Gore piano

I honestly have no recollection of how I got introduced to Bohren & der Club of Gore or when that was. All I know is that they can do no wrong.

The oldest release of theirs that I do own is 2000's 'Sunset mission' album. Which, albeit not being their first release I heard, chronologically marks more of a dawning for this band in my collection as this already has all the parts that, further ripened over the two years that passed until its release, made 'Black Earth' to be THE Bohren album.

These two full lengths I just own on CD because the vinyl was long gone before I got hip to them. Oddly enough I'm fine with it and not really looking for the vinyl pressings. If made available at a price I consider decent I'd probably be hard pressed to add it to the collection but I don't think I'll get that lucky and that's ok.

Somehow for me their music works best on CD because I feel that each album should be enjoyed in its entirety without any interruption to get the most out of it.

And still I can't bring myself to buy a new Bohren record on CD while the vinyl version is right there in front of me. As was the case with their latest output.

 

Bohren & der Club of Gore - piano nights LP

[PIAS] Recordings PIASD4804LP

[PIAS] Recordings 556.A090.012

Well, the artwork, undeniably, does work better on a 12" format than on those tiny CD booklets and these days some vinyl releases don't come with a download code but an actual CD as was the case with this one. Meaning I got all the ups with no downer.

I bought this on a Saturday that I was out and about all day until late. Luckily there wasn't much planned for Sunday so after breakfast I laid down on the couch and appropriately appreciated this masterpiece.

Chiller than all

Morrissey's arsenal

Recently every jackass is on about how vinyl is back. Back from where? Did it go anywhere? As far as I can remember it's always been here. Maybe your insignificant little Indie sensation only put out their idea of music on this transitional medium called the Compact Disc. And certainly major labels didn't clog all channels with the millionth repress of records that are filling bins in record stores already. But almost every album, ep or single I like was pressed onto vinyl.

Unfortunately though during the nineties some releases were only made available on vinyl in relatively small numbers. Trying to get those now is not that easy and draws a little more blood than records by the same artist from let's say the 80s when albums were pressed in large numbers and in many different countries at the same time. One of those rather pricey items got an upgrade lately:

 

Morrissey - your arsenal LP Parlophone CSDX 7390A, Parlophone 825646348831

After originally being issued in a few countries in 1992 the album has already been repressed on vinyl once in 2002 but this time around they perfected the release. If OG wouldn't always beat any and all descendents the fine gatefold packaging with the great bandphoto on the inside would transcend this version to be the only one you'd actually need if you're seriously collecting Morrissey but are not into owning multiple copies.

I do collect Morrissey vinyl but not seriously so I'm very satisfied owning this beaut.

Strangely I still didn't see a 'Vauxhall and I' repress in any of the stores I've been to since its release. Which makes me a little nervous about getting one. Though not enough yet to order online and add postage to the damage. Let's see how long it takes until I'm there but hopefully I find a copy before it gets to that.

Can you take a Mucky Pup?

On March 22nd this year we (Stepdown) held another one of our shows at the legendary AK47 in Düsseldorf, Germany. On the bill that night were Empowerment, Isolation and Code Blue Coma but this post isn't about a release by any of those bands.

As always I went to Düsseldorf early to prepare for the show with the other 50% of our enterprise. He has a rather costly trip booked for later this year and had therefore culled a few records to sell andI got dips. Considering the fact that he's not a collector I didn't expect much and yet found this sentimentally charged record:

 

Mucky Pup - can't you take a joke? LP Roadrunner Records RR 9553 1 - 1988

Actually I had never listened to that record before getting my hands on the actual thing. Yet I have fond memories of this band, as I used to listen to the 'A boy in a man's world' and 'Now' full lengths a lot back in the early nineties even though I only had them dubbed onto the glorious cassette format.

This bred a natural curiosity about what that debut record of theirs sounded like. Not enough though to ever order a copy or actively seeking out a copy. I never even had an idea as to what it's worth and I still don't. Which is due to him just giving it to me. So THANK YOU again.

On this release you can clearly hear their hardcore roots.
Although not as good as DRI, COC, Crumbsuckers, etc 'Can't you take a joke' still puts them in the same category. And I'm glad I have this little nugget now as it joins the branch of music Mucky Pup, Freaky Fuckin' Weirdoz, Fishbone, Urban Dance Squad and others are best known for to the branch of hardcore on the family tree of music.

This was a great start into another great day in Düsseldorf which also had these two records - and a great show - in stall for me but more about those in their own respective posts soon.

 

Are you alive or are you Bored (Youth)

It's crazy how much money people spend on hc/punk records. Me included. I drop way too much dough on vinyl but those first two Touch & Go releases... I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to get my hands on any one of those. And even apart from those, collecting early T&G releases is a costly adventure these days.

One band that for some reasons didn't find its way onto the labels roster is the topic of this post and I'm sure had they released their ep recorded in 1981 on T&G as it was actually intended to be you would see it on a lot of peoples want list and changing hands for quite a buck. But instead it was bootlegged almost a decade later in germany. And luckily got a proper release by Alona's Dream Records in 2013. Who later that year also released this LP:

Bored Youth - are you alive? 1982 LP - Alona's Dream Records ADR 12 011

Looks like it wasn't in the cards for Bored Youth to take their rightful place among contemporaries like Negative Approach, Necros, etc. as the LP recordings done by Corey Rusk of Necros fame in 1982 that take up most of Side A of this release were shelved for even longer than the 7". More than three decades later, 31 years to be precise, the general public is finally able to hear those songs.

As with most hardcore full lengths this one too doesn't really use up the full storage potential of a 12" so ADR rounded out the first side with one track from a rehearsal recording and fortified the whole thing with a pretty good sounding 1981 live recording on the remaing half of the platter.

Pictured here is the ltd pre-order edition out of 100 copies which I snagged for my own collection. The regular edition is on black vinyl and usually comes with neither poster nor button.

For some reason we have regular black vinyl copies still available and they even come with a button as we got those as a thank you for pre-ordering right off the bat. So hit the above link and get that classic material into your home. Maybe along with their 7" which we also still have in stock.