Warfool

Warpaint - the fool 2LP - 2010 Rough Trade RTRADLP580

My second Warpaint album was actually their first full length although I would consider it their second because 2009's debut release 'Exquisite Corpse' 12" is considered an e.p. by some but not me. If you don't consider records with a playtime like the one on their first output a full length you might be hard pressed to find a full length hardcore album at all :D

Anyway. This is more of the same. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just everything I love about this band. I can't get enough of this. I think their debut was recently re-issued. I hope for a decent price. I need that one. This band is perfect!

White light, white heat

Velvet Underground - white light / white heat LP - 1998 Verve Records V6-5046, Verve Records V/V6-5046

I knew it couldn't be true when I bought this record. Re-Issue after Re-Issue of this album pops up all over the place but I was holding out for an original first press.
This pressing looks very much like the real deal but it was cheap and in spectacular condition so I thought that it cannot be what I'm looking for. Yet I couldn't let it sit there. You know what it feels like to find out later that indeed it was what I was looking for. The pain of passing up a great opportunity was certainly something I feared more than purchasing my first copy of this record for less than what those most recent represses cost.

It's a beautiful, apparently official, Re-Issue on the very same label that originally released this classic in January 1968. Almost 47 years ago. Besides spelling mistakes and updated credits the whole artwork is true to the 1st pressing. Definitely not sorry for picking this one up. If you don't want to spend too much this is certainly one of the best versions to consider.

UNDERTONES

Undertones - s/t LP - 1979 Sire SRK 6071

Another UK killer. I've had another copy of this album for years already when I saw a beautiful first press at a good friends place. I knew right there and then I had to get one too. Good thing it didn't take me long to find my own copy. This might be my all time favorite 77 Punk album. It slays front to back.

Sealed Session Ruts

The Ruts - The Peel Sessions 12" - 1986 Strange Fruit SFPS 011

At first I only liked their Hit Babylon's Burning but after I listened to their eponymous The Crack LP a couple of times it grew on me. No I love it front to back so I didn't have to think for a second when I found this still sealed canadian pressing of their Peel Session. It's a cut out but you can hardly see the tiny hole in the front bottom right corner. I thought to myself what are the chances to find this one unopened but only a day or two later I saw another one in a different shop. Maybe I should have picked that one up too so I could open and listen to one. Then again I'd rob someone else of the chance to add a sealed copy to her / his collection. Not sure if many people are as crazy as I am and keep records sealed even though they don't have a copy to play. But who knows. Maybe someone will be as excited about old sealed records as I am. Currently I have 4 sealed records in my collection that I will never open. Including this one. Two of those are the only copies I have.

Ninteen inches of Clash

The Clash - s/t LP - 1979 Epic 36060, Epic JE 36060, Epic AE7 1178

Ok, there are a lot of bands that I think need no introduction but if that is right for only one band I think it's The Clash. So glad I scored this great copy of the crucial first LP. I've always held out buying this album until I found a special pressing. And I believe this to be one. Of course it's available online but for some reason I prefer tracking down UK bands' vinyl in brick and mortar stores.

I can't recall if I ever physically saw this pressing before but definitely not including the 7". Lucky me the first time I see one it's in great shape at a reasonable price. Now I only still need a true first press.

Fanx 69

Today is dedicated to some British classics

Sham 69 - that's life LP - 1978 Polydor POLD 5010, Polydor 2442 158

These lads released some of the best Oi songs ever. I cannot imagine anyone being into Punk or Hardcore not knowing at least one or two of their songs.
That's life is their 2nd full length.

A copy of this album is not hard to find. It seems there were millions pressed. If you're looking for a genuine UK first press though it gets a little more difficult.
Coming across a copy with the hype sticker on the cover and looking as fine as the one on my copy cuts down your chances again.

Finding a copy that actually does still come with the advertised poster is taking the cake. At least if you try to find one in this condition in the wild aka a real recordstore and not on discogs. I lost track of the number of copies I checked for the poster. Glad I finally got lucky. Sooner or later this will be going on my wall. In a frame of course. I'm not 14 anymore.

Can't close my 12" eyes

I saved todays best for last

Youth Of Today - can't close my eyes 12" - 1988 Schism, Caroline Records CAROL 1353

I have to admit not being the biggest YOT fan. I like everything they did but I never understood the kind of love some people feel for them.
Having said this it might not be hard for you to believe that I heard these songs for the first time when I put the needle to this record. Now I can understand a little better why people are into Youth Of Today the way they are. Before this I most appreciated them for the fact that they are the originators of the Youth Crew style and were very important for Hardcore in general.

