eclectic blood

This record initiated a trade that got me 3 more records and some money on top of it.


Bloodlet - eclectic LP - 1997 Victory Records ‎– VR31

Yes. It's another Bloodlet LP but this time it's a good one which is not hard as the live record which I don't like is the only one of their releases I don't like.
This record compiles all  the songs from the bands 7"es. Of course I already have at least one copy of each of those but it's always nice to have all those songs in one place for your listening pleasure. I mean I love 7"es and I'm definitely going to add the still missing variants to my collection one day but it's a drag to flip over and change the record all the time. I know that's the argument people try to make for CDs or even mp3s but in this case it's still on vinyl. The superior format and only true audio source. Besides tapes of course.

Next to this beautiful black vinyl version there's also one on grey out there. No clue about numbers though. I only know that both versions were pressed at the same time. And yet there are still copies available in the Victory online store. How's that possible? Did they repress the record without saying anything about it? Looks a little like they did. At least I think it's a tad odd that exactly at the time A389 puts out the re-issue of the "Entheogen" LP, of which Victory records did get copies too, maybe as part of a licensing deal, this record seems to be popping up more frequently. But perhaps it's just me paying more attention again after a while of neglect. If you can shine any kind of light on the situation it would sure be appreciated.

not the VIP you probably think of

actually not even VIP but The V.I.P.'s. They were a Power Pop band that released 6 eps between '78 and '81. This compilation compiles all of these:

The V.I.P.'s - beat crazy! The best of the V.I.P.'s LP - 1997 Waterson Records WAIN 41

Yesterday I listened to a few Power Pop 7"es that I had downloaded and most of these didn't really appeal to me. There is a very thin line dividing the good from the bad and it seems the good section is pretty small. My ears only like those bands that have this certain raw, kinda punk feeling to it. If they don't have that it's just boring Beat or standard Pop music. A few tracks really stood out though. Among those were each song that came on from this record.

It's chock full of hits. As you might guess from a Best of record but it's not really a best of. More of a discography as there is every song on here that I know they released.
The original 7"es are not that expensive but this is a good point to get to know the band and to be honest who puts on all the 7"es? This is way more convenient and in a much better way than any CD or mp3.

Discography & Re-issues

On tour during the cold months at the end of last year a then recently released discography hit the shelves at one of my favorite record dealers which i had to order so i felt like throwing in a bunch of re-issues that were on my list for quite a while already. none of it is anything special pressing wise. i see them for sale quite often but usually i find something a little more interesting to waste my dough on. but not this time

ok. let's take a closer look at each one of those starting with the piece of vinyl that got this ball rolling:

Headfirst - the complete recordings 1987 - 1992 3LP - Indecision Records IND90

Discography releases are tricky. Usually I am not too into those. Especially if they press multiple versions right away like they did for Turning Point, Judge, Underdog, etc. I love all of those bands and collect them so on one hand these releases should be in my collection but then again they are somewhat of an equivalent to Best of… records and I really hate those. 

The Underdog one was a no brainer because of the book that came with it and this beautiful thing here also won me over right away. First of and obviously mainly so for the two unreleased songs from the 'back in control' recording session plus the included two demo tapes i had never even heard of. The other reason is that there is only this one pressing, apart from maybe a test pressing that i'm generally not into. That way I don't have to throw too much money at a recent compilation of old releases while I'm still missing a few OG pressings while still being on a good way towards a truly complete vinyl collection instead of just a collection that feels complete to me but actually isn't.

The most needed of the Re-issues I threw in the cart is this one:

Supertouch - the earth is flat - Revelation Records REV21

With all those represses Rev churns out I'm slowly getting to back the 'Revelation can suck it' thing but this one here is a whole lot different. From what I know this is what the record was actually supposed to look like. Maybe not the vinyl itself but the packaging. But due to financial problems the original release looks the way we all know it. I think it's great that after all these years they were able to finally make the vision of how to present their music come true. No way I would pass on this one. Discogs says there were 550 pressed on opaque blue vinyl. Well, mine is clear and not mentioned on there. Anybody know what that's all about? Another one of those cases where they ended up with a lot of different 'shades' of vinyl? Or maybe some kind of transitional pressing? 

Of course Rev already repressed this release on a different color and at first I thought i definitely don't need that but meanwhile I'm not too sure. That white vinyl version looks a hell of a lot better than this blue one.

