5 sugar' being my absolute favorite. It's so good I consider it one of the best songs any incarnation of the band ever wrote. Definitely worth the money although I could easily have lived without a german pressing.

Hipster-free Spex

Let's go back in time another year and change the continent from the last post to this one


X-Ray Spex - germfree adolescents LP - 1978 EMI International INS 3023, EMI OC 062-61 787

This is a classic UK punk record that can not be missing from a respectable collection of that genre. And yet it is not totally up my alley. It's good but somehow I cannot get behind this one as I do with others of the same trade.

It's great to have an original first press in my collection but I guess it will not make a lot of rounds on my turntable. Future collectors might thank me for keeping it in the beautiful condition it's in when they buy it from whoever sells what I leave behind once I passed on to the other side while some people today might not look at it that way. Sorry.

That's a lot of questions

December finally sees things slowing down so I have a bit of time on my hands to do nice things with friends and family and to post some more records. So here we go


Weirdos - Who? What? When? Where? Why? 12" - 1979 BOMP! Records BLP-4007

Those first two Weirdos 7"es are among the best early US punk releases which is why I love that band. On their later material, starting with this release, they lean more towards the Rock in Punk Rock but it's still great. Just not for the punk purist.

This is the original US pressing which is different to the german pressing I already owned before picking this one up. The cover is slightly altered and the labels are nowhere near those of the german pressing. But the main difference is the order of the songs. While the Line Records version has Jungle Rock as the sole track on Side A and all the other songs on the flip the original has Jungle Rock slipped in as the third of the 6 songs which are divided equally between the two sides. No idea why they thought it was a good idea to single out one track and dedicate a whole side of a 12" to it's 3:13 min. duration. An extended version would have made a bit of sense but like that?
Anyway. Now I have a copy that makes more sense to me and only still need the french pressing. And I'm sure once I have that I also want the german repress which I now think I don't really need.