As most of you will know Can't Close My Eyes was originally issued as a 7" on Positive Force Records with I don't know how many variations and different pressings. Ultimately Schism decided to also do a 12" repress and what you see here is the 2nd pressing on that format.
Still looking for a first press of this for my Schism collection. Maybe that one actually has the track We Just Might from the Another Shot For Bracken compilation on it. This one doesn't although it's listed on the backcover.

More verbal assault(s)

I'm going to put two different records in this post because I bought them for one and the same reason. They feature a Verbal Assault song.

V/A - another shot for bracken LP - 1986 Positive Force Records No. 9

A one and only pressing compilation on the legendary Positive Force Records run by Kevin Seconds out of Reno Nevada is what we have here. Too bad none of the songs really stand out. Quite a few big names chipped in. Still I listened to it once and then filed it. If it wasn't for the Verbal Assault track and the feeling that the collection will not be complete with out this LP I would probably never have picked up a copy.

V/A - It's your choice...
      unreleased live material from the Your Choice Live series 2x10" - Your Choice Records YC-LS 013

This record should never have been released. No wonder these songs were left off the original releases of the series. Probably the record least likely to ever be played again. Yet I needed it for my Verbal Assault collection.

More blood days

Unity - blood days LP - 2014 Kidnap Music 048

When I first got wind of this Re-Issue it was already for sale online so I panicked a bit. This is one of my all time favorite hardcore records. Naturally I had get a 2nd copy It was originally only pressed once on black.
I really like the poster but I have to say the patch is a little too much. The liner notes are not as weird as those of the Brotherhood repress but not that interesting either. As an insert they should have used a regular 12" sized lyricsheet though. Everything that's on the inside would fit on one side and the flyers and pictures on the back, which are a nice touch, would come out a lot better being printed on the other side of a bigger sheet.

I can not at all understand why this is such an underrated record but in this case it was good it is. Otherwise I might not have been able to pick up the limited version out of 150 with the patch. The label thinks the vinyl looks turquoise to me though it looks more blue with only a slight hint of green or is this some kind of transition / shade? Would be nice to compare my copy to those of others. Unfortunately no one I know also bought this.
There are another 150 on this color that come with the poster but not the patch and 700 on black vinyl   that come with neither as far as I know.

Slowed down Punch

Today's posts should be more up most peoples alley again.

Punch - they don't have to believe LP - 2014 Deathwish Inc. DW165

Fastcore, Thrashcore, Powerviolence and the such were never really my kind of thing. Follow up question to that statement: Why did I buy a Punch record then? Well, a friend of mine is in that band and he played me their new recordings way before the album was released. Of course that wasn't the reason for buying it. But if it wouldn't have been for him I would have never given this slab of vinyl a chance since I didn't like any of their previous material. It just isn't my kinda stuff. This one though is really good. Too bad they're caught in a jam right now with their singer having left. Rumor has it they broke up but that is not quite the case just yet.

As with the Cold World LP this is also the least collectible version out of the 4 pressings that were made. However it is not the one working best with the rest of the layout. Good thing though, the others colors out there, coke bottle clear, clear gold with opaque light blue, gold/blue mix, probably don't fit any better. Does anyone else feel these choices are odd? Why didn't they use black and white vinyl? Or maybe a green, blue, black tri-color pressing? Well, whatever. It is what it is.

Country Nancy

Last one for tonight.
The next posts will get Back To The Known.

Nancy Sinatra - country my way LP - 1967 Reprise Records RS-6251

Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood recorded some mighty fine songs together. Prior to picking up this full length all I was able to score are three 7"es of hers. One an awesome duet with her father and on the other two she's accompanied by Lee.
I was totally stoked to finally come across one of her albums in the wild and the title suggested good things. Unfortunately my expectations were a little too high. I expected to hear dark and moody Country influenced tunes instead of pure Country Music. I have yet to go back and really listen to pass judgement but I'm pretty positive that I will love it once I get over it being something else than I thought it would be.

I'm totally stoked that this one turned out to be an original US first press from 1967.
47 years old and still in better shape than your Daddy.
That's a whopping 10 years older than I am btw.
Stoked!!

Next stop Vauxhall

Morrissey - Vauxhall and I LP - Parlophone PCSDR 148, Parlophone 825646299485

When Mozz got on the Re-Issue train I really didn't like it. Largely because of the altered covers which didn't look too good and because I was already getting fed up with all the RSD hype but also because it was easy as I already had copies of those albums.
And then Your Arsenal was announced to be made publicly available again. That record as well as this one is a 90s classic of his that is a little harder to come by and demands pockets that are a bit deeper. I never felt like spending enough to get those so these pressings make sense to me. And they are even really good looking.
Viva Hate and Kill Uncle regularly pop up in stores and on flea markets everywhere so I couldn't see the point in those new treatments. Now I do though because it looks like he decided to do that for all his studio recordings of which quite a few, just like Your Arsenal and Vauxhall And I, are rather expensive.
Can't wait for Southpaw Grammar to drop.

