Mittwoch, 29. Januar 2014
Support GIHC
They came across some bumps in the road while trying to stock great stuff for y'all.
Like those lost No Thanks records who drained them of quite a bit of loot
Or the Radio Raheem / Painkiller order that took forever to be handled.
But things seem to be smoothing out.
Support them. They are working hard to deliver the goods to you.
Meanwhile new records are piling up here at . LIC . HQ . and with a lot of shit that had to be taken care of out of the way already it might be able to get back to posting about them soon.
Sonntag, 12. Januar 2014
It's happening today
Now that all the pick up fails are dealt with, on the last day of 7 weeks on the road I'll feature of the Zürich haul the purchase that is 2nd only to the sealed Devo LP.
Slapshot - back on the map - Taang! 12 - 1986
Yellow labels denote the third press. According to discogs it came without any inserts. Unfortunately the Taang! discography does not give any useful info on this album at all like with most of the other releases. Someone needs to tackle that project. Give the nerds what they want.
Despite what it says on discogs my copy has a Taang! A4 Catalogue. From the records advertised on here I would say this was probably repressed in 1990.
This version was the last one missing for this 12". So here is the whole family. Not really a hard job to accomplish yet I'm happy to cross that one off the list.
This is the lyricsheet that came with my blue label first pressing. The second press white label version should have that too according to discogs but my copy doesn't have any inserts at all.
And here we have the one-sided A4 Taang! Catalogue that was included with the first pressing. Too bad I couldn't find any pictures of the one that came with the second press. Maybe that's because discogs is right and there really were no inserts. Would be interesting though to see where the label was at when that one dropped.
Both inserts from the 1st press. Notice the 'slight' yellowing of the mailorder sheet.
Ageing process. L 2 R should be 3rd 2nd 1st press but is indeed 2nd 3rd 1st press
I know. I really need to do something about the quality of the pictures I take. This was a rush job though done in what little time I had at home while the tour resided nearby over Christmas.
Tomorrow I'm finally going back home where I'll have to take care of a few things so it will most likely get a little more quiet on here again. After that next up on .LIC. will be the rest of this haul plus everything I got in the mail while being away. And more updates to my Unbroken discography.
Freitag, 10. Januar 2014
Deutsche Lieder
With all the different kinds of music I like and the resulting shitload of records on my wantlist it's pretty hard to remeber everything about each of those records. What's a good price? Did it come with any inserts? What's the first press? ... Unfortunately the records I do know the answers to hardly ever pop up at record stores which is why I always end up buying records I love but have no idea about pressings, inserts, price and so on. This results way too often in buying releases that miss the lyricsheet or overpaying.
Everytime that happens I say to myself that next time I'll pay more attention instead of getting carried away by the joy of having found a great album. While that works better and better it still happens and it drives me crazy. Like with the Killing Time LP featured in my last post and the one this is going to be about.
Being introduced to hardcore as an adolescent was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. When I got to check out some US classics I was hooked which lead to me discovering what was currently happening overseas and locally. But no one ever pointed me towards the classics from where I live and the last few years saw a pity growing inside of me concerning that hole in my musical education. Especially in regard of german punk. Taking babysteps into this realm I discovered one of the first german punk bands (according to the info provided on discogs) Below you can see what I believe to be the first press of their 2nd LP
Rotzkotz - lebensfroh + farbenfroh - No Fun Records NF08/15 - 1981
This is another record I picked up in Zürich, Switzerland. I am from Germany and therefore wasn't able to go online while browsing the offerings of the local vinyl dealers. There were a lot of really great records just sitting there. Most of those I wasn't sure about pressing info etc. so I took a quick foto to remember what to check on when being back at the hotel later. This one though I was dead sure had a good price and was the right pressing. So I bought it. What I didn't remember though is that it's supposed to have a booklet coming with it. Motherf$?#!%. Now I know why the price seemed good. Fooled again. I REALLY need to do something about that
Donnerstag, 9. Januar 2014
One step forward two steps back
Many moons ago Killing Time's Happy Hour was one of the first hardcore albums I owned. It never was a favorite of mine but it's definitely a solid record well worth to be in anyone's NYHC collection. Due to this I just owned it on a measly little silver disc in a plastic case all the time up until mid december last year.