Followed by this one:

The Make-Up - destination: love. live at cold rice - discord DIS99V remastered 2012 pressing

The Make-Up are one hell of a band. I went to a lot of shows and most of them I don't remember anymore but I clearly remember seeing them on what I think was their first euro tour in support of this, their first full length, release. Definitely one of the best shows I ever saw. Why I didn't pick up this LP back then escapes me. The only reason I can think of is that I didn't have the funds at the time. Took me only about 17 years to finally get my shit together and it's not even the original pressing. Usually I wouldn't mind as I'm not into collecting certain pressing of this band but the fact that this release was remastered somehow doesn't sit too well with me. Looks like I'm in the market for the first mix which to my ears probably doesn't sound any different.

And then this one:

H2O - s/t - Bridge Nine B9R158

This record was a little too melodic for me back when it was released. I liked it but was never bothered to actually pick up a copy until years later. And for an even longer time I didn't feel the need to own any later H20 releases but that changed with the 'Nothing to prove' record. That one I bought and like almost as much as the first full length. 

After I finally decided to pick up a vinyl copy it kept eluding me. It felt like the record was saying 'you neglected me for that long now I don't want to be with you'. And even now that I finally do own one it's on the ugliest vinyl color it was released on. But I'm ok with that. I don't deserve any better.

Last but not least is this killer KBD 7"

Nubs - job / little billy's burning 7" - Last Laugh Records HAW-033

I got a real late pass on everything KBD which is why none of those releases mean anything special to me. I mean I love the music but they didn't influence me like say UC's 'screaming for change' which had me turn straight edge about 20 years ago.
I'm glad I don't have a special connection with any of those releases because otherwise my desire for OG pressings would be a lot higher.
This is one of the best of the genre and one of many re-issues on Last Laugh Rec. If you have a soft spot for this kind of music you need to check out this record and if your pockets are as shallow as mine you should check out the label. Some of their releases you can order from my shop GIHC.



But wait there is one more 7" in that picture.

Trephine - reprogram…recondition 7" - +/- Records PMR-004

This one was a freebie and the only original pressing on this heap. A lot of times those free records are crap that no one cares about and while no one might care about this record too it definitely isn't crap.
Great 90s militant vegan sound in the vein of Green Rage. I almost put this in the distro without even listening to it. Good thing I didn't. I might not take this one out for a spin too often and if I do it sure won't be the first of the genre that comes to mind but once in a while when I'm in the mood for that sort of stuff it will be a great addition to the playlist.

Edgewise

Yo!
Everything that piled up while I wasn't at home from mid November to early January has been taken care of. Things look like they might be working out alright and I feel just fine today so I'll pick up where I left off. Posting about the last of the purchases I made in Zürich.

It was one of those 'Oh, I didn't even know this record exists' moments. Not sure how I generally feel about these situations but this time it wasn't just another variation of a record I already own and it was cheap so I didn't hesitate.

What I picked up is the last LP by Edgewise. A band not many people seem to care about. In my book though they are a solid band that I enjoy once in a blue moon. This being said I have to admit I'm not the biggest fan and therefore am happy with now owning a copy of each release listed on discogs minus the discography which I would never listen to anyway. Most of all because it was only released on CD.

Instead of just showing you the one release LP I picked up lately I want to feature both LPs and the 7" because I feel they don't get the appreciation they deserve and I didn't see them appear on any blog before. So here we go:

EDGEWISE - silent rage 7" - 1990 - Smorgasbord Records #3

Their earliest release is pretty much rooted in the Youth Crew genre with some heavier NY influences and at times reminiscent of Clevo bands like Integrity or Confront.

I love the big foldout cover and overall look of the layout.

Something not too many bands still do these days.

This is the 2nd press on clear vinyl out of 500 copies. 

EDGEWISE - massacre of the innocent LP - 1993 - Harvest Records HARV 030

Their 1st full length is quite a step away from the 7". Cleveland is still here though but late 80s NY got upped in the mix on account of the Youth Crew style which is not really to be found anywhere anymore. Therefore you can certainly hear the 90s shine through. Not unlike they do with early Refused, Undertow and a bit of Unbroken. Altogether this makes for a pretty unique record. 

EDGEWISE - s/t LP - 1997 - Gain Ground Records GG 9b

This is the 3rd and last output which again got heavier. There is definitely no Youth Crew anymore but Integrity still come around now and then. The vocals are rougher and the whole sound more metallic. The faster parts are mostly gone and they slow it down so far at times that they border on Beatdown when they do so. But this doesn't mean they dropped their typical 90s influences. Occasionally I get reminded of Snapcase even. Not a mix you hear to often. Now, things you don't hear too often can be rare for a reason. Most bands fail terribly at it but Edgewise don't. Although I don't like them enough to put them on regularly when I do it is always a pleasure. A lot of bands from the 90s didn't hold up too good but I like them just the same today as I did when I first heard them. Solid stuff you might want to check out.