Popular surprise

While record shopping during our holidays in Stockholm last September I was in for a surprise.

Leonard Cohen - popular problems LP - 2014 Columbia 88875014291

Old Ideas from 2012 was his first new studio album since the release of Dear Heather in 2004. And now only 2 more years down the road here we have yet another full length with all new material whose release somehow totally passed me by. Of course I bought it even though I hadn't heard any of the new songs. Because it's Leonard Cohen! He didn't release a bad record ever.

Gentleman Jim

Trifecta

Jim Reeves - girls i have known LP - ??? RCA Camden CDS 6006 (e)
Jim Reeves - songs to warm the heart LP - 1972 RCA Camden CDS 1099, Camden CDS 1099
Jim Reeves - my friend LP - 1972 RCA Victor LSP-4646

As far as I know this guy released his first single in the late '40s and although categorised as Country did not record the kind one would usually associate with that era. He is actually more of a Crooner.
I have to admit though that I am not the biggest fan. A lot of his records just pass you by with nothing sticking out to latch on to you to drag you along. Still I do have 10 to 15 of his LPs now and will most likely keep buying more.

Girls I Have Known is a repress of the 1958 original that nobody seems to remember when it was made.
Songs To Warm The Heart is a 1972 repress of the 1959 original.
My Friend is an original 1972 US pressing with the only other version of that record having been released the same year in Australia.

42 years old. At least two of them. The music of two of those dates back to almost 60 years ago. And still there are people who enjoy this. I don't think this will be the case with todays popular Artists.

Miss Donna Fargo

Time for something different again

Donna Fargo - Miss Donna Fargo LP - 1974 ABC Dot DOSD-2002

This is my third Donna Fargo album and they're all great.
Straight up 70s Country.
Nothing else.
Perfect!

It's not a rare record and dirt cheap despite being a 40 year old record in almost NM condition.
Shit like this always gets me excited.

the common cold (world)

Cold World - how the gods chill LP - Deathwish Inc. DW162

What felt like decades finally came to an end this year. The new Cold World LP finally dropped and boy is this a good one. No Omega still compiles their best material but How The Gods Chill grows on me with every listen.

Deathwish pressed four different colorways right off the bat. Good thing I don't really collect Cold World releases. Totally satisfied with this most common pressing.
Not sure how the different blue pressings work with the rest of the layout but it might be a bit much considering the insert. I can't imagine the clear vinyl looking too good in this package but this white one really does look great. Lucky me.

till death

Posting late as always

Brotherhood - till death LP - 2014 Southern Lord 199, Overkill Records OKR-013

At first I wasn't sure if I (or anybody else for that matter) needed this Re-Issue. Crucial Response kept this classic in print ever since they originally released it in 1989. I read that the band or at least someone in the band wasn't too happy with the CRR version but honestly I do not see how this one is that much better.
I don't like that foldover thing at all. It's stupid. The booklet was what changed my mind but actually it's not as good as I imagined it to be. The pictures are ok but that text.... It's probably the weirdest thing that in the end is not saying anything at all.
And what about adding a repress of the 7" to some versions? Slightly redundant. Very useless. It doesn't even come with a cover and the songs are on the LP anyway. I guess you know I'm all for collecting different pressings but this one is the top of the unnecessary crop. I have an original first press of the 7" and want to add more versions to my collection in the future but definitely not one without a cover. Which is why I didn't order any of those pressings that came with one.

The tri-color is a very nice touch though. Nothing I have seen before so I'm glad I added that one to the white vinyl and 5 black vinyl pressings of the CRR LP. Still need those other colors.
The blue one is still sealed and will probably stay that way. Right now I don't even remember what made me order that one in the first place but then again more Brotherhood is better than less. Definitely a keeper.

original dutch dickies

The Dickies - dawn of the dickies LP - 1979 A&M Records ‎– AMLE 68510

This is an original dutch first pressing of this classic. One of the best West Coast Punk bands. Not much else to say about it.

I only have one question:
Which of the LPs from 1979, this one or 'The Incredible Shrinking Dickies' was actually released first? If I go by the US pressings catalogue numbers it should be the other one. Is that correct?