I was on a workrelated trip to Zuerich and had some time to go record shopping. When I saw the LP version without the lyricsheet I wasn't sure if it was ever released with one. I thought I had seen it with a lyricsheet in bad condition a while ago but couldn't really remember so I asked someone who collects everything on Blackout! Records. He said it doesn't come with one which is why I picked it up. A day or so later he wrote to let me know that he inquired with the guy who runs Blackout! and of course it was issued with a lyricsheet. Damn! Bad luck sticks to me. At least it was very cheap and in great condition.
Killing Time - happy hour - Blackout! Records BLK14LP - 1992
Sonntag, 5. Januar 2014
Wazmo Nariz
Chicago born performer Wazmo Nariz did have his eyes on the city's early punk days. In 1978 he released his first 7" on the local independent label 'Fiction'.
Check out the two neckties. Apparently this was his trademark.
I picked up this record a few years back for two reasons.
This flex review:
"Fast synth/wave punk on the A side, no guitars but “real” drums. Quite entertaining, reminds me of early Devo or the manic Geza X sound. B side is more in the pop punk vein, with guitars and good melodies. Good single."
And because it was dirt cheap.
The A-side really is a little hit if only for the weirdness but as you might already know I like that.
This 7" was rereleased in the UK by Stiff Records with a different B-side track: 'Wacker Drive"
I might have to check out that song to see if it's worth picking up but then again I'll probably just add it to an order I'm placing anyway or pick up a copy at a store if I come across one as it's not going to demand deep pockets either.
In 1979 Wazmo and the Wazband released the following LP which I recently picked up
Wazmo Nariz - things aren't right - I.R.S. Records - 1979
I like the layout of the sleeve and the way it is in sync with the titel but unfortunately that's about it for this record. Definitely the most boring release I picked up since I bought the latest Blondie LP last summer. Well, the Blondie record is really bad. I cannot listen to it. This slab of vinyl here is just boring. It has lost most of the weirdness and borders on uninspired 80s pop even though it was not released in the 80s. Even 'Checking Out The Checkout Girl' which was released as a 7" with another track off of the LP, 'Who Does It Hurt?', on the flipside cannot hold a candle to 'Tele-tele-telephone'.
One side of the innersleeve. The other's blank.
Beautiful rainbow labels round out a visually pretty good release. Too bad the sonic part doesn't match.
Before they were picked up by I.R.S. they released a 2nd 7" on Fiction maybe that one holds another hit.
To be continued...
Donnerstag, 2. Januar 2014
Last in 2013 First in 2014
There have been at least two great reissues released lately that somehow were not sold at any store I visited. Being pretty anxious to get those I decided to order from one of my favorite shops, Per Koro. While browsing the latest news I came across the new Pelican double 12" 'Forever Becoming'. Of course I had to throw it in with what I came for in the first place (which I'll cover sometime later).
Pelican are another one of my favorites. Whenever they put out a new record I buy it immediately. Well, except for 7" releases. Usually I love Singles but they are just not a 7" band. I don't put them on too often but when I do I want to get lost in their soundscapes as long as possible.
There's not a single bad Pelican song although there are some that are just a little bit better than others. Either 'The Fire In Our Throats...' or 'City Of Echoes' was my introduction to the band and to this day those are the ones receiving the most love. It's hard to decide which one is better because they both have their own qualities. Most of the time though the scale tips a little bit towards the latter.
'Forever Becoming' was the last 2013 release I got to know about and the first I listened to in 2014. Last year the first LP I listened to was the awesome Tom Waits - On The Scene '73 KPFK Folk Scene Broadcast 2LP. Not an easy one to be compared to. Yet the new Pelican did a very good job. While the previous two 12" releases 'Ataraxia / Taraxis' and 'What We All Come To Need' didn't dethrone either one of my two favorites this new one is a strong contender for Best Pelican release. Right now 'City...' and 'The Fire...' have the advantage of being well established but let's see what happens when 'Forever Becoming' gets more plays.
Pelican - Forever Becoming - double 12" - Southern Lord Records (LORD 182) - 2013