Live Reed

With me buying records is something that has always been influenced by the cover. From the earliest purchases I can remember up to this one. Lou Reed's 'take no prisoners' live double LP.

While I was already pretty much satisfied owning 's/t' (gotta have the first solo album), 'Transformer' (his best album) and 'Coney Island Baby' (a nice record featuring the must have song 'A gift' (google the lyrics and you'll know why)) the cover to 'take no prisoners' always spoke to me. And everytime I saw it I heard it a little louder.... pick me up.... Pick me up..... Pick Me up.... until it was PICK ME UP and I just couldn't resist anymore.

This one is a very nice OG 1978 US pressing. How can you resist that?

Unfortunately I only saw the following while taking those pictures

Who the fuck does stupid shit like that????A heartfelt FUCK YOU to the one responsible.

Both records come with printed innersleeves but they both look the same. So the above pictures show the front and back of one of those. The other one looking different would have been nice though.

Following now are pictures of the labels and if you don't already know let's see if you can find the strange thing about this release

Why did they do that? Record 1 featuring Side 1 & 4. Record 2 featuring Side 2 & 3. Does anyone see or know any reason? Any suggestions?

If Side 3 would switch places with Side 4 it would be a very nice touch. At least for those who have a DJ set up with two turntables at home. Then you could play all of it without any pause. The more I think about it the better I like that idea for a Live album. They were on a good way but in the end missed by one. Too bad.

Another thing is that I don't like the song 'Viscious' not being included. To me that's his best song which I still need to have on a 7". And I guess I will have to pick up his 1st Live record from 1975 too because that one includes my favorite.

In conclusion it seems this record is pretty useless and I bought it only for the cover but hey, one more Lou Reed LP in your collection is never a bad thing plus the cover is really very good. Even with that darned scribble.

Now I only need the 1975 Live LP next to a 7" version of 'Viscious' to be satisfied with my Lou Reed collection.

 

Sealed traditionalists

On to the superior format with this post.

Maybe this is also a good time to let you know that my likes are all over the place. I am inclined to pick up vinyl ranging from Blues to Soul, Country to Psychobilly, Metal, Punk, Hardcore, Hip Hop, 90s Alternative plus some Indie and Pop stuff. My main focus being on Punk and associated Genres ranging from progenitors MC5 up to metal influenced Hardcore that's just not yet metalcore.

Devo being another one those progenitors, who despite their 1st 7" from 1977 already formed in 1972, are one of my favorites. I cannot begin to comprehend what an impact their sound must have had on the burgeoning punk scene.

I am totally in love with them yet I cannot find it in me to really collect their output. There is just way too much for my limited resources. I'd be very much satisfied owning just one nice copy of any of the many pressings of each of their regular studio albums. Which is a little strange because with other bands it has to be 1st pressings and I have no idea why Devo don't qualify for that. It's just one of those things. One LP though sticks out but let me add first that whenever I accidentally come across a nice 7" or live LP at a real life record store I do consider buying that. I just don't search the web for it.

The one album sticking out is 'New Traditionalists'. Why? Well, not because I think it's their best but because there is a limited amount of 1st pressings that do come with a huge poster and a bonus 7". Or at least these days the number of complete packages are pretty limited. When it was released in 1981 it was issued in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand so I guess it wasn't that hard to find one back then. I know it was also released in several other countries the same year but thise pressing didn't come with either poster or 7".At first I didn't know about the additional stuff because as I already mentioned I am usually happy with just any nice copy and therefore had picked one up at a fleamarket before I came across a copy at a store in Leipzig that came with the poster in mint condition. Naturally I had to buy it because I cannot stand missing something that should actually be included. Yes, I am at times happy with having just any pressing of a record but they always have to be complete. (Come on. I'm not that much of a slacker.)This sparked my curiosity and had me check discogs. Ever since I am on the look out for a complete copy. Or at least one that does have the 7" so I can upgrade and chuck the rest. Some days ago on the hunt through Zuerich there it was

As you might already have figured out from the title of this post and the pictures. The damn thing is still sealed. 32 years after it was released in the USA I find a sealed copy somewhere in europe. How the hell did that one survive 32 fucking years. It's amazing. And if I get to live that long it will stay sealed for the next 32 or more years. I don't exactly know why but somehow it feels like an accomplishment to survive that long. I can't find it in me to bring that to an end.

Win some lose some. Sometimes it feels like doing both at the same time.

And so the hunt continues for that elusive little bonus 7"

Here's a picture of the poster from my instagram account which I took after purchasing it.

 

Open mouth

To start off this round of latest purchases I'd like to address one of the biggest omissions in hardcore that I can think of. But first let me ask you this:

How many of you are into the Unity - blood days, Uniform Coice - staring into the sun and/ or DYS - fire and ice LPs?

Probably not too many.I however love these records and sometimes when in the right mood these three are not enough and not always the first ones to listen to. It very well happens that, if at home, I pull out Leeway's adult crash LP and give it a spin first. While on the road though I have to revert to what's on my iPod and although all of those are on there there's also another very beautiful nugget to be found that I never think of when I'm back home simply because it was never released on vinyl. How can that be?

How is it possible that Leeway's 'open mouth kiss' was never released on vinyl? So many albums get repressed. Why not this one? I would definitely buy and know a few others who would too. Please! Someone get on this. There IS a demand for that.

I don't care much for CDs. I think in the last 5 years I picked up maybe 3 of those and here I present to you the fourth:It's too good not to own at all.

Leeway - open mouth kiss

As mentioned already I am not into CDs so I took only one quick picture. Posting about it from work now I realize I should provide more. Hang in there. I'll do that...

...and here we are. Not the best pictures but what can you do? Late at night in a hotel room with no good lighting and no real camera. Sorry.