13 knots years later birth is still pain

Ringworm - birth is pain LP - 2011 Victory Records VR167-LP-TN

I see people religiously buying each and every pressing of any given Integrity record. Where are the people who do that with Ringworm? In my eyes that would make way more sense. At least the didn't put out batshit crazy stuff at some point and then worked their way backwards again when they (or maybe just he) saw that no one walked down that road with them (him).
'The Promise' is still one of the best metallic hardcore records ever and this one is no snoozefest either. Too bad it was originally only released on CD in 2001. I was so hoping for the vinyl to be dropped. But then they just released the next full length as a CD only and so my interest faded.
Fast forward 10 years and there it was finally someone treated those songs right. And before I had realised what had happened the next two album were given the same treatment and I was overwhelmed. All this time later they decide to put out those recordings out on wax at about the same time in I don't know how many different pressings?! I wasn't having it and decided not to pick up any of those.

Fast forward a few more years and me having seen the LPs a couple of times in different locations I started feeling it again. More new albums hit the market and none of them was really bad. In fact I really liked the little bits I heard here and there until finally I decided I had to have at least one pressing of each of their records on vinyl.
So here I am starting with their 2nd full length. 13 years (how appropriate to buy this now if you take a look at the cover) after it's original release there still is hardly (if any) other album of this genre that can hold a candle to 'Birth Is Pain' and they still carry the torch with their latest releases.
It was kinda cheap and for all I know all the later albums are also not expensive. Yet it might take a while until you'll see me post about a new addition to my Ringworm family. Had they not let me down with those CD only releases for 10 years I would probably be following them a lot more closely but anyway I still respect the hell out of them. They sure have a lot more integrity than that other band.

PS:
Don't get me wrong I love that early Integrity material but they totally lost it after Humanity Is The Devil while Ringworm are still keeping their shit in the right place.

That red Pittbull

Pittbull - s/t LP - 1991 Nemesis Records NEM-039

Pittbull are one of the few bands I like that seemingly were ok with being on Lost & Found and were probably not ripped off by them. Or maybe not right away or obvious enough. But I only collect their non L&F releases.
This is their first LP which is only pre-dated by two 7"es and a promo split flexi that came with Sold Out fanzine. Those records are also the only ones not on that shitty german label and with this nice copy of the ltd. red vinyl version I don't have to worry about the full length anymore. The regular pressing on black I already own for a good amount of time. That also goes for the 2nd press of their first 7". Meaning I'm still two records short. Obviously the first press and then the only press of their second single called 1990. The track on the flexi is on 1990 and s/t so I don't need that one.

Madball Oi

Madball - hardcore lives LP - 2014 Nuclear Blast NB 3005-1

The only MDB LP I'm missing is Look My Way. Somehow I never got the chance to regularly pick up a vinyl copy and am thus stuck with the CD for way too long already. I need to change that but then again there are a lot of things I should change about my collection aka still way too many holes in there.
Hold It Down was the last really good album they put out and yet I buy a copy of each of their full lengths. So I also gave this one a chance. Unfortunately that's also where it ended. I have to say I'm not a big fan of this record. I can see them trying to bring something new to the plate but it just doesn't land with me. Does that mean I'm not going to buy the next LP when it comes out? Hell no! Why? Because it's fuckin' Madball. That's why.

what's that about your dad?

Frantix - my dad's a fuckin' alcoholic LP - 2014 Alternative Tentacles VIRUS 459

The Frantix are classic KBD material and what we have here is their discography which was only just released this year for the first time ever on vinyl. I hesitated for a bit because I had never actually listened to the band but at last thought what the heck when it popped up in one of my favorite stores. How bad can a classic KBD band be?

The title track certainly is a good one. Yet I cannot really get into the whole thing. It certainly is among the weaker material of that genre which is probably why the original 7"es are not that expensive.
Still I'm glad this was made regularly available on vinyl so I could get a copy. It's still a good record for the KBD fan that I am. I guess I would have never spend the money it would take to get the original singles so thank you AT.

age of the bootleg

Cro-Mags - age of quarrel 10" - Bootleg

Is there anyone who doesn't know the story of that record? Let alone any one of the recordings or even the band? There's nothing I could write right now that wasn't already mentioned a million times. So glad I finally have a first press of this boot. It's # 1319/1500. Now I can let go of my 2nd press with the green font. If any of you are looking for that one let me know.
Owning a copy of the original tape would rule but I don't think I'll ever be ready to spend what it takes. But who knows maybe I'll find one for cheap somewhere sometime. Let's not stop dreaming folks.

And with this purchase I now own all the Cro-Mags vinyl I need. I have a US 1st press AOQ LP with the red insert and censored printed in black plus a dutch pressing from 1987 with uncensored black & white insert. Best Wishes OG US pressing. Alpha Omega 1st press. Near Death Experience 1st and only pressing. I even have a copy of Revenge on ltd. white/red splatter. Done!